Inside the classroom, silence settled almost immediately after the door slid open.
The late afternoon light spilled through the windows in long pale bands, stretching across the wooden floor and desks, catching small clouds of dust still drifting lazily in the air. Three pairs of eyes fixed themselves on the man standing at the entrance.
Hatake Sakumo scratched the back of his head awkwardly beneath their collective stare.
"You know," he said lightly, glancing between them with an easy smile, "a little more enthusiasm would be nice. Someone less confident than me might take this personally."
Kushina broke the silence first.
"That's because you're late!" she snapped, pointing at him accusingly from her seat. "We waited over an hour! Of course we're angry!"
Her voice echoed sharply through the classroom, carrying enough force that even Hizashi glanced toward her briefly.
Sakumo chuckled softly, completely unbothered.
"Sorry, sorry," he replied, stepping fully inside the room before sliding the door shut behind him with his foot. "Like I said, something urgent came up. Couldn't make it in time."
Hizashi's pale eyes narrowed slightly.
"Is it normal," he asked calmly, though irritation lingered beneath the politeness, "for a jōnin to arrive late to his own team meeting?" His posture remained straight and composed, but the faint tightening around his shoulders betrayed his annoyance. "How are we supposed to trust you if you can't even manage that?"
The room quieted again.
Sakumo looked at him for a moment before smiling serenely.
"That's the neat part," he said. "I don't particularly care what a bunch of children think."
Kushina made an audible growling noise under her breath, her shoulders rising as she leaned forward aggressively in her chair, while Hizashi's eyebrow twitched faintly with restrained irritation. Reiji glanced sideways toward Kushina, watching the way her fingers tightened against the edge of the desk.
So much for the mysterious cool act.
For someone trying very hard to appear mature early, she really lost control quickly whenever someone irritated her.
Kushina noticed him staring and immediately shot him an annoyed glare. She huffed loudly through her nose before folding her arms and forcing herself back into her seat, though the irritation remained obvious on her face.
Sakumo's eyes shifted toward Reiji next.
"And you?" he asked with easy curiosity. "Do you have anything to say?"
Reiji rolled his eyes slightly.
"No comment."
"Wise choice."
Sakumo nodded approvingly before walking closer. The grocery bag hanging from his arm rustled softly as he crouched near the front desk and began rummaging through it.
"Because I am an exceptional teacher," he announced proudly, "I came prepared with compensation for my unforgivable behavior."
Reiji raised an eyebrow.
A moment later Sakumo pulled out several wrapped sticks of dango.
Kushina's eyes lit up instantly.
The transformation was so abrupt Reiji almost laughed.
Her earlier anger evaporated the second she saw the food. Sakumo barely had time to extend the skewer before Kushina snatched it from his hand and stuffed one of the dumplings into her mouth.
"Mmm— maybe you're not that bad," she muttered through a mouthful of food.
Reiji stared at her flatly.
No dignity at all.
Beside her, Hizashi accepted his own skewer with considerably more restraint, though his expression remained cautious as if he still wasn't entirely convinced this wasn't some kind of strange manipulation tactic.
"…Thank you," he said after a short pause.
Finally Sakumo stopped in front of Reiji and held out the last stick of dango toward him.
Reiji looked down at it.
Then back at Sakumo.
The man smiled at him calmly, entirely too pleased with himself.
Reiji sighed quietly through his nose before taking the skewer. The rice dumplings were still slightly warm. Sweet sauce coated the surface, sticky against his fingers as he bit into one.
The taste was good.
Annoyingly good.
Sakumo clapped his hands together once, the sharp sound cutting lightly through the room.
"Good," he said brightly. "Now that everyone has forgiven me, how about introductions?"
Nobody verbally agreed to that statement.
Sakumo ignored this completely.
"We'll introduce ourselves," he continued casually, leaning one hip against a desk near the window. "Names, likes, dislikes, dreams. There's nothing better for breaking the ice."
Reiji noticed the immediate exchange of glances between the others.
Without speaking, all of them clearly arrived at the same conclusion.
Absolutely not.
Kushina turned toward Sakumo almost instantly and pointed at him.
"You first, sensei."
The man smiled easily, completely unbothered by the fact that three children had just collectively pushed the responsibility onto him.
