"Did you hear. The members of Squad C Five have returned."
"Really. Wasn't it said they encountered Kumogakure's 'Raven' unit and suffered heavy losses."
"It seems there were no fatalities, but they were badly injured. Especially Grey Wolf, he was almost gone..."
"He's really lucky. I heard that at the last moment, Lord Minato suddenly appeared and saved him using the Flying Thunder God technique."
"..."
The sound of discussion reached Sora's ears, and his footsteps paused slightly.
'The captain and the others are back. Grey Wolf almost died. Saved by Namikaze Minato.'
He immediately changed direction and walked towards the Konoha Hospital.
After inquiring at the nurse station, he quickly found the ward where the few members of Squad C Five were staying.
This was a three-person ward. Fox, Grey Wolf, and Night Owl were all lying inside.
Fox was leaning against the head of the bed, his remaining right arm in a thick cast, his face somewhat pale, but his spirits seemed acceptable.
Night Owl was sitting on a chair nearby, her right leg wrapped in bandages. She was peeling an apple and appeared to have the lightest injuries.
Grey Wolf was lying on the innermost bed, unconscious. Several tubes were inserted into his body, connected to medical equipment beside him. His chest was wrapped in a large amount of bandages, and a faint smell of medicine could still be detected. His condition was clearly the most serious.
"Green Snake."
Fox was the first to see Sora standing at the door. A flicker of complexity passed through his eyes, then he revealed a somewhat forced smile.
"It's good that you're alright."
Night Owl also looked up. Seeing Sora, she visibly relaxed.
"You're really tough, kid. That Black Crow personally led the team to chase you. We were quite worried about you."
Sora entered the ward. His gaze swept over the three of them, finally resting on Grey Wolf.
"Grey Wolf, he..."
Night Owl sighed, a lingering fear in her voice.
"Almost didn't make it. The ones pursuing us were three Special Jonin. Originally, Grey Wolf and I could cooperate and barely manage, looking for a chance to counter-kill one... but then a Jonin suddenly appeared, catching us completely off guard. To cover me, Grey Wolf took a hit head on..."
She paused, a look of both fear and gratitude appearing on her face.
"If Lord Minato hadn't suddenly appeared, instantly killed those guys with the Flying Thunder God, and brought both us and Grey Wolf back to Konoha Hospital... you probably wouldn't be seeing us now."
'Namikaze Minato... So, during this period, he's already using the Flying Thunder God to put out fires everywhere on the battlefield, his reputation rising rapidly.'
Sora understood in his heart.
The mobility of the Flying Thunder God Technique was indeed a BUG level existence on the battlefield.
"It's good you're back." Sora nodded, looking at Fox. "Captain, your injury."
"It's fine. Just a fracture. The Medical Corps said rest for a while and it will recover. It won't affect future activities."
Fox moved his right hand slightly. His tone was light, but his eyes became complex again.
He fell silent for a moment, then said to Night Owl.
"Night Owl, go check if Grey Wolf's medicine is almost finished dripping."
Night Owl was momentarily stunned. She looked at the IV bottle, then at Fox and Sora, seeming to understand something. "Oh," she said, propping herself up on her crutch and standing.
"I'll go call the nurse."
With that, she walked out of the ward, conveniently closing the door behind her.
The ward was now left with only Sora, Fox, and the unconscious Grey Wolf.
Fox took a deep breath, his gaze directly on Sora, his tone carrying a deep apology.
"Sora, I am sorry."
Sora looked at him quietly, not speaking.
Fox continued.
"The situation was critical then. I deliberately said the intelligence was on you, leading the strongest, Black Crow, and most of the pursuers towards you... I know this was selfish, and very dangerous. But I... at that time, I judged that with your speed and strength, your chances of survival were much greater than Grey Wolf and Night Owl's. If those two were targeted by Black Crow, they would certainly die."
His voice was low and candid.
"I know your true strength is far beyond what you've shown. So... I made that choice. This is my responsibility and my selfishness. I apologize to you."
Sora looked at Fox's sincere, guilt-filled eyes. There wasn't much turmoil in his heart.
In that situation at the time, Fox, as the captain, making the choice for maximum benefit was understandable.
If he really were just an ordinary Anbu Special Jonin, then Fox's actions would have been no different from sending him to his death.
But Fox, as one of the only two people aware of the events in the Land of Wind, clearly had confidence in Sora. So he gambled.
Moreover, the result indeed turned out as Fox anticipated. Sora survived, and Grey Wolf and Night Owl, because they attracted the weaker enemies, managed to hold out until Namikaze Minato's rescue arrived.
Sora slowly spoke, his tone mild.
"Captain, there's no need to apologize. I understand your choice. Besides, didn't I escape as well. When it comes to speed alone, I am the fastest in Squad C Five."
His words were half serious, half teasing, skillfully avoiding discussion about his true strength, while also accepting Fox's apology.
Hearing this, Fox was momentarily stunned, then let out a bitter laugh.
"Yeah... you kid really do run fast."
He understood the meaning behind Sora's words. The weight in his heart finally lifted somewhat. The other party wasn't pursuing the matter, but he would remember this debt.
At that moment, Night Owl returned with the nurse.
The nurse changed Grey Wolf's medicine, checked the equipment, and said his condition was stabilizing and improving.
Night Owl looked at Sora, speaking sincerely.
"Green Snake, thank you truly this time. If you hadn't drawn the main force, we probably..."
Sora shook his head.
"We are all teammates. There's no need to say such things. Surviving is what matters."
After staying in the ward a little longer, learning more details about their ambush and retreat, Sora got up and said his goodbyes.
Leaving the hospital, Sora looked up at the sky above Konoha.
His teammates returning safely was good news, but from what Fox and the others said, Sora also learned that of the six pursuing them, apart from the four killed by Namikaze Minato, two others survived.
That meant, after Kumogakure learns of the outcome regarding Black Crow and his group, they will likely direct their focus towards Sora.
...
In the days after returning to Konoha, Sora's life returned to its previous rhythm.
Taijutsu training, Fuinjutsu study, occasionally gathering with friends like Kurenai Yuhi, and sometimes visiting his gradually recovering teammates at the hospital.
Grey Wolf's condition stabilized and improved. He was already out of the critical period. Night Owl's leg injury was almost healed. Fox's fractured right arm was healing well under medical ninjutsu treatment.
Everything seemed to be getting back on track.
But Sora never stopped thinking about the two little ones in the forest.
On this day, he specifically went to the Anbu logistics and equipment department.
"Need to replace your mask." The ninja in charge looked up at him.
"Yes. The previous mask was somewhat damaged."
Sora gave a reasonable reason. Combat wear and tear was common, and replacing a mask was ordinary.
He browsed through the various standard masks on display. Finally, his gaze lingered on two masks.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📖 Like the story? Read 120 chapters ahead!
🔗 patreon.com/atomelectron
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━