"Puff! Puff!"
Under the setting sun, three figures descended from mid-air and landed on the disheveled grass, their bodies covered in dust and shallow cuts.
Thrice the air crackled with the sound of dispelling jutsu as Kushina Uzumaki released her Shadow Clones. Her gaze swept over her three disciples sprawled on the ground.
"Well, that's the end of today's training," she announced; her voice a mixture of satisfaction and concern.
Kushina's eyes lingered on her students' battered forms. A twinge of guilt gnawed at her, but she shoved it aside. This was necessary. Their earlier victory in the "post-dinner exercise" could breed overconfidence—a deadly flaw for any ninja. Moreover, with the fragile peace between villages, they needed practical experience to defend themselves.
She clapped her hands once, the sharp sound drawing their attention. "Alright, go home and tend to those wounds. Clean up, and we'll meet at six for a barbecue at the Akimichi restaurant."
Chiba lay motionless on the ground, every muscle screaming in protest. The cuts on his body stung, but he knew they were superficial. Kushina-sensei had been strict but not cruel.
'Incredible,' he thought. 'This is the power of a high-level ninja. Even in Gate of Life mode, I was completely outmatched.'
He estimated that his strength in Gate of Life mode fell somewhere between mid-level and elite ninja, yet a high-level ninja's power easily surpassed that. Of course, exceptionally talented mid-level ninjas were a different story altogether.
Chiba's gaze drifted to Hirohiko and Yukina. They seemed slightly less capable than him, but all three were equally exhausted, their injuries minor but numerous.
Kushina watched them, worry creasing her brow. 'Have I pushed them too hard?' she wondered.
But as the thought crossed her mind, Chiba mustered his strength to sit up. Beside him, Hirohiko and Yukina followed suit, propping themselves up with visible effort.
Kushina, who had started to move towards them, stopped short. A proud smile bloomed on her face. "That's it! Don't give up!"
Five minutes crawled by. The trio sat on the ground, chests heaving as they caught their breath. Hirohiko and Yukina had produced jars of wound medicine and were applying it to their cuts.
Chiba watched them, feeling a knot of discomfort in his stomach. He'd run out of medicine, having spent last month's budget on weight-training gear.
'Saliva will have to do,' he thought ruefully. The wounds weren't deep, and his body, capable of opening three gates, was resilient. Still, he felt a pang of embarrassment. He resolved to shower once he regained enough strength to trudge home.
'If this becomes a daily routine, I'll need to stock up on medical supplies,' he mused. 'What else can I cut from my budget?'
As Chiba pondered his financial woes, Hirohiko and Yukina, still focused on their own injuries, silently extended their jars of wound medicine toward him.
"I... I'm fine," Chiba stammered, instinctively waving off their offer. "You use it."
Without a word, they nudged the jars closer to him.
"Really, I'm okay," Chiba insisted. "I often get injured during physical training. These little cuts are nothing..."
His protests trailed off as they set the jars on the ground by his feet.
"Just accept it," Kushina's gentle voice cut through his reluctance. Her hand rested lightly on his shoulder. "Look at them..."
Chiba's gaze flickered to his teammates. Both had their heads bowed, faces flushed with a familiar mix of embarrassment and awkwardness.
It was a feeling Chiba knew all too well—the discomfort of those accustomed to solitude when trying to reach out to others. Wasn't his refusal of their help just as clumsy?
'Are Hirohiko and Yukina also trapped in loneliness like me?' he wondered.
Chiba stared at the two jars of wound medicine—one black from Yukina, the other red from Hirohiko.
"Thanks," he mumbled, reaching out to take both jars. His voice caught in his throat as he turned away, his face burning with the same embarrassment he'd seen in theirs.
Clearing his throat, Chiba angled his body away from them and quietly began applying the medicine. The Hyuga and Uchiha family remedies worked wonders, their cooling touch instantly soothing his aching cuts.
Kushina observed the trio with a knowing smile. "I'm heading back first," she announced. "Don't forget—Akimichi barbecue restaurant at six. Don't be late!"
In a blink, she vanished, leaving the three genin alone.
An awkward silence settled over them, each avoiding the others' gazes.
"I'll go take a bath," Yukina said abruptly, rising to her feet. "Don't be late... I don't want Sensei scolding me because of you two."
"Bath," Hirohiko echoed, standing as well. "See you at the restaurant."
Chiba, still applying medicine, turned towards them. "Wait, I haven't returned your—"
But they were already walking away, their pace quickening with each step as if fleeing the scene.
Chiba stood silently, looking at the jars in his hand, then at their retreating figures. A smile tugged at his lips.
'I'll return them next time,' he decided.
As he gathered his things, a new dilemma presented itself. 'If I bathe now, won't I wash off the medicine? Wouldn't that be a waste?'
Unknown to Chiba, Yukina and Hirohiko wore matching smiles as they hurried away, their usually stoic faces softened by the warmth of newfound companionship.