A lie...
Hearing Hirohiko's resolute refusal, Chiba, who had already begun to feel a little anxious, practically froze for a moment, the corner of his mouth twitching despite himself.
Was this the whole "boy who cried wolf" routine—he'd said it too many times, so no one could believe him anymore? An exasperated thought could not help rising in Chiba's heart.
Whether Chiba arranged this deliberately or not, I cannot leave him alone in danger again! At that moment, this thought flashed through Hirohiko's mind beneath his poker face.
The Third Raikage and over ten thousand Iwa ninja...
He did not know how Chiba had escaped that battlefield, nor how he had held on against the Third Raikage, but one thing was certain: he had almost never seen Chiba again.
He still remembered the terror of the Third Raikage. He still remembered Chiba's sunken chest, the unwillingness and anxiety he had felt upon learning that Chiba had remained behind with the Third Raikage, and the helplessness of desperately wanting to save Chiba but being unable to do so.
As Chiba's comrade, a member of the Kushina Squad, and Chiba's best friend, he had left Chiba behind every time Chiba was in the greatest danger. Could he still call himself a comrade? Could he still call himself his best friend? If he had to leave his close friend behind in a crisis again, he would rather die here! No matter what Chiba said, he could not abandon him again!
Looking at Chiba's twitching mouth, Hirohiko grew even more resolute.
"Heh..."
At this moment, seeing the increasingly determined look in Hirohiko's eyes, Chiba let out a long sigh, his face full of helplessness.
"Then are you going to have Yukina remain in this state and face Iwa alongside us?"
Then, an even more