The afternoon sun had begun to slant over Konoha.
But the Hokage Office had never been this crowded.
From the doorway to the window, familiar faces stood almost every step of the way.
There were the two teams led by Asuma and Kurenai Yuhi, Gekko Hayate and Uzuki Yugao, and Kakashi and his Team 7.
Even Zabuza and Haku stood inside the doorway.
The normally spacious office was packed to bursting, and even the air felt stifling.
"Kakashi, let me make one thing clear."
Zabuza suddenly broke the silence in the office.
He had rushed over without stopping the moment Haku notified him.
For days now, he had been handling security around Konoha's outskirts under the Third's arrangements.
But he had only done all this for the Dragon Princess.
If anything really happened to the Dragon Princess in Konoha, he had no reason to stay here at all.
"If the Dragon Princess doesn't come back, I'm leaving."
Those words landed heavily in the office, but now, no one could bear their weight.
"I don't care about your Chunin Ninja Exams. I only came here because the Dragon Princess entrusted his life to me."
With that, Zabuza snorted coldly and turned away, refusing to look at anyone else in the office.
Haku stood beside him without a word, but the worry in his eyes had not faded either.
Zabuza's words left Kakashi unable to offer any rebuttal. He could only lower his head and murmur:
"Hayashi, where on earth did you go...?"
"It'll be all right. Believe in Hayashi!"
Naruto stood beside Kakashi. Zabuza's words had initially dampened his spirits too.
But he wanted to break the silence weighing down on everyone in the Hokage Office.
"I've already spoken to the Pervy Sage... no, Lord Jiraiya. He should be back soon!"