Chapter 12

And his voice was filled with such despair that I winced, involuntarily recalling a similar situation with Saya. Shuddering at the mere thought of increasing an already massive workload, I sighed resignedly but didn't stay silent.

— You know what, Kei, tomorrow you grab your little one and be at the hospital at six in the morning sharp. I'll take a look at her and try to help, and I'll also find a replacement for your destroyed eye if you want.

— Really? — The jōnin looked up with hope in his eyes. — But neither she nor I have the money for such operations...

— Money? Don't worry about that. I'll try to help through connections. You can help me out if something comes up in the future. We'll settle it somehow, — I waved him off. — We'll work it out.

— Won't you get in trouble at work?

— Pfft, what's that one-eyed jerk gonna do? Fire me? For heaven's sake! And I couldn't care less about the bureaucrats in the office!

— Thank you, Ryo-san, I won't forget this, — the guy perked up.

Yeah, it seemed he was really worried about it, judging by his somewhat straightened back and relaxed shoulders, as if a huge weight had been lifted off him.

— Like I said, we'll settle up! But tell me, are you running around with just one Hyūga right now?

— No, I got transferred a Senju kid from a nearly wiped-out team, so I'm doing not-too-dangerous missions with them, and now, if you help, we might be sent with a full team to the exam.

— Exam? What exam? — I asked, yawning once again.

The day was rapidly turning into evening, and I increasingly wanted to be near my futon and crash for a good five hours.

— You don't know? — The shinobi looked at me in surprise.

— If I knew, I wouldn't be asking! — I replied irritably.

— Haha, the whole of Konoha has been gossiping about it for over a month! At the recent meeting of the five great kage, they decided to hold a chūnin exam as a sort of substitute for war, a way to show the younger generation and demonstrate the abilities of shinobi from each hidden village to future clients, — Shibatori explained. — The first exam is to be held in Sunagakure, so they are currently looking for more or less intact and cohesive teams to represent Konoha.

Oh, is it already time for the chūnin exams? I had almost forgotten about this farce, and now a bunch of old geezers came up with this idea right after the war, where every village got a good thrashing. No, it's a great marketing move, but the host has too many advantages, and eliminating the enemy's young sprouts before they become a significant threat is practically divine intervention! It will be fun, but only for those not involved.

— So, have they found many? — I asked, feeling my empty stomach rumble.

Glancing at the very appetizing-looking berry-filled pastries behind the bakery's glass counter, I sighed and gestured for my conversation partner to wait while I began rummaging in my pockets for loose change — hardly any small change would be found in such a small shop with a five thousand ryō gold plate or at least a thousand.

Unfortunately, I didn't have any change. I vaguely recalled chewing on several portions of takoyaki on my way to the hospital in the morning without peeling my eyes away. All the loose change must have gone there. Damn. Well, never mind.

— Listen, let's move to that shop and get something to eat, because I had lunch at two o'clock and I need to get home for dinner, but my stomach is already letting me down from hunger, — I suggested to the puzzled shinobi.

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