Cold.
Trembling—
And exhaustion, like he hadn't slept well—
Kurama (chibi, furious): [Damn it! Why are you still alive, you bastard!?]
Kurama (confused): [Hm? He's waking up—?]
Kurama (swiping a paw to scatter the speech bubbles, then pretending to sleep—)
Hiroki watched Kurama's antics in his mindscape without saying a word.
Then he opened his eyes.
A stark white ceiling, and the faint smell of disinfectant lingering in the air.
Was he in a hospital?
A familiar, aged face filled with solemn concern appeared before him at once.
—
"...Third... sir?"
Hiroki's lips were parched, and his voice came out so hoarse it hardly sounded like his own.
"You're awake."
The Third, Sarutobi Hiruzen, sat beside his bed, an unlit pipe between his lips.
"You were unconscious for less than two hours," he added in a low voice. "After the Hyuga ninja found you, you were brought here immediately. I've already ordered that all news of your return be sealed."
Hiroki struggled to sit up, but the Third stopped him with a look.
"Your condition isn't very good, so there's no need to get up. Just rest for now."
"The reason I came here was to find out... what happened to leave you in such a sorry state when you came back? And where are the others?"
Iwagakure, Tsuchikage's Office
"Bang!"
A loud crash rang out as a clear crack appeared in the hard stone desk.
"What?! That brat went to the Kirigakure battlefield?!"
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, shot up from his seat and floated in the air. His body trembled slightly with rage, and his mustache stood on end.
He glared at the Iwagakure Anbu kneeling before him.
"Is the intelligence confirmed?!" His voice grew shrill with fury. "That brat from Konoha, Sawada Hiroki, really didn't show up at