"Sure," he said. "Hatake Sakumo. Your new jōnin instructor." He scratched lightly at his cheek before continuing in the same relaxed tone. "I like long walks, taiyaki, my wife, and my son…"
For a moment he paused, genuinely seeming to think about the rest.
"As for dislikes… loud neighbors, probably." His gaze drifted briefly toward the ceiling as if searching for inspiration. "And my dream…"
Another pause.
"I don't really know. Maybe becoming a grandfather someday." He nodded to himself thoughtfully. "Yeah. That sounds nice."
Reiji stared at him.
What kind of introduction was that?
Sakumo clapped his hands lightly once.
"Alright," he said cheerfully. "Your turn."
The room quieted again.
Hizashi glanced around and immediately realized nobody else intended to volunteer. A faint sigh escaped him before he straightened slightly in his seat.
"Hizashi Hyūga," he introduced calmly. "I like my brother and my clan. I dislike people who disrespect the Hyūga." His pale eyes remained steady as he continued. "My dream is to serve my clan and my brother without bringing them shame."
Reiji's eyes shifted toward him instinctively.
So it really is like that.
The pieces settled together almost immediately.
Hiashi had been chosen as heir.
Not Hizashi.
The realization explained several things at once—the subtle difference in how the twins carried themselves, the quiet restraint Hizashi always maintained around his brother, even the faint tension Reiji had occasionally noticed between them without fully understanding it.
That's rough.
He wondered briefly how much choice Hizashi actually had in any of it.
Sakumo studied the Hyūga boy for a moment before nodding with an easy smile.
"Very responsible answer," he said lightly.
Then his gaze shifted toward Reiji.
Reiji shrugged faintly before speaking.
"Homura Reiji." His fingers tapped once against the wooden desk as he considered the rest. "I like my father. I don't particularly dislike anything…" He paused briefly. "Maybe arrogant people. And useless people."
Kushina snorted softly at that.
"As for dreams," Reiji continued without reacting, "I don't really have one."
Sakumo stared at him blankly for several seconds.
"What a dry life," he said finally. "So you dislike yourself?"
Reiji felt irritation rise almost immediately.
A sharp, instinctive response pressed at the back of his throat.
Don't.
He recognized the bait for what it was the second Sakumo smiled afterward.
This damn man-child just wants a reaction.
Reiji exhaled quietly through his nose and refused to respond. Across from him, Sakumo's grin widened slightly, clearly amused by the restraint.
"Aw," he said lightly. "You're no fun."
Reiji ignored him completely.
Sakumo eventually shrugged and turned his attention toward Kushina instead.
She straightened almost immediately under the attention, though Reiji noticed the brief glance she shot toward him beforehand. It lasted less than a second, but it was enough to notice the tension behind it, the subtle tightening in her shoulders before she steeled herself.
"My name is Uzumaki Kushina," she said firmly. "I like my family and ramen." Her voice strengthened slightly as she continued. "I dislike people looking down on me."
Then—
"My dream is to become Hokage."
Silence followed.
Not mocking silence.
Just surprise.
Reiji blinked once. Beside him, even Hizashi looked slightly caught off guard, while Sakumo simply stared at her with mild curiosity.
Kushina immediately noticed.
Her eyes narrowed.
"What are you staring at?" she snapped, turning directly toward Reiji.
Reiji raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't say anything."
"No," she shot back immediately, "but your face did. You don't think I can do it."
"To be honest?" Reiji said with a shrug. "Not really, no."
Kushina's expression darkened almost instantly.
"But who cares what I think?" he continued calmly before she could explode. "Do whatever you want."
The irritation in her posture faltered slightly at that unexpected response.
"I'm not the same person you saw six months ago," she said after a moment, her voice lower now but carrying a stubborn firmness beneath it.
Reiji studied her quietly.
Reiji nodded faintly.
"I can see it," he replied. "Nice haircut."
Kushina froze.
Then growled under her breath.
Across the room, Sakumo let out an amused breath through his nose.
"Goodness gracious," he muttered. "Are they always like this?"
"Pretty much, yes," Hizashi answered calmly.
Reiji glanced sideways and noticed the faint amusement lingering in Sakumo's expression while Hizashi somehow maintained an almost perfect poker face despite the situation.
Kushina's cheeks flushed red almost immediately once she realized the others were watching. She crossed her arms tightly and turned her head away with an irritated huff, refusing to say another word.
