Loud electronic beeping and the smell of intense cleaning chemicals. A sanitized environment. An unfamiliar bed and the mildly uncomfortable itching of bandage fabric surrounding his entire torso and neck. Hanza hadn’t been conscious in two days. His body had taken a turn for the worse after his severe burns. When chakra returned to him and his internal body temperature plummeted again, attempting to fix the damage he had suffered from his third and final trial, second degree burns, the pain that caused was so much more excruciating it rendered him unconscious and kept him that way. The medical professionals had been able to minimize scarring to his torso, saving him from a grim fate of burn wounds across his face. But his torso would likely be scarred with relative severity.

It was a peaceful visage. The white haired young man laying in his hospital bed, light gently beaming through the window blinds. Monitors keeping track of him. The small side table bore nothing upon it. No flowers. No notes. Nothing at all. Hanza wasn’t well known. He didn’t have many friends and he wasn’t good at making them. The lack of these things would not matter to him at this time, however, as he was still unconscious.

Within his mind he dreamt of different things. At some points these were good dreams. A cup of tea and a lovely evening alone with a good book. And then there was fire. Wretched flames consumed his mind and flesh. He was quite shaken mentally by the experience.

The doctors and nurses were attending to dozens of genin. Some in worse condition than others. These trials were not for the weak or the faint of heart. It was a fortunate thing that Kumo was supplying this medical treatment at no cost to the ailed. Hanza was housed in the intensive care unit. Due to his unique physiology, doctors couldn’t rightly determine if the Kōri clansmen would ever come back. They were only waiting to find out. As the peaceful looking patient lay in his bed, serene as they come, it was unbeknownst to the rushing about physicians that the next person to approach him would be the first one he awoke to.

And in those first few moments he would then realize his actions weren’t simply for naught. He was a contender now. All of his trials were clear. The only question being: would Hanza Kōri be in any condition to fight in the next segment. Would he heal quickly enough?

WC: 427

As he lay in that hospital bed, which happened to be rather comfortable, consciousness flooded over him like likes washing over him on the shore of an eternal beach. If it were not for the IV drip and chakra suppressors in the room, Hanza would have experienced the incredible pain he had experienced initially when his body tried to ice over his burns. When his eyes gently opened up, he would see a familiar face. Izumi Karisuma. She had one of his hands gripped. He must have been obvious as he regained consciousness as she seemed to be waiting patiently for it. Her beautiful blue eyes would meet with the green of Hanza’s as his formerly limp hand returned a gentle grip. She was not the only one present. Hanza looked over and spotted Nova, the woman he had been less familiar with but knew to have also went through great troubles to ensure a victory. He couldn’t have known what had befallen her. He never had the chance to see. Whether it was the fact that he had been through hell and high waters these last few days, or perhaps the looming fear that he would not recover in time for the next stage, Hanza immediately began to tear up.

This reaction came before he could respond to Izumi’s inquiry verbally. Hanza was a gentle person, he had been throughout his entire life. Everyone had thought him too soft to function in this difficult and dangerous world. And yet, he seemed to throw himself into the most dangerous of situations without regard for his own safety. The tears were cold and crystalline. He opened his mouth finally and began to speak. “Thank you both for being here, it means more than you could imagine.”

He looked down and Nova at the foot of his bed and spoke toward her. “I’m so sorry I could not get to him before he got to you.” Hanza had no idea why these two were here with him. It felt surreal. He didn’t realize he had made such a mark on his two comrades. His intention had never been publicity when he did what he did, he just needed to make sure he contributed to the effort, and protected his allies. He had no idea whether or not the trial had been a success or a failure. Furthermore, he did not even know if he would be cleared to move forward if they had been successful. He was in poor shape. He could tell just by attempting to sit forward that his body was going to fight him every step of the way. The burns were decently healed, but the bruising would remain for some time. Pain would course through him when he moved, but at least he wasn’t in agony like before.

“When my mother would take me to the beaches of Kirigakure as a young boy she would always warn me that pale people like me burned easily. But I hated the feeling of sunscreen.” Hanza smiled brightly and chuckled. “I guess she was right.”

WC: 520
TWC: 947

Nova and Izumi each brought different values and personalities to the room, but Nova seemed to be having a very difficult time with the whole event. She had brought gifts and, as Izumi used her medical arts to heal Hanza, he smiled enthusiastically at the beautiful hand-cut pink roses which rested on the gift boxes. Holding his breath to choke back the pain of reaching out for his box, Hanza secured it and brought it gently to his lap to observe.

