The afternoon sun streamed through the window at the end of the corridor, casting bands of light on the polished floor.
The special care unit corridor of Konoha Hospital was unusually quiet, the air thick with the distinct scent of disinfectant.
But this tranquility was soon broken by hushed conversations, carefully lowered but unable to conceal their nervousness.
"What's going on? What kind of flowers are these you're carrying?"
"Nonsense, we're definitely giving carnations! It's obviously carnations!"
"The nurses absolutely refused to let us in. Only after Lord Third spoke did they reluctantly allow us to visit. Don't mess this up."
"Shh! Quieter, we're here."
Faint footsteps halted outside a hospital room. The individuals outside quickly hushed their voices, tidying the flower baskets and bouquets in their hands.
Knock, knock.
"Please come in."
A gentle but weak voice came from inside the room. The people outside cautiously peeked in.
However, upon seeing the figure within the room, they all subtly widened their eyes, their pupils reflecting the person on the hospital bed.
In that glance, time seemed to stretch infinitely.
The hospital bed was by a bright window, half-open. The sky outside was clear blue, and the early spring trees swayed in the wind, like rippling green waves.
The wind carried a slightly cool breath, rustling the gauze curtains, and then stirring the hair on the boy's forehead.
There, Hyuga Kawa sat on the hospital bed, quietly gazing at the scenery outside the window.
The afternoon sun poured in, flowing over his face and body, making his brow bone distinct and delicate. His thick, long eyelashes were bleached silver by the sun, casting faint shadows.
The sunlight seemed to trace a hazy golden edge around him, his dark hair gently swayed by the wind, and his pure white Byakugan eyes were diffused with a faint golden glow by the light, carrying an almost divine tranquility.
The strong scent of disinfectant, the smell of herbs, the fragrance of the fresh flowers in their hands, and their nervous hearts in the hospital room all seemed to be soothed by that window of sunlight and that lone figure...
Only the flow of light and shadow, the path of the wind, and that serene figure remained.
They gazed at him as if looking at the high, clear, impeccably blue sky outside the window.
And in the far distance, where his gaze was fixed, they could faintly see Konoha's iconic Hokage Rock, which brought an indescribable sense of reassurance quietly spreading among them.
"How wonderful," someone couldn't help but blurt out.
The brief silence was broken, and the others also snapped back to reality. A female ninja suddenly patted the speaker's head.
"Wonderful, my foot," she said in a low voice. "He's okay after such severe injuries, huh?"
Hearing this, the person's gaze finally pulled away from that face and saw Hyuga Kawa's right arm, from shoulder to fingertip, thickly wrapped in medical bandages and a cast. A thin IV tube connected, and the medicine hanging by the bed slowly dripped...
"Good afternoon."
Hyuga Kawa turned at the sound, looking at the slightly hesitant visitors at the door. His smile was gentle, his voice slightly hoarse from injury, but his tone was steady and clear.
But these few knew what an extraordinary feat this newly promoted jōnin had accomplished not long ago on the Land of the Moon battlefield against Cloud Village.
He had controlled and guided lightning with his flesh and blood body, killing hundreds of Cloud ninja, completely breaking Cloud Village's defensive line, demonstrating astonishing power and ruthlessness!
Yet at this moment, he was like a jade disc carefully extracted from the turbulent currents of battle, briefly losing all its sharp edges, leaving only a restrained, warm radiance.
This strong contrast—being as cold and unyielding as a harsh wind towards enemies, yet as gentle as a spring breeze towards comrades—filled them with even greater respect and reverence.
"Lord Kawa, I apologize for disturbing you."
The leader showed no hint of disrespect despite the young appearance.
Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his excitement and nervousness, his voice as steady as possible yet still respectful: "Please rest assured and recover from your injuries. We hope for your speedy recovery."
"Thank you," Hyuga Kawa replied with a smile. "You just returned from the front lines, didn't you? Thank you for your hard work with the front line rotation."
"It's our duty. And thanks to you, the situation on the Land of the Moon front has greatly eased. We're just waiting for Cloud Village's response now," the person replied with a smile.
With that, they carefully placed their bouquets. Besides their flowers, the room was already filled with many others, each with a card and well wishes.
After a few words of greeting, they tactfully found an excuse to leave, their hearts filled with the satisfaction of meeting a hero and the excitement of finding Kawa to be so gentle, quietly backing out.
As the door gently closed, the room returned to its previous serenity, now with a few fresh flowers and a stronger fragrance.
[Ding! Your lie has been judged as [Playing a part sincerely] [Deceiving the world for fame and gain]... triggering intense emotional fluctuations, reaching the level of [Deeply Convinced], gaining 500 Truth Points...]
[Remaining Truth Points: 20354]
Listening to the prompt in his mind and the continuously growing points, Hyuga Kawa's smile grew even more genuine.
Finally over 20,000.
Sure enough, only by standing in the spotlight can one gain more points.
Knock, knock.
A sudden knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
Acutely sensing the heartbeats outside the door were much more intense than those of the previous visitors, Hyuga Kawa raised an eyebrow and said, "Please come in."
Click.
The hospital room door was gently pushed open a crack, and a head cautiously peeked in.
The moment he saw that face, a mix of unexpectedness and logical surprise flashed through Hyuga Kawa's mind, but he feigned surprise and blurted out, "Miss Aoi?"
The visitor was none other than Hyuga Aoi, the eldest daughter of Hyuga Hiago, the Elder of the Main House.
After being lightly lectured by Hyuga Kawa previously, she hadn't sought him out again, or rather, she hadn't found an opportunity or reason to seek him out since then.
Hyuga Aoi also saw Hyuga Kawa. The moment she saw him, her Byakugan eyes brightened a bit, and she flashed into the room.
Her face carried a hint of the Main House's characteristic reserve. Her Byakugan swept over the piled bouquets in the room, and a subtle flicker of annoyance crossed her eyes.
However, her gaze quickly returned to Hyuga Kawa, falling upon his right arm, which was fixed in place and unable to move. Her eyes darkened slightly again.
"I'm here representing the Main House for a visit."
Hyuga Aoi walked over, carrying a thermos, and placed it on the small bedside table. She said this somewhat deliberately and stiffly, and then asked, "How is your injury recovering?"
Hyuga Kawa's gentle smile faded slightly, replaced by a calmer tone in his response: "The injury isn't serious. Thank you for the clan's concern."
His coolness brushed against Hyuga Aoi's heart like a feather, making her feel an inexplicable tightness in her chest.
[Ding! Your lie has been judged as [Playing a part sincerely] [Attracting unwanted attention], Hyuga Aoi has generated intense emotional fluctuations, reaching the level of [Deeply Convinced], gaining 1000 Truth Points.]
[Remaining Truth Points: 21374]
Hearing the prompt in his mind, Hyuga Kawa's expression became strange.
This person, she's really falling for it?