The world around them seemed to be enveloped in an invisible tranquility, and the clamor and intensity of the battle vanished in that moment.
Sai recovered from the astonishing scene he had just witnessed, struggling to prop up his weary body and moving towards Chizhao.
“Hey! Snap out of it!”
Just then, Yamato and his group finally arrived.
The battlefield before them was a mess, with most of the Grass Ninja lying sprawled on the ground; amidst these scattered figures, his gaze quickly locked onto two familiar silhouettes.
He quickly landed beside the two, his tone urgent, his eyes fixed on Chizhao’s pale face.
“What happened to Chizhao?”
Sai’s voice was low and heavy: “She was hit by a neurotoxin… she’s already unconscious.”
These words were like a heavy hammer striking his heart, making his relaxed nerves suddenly tense up again.
Yamato’s gaze swept towards the red-haired girl who had been observing them from the side; he then carried Chizhao on his back and gave orders to the group.
“Retreat!”
“Yes.”
As the unknown Ninja retreated, only Karin’s solitary figure remained kneeling on the grass.
Her gaze fell upon the red-stained grass on the ground, an indescribable emotion surging within her, as she softly whispered:
“...Chizhao...sōran...”
“Will we... ever meet again?”
The breeze swept through the grass, carrying her voice away, and the sun gradually illuminated the dim world from the horizon.
A large contingent of Grass Ninja reinforcements rushed towards the area; Karin stood up from the ground, stepped over the bodies lying across the path, and quickly hid inside the small, dilapidated hut.
Looking up at the window, for a moment, she had wanted to leave with that girl.
If she had asked them then...
Would the outcome have been different?
.........
She didn't know how long she had been unconscious in the dark world, but the sensation in her hands was slowly returning.
Chizhao tried to move her fingers, and her eyelids felt unusually heavy at this moment.
With great effort, she lifted her eyelids; in her blurry vision, she saw a white ceiling, and the strong smell of disinfectant filled her nasal cavity, making her feel a bit uncomfortable.
She tilted her head slightly, and the medicine in the IV drip was slowly dripping at a regular pace.
In her muddled brain, her consciousness gradually began to clear.
Was she in the Anbu hospital?
Was the mission complete? How was Sai?
Karin should be safe and sound too, right?
“She’s awake! Fu, go find the medical staff.”
Fu Yamanaka nodded and quickly walked out of the ward.
While looking for medical staff, he also informed the other two waiting outside the door about Chizhao’s awakening.
“Chizhao, how are you feeling?”
Yamato’s voice came from above; in her blurry vision, his black pupils seemed filled with concern at that moment.
“Yamato... Captain...”
She struggled to get the words out of her throat, but the recovery of her senses was too slow, and even these simple four words took a great deal of effort to squeeze out.
“Don’t talk yet, rest well; the doctor will be here soon.”
After an examination, the doctor concluded:
The neurotoxin was gradually dissipating in her body, and in a few hours, her physical sensations would slowly return until she made a full recovery.
Upon hearing this, the Da Shi in Yamato’s heart finally settled.
He walked out of the ward, turned to the three people waiting outside the door, and instructed them:
“Chizhao is now out of danger and is slowly recovering. I need to go report on the mission, so I’m entrusting Chizhao to your care.”
The three looked at each other for a moment; after all, it was a task assigned by their captain, so they had to complete it diligently.
But as for caring, the three boys from the Root Organization had no idea how to look after others, let alone a girl.
They stood neatly at the foot of Chizhao’s bed; except for Fu Yamanaka, who had a slightly softer expression, the other two merely stood there, expressionless.
Chizhao looked at them, feeling speechless; she really wanted to complain loudly, but the sensation in her tongue hadn't fully recovered, so she could only make weak, intermittent sounds, struggling to ask:
“What... are... you... doing?”
After thinking for a moment, Fu Yamanaka understood her meaning and smiled slightly:
“According to the Captain’s instructions, we are taking care of you.”
Huh?
So your idea of taking care of me is standing at attention like bodyguards by my bedside?
The dry sensation in her throat suddenly returned, as if she had swallowed sand, so parched that even swallowing saliva was difficult.
Chizhao struggled to open her mouth, her voice hoarse as she sent out a distress signal:
“Water...”
Sai, who had been silent, was startled for a moment, and his tone was calm:
“Who? Besides us, there’s no one else.”
Torune pinched his chin, looked at the dripping IV, and mused:
“Could it be that due to the neurotoxin, she suffered memory loss and doesn’t recognize us?”
Hearing such a serious speculation, Fu Yamanaka also frowned slightly:
“Then should we tell the medical staff and ask them to check her again?”
The increasingly absurd speculations made Chizhao feel her breathing quicken.
It’s not “who”! It’s “water”! Water!
