Her brows knitted with worry.
"Are you okay? This war... it broke out at the Chunin Exams' examination area, right?"
Sena Hoshino stared at Shiki Uzumaki's white clothes stained red with blood, her anxiety deepening.
In truth, she was already exhausted—she had spent nearly the entire afternoon performing emergency wound treatments at Konoha Hospital.
After all, she was now a certified Medical Ninja.
Yet many of the more severely injured were sent directly to senior and more experienced medical ninja.
Throughout the afternoon, she'd worried endlessly whether Shiki Uzumaki would be the next one wheeled through those doors.
She knew he was scheduled to participate in today's official rounds of the Chunin Exam.
That place had become the very heart of the battlefield.
Added to this were the repeated scenes—many parents, unable to accept their child's death, pleading with the medical ninja to keep trying.
But when they were brought in, those children were already lifeless.
She always feared that the next lifeless body brought in might be Shiki Uzumaki.
She knew what kind of person her younger brother was—most likely, even if faced with an opponent far stronger than himself, he'd charge forward stubbornly anyway.
Still, none of this hindered her ability to focus while treating others, because she understood that every single person here carried emotions similar to hers, borne by someone close.
It wasn't until her chakra ran dry and she collapsed from exhaustion that she was forcibly ordered to go home and rest.
"Sena-chan, I'm fine. And by the way, my earlier wounds have already healed!"
Shiki looked at Sena's tired appearance, her hair slightly disheveled, and couldn't help but feel a pang in his chest.
Looking down further, he noticed her bare feet standing on the wooden floor.
She had heard him return yet hadn't even put on shoes.
Though that was partly because her home still followed traditional tatami flooring customs, requiring footwear removal before entering.
"What's that blood on your clothes?"
Sena ignored the forced smile on Shiki's face and zeroed in on the bloodstains on his white outfit.
"It's all someone else's. Well, white does make blood stains stand out pretty clearly."
Scratching his head, Shiki gave a sheepish grin.
On hearing this, Sena felt a weight lift off her chest—for a moment, at least. But soon, she frowned again.
"What about Lord Third..."
At this, Shiki could no longer keep up the smile. Sighing deeply, he said, "Lord Third has passed away."
"How—how could this happen?"
Covering her mouth with her right hand, Sena took two steps back in shock.
The Third Hokage held immense prestige within the village, a man whom everyone instinctively trusted and loved.
Now, such a figure had fallen amidst this war.
"Don't grieve too much, Sena-chan," Shiki said softly. "It's over now—no one can change what's happened."
Shiki Uzumaki spoke, but suddenly a complicated emotion stirred within him.
No one could stop what had already happened.
Yet he had always known these things would happen.
In the end, his own actions were part of the cause. This chain of unintended consequences had pushed Hyuga Ao fully into opposition—not just against the Hyuga clan, but the entire village itself.
He hadn't expected the boy to have any connection with Orochimaru.
Suddenly, Shiki recalled something—during their time at the Ninja Academy, Hyuga Ao's class instructor had been Mizuki!
Everything now made sense. With Mizuki involved, there was ample opportunity for Hyuga Ao to come into contact with Orochimaru.
Thinking this, Uzumaki Shiki raised his head to look at the worn-out woman before him.
"Sena-chan," he said gently, "you should go rest now. I can tell your chakra reserves are pretty low right now."
Sena Hoshino naturally didn't resist her little brother's concern. The day's events had shaken even her usually playful nature. She simply nodded gently in reply. "Hmm. You too."
Shiki nodded and watched as Sena Hoshino walked toward her room.
Once the wooden door of her room clicked shut, Shiki sighed quietly and turned toward his own room.
It was the first time he'd had a real chance to save someone he cared about—and still failed.
Combined with Hyuga Ao's death, it left him feeling emotionally drained.
Creak.
He pushed open the troublesome wooden door and stepped into his simple room once more.
A single bed stood plainly in place, its white curtains tinged yellow by the setting sun.
Scattered across the nightstand beside it were some kunai and shuriken. There were also weights he had removed earlier.
Because of this, the wooden cabinet had actually been reinforced.
But suddenly, Shiki's pupils constricted—he was not alone. Someone was already sitting on his bed.
Dressed simply, the figure blended perfectly with the room. Yet no forehead protector adorned their head, making them seem almost like the true owner of this space.
"You're back."
The person smiled, as if nothing could be more natural.
Shiki tensed instinctively. "How did you get in here?"
Kabuto Yakushi calmly met his gaze. "Don't be alarmed. I just want to talk. And don't think about sending signals to anyone else—by now, you surely understand that few people in this village could prevent me from leaving."
Shiki relaxed slightly. As Kabuto said, there were indeed very few in Konoha capable of stopping him.
Whatever Kabuto intended to do, if Shiki decided to flee, Kabuto probably wouldn't be able to stop him either.
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