"It seems you didn't find him."
Looking at the stiff, fury-filled face before him, a face that seemed ready to devour someone whole, a layer of helplessness slowly surfaced on Hirohiko's poker face as he spoke.
"The next time I run into him... I'm going to kill him!"
In response to Hirohiko's words, that somewhat gritted voice came from beneath the mask covering the rigid, wrathful face.
That voice, that outfit—it was Kakashi.
"Heh... didn't I tell you? If he doesn't want to be found, you won't find him. Besides, he really has a lot on his plate right now. Who knows what he's been secretly tinkering with? Just cut him some slack."
Hirohiko sighed and spoke.
"That guy has gone beyond merely being irritating."
At those words, the anger in Kakashi's voice faded somewhat. Though his words still carried lingering resentment, helplessness had already outweighed his rage.
At that moment, he placed the small torch in his hand onto a torch bracket to the side. The cell immediately grew brighter, the firelight illuminating the cramped space that could hold only a plank bed, a washstand, and a small square table, leaving just a narrow aisle wide enough for one person to take a few steps back and forth.
"It's not like you only met him yesterday. Besides, he may have deliberately been avoiding you this time. He might think this stay in camp is all thanks to you. If he really came, it would be like he was taking all the credit from you. After all, most of the students came for him this time. It would be easy for him to steal your credit. Maybe he just doesn't want you to be treated unfairly."
Watching Kakashi hang up the torch, Hirohiko's lips rarely curved into the faintest smile