"Hah..."
With a deep breath that seemed to fill his lungs, Chiba slowly opened his eyes.
Had ten minutes passed?
The instant he opened his eyes, his gaze fell on the watch beside his hand. Exactly ten minutes.
It seemed the medicinal effect really wasn't a problem.
Seeing that the time displayed on the watch matched the effect of the Higan he had taken, Chiba could not help but let out a sigh of relief.
At this moment, he was already in the engineering team's camp. Outside, the night was soft, with a bright moon and sparse stars. It was a clear night.
By now, the entire camp was empty. Every room, including the cafeteria and warehouse, had been thoroughly cleared out, leaving nothing behind. The supplies remaining for the next ten days had all been gathered in the office where Chiba now sat, nearly filling the entire room and leaving only enough space for a desk.
And since the "exercise" had ended, Doctor Watanabe had been permitted to return home. Now, Chiba was the only one left in the office.
Kakashi...
Still not back?
He turned his head and looked around. Seeing no sign of Kakashi in the gaps between the supply crates, Chiba frowned slightly.
Before taking Higan and entering the Sealed Space, he and Kakashi had first conducted strict inspections of the students who had remained behind and arranged for them to return to the village. They had needed to be cautious when coming out, ever vigilant against spies from enemy villages, so naturally they had to be just as careful on the way back.
Moreover, even the Defense Force had come to help with the inspections and arrangements for the students' return. Yukina had directly suspended patrols and assigned Defense Force personnel to guard and patrol