Chapter 9: Obscure Darkness

Chapter 9: Obscure Darkness

After Hiashi Hyuga departed, taking most of the clan members with him, including Hizashi whose mission was to protect him at all times, the Hyuga compound suddenly felt much quieter. The streets were now mostly populated by the elderly, women, and children.

Not long after Hiashi left, Ayanami came to visit of her own accord.

"Sister Ayanami?!" Shin exclaimed in surprise, seeing her standing outside his door.

She wore a long white dress, looking more pure and youthful than usual. Her long hair was still carefully styled in a bun, giving her an elegant and beautiful appearance.

"Why... why are you here?" Shin asked.

"What, am I not welcome?" Ayanami replied with a gentle smile, holding a paper bag.

"Of course you're welcome! Please, come in!" Shin moved aside to let Ayanami enter his room.

To Ayanami's relief, the stereotypical messy bedroom of a teenage boy was nowhere to be seen. However, a dog that suddenly appeared startled her.

"Sister Ayanami, this is Spibi," Shin introduced.

"Oh, your puppy! How adorable!" Ayanami exclaimed delightedly, bending down to pick up the white dog circling around her.

"Please, have a seat," Shin offered.

Sitting on the sofa, Ayanami remarked with a smile, "I didn't realize Shin was such a caring person."

"It's nothing special. I just get lonely sometimes," Shin replied humbly.

Ayanami set the dog aside and handed Shin the paper bag. "I brought you some food. I know you like snacks, but too many aren't good for you. So I made some cakes and small bites myself."

Shin opened the bag to find several neatly packed boxes of snacks. The packaging and presentation were quite refined, showing clear effort.

"Sister Ayanami, this..." Shin said, visibly moved. "You're too kind to me!"

Ayanami smiled, "Silly child, since you call me sister, it's only natural for me to do sisterly things. Just keep them in the fridge and eat them whenever you like."

Shin nodded and went to put the food in the refrigerator.

Ayanami laughed, "I didn't mean for you to put them away right now. You can try them first if you'd like."

Shin scratched his head sheepishly, "I'm sure anything Sister Ayanami makes is delicious. I want to savor them properly."

Ayanami found Shin's straightforwardness endearing. Her gaze fell on some books on his desk.

"Are you reading?" she inquired.

"Ah, just something to pass the time," Shin replied.

It was a book about human acupuncture points, essential knowledge for the Hyuga clan before learning the Gentle Fist technique. Understanding the body's meridians and acupoints was crucial.

Ayanami glanced at it briefly without much interest, assuming he was just reviewing.

"Shin, there's something I need to tell you," she said.

"What is it, Sister Ayanami?"

"It's about your eyes."

Shin's expression immediately tensed, a change Ayanami didn't miss.

She continued slowly, "The hospital suddenly said there were some issues with the Byakugan that was originally matched to you."

Shin asked, confused, "What does that mean?"

"It means the Byakugan intended for you needs to be re-selected. But with Hiashi at the frontlines now, it's not appropriate to perform the eye transplant surgery without the clan head present. Do you understand?"

Shin stood still for a moment, his eyes dimming.

"The war situation is tense, Hiashi had to go..."

"I understand!" Shin suddenly interrupted.

"I understand, Sister Ayanami. I'm just a chunin, how could I delay Lord Hiashi for my sake?"

His tone was full of disappointment, yet he seemed to be forcing himself to stay positive.

Ayanami nodded, "It's good that you think that way."

She then consoled him, "Once the war is over and Hiashi returns, he'll surely arrange for you to receive a new pair of Byakugan!"

Hope filled Shin's eyes again, "Yes, I know!"

Seeing his reaction, Ayanami inwardly smiled at how easily children could be comforted.

After chatting about some everyday matters and expressing her concern for him, Ayanami prepared to leave.

"Take care, Sister Ayanami," Shin said.

Not far from the house, Ayanami noticed a short white hair stuck to her sleeve - from the dog. She frowned slightly but didn't touch it.

Looking back, she saw Shin still standing at the door watching her. Ayanami's face softened into a gentle smile as she waved goodbye.

Back in his room, Shin didn't return to his book but went straight to bed.

Spibi followed, jumping up to lie on his stomach.

The first step had been somewhat achieved.

Hiashi wouldn't kill him now. If he died under these circumstances, it would undoubtedly point all suspicion towards the main family.

However, without the restraints on him, Shin had essentially put himself under a spotlight. Everything he did would now attract extra attention.

In a war, the Hyuga clan would likely suffer casualties, meaning Hiashi might return from the battlefield with a pair of Byakugan.

Freedom was not permanent.

By the afternoon, news of Hiashi leaving the village seemed to have spread, and the Hyuga compound received a visitor.

