After an unknown amount of time, when Mamoru regained a trace of blurred consciousness, the first thing he felt was the smell of disinfectant permeating his nose—faint, yet exceptionally clear.
The soft touch of the bed beneath him made him realize he was lying in a safe place.
He forced his heavy eyelids open, his blurred vision floating in the air for a moment before finally focusing on the pure white ceiling.
"Awake?"
A familiar face appeared in his field of vision. Sasuke was sitting on a chair by the bed, arms crossed, looking at him expressionlessly with black eyes that showed no emotion.
"How long have I been asleep?" Mamoru's voice was a bit raspy, and his throat was painfully dry.
"About a full day." Sasuke replied, his tone remaining calm.
Mamoru propped himself up to sit, the soreness spreading through his body making him frown as every muscle protested.
"When did you get back?" He asked, his voice still carrying the lethargy of having just woken up. "What about the special training?"
Only then did he notice that his entire body was wrapped in bandages, looking just like a mummy.
'I look pathetic.' He laughed self-mockingly in his heart.
"The special training ended long ago." Sasuke replied briefly, the corners of his lips turning up slightly with a hint of confidence.
"Is that so?" Mamoru raised an eyebrow. "Did you learn Kakashi's Chidori?"
"Not long after you left, I was able to successfully perform that technique." Sasuke's tone carried a faint pride, and a flash of triumph crossed his eyes.
Mamoru shook his head with some amusement. This guy was still as stubborn and competitive as ever.
"What happened to you?" Sasuke's gaze swept over his bandage-covered body, his brow furrowing slightly. "Getting yourself into such a mess... the official Chunin exams are in a few days."
Mamoru said dismissively, trying to move his stiff shoulders, "The trouble I ran into this time was a bit tricky, but in the end, it was resolved smoothly without any real danger. Although it looks serious, it's actually just some superficial injuries."
"As long as you're okay." Sasuke watched him move to get out of bed and asked with a frown, "What are you doing?"
"Getting discharged." Mamoru said while rolling his neck, exercising his stiff body as his joints made slight clicking sounds. "I can heal myself, staying here is pointless."
After saying that, he raised his hand, intending to unwrap the bandages on his body.
"Mamoru-kun?"
A soft, warm voice sounded from the doorway, filled with obvious surprise.
Mamoru turned to look and saw Hinata standing at the ward entrance, her white eyes wide with shock, her hand instinctively covering her mouth.
Shino stood silently behind her, his sunglasses reflecting the lights in the room, his expression unreadable.
"Oh, it's you guys." Mamoru greeted them with a wave, completely unconcerned about how terrifying his bandage-wrapped state appeared to others.
"What are you doing?" Hinata walked over quickly, her face full of worry, her cheeks flushing slightly from agitation. "Your body is injured like this, why aren't you staying in bed?"
"No, I..."
Mamoru was about to explain when Hinata interrupted him.
"You can't be so reckless anymore. Your body belongs to you, what if you don't recover properly and it leaves lasting effects?"
Hinata's brow was tightly knit, her hands clenched into fists as she stepped close to him. Her tone was unusually firm, and her white eyes were full of stubbornness.
Looking at Hinata, who had changed from her usual timid self to someone incredibly assertive, Mamoru blinked in confusion and involuntarily lowered the hand that was unwrapping the bandages.
"Uh... okay."
Under her support, he obediently sat back on the bed and lay down again like a child who had done something wrong, not forgetting to steal a glance at Hinata's expression.
Seeing him lie down properly, Hinata finally breathed a sigh of relief and gently placed the fruit she had brought on the bedside table.
Sasuke quietly stood up from the stool by the bed and walked silently to the ward's window.
"How is your body?" Shino walked to the bedside, his voice as steady as ever.
"Hahaha... who do you think I am? I can be discharged in minutes with these minor injuries." Mamoru propped his head on his arms with a smug look, completely forgetting how he had just been rendered dazed by Hinata's forceful actions.
Seeing this, Sasuke and Hinata sighed almost simultaneously, exchanging a helpless look.
"Is that so."
Seeing him like this, Shino knew there shouldn't be any major issues, and the corners of his lips turned up slightly.
"I'm thirsty." Mamoru licked his cracked lips, feeling as if his throat were on fire.
Sasuke was about to go pour some water, but Hinata beat him to it.
"I'll do it." She said softly, walking to the cabinet by the wall to pour water.
She picked up the cup and carefully handed it to Mamoru.
Mamoru took the cup and drained it in one gulp. The warm water moistened his parched throat, and he let out a satisfied sigh. "Much better."
"Mamoru, we've come to see you!"
The voice arrived before the person.
Naruto rushed into the ward with a carefree grin.
"Idiot, who visits a patient and laughs so happily?" Shikamaru followed behind, scratching the back of his head with a helpless look as he strolled in slowly.
"Haha, Mamoru must be fine." Choji walked in with a laugh.
Just then, two figures rushed in quickly, knocking over the three who had just entered.
The ward entrance was suddenly a mess of people, with startled shouts and complaints mixing together.
Tenten and Ino completely ignored the chaos at the door, their eyes instantly locking onto Mamoru on the bed. Both rushed to the bedside, their faces filled with anxiety.
"Mamoru, how did you get hurt like this?" Tenten's voice was full of heartache as her fingers gently brushed over the bandages on his arm, her eyes brimming with worry.
"Who on earth hurt you like this? I'm going to twist his head off!" Ino roared angrily, her blonde ponytail swaying violently with her movements.
"As expected of you, truly barbaric." Tenten glanced sideways at Ino, not forgetting to needle her even at a time like this.
"You don't want those two things on your head anymore?" Ino immediately bristled, leaning close to Tenten's face and glaring at her aggressively.
"What did you say?" Tenten's temper flared, retorting with a dark face and her hands on her hips, refusing to back down.
"Are you deaf? Want me to say it again?" Ino refused to yield, using the same defiant tone.
The air between the two seemed to spark, and the temperature in the ward seemed to rise a few degrees.
Mamoru immediately felt a headache coming on as he watched the two argue, looking toward the others for help.
Sakura happened to come in from outside. Seeing the two in a standoff, she quickly stepped forward to intervene. "You two, don't argue in the ward."
Just as she tried to step forward and separate them, her peripheral vision caught Sasuke leaning by the window, and her eyes lit up.
"Sasuke, when did you get here?" She appeared before Sasuke like a blur, a blush rising on her face as her voice instantly became sweet.
"Sakura, huh..."
Sasuke replied coolly, his gaze still fixed outside the window, "I've been here the whole time."
"Women really are a hassle." Shikamaru got up from the floor, shaking his head helplessly as he watched the two girls bickering by the bed.
"I'm so jealous!" Naruto rubbed his sore arm, his gaze first landing on Mamoru's overwhelmed face, then shifting to Sasuke, who was ignoring Sakura.
He stomped his foot in frustration. "Damn it, Sasuke is here too!"
The ward was suddenly divided into several small circles, noisy and bustling, until a nurse arrived upon hearing the noise and sternly reminded them to keep quiet. Only then did everyone settle down.
Tenten and Ino made faces at each other and obediently quieted down.