"Pah, pah! Why does that sound so ominous when you say it?"
Chiba's sudden words immediately made Number 14 tilt his head back. He seemed to have rolled his eyes again, and the retort came straight out of his mouth.
"Isn't it just the Chunin Exams? Don't worry. We'll keep an eye on Orochimaru. No matter how capable he is, he won't be able to turn the sky upside down."
After thinking for a moment, he said this with extreme confidence.
At that, the smile on Chiba's lips seemed to widen a little, and the gloom on his face was finally melted away by the sunshine and riot of colors outside.
"Alright, Number 15. What Number 23 is worried about isn't whether we succeed or fail."
At that moment, a gentle voice tinged with a sigh rang out again. It seemed that Number 14 could no longer stand watching and spoke up as a reminder.
"Oh."
Number 15 paused slightly at Number 14's words and responded.
It's not because of the Chunin Exams? Then what is it? The way they're talking is downright creepy.
At the same time, his heart was full of confusion.
Still, despite his confusion, he ultimately said nothing. He merely stared blankly at the bright sunlight and vibrant flowers ahead, seemingly lost in thought.
After that, Number 14 did not speak again either. He looked at the sea of flowers ahead and took a small sip of tea.
Come to think of it, the three of them had truly been idle and bored every day back then, spending an entire year passing time by the ship's rail.
Since there had been nothing to do, their only few pleasures had been playing cards with the wooden cards Number 23 made himself, or occasionally inventing absurdly boring card