As the group passed through the main gate, the bustle of the streets washed over them first.
The passage through the gate was narrow, stretching the group into a single file that trailed halfway down the street. Might Guy led the way, carrying someone on his back without stopping once. The road out of the gate faced the hospital.
The person on his back lay facedown, arms hanging over his shoulders and swaying with every step. Might Guy supported him from behind, tightening his hold whenever he stepped over a bump. His eyes were red, and he said nothing.
A vegetable seller by the roadside shifted his baskets inward, clearing half the path. Someone drawing water at the well straightened up, bucket still in hand, and watched them pass without a word. An old woman sorting beans on her doorstep looked up, watched for a while, then lowered her head again. Her hands moved more slowly.
"Isn't that Rock Lee?"
"He was shouting so loudly during the exam yesterday."
Two half-grown children clung to a doorframe, only daring to whisper.
"The one in green."
Quiet as the voices were, they still drifted down the street. A woman holding a child rose onto her toes, but the child spotted the green outfit first.
No one in the group answered those remarks. There was nothing they could say even if they tried.
Sakura walked in the middle of the group. Her legs gave way, and a companion beside her steadied her. Once she recovered her footing, she clenched her sleeve and kept walking. A little farther on, she glanced back. Someone at the street corner started to jeer, only to be silenced halfway through by an adult's glare.
The old umbrella repairman stopped working, forgetting to close the half-open umbrella in his