"Come on, Hinata, give me a kiss," Zeyu said to Hinata in his arms.
"Huh? Here? Everyone's right here," Hinata said nervously, peeking over Zeyu's shoulder at the others.
Megumi and Shota had just arrived, and Kiba and Shino were explaining what had happened.
"It's fine. Nobody's paying attention to us. Please?" Zeyu pleaded, gently taking Hinata by the wrist and softly kissing her hand.
Hinata's heart pounded wildly, and she finally agreed.
"All right... Since it's what you want, Zeyu, then... just one little kiss."
"Thanks, Hinata. You're the best." Zeyu leaned toward her, and Hinata leaned in too. Their lips were just about to meet.
"Hey! Where are you going now?" Megumi suddenly appeared behind Zeyu and shouted.
Startled, Hinata immediately clung to Zeyu and buried her face in his chest, blushing from her neck to her cheeks.
Zeyu gave Megumi a dead-eyed stare.
"What? Did I ruin your moment?" Megumi teased, pointing at Zeyu. Then she shrugged helplessly.
"I'm telling you, stop picking on Hinata all the time. You're taking advantage of the fact that she doesn't know how to say no and just doing whatever you want. We're in the middle of an exam, you know. Shouldn't we focus on what we're here to do?"
The other three came over, and Zeyu looked at them.
All three immediately looked away, making it clear they didn't want to get involved.
Hinata lifted her head.
"Zeyu, Megumi has a point. Let's finish the exam first."
"Mm, all right." Zeyu reluctantly let go of Hinata. She, too, glanced at his chest with reluctance.
I suddenly feel a little lonely, Hinata thought, pursing her lips.
Facing the group, Zeyu cleared his throat and asked,
"Kiba, have you collected all the scrolls?"
Of course, Zeyu knew they had. He just had to ask anyway, or it would seem too strange.
"Yeah, we have," Kiba replied.
"Good. Then let's head straight to the Central Tower. There's no point staying in the forest anymore," Zeyu said, folding his arms.
"Huh? Big bro, what about Gaara?" Shota asked.
"If they aren't stupid, they've probably already headed for the Central Tower. All three of them are injured, and they've already gathered the Heaven and Earth Scrolls. Staying out here would only put them in more danger."
He paused, closed his eyes in thought, then continued.
"Even if we run into them, nothing will happen. We'll be inside the Central Tower, in front of the examiners. They won't start fighting us on their own."
Then, as if remembering something, he opened his eyes and looked at Shota.
"What did you just call me? Big bro?"
Shota grinned ingratiatingly.
"Yeah. From now on, I'm taking you as my big bro. You're the older one, and I'm the younger one."
He hurried over, bent down, and clung to Zeyu's leg, shouting,
"Big bro! I can handle any hardship! Just let me stay by your side and serve you!"
As Zeyu tried to shake Shota off his leg, he said,
"What's gotten into you? Let go of me!"
Megumi sighed helplessly.
"He thinks your Lightning Armor is cool and wants to learn it."
Zeyu: "..."
Meanwhile,
Temari had fainted after unleashing Wind Style at full power. Kankuro carried her as he ran toward the Central Tower.
Gaara followed behind, distracted, still thinking about what Zeyu had said.
Damn it. I told her we should stop and leave. If we had, my sister wouldn't have ended up like this, Kankuro muttered under his breath.
He leaped from branch to branch through the enormous trees. When he stopped to check whether anyone was following them,
a giant snake suddenly slithered out of a nearby bush.
Before Kankuro even noticed, the snake opened its jaws and lunged at him.
Kankuro was looking behind him. Further back, Gaara suddenly raised a hand toward him.
A mass of sand spilled out of the gourd on Gaara's back and rushed toward Kankuro.
Kankuro instinctively raised his arm to shield his face.
But the sand rushed past him.
He turned and saw that the snake's head had been completely wrapped in sand, leaving it unable to move.
Phew. I thought he was going to kill me to keep me quiet, Kankuro thought with relief.
"Sand Binding..." Gaara unconsciously started to clench his fist, ready to crush the snake's head. Then he suddenly remembered Zeyu's words, and his hand stopped in midair, his lips parting slightly.
Then he swung his hand and flung the snake away with the sand.
He turned to Kankuro and quietly said,
"I'll lead the way, big brother."
Then he walked ahead.
Kankuro followed, still a little stunned.
Gaara's changed. Is it because he saw our mother? Is he avoiding killing because he doesn't want blood on his sand? And he called me big brother. That's a first. Kankuro thought, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
After traveling for some time, they finally reached the Central Tower. They looked around, saw no one, and went to rest in an area full of benches.
