"Doctor Tanaka...?"
With a startled expression, Chiba slowly turned to look behind him. He saw a white-haired old man casually shutting the door before turning to look at them.
It was Doctor Tanaka, the one who had nearly suffered a heart attack when Chiba returned after Chiba had asked him for directions while looking for Yuriko.
"Tanaka!"
The four of them cried out softly at the same time.
"When did you get here?"
Then, as one, they added that question.
"Not long ago."
Hearing his old colleagues' question, Doctor Tanaka answered casually.
"You were already here, so why didn't you come in?"
Aida could not help saying.
"Didn't I come in?"
At that, Tanaka shot a glance at his old colleague and replied somewhat irritably.
Tanaka... was angry!
At that moment, for some reason, the same thought flashed through the minds of all five people present, including Chiba.
"Who upset you this time?"
Inagaki, Tanaka's friend, spoke helplessly. He and Tanaka were only a year apart and had entered the medical department in the same cohort. They had been assigned to the same unit until retirement. They had first participated in the Second Great Ninja War, and after surviving it, remained in the medical corps until retirement. Refusing to admit they were old, they had continued researching together at the hospital. They had spent more than half their lives—forty years—together. Though they were not the sort of deeply bonded Childhood Friends typical of the Naruto World, the feelings between them could no longer be described simply as deep or shallow.
"Who else but you?"
Hearing his friend's words, Tanaka answered bluntly, without the slightest hesitation.
"Us? How did we upset you?"
Inagaki said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
At the same time, the others revealed faintly bitter smiles