Reiji leaned back slightly in his chair, the faintest smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Yeah.
She definitely hadn't changed.
Seeing the introductions finished, Sakumo remained leaning casually against the desk near the windows, one hand still loosely gripping the now-empty grocery bag. The late afternoon sun filtered behind him through the glass, casting long shadows across the classroom floor while dust drifted lazily through the warm light. For several seconds he simply stared at the three of them in silence, humming softly to himself as though evaluating livestock at a market rather than newly assigned genin.
Then he sighed.
"I knew it," he muttered.
The shift in his tone was subtle, but enough for all three of them to focus fully on him again.
"This team…" Sakumo rubbed his temple dramatically before continuing. "I really dislike all of you."
Kushina blinked.
"…Huh?"
Beside her, Hizashi frowned immediately, his posture stiffening slightly at the blunt statement.
Reiji said nothing.
He simply watched Sakumo carefully.
The jōnin scratched the back of his head again with exaggerated weariness.
"To be honest, I didn't really want a team in the first place," he admitted. "I thought maybe I could force myself to care, but…" His eyes drifted lazily across them one by one. "A whiny girl, a boy with the personality of damp wood, and a child with a god complex."
He sighed deeply.
"That really killed what little enthusiasm I had."
"Hey!" Kushina snapped immediately, leaning forward in outrage. "That's mean!"
"See?" Sakumo pointed toward her lazily. "Whiny."
He even shuddered slightly for emphasis.
Reiji narrowed his eyes faintly.
What exactly is he trying to do?
The behavior felt… wrong.
Reiji knew Sakumo well enough by now to recognize that beneath the laziness and stupidity, the man was genuinely decent. Irritatingly tolerant too, especially considering how difficult Reiji himself could be sometimes. Which made this sudden behavior stand out even more.
Is this a test?
A superior intentionally antagonizing subordinates to observe their reactions wasn't exactly unheard of among shinobi. Pressure exposed flaws quickly. Ego. Discipline. Emotional control.
So instead of responding, Reiji remained quiet and continued observing.
Kushina, unsurprisingly, did not.
"This is bullshit," she shot back angrily. "You think we wanted someone like you either? If you hate us that much then just leave! We could probably get a better teacher anyway!"
"Hmm."
Sakumo tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"That's actually a pretty good idea," he admitted. "But I'd probably get yelled at if I abandoned the assignment…"
Then suddenly his fist smacked lightly into his open palm.
"Ah. I know."
His smile widened.
"I could just fail you."
Silence hit the room instantly.
"What?" Hizashi spoke this time, genuine surprise breaking through his normally calm expression. Even Kushina simply stared at Sakumo with her mouth slightly open.
Sakumo tilted his head.
"…You didn't think becoming genin was that easy, right?"
Reiji frowned slightly.
Nobody mentioned this before.
Was this real?
"What do you mean fail us?" Kushina asked slowly.
"Well," Sakumo replied casually, as though discussing the weather, "after a jōnin receives a team assignment, they're allowed to evaluate the students personally. If the team is considered inadequate…" He shrugged. "Back to the Academy. Or reassigned to the genin corps. Depends on the situation."
The room grew quiet again.
"You're bluffing," Hizashi said finally, though there was less certainty in his voice than before.
"Really?" Sakumo smiled lightly. "Well, I guess we'll find out."
Then his eyes shifted downward slightly.
"Ah," he said. "Looks like it's finally taking effect."
Reiji's attention snapped immediately toward the others.
Kushina suddenly stumbled sideways, one hand slamming against the desk to keep herself upright. Beside her, Hizashi's body swayed slightly, his pale eyes unfocused as he blinked hard several times.
Their breathing had changed too.
Slower.
Heavier.
Kushina's voice came out strained.
"You bastard…" she muttered, gripping the desk harder. "What did you do?"
Sakumo smiled pleasantly.
"Rule number one," Sakumo said lightly, watching them struggle against the effects of the drug. "Never eat something handed to you by a stranger. Especially not from a shinobi." His smile widened slightly. "Honestly, are you stupid?"
Hizashi collapsed first.
His knee struck the wooden floor with a muffled impact before the rest of his body followed awkwardly after it. He tried to push himself back up immediately, fingers tightening against the floorboards as his muscles trembled beneath the effort, but the strength simply wasn't there anymore.
