Consciousness returned to him once more…
The faint, sterile scent of formalin drifted into his nose.
A hospital…?
I survived?
Shimizu slowly opened his heavy eyelids, the effort alone feeling exhausting. He tried to sit up—but it was useless.
His body… wouldn't obey him at all.
Don't tell me… they amputated something?!
A jolt of panic shot through him. He hurriedly checked himself as best he could—only to find his entire body wrapped in thick white bandages, even more excessive than last time.
Still… everything seemed to be there. No missing limbs.
That was a relief.
Although he couldn't move, and worse—he couldn't even gather chakra.
It seemed his body had suffered catastrophic damage.
With a soft creak, the door opened and a nurse walked in.
"Oh? Shimizu Uzuki, you're awake."
That lively voice… if he remembered correctly, her name was Imadegawa Sara.
Shimizu tried to greet her—but no sound came out.
What—?!
I can't speak?!
Startled, he instinctively tried to raise a hand toward his throat—
But Sara immediately pressed it down and began counting on her fingers.
"Oh right, let's see… you've got severe full-body burns, massive internal bleeding, multiple compound fractures, and so on…"
"The fact that you're even alive is already a miracle."
She spoke lightly, but her words carried undeniable weight.
"Oh, and Lady Tsunade said your vocal cords were seriously damaged too. Whether you'll be able to speak again depends on how well you recover."
"So for now…" she continued, leaning slightly closer, "you need absolute rest. No large movements, no trying to speak, and definitely no chakra control."
Shimizu froze.
He had just violated… all of those.
"…Otherwise, the consequences are on you."
She straightened up. "If you understand, blink once. If you need me to repeat, blink twice."
Shimizu blinked once.
Sara clapped her hands, satisfied. "Good. At least all of Lady Tsunade's hard work saving you wasn't wasted."
"And if you cooperate with me, you'll recover faster, okay?"
Shimizu blinked again.
"Very good, very good. If you need anything, just press this…" She placed a small box beside him, pointing at a button on top. "Press it, and I'll come right away."
Beep beep beep~
An alarm sounded from Sara's pocket.
"See? That's the sound. If you press it, I'll come."
Beep beep beep~
"Got it? Don't play with it for no reason."
Beep beep beep~
"…What is it?" Sara paused, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Ah, you want something already, don't you? Let me guess—if I'm right, blink once. If I'm wrong, blink twice."
"Are you uncomfortable somewhere? In pain?"
Shimizu blinked twice.
"Then… are you thirsty?"
Well… a little. But that wasn't what he wanted. He blinked twice again.
"Hungry?"
Still two blinks.
"Hmm… then… do you want to see someone?"
That was… close enough.
Shimizu blinked once.
"Ah~ I get it!" Sara nodded as if enlightened. "You want to see your girlfriend!"
She turned and began walking toward the door.
That's completely wrong!!
Shimizu blinked twice frantically.
But Sara didn't even notice. "Though honestly, something like calling your girlfriend shouldn't really be my job…"
Still no reaction?!
He blinked again—twice, rapidly.
Grabbing the door handle, Sara sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll help you out this once, since you're so devoted."
Wait—don't go!
Shimizu blinked like his life depended on it.
Bang!
The door shut behind her.
Shimizu lay there, utterly speechless.
…How did she get it that wrong?!
All he had wanted… was to ask about Arai and the others—how the four of them were doing.
And somehow, that had turned into… a girlfriend?!
Where exactly was she supposed to find him one of those?
As it turned out, that question wasn't just bothering Shimizu—it was bothering Sara too.
She scratched her head, tugging at her long hair in frustration. "Ugh… I don't even know who Shimizu Uzuki's girlfriend is!"
"But he can't talk right now, so I can't ask him… maybe I should ask one of his friends or something…"
"Oh! Right!" she suddenly brightened. "Last time, I remember his teacher came to visit him… I can just ask his teacher!"
Muttering to herself, she strolled down the corridor. "What was his name again… something like… Kosuke?"
…
To her credit, the nurse was genuinely enthusiastic about helping Shimizu—almost too enthusiastic.
Fortunately, Shimizu had gained a bit of recognition in Konoha by now, and his teacher, Maruboshi Kosuke, was a veteran ninja with decades of experience. Asking around wasn't difficult.
And so, as Shimizu lay there waiting anxiously, Sara's cheerful voice echoed from outside the room once more—
"Shimizu Uzuki, your girlfriend is here!"
"…?"
What the hell?! She actually found someone?!
"Eh?! Miss Imadegawa?! I'm not—"
That voice…
"Don't argue, I already asked your teacher, Maruboshi Kosuke-senpai. He said it's you."
Sara pushed a girl into the room.
It had been a while since they last met.
Her delicate brows were unchanged, her long hair flowing softly, and her complexion seemed even fairer and more radiant than before. Perhaps no longer living on the edge of life and death had brought some color back to her face.
And those pale, almost luminous eyes…
There was no mistaking it—the Byakugan.
It was Hyūga Satomi.
Oh, come on…
Shimizu was completely speechless.
He wanted—desperately—to explain how this entire misunderstanding had come about.
In two lifetimes, he had never been set up this badly.
"Eh?! Senpai… what happened to you?!" Satomi, who had initially looked reluctant, froze the moment she saw him wrapped head to toe in bandages. Concern immediately filled her voice.
Sara glanced at her curiously, seemingly puzzled by the way she addressed him as "senpai." But in the interest of "helping" the young couple along, she added fuel to the fire.
"He almost died, you know. He's practically a cripple now…"
"Whether he'll recover at all is still uncertain…"
Then, as if remembering not to overdo it, she added, "Well… don't worry too much. After all, Lady Tsunade's medical skills are exceptional."
"But he can't speak for now, so you should just stay with him for a bit."
"Oh, and if you want to ask him anything, just have him blink~"
"One blink means yes, two means no."
"I'll leave you two alone~"
Bang!
The door shut firmly behind her.
The room fell silent.
The two of them simply stared at each other.
Before long, a faint blush crept onto Satomi's cheeks, like two soft clouds of pink.
…
Why are you blushing?!
Don't tell me you actually believed that…
At a loss, Shimizu could only avert his gaze, fixing it firmly on the pristine white ceiling above.
But to Satomi… that only made it seem like he was feeling guilty.
"Senpai… are you… alright?"
Shimizu blinked once.
"Senpai, you…" She trailed off, unsure what to say. Then her eyes drifted to the glass of water beside the bed. "Do you… want some water?"
…He actually was a little thirsty.
And after missing his chance earlier with Sara, he figured… he shouldn't miss this one too.
Wait—did that sound weird just now?!
Things were starting to spiral in a direction he absolutely could not control.
…Forget it. Water first.
He had no idea how long he'd been unconscious, but his throat felt unbearably dry.
So Shimizu blinked once more.
"Oh… okay! Just wait a moment."
Satomi moved gently and carefully, her focus entirely on him. It didn't take long before she brought the glass over.
"Senpai, let me help you sit up."
She supported him softly, lifting him just enough, then carefully tilted the cup—
…and let the water flow slowly into his mouth.