About half an hour later, Zeyu and the others also arrived at the Central Tower. Since it was only the first day and they still had to wait for the exam to end, they could only stay inside the tower.
While looking around the tower, they ran into the three of them.
Temari had woken up by then and was lying on a bench after receiving some basic treatment. Kankuro sat on the floor, leaning against the bench as he rested, while Gaara stood by a wall on the other side, resting with his eyes closed.
When he saw Zeyu coming over, Gaara grew tense, and sweat ran down his face.
Zeyu noticed the three of them too. After glancing over, he called the others to come rest by the benches.
Gaara kept his eyes fixed on Zeyu, his expression complicated.
As soon as Zeyu and the others sat down, Gaara walked right over.
Seeing Gaara heading toward Zeyu, Hinata grew a little nervous, but still reached out to shield Zeyu.
The others grew anxious too, nervously swallowing.
"Let me introduce myself properly. I'm Gaara of the Sand. It's nice to meet you." Gaara stopped in front of Zeyu and held out his right hand.
"Huh? What's with you? What are you playing at?" Shota immediately stepped forward, ready to confront him.
Shota had heard all about what had happened from Shino and Kiba. Gaara had nearly killed them, yet now he was putting on this fake politeness and introducing himself like they were friends.
Zeyu raised a hand to stop Shota, then leaned closer to Hinata and quietly told her it was all right. Hinata nodded and stepped aside.
Zeyu glanced at Gaara's hand, still suspended in the air, and said,
"My name is Zeyu Nichiro. It's nice to meet you. Let's skip the handshake until you can control your sand properly."
Gaara was taken aback. He glanced at his hand, then slowly lowered it.
"That's true. I'm sorry. And I'm sorry about what happened earlier. Please forgive me."
"You'll have to say that to the people involved. I can't forgive you on their behalf. As for my part, I forgive you. But if you do it again..."
Zeyu's gaze sharpened as he spoke coldly.
"If there's a next time, all three of you will die. Not one of you will get away!"
Gaara felt a chill as he met Zeyu's gaze. Kankuro and Temari behind him couldn't help swallowing nervously.
"I understand," Gaara said. Then he obediently apologized to Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. All three felt uncomfortable, finding something indescribable and suffocating about Gaara.
After apologizing to them one by one, Gaara returned to his place and closed his eyes again. Kankuro and Temari stared at him in shock and confusion.
"Kankuro, did Gaara get hit in the head?" Temari whispered.
"How would I know?" Kankuro replied, cold sweat on his face, looking awkward.
After that, they each went back to resting. Zeyu pulled out a scroll and summoned a pile of bedding, along with a pot, instant noodles, and a water jug. Everyone stared in astonishment.
Hinata: "Zeyu, you're amazing. You prepared so well."
Kiba: "Isn't this a little over the top, Zeyu?"
Shino: "..."
Shota: "As expected of my big bro. You always know how to surprise me."
Megumi: "I'm telling you, you're a ninja. Why did you pack so much for an outing? It's like you're going on vacation."
Zeyu wasn't pleased with that and immediately replied,
"Megumi, I don't like hearing you say that. What do you mean, 'you're a ninja'? Do ninjas have to suffer all the time? If I can prepare properly, why shouldn't I?"
"You..." Megumi was left speechless. She turned her face away and didn't want to say anything more.
"Come on, don't take it to heart, Megumi. Anyway, this is way better than sleeping on the floor. We should thank Big Bro," Shota said.
"Humph," Megumi said disdainfully.
The others were used to seeing the young lady pick on people, so they didn't interfere.
Everyone started laying out the bedding. Shota helped Megumi arrange hers, Hinata helped Zeyu with his, and Zeyu set up the pot.
The beds were arranged in a row. Zeyu took the spot at the end, closest to Gaara and the others, with Hinata beside him, then Megumi, and Shota, Kiba, and Shino at the far end.
Zeyu had volunteered to keep watch that night, so he insisted on sleeping at the end.
"Huh? We don't have a fire," Shota said.
"Are you stupid, big brother? Doesn't Zeyu know Fire Style?" Megumi replied.
"Oh, right! Hehe. Then I'll pour in the water. Here you go, Big Bro," Shota said, scratching his head.
Zeyu crouched beside the pot. "Fire Style: Ghost Lantern!" A ball of flame appeared, floated through the air, and flew beneath the pot, lighting the firewood.
They boiled water and warmed themselves by the fire, chatting happily while they waited for the instant noodles to cook.