Hidden Leaf Village.
After Team Seven returned.
Kakashi Hatake and Sakura Haruno moved into Konoha Hospital. Team Seven temporarily stopped taking missions. Every day, aside from caring for Kakashi, Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki trained at the practice grounds.
As for the report on their mission, Jiraiya offered to personally brief the Third Hokage. Yet after Jiraiya made that trip to see the Hokage, Naruto never saw any sign of him again.
Room 207 of Konoha Hospital had the best ventilation and sunlight. Kakashi Hatake was staying there, and as his subordinates, Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki occasionally came to keep him company.
Late at night, the wind was a little chilly.
Kakashi Hatake lay in his hospital bed, watching the curtains flutter through the wide-open window. With a helpless expression, he muttered, "Those two only know how to open the window for ventilation. Don't they know a patient can catch a chill?"
"They are still young, after all."
An elderly voice sounded within the hospital room.
Hiruzen Sarutobi entered, wearing a Hokage Hat and a God Robe. He reached out to close the window before saying softly, "Those children seem to have grown quite a bit during this mission!"
"Third Hokage..."
Watching his movements, Kakashi Hatake replied quietly, "After going through several life-and-death battles between ninja, if they were still exactly the same as they were at the Ninja Academy, then I would be far too negligent as their jonin instructor..."
"You have done well."
Hiruzen Sarutobi habitually started to raise his pipe to his mouth, but noticing where he was, carefully put it away. "Now it seems that assigning you to Team Seven as their jonin instructor was the right decision."
"Lord Hokage, do you have orders for me?"
Kakashi Hatake struggled to sit up.
Given Hiruzen Sarutobi's