Were We Too Late?

Kaguya stood on the water's surface, her white hair hanging down to her feet, her expression as cold and indifferent as ever.

But Chiya saw 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 look at him.

"Don't come any closer."

Chiya stopped.

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

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

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

"What exactly is going on?"

Kaguya said nothing.

"You were already injured before?"

"Yes."

It was a very soft reply.

Chiya's heart sank.

Kaguya turned around and looked at the distant moon.

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

Chiya recalled 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 yet learned to control it when they hunted her down and struck her with some kind of technique.

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

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

She had not been whole.

She had never been whole from the beginning.

"So you never recovered?"

Kaguya nodded.

"This is not my body."

Chiya understood at once.

This was his body, his mental space. Kaguya was hiding here; it was already fortunate enough that she could preserve her life. How could recovering from her injuries be easy?

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 more just now, against the Lightning Cutter.

Chiya's lips moved, but for a long time, no words came out.

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

"And what would you have done if you had known?"

The question stunned Chiya.

Yeah.

What could he have done even if he knew?

He was only a freshly 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 pierced by needles.

What could he possibly do to help Kaguya?

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

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

Kaguya turned back and glanced at him.

That look was like she was staring 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. As long as I don't get captured, I can take whatever comes.

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

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

"Then... then how are you now?"

"Very badly."

Kaguya said it calmly.

Yet the calmer she sounded, the more violently Chiya's emotions churned.

"How can I help you?"

Kaguya looked him over from head to toe.

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

After saying that, she came closer, raised her 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 the overwhelming sensation from before. It was thin and slow, like tiny trickles flowing gradually into the veins around his heart.

Seeing Kaguya's face grow 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 for a moment, 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 need to sleep for a while."

"How long?"

Kaguya did not answer.

The water around them began to ripple.

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

Panic rose in Chiya's heart.

"Kaguya?"

Kaguya's figure slowly receded into the mist.

"From now on, you need to keep yourself safe."

As her voice dispersed, darkness fell before Chiya's eyes as well.

When he woke up again, Naruto's voice reached his ears first.

"Chiya! Chiya!"

It was so loud that his head hurt.

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

"Stop shouting."

His voice was unbearably hoarse.

"My ears are about to explode."

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

"You're awake!"

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

Kakashi was crouching on the other side, one hand still pressed near Chiya's chest. Seeing 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 blood had soaked a large patch. The wound had already closed, leaving only a pale mark, but it still hurt inside, as if someone had stirred him with a red-hot iron hook.

"It hurts a little, but it's much better now."

He answered honestly.

Kakashi was silent for a moment.

"I'm sorry."

Chiya looked at him.

Kakashi's eyes were different from usual.

Chiya suddenly felt a little unaccustomed to it.

"Kakashi-sensei, it's okay."

Chiya glanced around and discovered that Haku was 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 his mouth opened and closed without a sound.

Chiya sighed in relief. His efforts had not been in vain after all.

This time, Haku had not called himself a tool again.

The mist on the bridge had thinned somewhat. The people Gato had brought were already sprawled across the ground. Haku had killed quickly just now, and so had Zabuza. The Kubikiribōchō was embedded in the bridge, blood dripping from its blade through the wooden planks.

Zabuza stood in the mist, covered in wounds as he limped over.

He glanced at Chiya.

"Still alive?"

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

Zabuza snorted.

"Your mouth is still sharp. Looks like you won't die."

Naruto was immediately displeased.

"How can you talk like that?!"

Zabuza ignored him.

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

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

Chiya's eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

An overwhelming exhaustion surged through him, and he said weakly,

"I wasn't the one who saved you. Haku was."

Zabuza fell silent.

This time, he did not reply.

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

Inari rushed over with a group of villagers. They carried wooden clubs, hoes, and fishing spears, their faces pale and their legs trembling.

Naruto turned back when he saw them and froze.

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

"Were... were we too late?"

Naruto looked at him and slowly broke into a grin.

"No."

He raised a hand and wiped his face.

"Right on time."

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