"Why are you all here?"
Natsuhiko looked at the group in front of him with a bright smile. His expression was warm and open, as gentle as sunlight.
The people standing before him were all his former classmates—Kakashi, Guy, Kurenai, and the others.
He had always maintained good relationships with them. Even after joining the ANBU, he kept in touch during his time off.
Of course, his connection with Kakashi had only been reestablished recently. After all, Kakashi was a genius who had graduated early.
Back then, Natsuhiko couldn't quite bring himself to do what Guy did. Put nicely, it was persistence toward a friend; less kindly, it was sticking a warm face against a cold shoulder.
But it was precisely that persistence that, in the original story, helped Kakashi gradually recover after losing Obito and Rin—
And later, after losing his teacher and his teacher's wife as well.
That was simply the kind of person Guy was. Compared to Naruto, his attitude toward friends was no less devoted—perhaps even more so.
What puzzled Natsuhiko, however, was this:
How did they know he was here?
And why had Uchiha Sora come along as well?
At that thought, Natsuhiko's gaze drifted toward Kakashi. If anyone knew he was here, it was most likely him.
His admission to Konoha Hospital had been very discreet. Even members of his own clan probably weren't aware of it.
But Kakashi was different—he had the Fourth Hokage backing him.
Sure enough, Kakashi spoke softly:
"I wanted to come see you. After we separated, the Hokage-sama told me where you were. I just didn't expect to run into them on the way here."
"I see." Natsuhiko smiled and nodded. He trusted Kakashi not to speak carelessly.
"Wait, Natsuhiko, Kakashi—you two are on the same team now?" Kurenai, standing to the side, looked curious after hearing that. "Last time Sora mentioned that you two teamed up on the battlefield. Are you still together?"
"Yeah, you two are way too mysterious!" Guy couldn't help asking. "Especially you, Natsuhiko—you're almost impossible to see nowadays. And now Kakashi's the same. You two…"
As Guy pressed on, the other classmates who had come to visit Natsuhiko couldn't help but look at them with curiosity.
There weren't many visitors—seven or eight at most—but even that made the hospital room feel noticeably crowded.
Aside from Kakashi, all eyes were on Natsuhiko, which made him slightly uncomfortable.
Still, as an experienced ANBU operative, he remained perfectly calm.
With an easy smile, Natsuhiko replied,
"We did team up, but it's not exactly permanent. During one mission on the battlefield, we happened to run into each other and carried it out together. Right now, it's just a temporary arrangement."
"A temporary team? With Kakashi?" Guy blinked, then suddenly looked excited. "That's amazing! Oh right—I also heard Kakashi calls you 'Captain.' Is that true?"
"It's true." Kakashi nodded directly, admitting it without hesitation.
Natsuhiko, however, cast Uchiha Sora a slightly strange look.
As far as he knew, aside from the ANBU, the only person aware that he had served as Kakashi's captain was her.
Sighing inwardly, Natsuhiko had already anticipated this outcome after being "sold out" by Kakashi last time.
So now that it had come to this, he felt nothing more than mild resignation.
"During the last mission, I was acting as temporary captain," Natsuhiko said with a relaxed shrug.
"And at the time, Kakashi was still a Chūnin—he hadn't yet been promoted to Jōnin."
"…He was alone at the time, so I acted as temporary captain for a while.
Later, we were assigned together again, and I became his captain."
"You mean—" Just as Natsuhiko finished explaining, Uchiha Sora looked at him curiously. "You're a Jōnin too now?"
At that question, Natsuhiko froze slightly.
The title of Jōnin didn't really carry much meaning for him.
Especially within the ANBU, ninja ranks were rarely mentioned.
There were only captains and members. They addressed each other by codenames, nothing more.
To be honest, he could hardly remember what his official rank even was. He probably hadn't formally reached Jōnin yet, had he?
"Unbelievable!" Before Natsuhiko could respond, Guy suddenly slapped him on the back. "You sneaky guy—you've already become a Jōnin without saying a word! And the worst part is, you didn't even tell us?"
"Uh…" Natsuhiko scratched his head awkwardly. "Sorry. I've just been really busy. And among our graduating class, Kakashi was the top student. I didn't really feel like I had anything worth bragging about."
"But that's still Jōnin!" Kurenai looked at him with a hint of envy, though she quickly smiled. "Congratulations on becoming a Jōnin."
"Congratulations!" Guy gave Natsuhiko a big thumbs-up and flashed a broad grin, his white teeth practically sparkling.
Following their lead, the others who had come to visit began offering their congratulations as well.
Jōnin.
That title represented strength. It represented the village's recognition.
In their eyes, it was an immense honor.
And as they congratulated Natsuhiko, they couldn't help but feel a mixture of awe and reflection.
Back in the Academy, Natsuhiko's performance had been decent—but far from outstanding.
And yet now, he had become a Jōnin.
Even Kakashi, once the undisputed genius of their class, was now under his command.
Such a drastic change left them deeply moved—and further motivated.
Natsuhiko awkwardly thanked everyone. He was almost overwhelmed by their enthusiasm.
But this also showed something important—he had maintained good relationships with his former classmates.
And those bonds mattered to him.
"Your injuries… they're not serious, right?" At that moment, Uchiha Sora quietly asked him, leaning slightly closer. "Kakashi said you've been back for a while and staying in the hospital this whole time?"
"Yeah." Natsuhiko leaned closer as well and replied in a similarly soft voice. "But I actually recovered a long time ago. They just need to run more examinations, so they won't let me leave. I've been stuck here so long I'm about to grow mold."
His movement was natural.
Back in their school days, whenever he whispered secrets to his deskmate, this was exactly how he did it.
Sora couldn't help but smile.
It was a sincere, gentle smile—one Natsuhiko truly liked.
Thinking back to their Academy days, she had always cared about him. And that care seemed to have continued until now.
The only thing that made Natsuhiko sigh inwardly was this—
This intelligent and gentle girl was a member of the Uchiha clan.
...
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