Can You Stop Touching Me?

Zeyu suddenly realized something and released Hinata, saying, "That's right, Hinata, you're soaked. We need to get you dried off immediately."

He then crouched down, pulled out a scroll, and summoned a pile of items, most of which were daily necessities.

Zeyu picked up a towel from the pile and placed it on Hinata's head, saying, "Hinata, hurry and dry off. Oh, right, you should change your clothes too. I have a spare tracksuit here; it's clean, I hope you don't mind."

He began rummaging through his things as he spoke.

"Thank you, Zeyu, I wouldn't mind at all. Please don't think that," Hinata replied.

She placed her small hands on the towel, blushing as she thought, Zeyu is so thoughtful and gentle.

The others gathered around, looking on in astonishment.

"Seriously? Another pile? Do you keep anything useful in that bag of yours?" Megumi remarked.

Zeyu rolled his eyes at Megumi and ignored her, finding the tracksuit and handing it to Hinata with a grin.

Hinata took the clothes, clutched them to her chest, and hurriedly thanked him.

Zeyu then gestured for the others to take towels and dry themselves off.

"Big Brother, what about them?" Shota asked as he picked up a towel.

Zeyu glanced at Gaara, who was lying on his side outside coughing, then looked at Temari and Kankuro, who were still plastered against the wall.

He gave them a deadpan look and said, "Uh, I almost forgot about them."

He stood up and said to Hinata with a smile, "Hinata, go change your clothes first so you don't catch a cold. Go with Megumi, and stay safe."

"Yes, alright, Zeyu," Hinata replied.

Just as she was about to leave, she asked, "What about you, Zeyu? Do you have more clothes? What about everyone else?"

Zeyu smiled and said, "Don't worry, I have my own ways. Just rest easy, Hinata, here."

Zeyu looked around at the others and noticed that Hinata was the wettest. Recalling where she had been standing, he added, "You can relax, Hinata. You're the wettest one, so you need to change into dry clothes as soon as possible."

Hinata looked around, and the others nodded at her.

Only then did Hinata finally feel at ease. She bowed to thank them.

She then went to Megumi and asked her to accompany her to the restroom.

Megumi rolled her eyes at Zeyu and said, "Hmph, Hinata is the one asking me, it has nothing to do with you," before pulling Hinata away with her.

Zeyu was speechless, thinking to himself, What's her problem? How did I offend her? Why is she so angry with me?

He then turned and walked toward Temari and Kankuro, his gaze cold.

They had seen Zeyu knock Shukaku away, and they were terrified. Zeyu had previously stated that if they tried to hurt anyone again, he would kill all three of them.

Although Shukaku had been subdued and they wouldn't die at the beast's hands, Zeyu was even stronger than Shukaku; they might very well die at his hands instead.

When Zeyu was handing out towels, the two had breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he wouldn't bother with them and that they would be released once Gaara returned.

Now that Zeyu was walking toward them, their hearts were filled with dread.

As he walked, Zeyu slowly drew the short blade from behind his waist.

The gleaming blade caught the light, casting a cold chill as he drew closer.

Temari and Kankuro realized things were looking grim. They shook their heads violently, muffled whimpers escaping their mouths.

Zeyu reached them, gripped the blade tightly, and slowly raised it.

Temari and Kankuro squeezed their eyes shut, bracing themselves for death.

Shota and the others stopped what they were doing and looked over, holding their breath.

Zeyu pondered for a moment, sighed helplessly, and slashed the blade through the air a few times. As white slashes of energy manifested, the sand covering the two was sliced apart.

The sand fell away, and the two dropped to the ground.

They lay there in shock, then realized what had happened and began to retch, spitting out the sand that had been gagging them.

Zeyu watched them on the ground, sheathed his blade, and said, "Go get Gaara and bring him back. I have something to say to you all."

He then turned and walked away.

Temari and Kankuro exchanged glances, both seeing the confusion in the other's eyes. After spitting the sand out of their mouths, they stood up to go find Gaara.

Seeing that Zeyu hadn't taken any further action, Shota leaned in and asked, "Big Brother, are we just letting them go like this?"

Zeyu walked toward the group as he replied, "What's the rush? We need to know the full story first. Besides, what would be the point of killing them right now?"

"Then what do you want to do?" Kiba asked.

Zeyu thought for a moment and said, "I want to wait for Hinata and Megumi to return so I can ask what happened. Also, we aren't technically in the exam anymore; killing them here would be inappropriate. It would be troublesome if it caused friction between our villages."

"I see. Zeyu's reasoning is sound," Shino said.

Kiba rubbed his chin in thought for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Seeing that Zeyu, Kiba, and Shino all felt this way, Shota didn't have much else to say.

Afterward, Zeyu and the others began to tidy up.

A short while later, Gaara was helped over by Temari and Kankuro.

Gaara had regained consciousness, though he had suffered some internal injuries from Zeyu's punch, and a trail of blood still hung from the corner of his mouth.

He said in a weak, listless voice, "Zeyu, I..."

Zeyu glanced at him, pointed casually toward the wall, and said coldly, "Talk later. Wait until everyone is here. Go sit down for a while."

Having said that, he went back to his own business. The others, seeing Zeyu act this way, didn't dare say anything and continued with their tasks.

Seeing that they were being ignored, the three of them—Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro—walked over to the spot Zeyu had indicated and sat on the chairs by the wall.

On the other side, Megumi and Hinata were on their way to the restroom. Hinata followed behind, burying her face in her clothes as she walked slowly.

Hmm~ the scent of the sun, soap, and just a hint of Zeyu-kun... it smells so good, Hinata thought, taking another deep breath.

Megumi saw the whole thing. She didn't make a scene, but she sighed inwardly, her expression one of helplessness.

"Wow, Big Brother, you're in great shape! I never really noticed before," Shota said as the four of them gathered around the campfire to chat after finishing their cleanup.

As he spoke, he reached out to poke Zeyu's arm.

His biceps, pectorals, and six-pack abs looked incredibly well-proportioned, healthy, and strong.

Thanks to years of training, a diet rich in mountain delicacies and wild game, and the constitution of the Uzumaki Clan, Zeyu's body was lean and powerful despite his young age. He was much stronger than his peers, but because he was careful about his training, he didn't look overly bulky. It wasn't obvious under normal circumstances, and he remained well-proportioned without looking out of place.

Zeyu was speechless upon hearing this and simply closed his eyes, not wanting to engage.

Kiba and Shino joined in on the fun, crowding around Zeyu.

"That's amazing, how did you do it?" Kiba asked.

"A truly healthy and strong physique," Shino remarked.

Seeing that Zeyu wasn't responding, Shota became even bolder, reaching out to knead Zeyu's muscles directly.

Zeyu felt uncomfortable being surrounded and stared at, especially with Shota poking and prodding him, and he gradually reached his limit.

The corner of his mouth twitched slightly as he said, "Hey, hey, that's enough, isn't it?"

But the others acted as if they hadn't heard him, continuing to admire his physique.

Zeyu was a bit annoyed that no one was listening to him, but he reconsidered, thinking that they were all friends and he should just endure it. He simply glared at Shota, his eyes seemingly telling him, "You've gone too far."

Shota, however, was thick-skinned; he just chuckled at the glare as if he hadn't seen it and kept on touching.

The three of them—Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro—watched this scene with a sense of speechlessness.

What kind of monsters are these? Kankuro thought.

Bad temper, but a nice body, Temari thought.

How should I explain this later? Gaara thought, staring at Zeyu.