Her insides were roaring, but she couldn’t move at all; only her eyes kept darting towards the kettle on the nearby table, and she struggled to make a sound once more.
“Water... drink water...”
Please, react quickly!!!
“Who... and who?” Sai spoke again, plunging Chizhao’s heart into an abyss.
No, no, no, no, no!!!
At this moment, Torune suddenly became serious and turned to Fu Yamanaka:
“How about we reintroduce ourselves? Maybe her brain will wake up from its muddled state.”
Chizhao felt despair at this point; she hadn’t expected to hear three living 'dads' introduce themselves before dying of thirst.
Did they want her to haunt them even as a ghost?
Captain Yamato! Please come back!
Aburame Torune, who was about to reintroduce himself, was stopped by Fu Yamanaka:
“Wait, Torune, I think she’s probably thirsty and wants water.”
Hearing this, Chizhao suddenly felt a surge of hope, her eyes wide, her mouth opening and closing, and she struggled to nod slightly.
Great! Finally, someone understands me!
Sai looked over with a sudden realization, but what he received was Chizhao's terrifying, resentful gaze.
He suddenly wanted to make amends for misinterpreting her, so he slowly walked to the table, poured a glass of water, and held it before her eyes.
“Here, your water.”
The water the girl needed was right in front of her, but looking at Chizhao, who couldn't move at all.
He still looked at the other two standing in place with a puzzled expression, a hint of innocence calmly revealed in his black pupils.
“She doesn’t seem to be able to drink. What should we do?”
What to do?! Stir-fried eggs with tomatoes!!
Can’t you just feed me?!
Can’t you just put the cup to my mouth and slowly pour it?!
If I really die, it’ll be everyone here’s fault!!!
Chizhao’s gaze moved back and forth between Sai’s hand holding the cup and herself, trying to make him understand her meaning, and she urgently made a sound from her throat:
“Feed... me...”
Aburame Torune, who was standing at the foot of the bed, walked over, took the cup from Sai’s hand, and said, as if quite experienced:
“For patients who can’t move, you should pour the water into their mouth to feed them...”
He carefully held the cup to her lips; Aburame Torune watched her dry lips part slightly, and the rim of the cup slowly tilted.
Chizhao also cooperated by gently leaning back, trying her best to take all of that life-saving water into her mouth.
But just as the clear water passed her throat, Aburame Torune didn’t control the feeding frequency well, tilting his wrist too much at once, and accidentally spilled all the water out.
“Ah... sorry...”
Chizhao’s mind went blank instantly; still not fully recovered, she only felt the water droplets like ants sliding from her neck down into her clothes, making her shiver involuntarily.
Two streams of tears flowed down, and she wailed in her heart:
I won’t drink anymore, can’t I just not drink anymore?
Please, stop taking care of me...
This is more painful than killing me.
“What are you two doing... She’ll catch a cold.”
Fu Yamanaka saw the two clumsily wetting the bedding, and anxiously walked over, snatching the water cup from Aburame Torune’s hand.
He removed the soaked bedding from Chizhao and covered her with a clean one.
Chizhao was on the verge of tears; although Fu Yamanaka was indeed a bit more reliable than the other two, it was only by a little.
The water stains on her neck weren’t wiped off, and even her collar was completely wet; even changing the bedding covering her didn’t seem to do much good.
Sai, who first noticed the problem, pointed to her neck and looked at Fu Yamanaka.
“If the water stains aren’t wiped dry, she’ll catch a cold more easily, right...”
Observing her wet neck, Fu Yamanaka pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement:
“Indeed, then we should use a tissue to help her dry it.”
Sai took a tissue and focused his gaze on her fair neck, placing the tissue over it and gently wiping away the water droplets.
Her damp breath sprayed onto his arm, causing a slight tickle.
He looked up at her, her delicate eyelashes trembling slightly, and his mind replayed the scene of her risking mission failure to save him.
So, did his current actions mean they had become companions?
A flying insect, having somehow snuck in, continuously circled above Chizhao; Aburame Torune, standing by, felt a chill.
He twitched his fingertips, and a poisonous insect flew out from his exposed skin, accurately striking down the intruder.
If one is to care for a patient, any randomly intruding insects must also be eliminated.
At this moment, Yamato, having completed his mission report, finally returned; when he saw Aburame Torune eliminating insects everywhere.
Sai, sitting nearby, drawing pictures for Chizhao.
Fu Yamanaka, who had wrapped Chizhao in layers of bedding.
And Chizhao, propped up in the hospital bed, so parched she was almost rolling her eyes, his smile froze on his face.
He instantly rushed into the ward, shouting in horror:
“What are you doing?! Didn’t I tell you to take good care of the patient?!”
“Chizhao, snap out of it!!”