Kushina lasted longer.
Her grip against the desk whitened as she forced herself to stay standing through sheer stubbornness alone, though her body visibly swayed now.
Sakumo hummed softly in approval.
"You're pretty resistant."
Then his fingers formed a single hand sign.
A pulse of chakra spread outward almost invisibly.
Kushina's eyes widened faintly—
And then she collapsed forward across the desk before sliding limply onto the floor beside it.
Silence returned to the classroom.
The faint wind outside brushed softly against the windows while the last rays of evening sunlight stretched further across the room, illuminating the unconscious bodies lying motionless against the wooden floor.
Now only Sakumo and Reiji remained awake.
Sakumo turned toward him with visible amusement.
"So," he said lightly, "you knew?"
"Not really," Reiji answered calmly. "But I didn't trust your innocent smile when you handed me the dango."
Sakumo laughed quietly at that.
"Good instinct." His gaze sharpened slightly with curiosity. "But I'm pretty sure I watched you eat it. You swallowed it too."
"I froze it in my stomach."
Sakumo blinked.
"…Seriously?"
"Seriously."
For several seconds the jōnin simply stared at him.
"Huh," he muttered eventually. "That's actually kind of impressive." Then his expression shifted into genuine concern. "Also incredibly dangerous. What happens if you accidentally freeze your stomach?"
Reiji shrugged slightly.
"I didn't."
"…That's not very reassuring."
Reiji ignored the comment.
"So what now?" he asked instead. "Are you seriously trying to fail us?"
Sakumo scratched lightly at his jaw before answering.
"Well… yes, sort of." The usual easy humor faded slightly from his expression. "Kakashi needs me right now. I'd rather spend my time with him than babysitting genin." His eyes shifted toward the unconscious trio briefly before returning to Reiji. "And honestly? You don't really need a teacher. You'd probably do fine alone."
Reiji narrowed his eyes faintly.
No.
I don't buy that.
There was something underneath the words. Something Sakumo wasn't saying openly yet.
Then Sakumo smiled slowly.
"But…"
The atmosphere shifted slightly.
"I've never actually seen what you're fully capable of before." His gaze sharpened now, lazy amusement mixing with something more attentive beneath it. "So if you can genuinely impress me…"
A faint grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"…I'll gladly become your teacher."
Reiji felt his own smile forming almost instinctively.
Finally.
There it is.
"I think that's my line," Reiji replied calmly. "Are you really worthy of teaching me, you wannabe dad?"
Sakumo burst out laughing.
"We'll see."
The room quieted again afterward, though the tension now felt entirely different from before. Sharper. More focused.
Sakumo tilted his head slightly.
"So?" he asked casually. "Are you going to cooperate willingly, or do we do this the hard way while you cooperate anyway?"
Reiji understood the meaning immediately.
Genjutsu.
Sakumo wanted him unconscious with the others before whatever came next.
Reiji smirked faintly.
"Fine," he said. "I just hope this won't be boring."
"Good answer."
Sakumo formed another hand sign.
Reiji sensed the chakra instantly as it spread toward him, subtle and invasive as it reached for his senses. This time he didn't resist it. He simply allowed the chakra to enter naturally.
Almost immediately a heavy drowsiness settled over him.
His limbs grew warm.
Heavy.
The classroom blurred slightly around the edges as fatigue spread through his body unnaturally fast. The distant sounds outside softened into indistinct noise while his vision darkened little by little.
His knees weakened.
The last thing he saw clearly was Sakumo standing over him with an amused smile.
"See you soon, Reiji-kun."
Then darkness swallowed everything.
***
"Wake up, you lazy kids."
Reiji's eyes snapped open instantly.
For half a second his mind failed to process what he was seeing. Sakumo's face hung directly in front of him upside down, smiling casually beneath the dim orange glow of the evening sky. Reiji's body tensed instinctively before the rest of his senses caught up.
No.
Not Sakumo.
Me.
Blood rushed faintly toward his head as awareness settled into place. Rope dug tightly against his torso and legs, rough fibers pressing through his clothes as he hung suspended upside down against the thick trunk of a massive tree. The bark scraped against his shoulders every time he shifted slightly, the coarse surface uneven against his back.