“I wanted to bring you each a thank you for helping me in the trials... I would not have gotten past something like that if not for you.... I am so sorry you got hurt Hanza.”

Hanza would look gently surprised at Nova as he held the gift she had given him and he would shake his head. “No, Nova. Don’t be sorry that I was hurt, isn’t this part of the exams? For there to have been a winner in all of these events there had to be losers. Evenso, I ended up a winner in the end didn’t I? You were hurt as well, and if I could have left this bed before you got here, this would feel more like a gift exchange than a hospital visit.”

Nova would soon join Izumi in healing Hanza, both of them channeling that emerald green medical chakra throughout his body. It certainly alleviated some of the persistent pain. He couldn’t help but feel guilty for leeching their chakra like this though. He didn’t want this to all feel like a pity party for him, so when the mochi was mentioned, he allowed his negative feelings to subside and smiled, genuinely happy with the gift.

“Thank you so much, Nova. And thank you too, Izumi. Neither of you had to be here or do any of this for my sake. I anticipated being alone in the hospital. You are each a blessing of your own.”

He would finish up with a heavy exhale that caused him to wince slightly due to some pain throughout his torso.

“I’m glad you came Nova, it’s good to know a fellow Suna survivor has the good heart I’d expect of one us. Hanza, you need to rest. I’m glad you’re light hearted enough to be making jokes but laughs must hurt. Thank you for taking that fireball for me, it was very courageous.”.

“Sacrifice. Is that something they drilled into our skulls for all of those years in the academy? I was terrified. I think that makes it less than courageous. I guess I am some sort of poster child, now. I can see it now. The Frosty Blazing Martyr of Kirigakure. What sort of things have they said of me up to this point? Hopefully nothing, I did not want extra attention.”

He took a few moments to think about the situation itself, he was speaking and chattering more now than he had in months. He normally didn’t flourish at all in a social setting. He must have damaged his brain somehow. Wht Izumi said next would drag Hanza’s thoughts a bit as he couldn’t come up with an answer.

“I’m surprised you haven’t questioned why no one is representing the Sand Village. Aren’t you curious?”

He had lived in Konoha for almost a year at this point, he was hardly in tune with world affairs and was most of the time tucked into his own headspace anyway. To his best guess, Suna was undergoing political turmoil or something technical like that. He looked over at the two in the room and seemed distant, trying to make sense of it himself but eventually gave in and asked.

“I..haven’t found myself even noticing these last few weeks. The trials and the exams had my mind fully occupied. I’d love to hear about it though! What sort strange circumstance would have Sunagakure natives representing Kirigakure in the exams?”

Hanza Kōri was entirely unaware of what had befallen Sunagakure no Sato.

WC: 686
TWC: 1633

The words and feelings of the two visitors was like a solemn and devastating stroke of a brush. A brush which painted a portrait of anguish and disdain for the circumstances which seemed to line up the path that lead to this point. Both of them, Izumi and Nova, seemed deeply wounded by the tragedy of which they had been part. Sunagakure...it had been destroyed.

The perpetrators of the attack were criminals of Konohagakure no Sato? Sunagakure no Sato has been destroyed? No. That could not be...

“You mean to tell me that an entire village was wiped away by the actions of only a few? What kind of monster would do such a thing?” Hanza would clench his fists in an anger, the room would grow colder. The young man’s mind raced, a painful thud began to knock against the inside of his skull. It wasn’t standard procedure for Hanza to be particular moved or this emotional at all except when he was anxious. A new wave of deep emotions had washed over the pale man. He had never himself had the opportunity to explore the Land of Wind, his parents had always warned him against it. The temperature there was not the best fit for a shinobi of cold and ice, but Hanza was a curious lad. It had been part of an ongoing bucket list.

“Your hearts are torn and pained at the loss of so much. You have each taken on the mantle of Kirigakure out of necessity. But remember, within your hearts you are Sunagakure no sato. We are all Sunagakure no Sato. You will do your homeland proud. And one day we can live in a world where this is not able to be.”

His thoughts continued to race. He danced with the ideas for whom should be held responsible. These were villains of Konohagakure. What had the village Hidden in the Leaves done to right the injustices of its failure? Hanza had spent a significant chunk of time bolstering the village as a member of the exchange program. He would leave immediately following the exams after receiving this information, returning to Kirigakure to be with his family. It seemed there were people capable of great devastation looming as free radicals. Hanza wouldn’t lose his family from across the continent.

The seeds of revolution had been planted within Hanza of the Kōri.

Exit Thread

WC: 403
TWC: 2036

Training Frostfall (1000) and Cold Snap (1000)

Discard: 36