Shinji stood there, clutching the cloth bundle in his hands, looking at the young girl in front of him who was hanging her head, blushing, and wringing her fingers together.
Somewhere in his heart was struck hard.
It wasn't calculation. It wasn't scheming. It was something else.
"Hinata." He spoke, his voice lighter than he had expected.
Hinata looked up, her white eyes filled with anticipation and a touch of unease.
She was afraid he wouldn't accept it, afraid he would refuse, afraid she hadn't done well enough.
Shinji looked at her and fell silent for two seconds.
Then he smiled.
It was very light. Very faint. But it was a genuine smile.
"Thank you." He said.
He then put the cloth bundle away, looked up at her, and his tone became serious:
"Consider this money a loan. Once I finish my mission and save enough, I will pay you back."
Hinata was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly waved her hands: "No, no need to pay it back... This is... This is something I did willingly..."
"It must be paid back."
Shinji interrupted her, his voice not loud but very serious: "I am very grateful that you are willing to help me. But money is money. A loan is a loan."
He looked into her eyes; her white eyes reflected his shadow.
"When I become a Chunin, the mission rewards will be higher. I will pay you back then."
Hinata opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but looking into his eyes, she finally just nodded gently.
"Mm..."
Just then, footsteps came from the stairwell, along with a familiar voice.
"Hinata, where did you run off to? Didn't we agree to go together—"
Inuzuka Kiba's voice stopped abruptly.
He stood at the stairwell, looking at Shinji and Hinata, then noticed the cloth bundle in Shinji's hand. The eyes behind his sunglasses narrowed.
"What are you doing here?"
Hinata hurriedly explained: "I, I just came to deliver some things..."
"Deliver things?"
Kiba walked over, looking Shinji up and down: "Deliver what things?"
He saw the corner of a scroll peeking out from inside the cloth bundle, paused for a moment, and his expression changed.
"You, you're giving this guy training supplies?"
His voice rose: "Hinata, do you know how useless this guy is? He can't even perform the Three Body Technique properly; giving him more scrolls is useless!"
Hinata's face flushed red: "Kiba! Don't, don't say that..."
"I'm telling the truth."
Kiba crossed his arms, looking at Shinji:
"Hey, you tell me, is it useful for you to take these things? Training relies on talent, not on charity from others."
Shinji looked at him without speaking.
At this moment, another figure walked out from the stairwell.
Shino Aburame, wearing sunglasses and a high-collared jacket, was as silent as a stone.
He stood there, his gaze falling on Shinji, then on Hinata, saying nothing at all.
Then came Kurenai Yuhi. She walked up slowly, stood at the stairwell, watching this scene without speaking.
The atmosphere was a bit stiff.
Hinata stood there, head down, her shoulders trembling slightly. She wanted to say something, but the words were stuck in her throat, unable to come out.
Shinji looked at her profile, her clenched fists and slightly trembling shoulders.
He took a step forward.
Just one step.
Standing between Hinata and Kiba.
"I have accepted the items."
His voice was flat: "Thank you, Hinata. I will use them well."
He looked at Kiba, his gaze as calm as a deep pool of water.
"You are right, my talent is indeed lacking. But I still intend to take the Chunin exam. You can watch from the sidelines and see if I pass or not."
Kiba felt a bit unnerved by that gaze, but still braced himself and snorted: "Then we'll just watch. Let's see how many rounds you can last."
Kurenai Yuhi finally spoke: "Kiba, let's go."
Kiba curled his lip and turned to walk downstairs.
Shino said nothing and followed.
When Kurenai walked past Shinji, her footsteps paused for a moment.
She glanced at him, her gaze carrying a bit of complex scrutiny.
This boy's eyes were too heavy.
Too heavy for someone of his age.
But she just nodded and then left.
The stairwell quieted down.
Hinata was still standing there, head down. Her shoulders were still trembling.
Shinji turned around and looked at her.
"Hinata."
She looked up, her eyes a bit red.
Shinji looked at her, silent for a while.
Then he said: "Thank you."
Just two words. But he said them very slowly, very seriously.
Hinata was stunned for a moment, then nodded vigorously.
Tears swirled in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall.
"I, I'm leaving..."
She whispered: "Shinji-kun... good luck..."
Then she turned and walked quickly downstairs. When she reached the corner of the stairs, she looked back.
Shinji was still standing there, at the door of that dilapidated dormitory, with sunlight shining in from the window at the end of the corridor, falling on him.
He nodded at Hinata.
Hinata smiled, then disappeared at the stairwell.
Shinji stood in place, looking in that direction, not moving for a long time.
He was still holding the cloth bundle. Inside the bundle were scrolls, money, and the clumsy sincerity of a young girl.
He looked down at the cloth bundle, silent for a while.
Then he turned, pushed open the door, and walked into the dormitory.
Outside the window, the sunlight was just right.
...
On the other side, in the Hidden Mist Village.
"Shinji!!!"
Mei Terumī opened her eyes from her sleep.
What met her eyes was the familiar ceiling. The residence above the Mizukage office, the place she had lived for three years.
The light from outside the window filtered in, gray and hazy, carrying the unique dampness of the Hidden Mist Village.
It was this kind of weather again.
"Where is this? Wasn't I killed by him?"
Mei Terumī lay on the bed, staring at that gray-white ceiling, not moving for a long time.
The images from the dream were still spinning in her mind.
Red lanterns hung all over the street, children chasing after fireworks.
Those who had lived for half a lifetime stood at their doorways, looking up at the unbelievably blue sky, their eyes red.
The unbelievably blue sky...
Mei Terumī blinked.
In her memory, the Hidden Mist Village had never had such a sky.
And she had never dared to imagine possessing that kind of happiness.
She thought she was about to possess that kind of happiness.
Mei Terumī sat up slowly, her silk nightgown slipping slightly off her shoulder, revealing her delicate collarbone.
She raised her hand and pressed her temples.
That person from her dream was still standing in her mind.
She watched him walk over. Through the crowd, through the sunlight, to her side. He carried a wine pot, poured her a drink, and said, "Drink less."
She drank it.
Then everything shattered. She knelt on the ground, clutching his hem, asking him "Why."
He lowered his head, not looking at her. Her hand holding him was trembling, trembling violently, her nails digging into the dress clothes she had ironed herself.
He never looked at her. Not until she fell.
The memories of two lifetimes slowly merged together.
Mei Terumī closed her eyes. She took a deep breath.
When she opened them again, her eyes had returned to their usual calmness.
The Fifth Mizukage. The only person who had endured so many years in the Hidden Mist Village to be able to sit in this position.
She had seen too much betrayal, too much death.
It was just a dream.
No!
It wasn't a dream; have I been reborn?!