To either side of him, Kushina and Hizashi were tied to neighboring trunks in the same position. Both had only just begun waking up themselves. Kushina blinked several times in confusion before finally realizing the situation, while Hizashi's pale eyes sharpened almost immediately as he took in their surroundings.
The forest around them stretched endlessly in every direction.
Towering trees rose high overhead, their enormous branches blotting out most of the fading sunlight. Shadows spread thickly between the roots and undergrowth while distant noises echoed faintly through the forest—branches creaking in the wind, insects chirping somewhere deeper inside the woods, and occasionally something heavier moving far away through the trees.
"You!" Kushina shouted immediately, twisting violently against the ropes. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Just wait until I get free, I'll kick your ass!"
Sakumo blinked at her lazily.
"You're a fearless little girl, huh?" he mused. "You really do sound like a tiny barking puppy. It's kind of cute."
Kushina gritted her teeth hard enough Reiji heard it from several meters away.
For once, though, she restrained herself from continuing the argument. Instead her eyes darted around the forest warily, her earlier outrage slowly giving way to unease as the scale of their surroundings became clearer.
Beside Reiji, Hizashi remained considerably calmer.
"Where are we?" he asked evenly despite hanging upside down from a tree.
Sakumo spread his arms dramatically.
"Welcome to Training Ground Forty-Four," he announced proudly. "Also known as the Forest of Death."
Reiji's eyes widened faintly.
The Forest of Death?
Even he had heard stories about this place before. Most academy students had. Massive predators. Poisonous plants. Venomous insects. Dangerous terrain. A restricted training zone used mostly by higher-ranking shinobi.
Kushina looked confused at first.
Hizashi did not.
"What?" The Hyūga's composure cracked for the first time since waking up. "Are you insane?" His voice sharpened visibly now. "No genin should be brought here. This is madness." His pale eyes narrowed hard at Sakumo. "Do you honestly think the Hyūga clan would tolerate something happening to me in a place like this?"
Sakumo shrugged carelessly.
"Don't really care."
The answer came so casually it almost sounded lazy.
"And they wouldn't do anything anyway," he continued. "Once you became genin, you stopped belonging solely to your clans. You belong to Konoha first now."
He pointed lazily downward toward them.
"You all signed the agreement during graduation. Injuries, death, missions, training accidents—none of it makes the village responsible." His smile sharpened faintly. "That's the profession you chose. Deal with it."
The forest quieted slightly after that.
Even Kushina stopped talking for a moment.
Hizashi still looked unconvinced.
"Using the Forest of Death for a genin evaluation would still be considered excessive," he insisted. "You could be demoted for this."
Sakumo smiled warmly.
"Cute."
Reiji finally spoke.
"So what happens now?"
All eyes shifted toward him.
"You said this was a test," he continued calmly. "What exactly are we supposed to do?"
Kushina and Hizashi both looked at him with visible disbelief.
"You're seriously entertaining this?" Hizashi snapped immediately.
"Yeah," Kushina added with a frown. "He's obviously bluffing. He can't actually fail us."
Reiji looked between them briefly before answering.
"Would he really go this far if it was fake?" His voice remained level. "And what exactly do you expect us to do? He's still a jōnin. We can't force him to stop."
He shifted slightly against the ropes, feeling the bark scrape against his shoulder blades.
"At worst," he continued, "he fails us and you complain afterward if you want."
Silence followed.
Not agreement.
But neither of them had a better option.
Sakumo beamed instantly.
"Good job, Reiji!" he said cheerfully. "I knew I could count on you."
Reiji immediately felt two hostile stares land on him.
This little bastard…
Sakumo crouched down near the base of the tree before tossing something onto the ground between them.
A scroll.
It landed softly atop the roots and dead leaves.
"This scroll," Sakumo announced, "contains information crucial to Konoha."
Reiji stared at it silently.
"You have to escort it safely out of the forest and deliver it back to the village." Sakumo glanced upward briefly toward the reddening sky visible through gaps in the canopy. "You have until sunrise."
The fading sunlight already painted the upper branches in deep orange and red.
Night would arrive soon.
"If dawn comes before you escape," Sakumo continued casually, "enemy reinforcements will surround the forest. Anyone still inside at that point will be considered dead."
Reiji felt the details settling together quickly inside his head.
One night.
