I'm Inside Naruto Manga

There was a tone of determination and seriousness in his words, but Naruto didn't immediately grasp the meaning.

"Bring him back... Why? Was Hattori-sensei injured in the attack, or was he captured by someone?" Naruto asked, becoming anxious. After all, Logan held a significant place in Naruto's heart.

When he was younger and had no money, living off the village's welfare, Logan had kindly paid for his ramen. Later, during that public class at the Academy, Logan's calm encouragement to throw a shuriken had made Naruto feel trusted.

Moreover, since the formation of Team 7, they had all gone through good times and bad together, and Naruto had long considered Logan as someone important to him.

"No, he wasn't injured." Sasuke replied, glancing up and down at the bandages covering Naruto, "Are your injuries okay? Can you move?"

Kakashi, standing behind, showed a slight change in expression. He had guessed Sasuke's intentions and quickly tried to dissuade him, "Sasuke, don't be impulsive!"

Naruto and Sakura, still bewildered and confused about what was happening, looked back and forth between the two. Naruto couldn't stand this sudden turn of events anymore and raised his voice, "Hey, can you guys tell me what's going on? What happened to Hattori-sensei?"

"Hattori-sensei, he..." Sasuke started but then stopped himself, not wanting to continue.

Just as Naruto was about to lose his cool, Kakashi finally seemed to make up his mind, 'No matter how incomprehensible it seemed, this was something the students of Team 7 needed and had to know.' Underneath his mask, his expression slowly returned to its usual calmness. He then said, "Naruto, Sakura... Hattori, he defected."

Naruto's mouth dropped open, "Def-defected?!"

Sakura was equally shocked, "What's going on?"

Naruto's hand, wrapped in white bandages, gripped the railing of the hospital bed. He wasn't entirely sure of the meaning of that word, "Wait a minute, Kakashi-sensei, when you say defected, you mean..."

In their cultural studies at the Academy, this term was definitely mentioned. And it would never be forgotten from the well-memorized Ninja Manual, which included the definition of a 'Missing-nin'.

Kakashi's eye was solemn, "He defected, meaning he severed all ties with the village and, for certain reasons, chose to become an enemy of the village."

"This... how is that possible?" Naruto said in disbelief, "How could Hattori-sensei be an enemy!"

Sakura on the side was also shocked by the news. She forced a smile and said: "Kakashi-sensei, you're joking, right...?"

"No, I'm not." Kakashi replied with a serious tone, "As much as I don't want to believe it either, this was something Hattori admitted himself. It happened on the roof of the venue... Just now, I was attending a meeting summoned by the Hokage concerning this matter."

"Sasuke was there too." Kakashi added, glancing at Sasuke, whose face was still grim.

'So that's where they were…' Naruto looked at Sasuke with wide eyes, seeking confirmation.

Sasuke, though reluctant to talk about the useless meeting he had just attended, was forced to nod, affirming the truth of Kakashi's words.

"This can't be... there must be some mistake!" Naruto shouted loudly, "Hattori-sensei could never betray the village."

Naruto immediately began listing reasons, speaking faster without realizing it, "Maybe someone is framing Hattori-sensei, or... there must be some unspeakable reason!"

Kakashi remained silent, recalling the scene from earlier when the sun was just past noon. The man with a short sword and a fierce aura had left with a simple phrase, "I have someone to kill, and I'll take the chance to meet their leader."

What Naruto suggested had also crossed Kakashi's mind. But in the serious meeting where many higher-ups and even one of the Sannin, Jiraiya, were present, the facts spoke louder than any doubts.

"So, what was the outcome of the meeting you just attended?" Sakura, always attentive, asked the key question with a tense expression.

"Hmph." Sasuke snorted coldly, "A bunch of people just discussing nonsense, analyzing the reasons and objectives for the defection based on past behavior and records. They even asked for my opinion on Hattori-sensei, whether he had shown any unusual behavior... Hah, how ridiculous..."

Sasuke's disdain was evident. After hearing this, both Naruto and Sakura's faces darkened. Regardless of everything, Logan was their teacher, and there was a sense of unity within their small team.

"The meeting only confirmed that the defection incident will be investigated further. As for the specific actions to be taken, nothing has been decided yet." Kakashi said, looking at his three students in front of him. He sighed, "Anyway..."

He was about to say, 'You kids should rest and wait for the village's decision. Leave the outside matters to me, your teacher...'

But the three of them didn't seem to be paying any attention to him. Naruto had already turned his focus to Sasuke, asking him about the specific situation, and Sasuke, surprisingly, was cooperating and explaining everything he knew. Sakura had moved closer to listen carefully...

'These guys...' Kakashi didn't know whether to smile or sigh in relief. He cleared his throat, "Hey, I'm saying..."

"That damned Old Man Hokage!" Naruto suddenly shouted, his voice loud enough to almost burst through the walls of the hospital room. His blatant words made Kakashi's heart skip a beat, "This is too reckless! Hattori-sensei helped Ero-Sennin fend off Orochimaru, and just because Orochimaru said a few words, they believed him!"

'Hey, hey, who's the reckless one now...' Kakashi squinted at Naruto, who was waving his fists around, momentarily unsure of what to say.

"No way, we have to figure out what's going on. Just this morning, everything was fine, but right after the attack, Hattori-sensei became a Missing-nin. It doesn't make any sense, no matter how you think about it!" Without hesitation, Naruto sat up straight in bed and began unwrapping his bandages, "I'm going to find that Old Man Hokage!"

Kakashi was startled, 'What was going on? Why had the conversation suddenly escalated to this level of indignation? Was this the kind of sensitive matter to be shouting about casually? He was just about to stop them when Sasuke, still with a stern face, spoke first.

"That's right, Naruto."

"..."

Sasuke gave Naruto a rare smile, showing a look of newfound respect, "No matter what the messy truth is, if we find Hattori-sensei and ask him directly, everything will become clear. That's why I suggested it in the first place… I didn't expect you, who usually can't see the point, to actually get it right in a critical moment."

Kakashi stared blankly at Naruto and Sasuke, who had both stood up. Even Sakura raised her hand bravely, "Since we're in the same team, I'm going too."

"Yosh!" Naruto, now free of his bandages, seemed full of energy and vigor.

At this point, Kakashi, wondering where things had gone wrong, asked a completely irrelevant question, "Naruto, are you sure your injuries are fine?"

Naruto turned back to look at Kakashi, who was standing there, and confidently patted his chest, "No problem at all!"

Then, as if it were only natural, he added to Kakashi, "Kakashi-sensei, aren't you coming?"

"…"