"Cough! Cough! It's fine. It's all over, Minato. Being alive until now is already more than enough. I should have died on the battlefield with those companions long ago. Living this long has already been a profit."
After following Yuriko around several turns in a corridor that was neither wide nor narrow, Chiba arrived before a Japanese-style door. Yuriko pushed it open, and the instant it opened, a weak yet clearly articulated voice came from within.
That voice? As Chiba stepped into the room behind Yuriko, before he could even take in the Japanese-style room, such a thought surfaced in his mind. That voice felt vaguely familiar. It should belong to someone he knew.
"Hokage, Chiba is here."
At the same time, Yuriko's voice rang out as she crouched down.
"Quick! Let Chiba take a look!"
Then came Minato Namikaze's voice. Though it remained gentle and carried that inexplicable sense of security, his words trembled slightly.
This... this was...
Assistant Hokoma? Was this Assistant Hokoma? At this moment, Chiba finally took in everything before him. It was a very simple Japanese-style room, with little furniture and a plain layout. The room itself was quite spacious, but because of the sparse furnishings, only a solitary futon lay in the middle, making it seem even emptier.
A young man lay on the futon. Two IV stands stood on either side, with numerous drips hanging from them. The exposed skin of the young man was covered in burn scars left behind by severe scorching.
The young man's face was deathly pale, without even the faintest trace of color. His eyes were shut, his breathing weak. He was gravely injured and on the verge of death.
Yet Chiba recognized that pale, frail face. It belonged to Hokoma, the assistant who had not interacted with