Hizashi remained silent for several seconds, his pale eyes fixed on the scroll lying on the forest floor beneath them while the evening wind stirred the leaves overhead. Then his gaze lifted back toward Sakumo.
"So to win," he said carefully, "we have to leave the forest before sunrise while carrying the scroll." His brow furrowed slightly. "But what happens if not everyone makes it out?"
Sakumo smiled.
Not reassuringly.
"The ones who fail to escape before sunrise alongside the scroll are considered dead," he replied casually. "And dead shinobi tend to fail their exams."
The forest grew noticeably quieter after that.
Kushina huffed loudly through her nose.
"Just watch us."
Reiji ignored her bravado and focused on the actual problem instead.
"You still haven't told us what we're facing."
Sakumo looked at him curiously.
Reiji's eyes narrowed slightly.
"There's no way this is just a race against time," he said. "Leaving the forest alone would be too simple."
Sakumo's grin widened.
"Well," he admitted, "it's not called the Forest of Death for nothing."
That wasn't an answer.
"And honestly," Sakumo continued, "why would I ruin the fun by explaining everything beforehand? It'll be much more entertaining watching you discover it yourselves."
Reiji stared at him flatly.
Definitely enjoying this too much.
Sakumo stretched lazily afterward, rolling one shoulder as if already tired.
"Still," he added, "staying awake all night sounds exhausting. So if you want, you can surrender now and fail immediately. That'd definitely be faster for me."
Kushina ignored the offer completely.
"When does the test start?" she asked sharply.
Sakumo smiled.
"Right now."
His body vanished instantly.
Only the three of them remained hanging upside down in the middle of the Forest of Death as darkness crept steadily through the trees.
"He really left us tied up," Kushina said in disbelief, twisting uselessly against the ropes wrapped around her torso and legs. The bindings creaked faintly against the thick branches above them, but didn't loosen even slightly. "What kind of teacher does that?"
"You don't know how to free yourself?" Hizashi asked from the neighboring tree.
"I tried already," Kushina snapped back irritably. "His knots are way too tight and complex. We never learned anything like this at the Academy."
Hizashi frowned slightly before shifting himself experimentally against the bindings. The rope dug harder into his clothes and skin as he attempted to create slack, but after several seconds even he stopped moving.
"…You're right."
Kushina clicked her tongue loudly.
"That sadistic—"
"Be quiet."
The sharpness in Reiji's voice cut through her complaint immediately.
Kushina turned toward him angrily, ready to snap back, but paused the moment she saw his expression.
Reiji wasn't looking at them anymore.
His eyes were fixed somewhere deeper within the trees.
"What?" she asked more quietly this time.
Reiji didn't answer immediately.
"Do you not hear it?"
Silence settled around them again.
Not complete silence.
The forest was never truly silent.
Wind stirred faintly through the canopy overhead. Leaves shifted against one another high above the ground while insects chirped somewhere deeper within the undergrowth. Distant branches creaked slowly beneath their own weight.
Then—
Scratch.
A long, dry scraping noise echoed through the bark somewhere above them.
It sounded wrong.
Like dozens of sharpened metal hooks dragging slowly across wood.
Scratch… scratch… scratch…
The sound carried unevenly through the massive trunk behind Reiji's back, vibrating faintly through the bark pressed against his shoulders. Each movement came with a wet clicking noise underneath it, sharp and irregular, like hard mandibles snapping together in the dark.
Reiji slowly lifted his head upward.
The upper branches disappeared into shadow beneath the thick canopy, but something large moved through it regardless. Leaves trembled violently overhead before part of the darkness shifted.
Then he saw it.
A massive centipede slowly emerged from between the branches.
Its segmented body wrapped itself around the enormous trunk as it crawled downward with horrifying ease, dozens upon dozens of hooked legs digging into the bark with that same scraping sound. The creature was enormous—far larger than any normal insect had the right to be. Its dark shell reflected faint traces of dying sunlight while long antennae twitched slowly through the air.
Its maw opened.
Layers of jagged mandibles unfolded outward with rapid clacking noises, strings of saliva stretching between them as the creature angled itself directly toward Reiji.
Kushina froze.
Even Hizashi had gone completely silent.
Reiji stared at the descending monstrosity for a second before letting out a slow sigh through his nose.
I'm definitely complaining to Rika later.