"Why are you guys here?"
Hikaru smiled at the group in front of him. His expression was warm and open—bright enough to feel like sunlight.
The people standing there were all old classmates: Kakashi, Guy, Kurenai… and several others. He'd always kept a decent relationship with them. Even after entering ANBU, he still made time during breaks to keep in touch.
Of course, Kakashi was the exception—contact with him only really started recently. After all, that guy was a genius who graduated early. Back then, Hikaru couldn't bring himself to do what Guy did—if you wanted to phrase it nicely, Guy was "persistent"; if you phrased it badly, it was "using your face to stick to someone else's cold shoulder."
But that persistence was exactly why, in the original timeline, Kakashi eventually climbed out of the pit he'd fallen into after losing Obito and Rin… and later losing his teacher and his teacher's wife. Guy was simply that kind of person—when it came to friendship, he was even more extreme than Naruto in some ways.
Still, what confused Hikaru was—
How did they even know he was here?
And more importantly… why was Uchiha Saya here too?
His eyes shifted toward Kakashi. If anyone could've leaked his location, it would be Kakashi. Hikaru's stay in Konoha Hospital had been handled quietly; even his clan probably didn't know the specifics.
Kakashi spoke calmly. "I wanted to come see you. We separated after that, and later the Hokage-sama told me where you were. I just… didn't expect to run into them on the way."
"Alright, I get it." Hikaru smiled and nodded. He believed Kakashi wouldn't run his mouth casually.
Kurenai, standing off to the side, looked curious. "Hikaru, Kakashi… are you on the same squad now? I heard Saya mention it before—she said you two teamed up on the battlefield once. Are you still together?"
"Yeah!" Guy couldn't hold it in either. "You two are way too mysterious! Especially Hikaru—you're basically impossible to see. And now Kakashi's doing the same thing. You—"
As Guy spoke, the rest of the classmates all turned their curious eyes on Hikaru.
There weren't that many visitors, but seven or eight people in a hospital room was enough to make it feel crowded. And aside from Kakashi, everyone's attention was focused on him, which made him a little uncomfortable.
But Hikaru had been in ANBU for years—this kind of pressure wasn't enough to crack him.
He smiled casually. "We're technically teamed up, but it's not really permanent. During a mission on the battlefield, I ran into Kakashi by accident and we ended up forming a temporary unit. Right now, it's still basically a temporary arrangement."
"Temporary… with Kakashi?" Guy blinked, then lit up. "That's amazing! Hey, I also heard Kakashi called you 'Captain'—is that true?!"
"It's true." Kakashi nodded straight away.
Hikaru's expression turned a little odd. He glanced at Uchiha Saya. So far, outside of ANBU, she was basically the only one who should've known about "Kakashi calling him captain."
Inside, he sighed.
After being "set up" by Kakashi last time, he'd already expected this outcome.
"Because I was the temporary team leader during that operation," Hikaru explained with a shrug and a smile. "Back then, Kakashi was still a chuunin, not a jounin. He was alone, so I filled in as acting captain. Later, we got assigned together again, and I ended up being his captain."
Uchiha Saya tilted her head, looking genuinely curious. "So… you're a jounin now too?"
Hikaru froze.
The title of jounin didn't actually mean that much to him—especially in ANBU, where rank wasn't emphasized. In there, it was "captain" and "member," and everyone called each other by codenames.
To be completely honest, he wasn't even sure what his official rank currently was. Probably not jounin yet… right?
"Damn it!" Guy suddenly smacked him on the shoulder. "You sneaky bastard—you hit jounin without telling us?! And the worst part is you didn't even say a word!"
"Uh…" Hikaru rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Sorry. I've been too busy. And honestly… among our class, Kakashi was always the number one. I didn't think I had anything to brag about."
"But that's still jounin!" Kurenai looked a little envious, but her smile was sincere. "Congrats."
"Congrats!" Guy gave him a huge thumbs-up, flashing that blinding grin—his teeth practically sparkling.
The others chimed in too, offering congratulations one after another.
Jounin wasn't just a rank—it was proof of strength, and proof that the village recognized you. In their eyes, it was an honor.
And at the same time, it made them emotional.
Back in the Academy, Hikaru's performance had been solid, but never "top tier." Yet now he'd apparently reached jounin level—and even the once-untouchable Kakashi was under him.
It was hard not to feel stunned.
Hikaru awkwardly thanked everyone. Their enthusiasm was honestly a bit much.
But it also proved something important: his relationship with his old classmates was genuinely good—and that kind of relationship mattered.
Then Uchiha Saya leaned closer and asked in a quieter voice, "Your injuries… you're really okay, right? Kakashi said you've been back for a while, but you're still stuck in the hospital."
"Yeah," Hikaru leaned in too, answering the way he always had when they whispered back in school. "I'm basically fine. They just won't let me leave yet because of 'extra checks.' I've been here so long I'm about to grow mold."
Saya couldn't help smiling.
It was an honest, soft smile—one Hikaru liked.
She really had always been the type to worry about him, even back when they sat at the same desk.
The only thing that made him sigh internally was the same thing as always:
That gentle, intelligent girl… was an Uchiha.
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