So slow...
Naruto and Sakura...
Hidden beneath the dense shade of the roadside trees, Second Pillar shifted his gaze slightly away from the boy across from him, whom he could just see returning lazily to his wicker chair on the balcony. He looked down the road they had come from, unable to stop himself from grumbling inwardly.
It had been nearly an hour past their agreed time, yet neither of his two teammates had arrived.
Although they had just received their Chunin Exam applications today and might both need time to adjust mentally and begin focusing on the Chunin Exams, they had still agreed earlier to continue monitoring Hada Ichiba.
Of course, it was not unusual for the two of them to be late. With the Chunin Exams approaching, Naruto had been so excited that he would need time to calm down; otherwise, he would only be a nuisance even if he came. He also had to play with Konohamaru and the others for a while. Even though more than three hours had passed since they split up, his lateness had still been predictable.
But being nearly an hour late was still... too slow!
He had not expected this.
No matter what their personalities or usual behavior were like, neither of his teammates lacked a sense of time.
Did something happen?
As that thought crossed his mind, Second Pillar frowned. His glossy black eyes involuntarily settled once more on the boy on the distant balcony, who appeared to be sunbathing.
Or was Hada Ichiba behind this again...
But he had stayed on that balcony all day without making any moves. He should not have had any way to do something to Naruto and Sakura...
At the same time, as his gaze fixed on the boy, that thought naturally surfaced in