Did We Come Too Late?

Kaguya stood on the water, her white hair trailing at her feet, her face still as cold and detached as ever.

But Chiya could see it clearly this time. Her body was much fainter than before, as though separated from him by a layer of mist.

Chiya took a step forward.

"Hey."

Kaguya raised her eyes to him.

"Don't come closer."

Chiya stopped.

He had been full of things he wanted to say. He wanted to ask why she had arrived so late, to ask what she had been doing when he had nearly been pierced to death by the Lightning Cutter.

But seeing her like this now, he suddenly could not say any of it.

Kaguya watched him for a while before saying flatly, "You won't die."

"What exactly is going on?"

Kaguya said nothing.

"Were you already injured before?"

"Mm."

It was a very soft response.

Chiya's heart sank.

Kaguya turned around and looked toward the distant moon.

"Before I came here, I was already injured."

Chiya remembered what she had told him before.

She had guarded the God Tree for centuries. Not long after she ate the fruit, those people came. She had only just gained that power and had not had time to master it before she was hunted down and struck by some kind of technique.

Then, when she woke up, she was already inside his body, with only her soul and consciousness remaining.

When Chiya had heard that before, he had only been shocked that the plot had gone off the rails. Thinking about it again now, he finally realized something was wrong.

She had never been in perfect condition.

Not from the very beginning.

"So you never recovered?"

Kaguya nodded.

"This isn't my body."

Chiya understood at once.

This was his body—his mental space. Kaguya had hidden here, and it was already fortunate that she could preserve her life. Recovering from her injuries would not be easy at all.

Not to mention that she had kept saving him.

Once on the night of the massacre.

Once on the night Root captured him.

And once again just now, against the Lightning Cutter.

Chiya's lips moved, but he could not say anything for a long time.

"I didn't know you were this weak."

"What would you have done differently if you had known?"

The question caught Chiya off guard.

Yeah.

What could he have done even if he knew?

He was only a newly graduated genin. He could not even break Haku's Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals. If Naruto had not gone berserk just now, he and Sasuke would probably still be lying inside the Ice Mirrors, getting stabbed.

How could he help Kaguya?

For the first time, Chiya felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Then why did you save me again just now?"

Kaguya glanced back at him.

Her expression was like she was looking at an idiot.

"If you die, I'll be in a great deal of trouble."

Chiya's heart skipped a beat, as if the last line of defense in his heart had collapsed.

All this time, he had treated Kaguya as his trump card. Even when he had used his body to block the Lightning Cutter just now, that was what he had been thinking.

I won't die anyway. As long as I don't get captured, I can do whatever I want.

But now, it felt as though the sky were falling.

For the first time since coming to this world, he truly felt a sense of danger.

"Then... how are you now?"

"Very bad."

Kaguya spoke calmly.

But the calmer she was, the more violently Chiya's heart churned.

"How can I help you?"

Kaguya looked him up and down.

"If you can be more careful and stop causing trouble, that'll be the greatest help you can give me."

After saying that, she stepped closer, raised a hand, and lightly touched his chest with her fingertip.

Chiya shuddered in pain.

Then a stream of icy chakra entered him.

It was not like before, not surging and overwhelming. It was thin and slow, like tiny streams flowing gradually into the meridians around his heart.

Seeing Kaguya's face turn even paler, Chiya immediately grabbed her wrist.

"Enough."

Kaguya lowered her eyes to look at his hand.

Only then did Chiya realize what he had grabbed. His fingers stiffened, but he did not let go.

"It's really enough."

Kaguya looked at him for a long time.

Finally, she withdrew her hand.

"After you wake up, don't take any more risks."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to sleep for a while."

"How long?"

Kaguya did not answer.

The water around them began to ripple.

Mist rolled in from the distance, and the moon blurred with it.

Chiya's heart tightened.

"Kaguya?"

Kaguya's figure slowly retreated into the mist.

"From now on, watch your own safety."

As her voice faded, darkness fell over Chiya's vision as well.

When he woke again, Naruto's voice was the first thing he heard.

"Chiya! Chiya!"

It was so loud that his head hurt.

Chiya struggled to open his eyes and saw Naruto crouching beside him, his face streaked with ash and blood, his eyes terribly red.

"Stop yelling."

His voice was hoarse beyond belief.

"My ears are going to explode."

Naruto froze for a moment, then nearly threw himself at him before abruptly stopping.

"You're awake!"

Sakura covered her mouth beside them, and tears immediately fell from her eyes.

Kakashi crouched on the other side, one hand still pressed near Chiya's chest. When he saw him open his eyes, Kakashi visibly let out a breath of relief.

"How do you feel?"

Chiya lowered his head for a look.

There was a hole in the chest of his clothes, and a large patch was soaked in blood. The wound had already closed, leaving only a pale scar, but it still hurt deep inside, as if someone had stirred him with a red-hot iron hook.

"It hurts a little, but I'm much better now."

He answered honestly.

Kakashi fell silent for a moment.

"I'm sorry."

Chiya looked at him.

Kakashi's eyes were different from usual.

It suddenly made him feel a little uncomfortable.

"Kakashi-sensei, it's fine."

Chiya glanced around and found Haku kneeling nearby, his hands covered in blood.

Haku's mask was gone now, and tears still hung on his face. He seemed to want to say something, but he opened his mouth and no sound came out.

Chiya let out a breath of relief. At least his efforts had not been in vain.

This time, Haku did not call himself a tool again.

The mist on the bridge had dispersed somewhat. The people Gato had brought were already sprawled all over the ground. Haku had killed quickly just now, and so had Zabuza. The Executioner's Blade was embedded in the bridge deck, blood dripping from its edge through the wooden planks.

Zabuza stood in the mist, covered in wounds, and limped over.

He looked at Chiya.

"Still alive?"

Chiya lay on the ground and replied irritably, "Sorry to disappoint you."

Zabuza snorted.

"Still talking tough. Looks like you won't die."

Naruto immediately got angry.

"How can you talk like that?!"

Zabuza ignored him.

He looked down at Chiya. After a while, his voice lowered.

"Hey, kid. I'll remember that I owe you my life."

Chiya's eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

A powerful exhaustion swept over him, and he said weakly,

"I didn't save you. Haku did."

Zabuza was silent for a moment.

This time, he did not reply.

At that moment, a burst of chaotic footsteps came from the end of the bridge.

Inari rushed up with a group of villagers. They carried wooden clubs, hoes, and fish spears. Their faces were pale, and their legs were trembling.

Naruto turned around and froze when he saw them.

Inari ran to the front. Looking at the blood covering the bridge, his voice trembled.

"Did we... did we come too late?"

Naruto looked at him and slowly grinned.

"No."

He raised a hand and wiped his face.

"Just in time."

Chiya could no longer hold on. His eyelids sank, and he fell into a deep sleep.