"No… no…" — were my last thoughts before my eyelids finally closed.
Darkness swallowed me.
Hop — the next instant, and I snapped my eyes open. But the world around me swirled. Trees, sky, branches — everything rushed past at a furious speed, as if I were hurtling through a forest.
"What..?" — the thought cut off as I tried to move. My body responded with sharp, echoing pain, as if someone had struck from the inside. My arms and legs felt like lead, and my breath came in ragged bursts.
"Awake, are you?" — a hoarse voice came from behind.
I blinked, trying to focus. Everything still rocked, but I slowly realized: I was being carried.
"Who…" — I forced out, lips barely obeying, my tongue heavy like molten lead.
"Friends, friends," he said shortly, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw him make some gesture with his hand.
At that moment, everything seemed to collapse — the forest's noise vanished, breath turned thick, and I sank into silence.
Voices. Distant, echoing, as if carried through thick water. I couldn't see, but I heard.
"Nothing critical was harmed…" — said one, tired but calm. "Let's start lifting him now."
A faint tingling ran through my side, first weak, then stronger. My body felt as if it were coming back to life through fine needles of pain.
"Where am I?.." — the thought flashed, but my eyelids felt heavier than stone.
Then a voice spoke clearer, closer:
"Finally awake?"
I struggled to part my eyes. Above me, a figure leaned in, a long cloak hiding their face, but their eyes sparkled. Nearby, two more silhouettes moved — one rifled through a bag, the other held a scroll.
"Where…" — I croaked, my throat burned as if scorched by dry air. "Where am I?.."
"At the med bay," said the one closest. His voice was steady, emotionless, but firm, like someone used to giving orders. "As far as possible, anyway, after you decided to nearly kill yourself."
I blinked, absorbing each word with difficulty. My head throbbed, as if someone were beating a drum inside it.
"You inhaled poison and took an unpleasant dose of bee stings," he continued, adjusting the bandages on me. "Fortunately, it wasn't a lethal dose. Your life was never in danger, though you'll still feel the effects."
I tried to lift myself on my elbows, but muscles protested with pain, and my lungs felt squeezed.
"How long… have I been here?" — I rasped.
He cast a quick, evaluating glance at me.
"Not too long. About eight hours. Lie down for half a day more — then you can get up. We'll probably move you to a tent after that."
"Good…" — I thought, letting my body sink back into the pillow.
The doctor — or whoever he was — straightened, dusted off his hands, and added:
"Your partners will come to you soon. So be ready… if they even ask questions."
He turned and moved toward another patient, quietly speaking with an assistant. I turned my head the other way, trying to distract myself from the throb of pain in my body.
My gaze caught the bed next to mine. Another shinobi lay there — his body wrapped in bandages, face partially covered with gauze. His chest rose and fell heavily. Doctors whispered nearby, one making notes in a scroll.
My fingers twitched involuntarily, and I realized my sensation was gradually returning.
"What happened to that shinobi?.." — the thought lodged in my mind like a splinter. I wanted to ask the doctor, wanted to get up and check, but my body wouldn't obey. Weakness came in waves, leaving me to lie there, listening to my own breathing and the occasional creak of the beds.
About fifteen minutes later, someone entered the tent. Heavy footsteps echoed.
"Oh, Kotetsu, you're awake," a loud familiar voice said.
I turned my head with effort. In front of me stood Guy, a bandage across his face and a fresh bruise under his eye.
"Y-yeah…" — I forced out, lifting slightly on my elbows to meet his gaze.
Guy leaned closer, his expression serious for a brief moment, devoid of his usual exaggerated energy:
"You had us worried. You were like a hedgehog, all needles."
I wanted to joke, but my throat was dry, and my lips only trembled in a crooked smile.
"And you?" — I exhaled, noticing the bruise under his eye and fresh bandages on his arm.
"Turns out they were swordsmen. In close combat, I got hit near the edge," he said, scratching his head and grimacing at the memory of the pain.
"And what about your fight? How did it go?" — I tried to sit straighter to hear everything.
"The commander held two chunin alone, while the others dealt with the rest. We got the genin. The commander said they were like a separate group because they all used a similar style," he replied.
I nodded, feeling a faint tension in my back.
"And anyway, right now, it's different… Amazing that you beat a chunin," Guy said, a spark in his voice.
"It was luck… And can it even be called a victory?" — I muttered, barely raising my hand.
"Don't downplay your achievement," another voice said. The captain entered, stepping confidently over the threshold and scanning us with a sharp gaze. "No one expected that."
I straightened slightly, feeling pride mingle with fatigue.
"They messed me up," I muttered, a faint smile trying to hide relief.
"Good, you earned it," he said, sitting across from me.
"Because of your condition, you'll be exempt from missions for a week, like your team," the captain continued. "The intel we collected is valuable, so you earned it."
"Thanks," I forced out, leaning slightly in respect.
"No need," he interrupted gently, covering my head with his hand. "You also secured a body from the Kamizuri clan, so points are added. I hope you know what that means."
I froze, looking at the captain.
"Is he dead?"
"Yes," he nodded. "He was heavily poisoned. Surprisingly, your poison spread faster through his open wounds. He couldn't be saved."
I dropped my gaze to my hands, feeling an odd emptiness.
"Yeah… I feel nothing," I thought. "Maybe I've adapted, or… because in this world it's 'kill or die,'" I pushed the thoughts away, trying not to dwell on the weight of what happened.
The captain stood, waved, and left the room. Silence returned, just me and Guy, who watched me with his usual unmasked curiosity.
"By the way, did anyone tell you where we get money and equipment?" I asked, leaning back on the pillow, trying to recover.
"Well… money gets credited to our Konoha bank account, I think," Guy replied, scratching the back of his head. "I haven't paid much attention, but it seems automatic."
"And equipment?" I asked, remembering how little I had.
"Equipment you get before missions," he said, nudging me to understand. "But there are limits on how many items you can take."
I nodded, making a mental note:
"Thanks, I'll check later."
I smiled quietly, feeling light for the first time in a long while — temporary, but still. There's still much work ahead, but for now, I can simply rest.