This person had come specifically to see Shin.

Shin's eyes flickered slightly as he saw Anko being led to his door by a clan member.

She spoke nervously, "Um... I wanted to invite you for a meal. How about barbecue?"

Shin replied calmly, "You're treating me?"

"Ah? Um... yes! I'll pay!" Anko said.

Shin stepped out of his room, casually closing the door behind him.

"Let's skip the barbecue and have some dango instead."

"Eh?" Anko was momentarily surprised, then her face lit up with joy.

"You like dango too?"

"Just felt like having some. Let's go," Shin said.

The two left the Hyuga compound, with Anko leading the way through the streets, saying she knew which dango shop was the best.

However, Anko kept turning to look at Shin as they walked, seeming like she wanted to say something but couldn't quite bring herself to.

Children can't hide their thoughts well, and Shin saw through her immediately. However, he didn't take the initiative to ask, simply following her into a dango shop.

Seeing her favorite food, Anko's mood brightened considerably. She took the menu and started marking items enthusiastically.

After all, she had money from Lord Orochimaru.

"Is there anything you want to eat?" Anko looked up to ask Shin during the process.

"Whatever you choose is fine," he replied.

"The three-color dango here is really good, and so is the red bean dango. I've ordered both for you," Anko said.

Shin sat across from her, resting his chin on his hand as he watched her small face deep in thought over the menu, seemingly having ordered too much but reluctant to remove any items.

"You like sweets so much, aren't you afraid of getting fat?" he asked.

"I won't get fat," Anko retorted.

"If you become a big fatty, you won't be able to get married," Shin teased.

Anko immediately became annoyed, "How can you say such rude things to a girl!"

Several plates of dango were brought to the table, instantly making Anko forget all her troubles as she grabbed one in each hand and began to eat heartily.

The open-air shop had few customers, making the two children stand out even more.

It was rare to see people dressed as ninjas on the streets these days. Shin was probably the only one who could be so leisurely during wartime.

He gently rubbed his teacup, his gaze following the street to some unknown point.

"Shin?" Anko called.

"Are we already so familiar that you're calling me by name?" he responded.

"You can call me Anko too," she offered.

Shin gave a faint smile, then looked at Anko and saw her mouth full of sweet sauce. He casually pulled out a tissue and handed it to her.

After wiping her mouth, Anko stopped eating dango and sat there with a hesitant expression, seemingly unable to find a good reason to speak.

"Do you know who my teacher is?" she asked dryly.

Shin's face showed an odd expression, "No, I don't."

Anko immediately perked up, "My teacher is one of the Legendary Sannin, Lord Orochimaru!"

Shin casually replied, "Wow, that's impressive."

Anko: "..."

She frowned, feeling that the person in front of her didn't seem to respect her teacher much.

According to her expectations, upon learning she was Lord Orochimaru's disciple, Shin should have looked at her with admiration, asking about Lord Orochimaru's various achievements, and finally begging her to arrange a meeting with Lord Orochimaru.

Reality was quite different from her imagination.

She had no choice but to continue, "Don't you want to meet Lord Orochimaru?"

Shin asked in return, "Did Lord Orochimaru tell you to say this?"

Anko looked surprised, "How did you know?"

Looking at Anko's innocent expression, Shin felt it was indeed more comfortable dealing with children.

Beneath the simplicity was still simplicity.

"Hurry and eat your dango, it'll get cold soon," he said.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Anko exclaimed.

After finishing the dango, Shin accompanied Anko to meet Orochimaru.

On the way, Anko kept talking about how amazing her teacher was and recounting various glorious deeds of the Sannin.

Shin just listened. Much of what Anko said, exaggerated or not, was unknown to him.

Orochimaru's residence was a secluded courtyard house on a sparsely populated street.

Anko didn't even knock, running straight in while calling out.

"Lord Orochimaru! I've brought Shin!"

Shin wasn't as casual as her. After entering the living room, he simply stood quietly.

Soon, a figure emerged from the inner room.

Shin didn't immediately look up, only seeing the person wearing casual black attire with a slender build.

The person stopped not far in front of Shin. Anko immediately moved closer, and the person's hand lightly patted her head.

"Greetings, Lord Orochimaru," Shin said.

"Mm," came a faint response. The voice was slightly hoarse, like the feeling of fine thread passing through paper, making one's ears uncomfortable.

Anko was still somewhat excitable, as if showing off to Shin: "Lord Orochimaru is the future Hokage!"

Hearing this, Shin looked up with a surprised expression and said, "Is that so? But I heard the next Hokage would be Lord Minato Namikaze?"

With these words, the room suddenly fell silent.

After a moment, Shin heard that hoarse voice again.

"Shin Hyuga, is it?"