"You guys should really leave now. It's pretty late and your parents might be worrying."

Rin looks out the window and gasps as she feels a breeze of cool air slap her in the face, "Oh wow, I didn't realize how late it has become!"

Rin got up from his seat, following Obito who was already at the door. 

"Get well soon Teruya-san. I hope you become better!" Obito says, "And you better be up and dandy. We've never gotten to have that dinner with the 'special' guest yet." 

Teruya chuckled, "I will Obito, Rin. Stay safe and send my regards to Kakashi too."

"We will, bye!" The two waved a goodbye, and he returns the gesture. 

"Bye!"

The door slid with a firm click as the two chunin leave, but their voices still linger in the air, leaving Teruya with an empty feeling. 

*

It's late at night, where the moonless sky brings a dark shadow looming over Konoha. Teruya woke up because he wasn't able to sleep with all the noisy thoughts in his head. But he thinks it was perfect timing, because he's face to face with people he didn't think was supposed to be in his room. 

"Hi...?" Teruya squeaks before the two figures come rushing at him. He flinches, feeling the murderous aura coming off of them. They came here with the intent to kill.

Maybe I shouldn't have greeted them, Teruya thinks as his hospital bed is electrocuted to a crisp. 

"Whoaa what's your problem? That was a perfectly good bed!" the Uzumaki exclaims, "Who the heck are you guys anyway?" 

Teruya was talking to distract these intruders from the fact that his body was hurt. Especially his 'sore leg'.

"..."

They wouldn't even answer me, thinks Teruya as he tries to get up without straining himself. 

One of them come dashing at him and Teruya was sure the second one was going to flank him. The only other way out was...none.

Poof!

The room his filled with his shadow clones and taking advantage of the confusion, Teruya crawls on the floor and escapes through the door. Of course, the intruders weren't so dumb. The shadow clones are burned or slashed to death as Teruya makes a run for the stairs. 

The wall bursts with a thunderous sound, awakening oblivious patients and sleepy nurses making rounds. 

Shit, I'm not going to last long. Teruya winces. He can feel a warm substance soaking his abdomen and he knows that his wound has opened up. But of course, Konoha hospital wouldn't be a hospital without shinobi on guard.

As soon as the Uzumaki catches sight of one, he yells, "HEYYY HELP!!!"

"T-Teruya-san!? What's happening?" One of them is startled awake. 

"We've got intruders. Send back up." Teruya orders, "And a medical chunin!!" he manages to add quickly. Then like a storm, he's gone. Niruno who was listening tried to go after the Uzumaki, but he had disappeared into a flash of red and now the hospital was as silent as it was before. 

"Wow...He's amazing." Niruno lets out an amazed noise before slapping herself. 

Don't get carried away! Go report to Ino-san right away!!

And she's off into a whirlwind of leaves. 

-

It's an epic fight. A truly epic fight. With a shadow clone by his side, Teruya manages to fight off the two opponents by himself. A shallow cut to his arm was the closest they got to him in his real body but a Rasengan to the stomach seemed more critical then any other hit he got on the two nins.

Silent as ever, Teruya is left with only one nin, but he's finding it difficult to keep his eyes open.

"Did you guys poison me?" he asks as he takes a few steps backward, flinching as he leans on his sore leg and trying catching his breath. His opponent was out of breath too. The two of them wore masks with strange carvings on them. He didn't recognize them. 

"..."

The enemy never gave Teruya the satisfaction of having found an answer. 

"Listen here no-face, why don't you stop or I kill your friend over here?" Teruya says randomly. He honestly doesn't feel like killing.

But a reaction, finally.

No-face flinched.

I see, so he can't afford to have that guy killed. Teruya thinks to himself. The cogs in his head start to turn and he tries to think of something, but he can't. His head is noisy all of a sudden. 

Wiping the sweat off of his brow, Teruya takes a step forward and the assassin takes a step back. 

"This is an interesting turn of events." a new voice comments and the two who were occupied in a death stare match momentarily freeze before they are brought back to reality. 

Shit, when did he come? 

No, Teruya wipes his eyes and looks again and realizes that it's a female voice. 

What the...?

For some reason, Teruya is really sleepy and he concludes that he was poisoned. Yes, definitely. The trampled grass and destroyed soil is all he sees before with a loud thud, he drops to the ground. 

The trees shimmy in the wind and the crickets have begun their serenade to the moon, but the masked assassin standing under the moonlight takes no heed to such beguile. Four words, one name and that's all it takes before the scene is left empty. 

"You took too long, Tenzo."

*

written; wednesday, january 19, 2022

published; monday, january 31, 2022

I admit this one took some times since I was (and still am) busy with exams. They'll be starting from tomorrow so consider this a final gift before I get into the heat of the exam fever. See you when I'm done!

Have a nice week ahead! <3