"Lady Rin."
Looking at the maid who served the tea, Rin Nohara felt a little at a loss. She awkwardly stood up and returned the bow, but the maid didn't look at her directly, bowing and leaving.
The vast reception hall was empty, making her extremely uncomfortable.
From the inner room came the murmur of voices, her teacher conversing with the head of the Hyuga clan.
Rin took a small sip of tea, her eyes wandering aimlessly.
Rescuing a fellow villager on the battlefield seemed to have entangled her in some trouble, requiring her teacher to intervene on her behalf.
Fortunately, the Hyuga family had always treated her with courtesy each time she was invited.
Aside from inquiring about the details of the incident, they hadn't made things difficult for her.
Lost in her thoughts, she suddenly noticed a figure standing at the doorway.
The courtyard was noisy with the day's activities, sunlight slanting into the living room. The figure stood precisely at the boundary of light and shadow, his refined facial features barely visible in the dim backlight.
'The Hyuga clan members all seemed to be quite good-looking.'
She thought to herself inexplicably. Having visited the Hyuga compound several times, the numerous Byakugan she'd seen had made it difficult for her to distinguish faces.
But she remembered this person clearly.
"It's you."
Rin quickly put down her teacup and stood up.
During a mission to search for a lost reconnaissance team, she and Kakashi had only found Shinji Hyuga, blind and severely injured, near death.
The other team members had all perished.
Close to the edge of the Iwa encampment, with the risk of being discovered by the enemy at any moment, Shinji had told her and Kakashi to help him get new eyes if they didn't want to drag back a blind burden.
Her interaction with him had ended there, after he was brought back to the village.
Although Rin had visited the Hyuga compound several times, she hadn't seen him again, even though each visit was because of him.
"How are you feeling?" As Rin looked him over, her gaze lingered on his eyes for a moment.
Those dark eyes were deep and silent, seemingly ordinary, yet strangely out of place on a member of the Hyuga clan.
"I'm almost fully recovered."
"Your eyes... Are you used to them?"
"Yes, I can see clearly."
"That's good."
Rin had only performed eye transplant surgery twice, both times under urgent circumstances.
Due to imperfect techniques and equipment, she worried about potential aftereffects for Shinji.
"Thank you for all you've done," Shinji suddenly said.
"Did you come here just to thank me, once again?" Rin chuckled, finding him rather straightforward.
"Haven't you already thanked me before? Besides, we're from the same village. It was my duty to save you."
"This is very important to me," Shinji insisted.
Rin felt a bit awkward: "You... don't have to worry about it too much."
Shinji didn't dwell on the matter any further, changing the subject: "I heard Lord Minato is here."
Rin nodded: "Teacher is talking with Lord Hiashi."
"It seems I'll have the honor of meeting Lord Minato."
Rin smiled.
Her teacher had countless admirers, and she was used to it.
As the two chatted briefly, a sound suddenly came from the inner room. Hiashi and Minato were coming out together.
The smile on Hiashi's face was amicable, vastly different from what Shinji usually saw.
Then he saw the future Fourth Hokage, a tall, handsome young man with blond hair.
"Teacher," Rin immediately called out, simultaneously greeting Hiashi, "Lord Hiashi."
Shinji stood to the side, bowing slightly without speaking.
"The war on the front lines is intense. We have to rely on you, Minato, to lead us.
"With the Hokage, we will surely be victorious."
Hiashi's gaze swept across the two in the living room, noticing that Shinji was wearing his forehead protector today.
Then he looked at Rin and suddenly smiled, "We invited Lady Rin here to understand the situation better for follow-up treatment. I didn't expect you, Minato, to come all this way specifically for this. It seems we haven't been hospitable enough to Lady Rin."
Minato also smiled, "You're too kind, Lord Hiashi. I was also worried that Rin might have done something inappropriate."
Hiashi said, "How could she? Lady Rin is an excellent medical ninja. Many of our clan members admire her greatly."
Rin was flattered by these words.
"Please excuse us, we'll take our leave now," Minato said with a slight bow.
"Shinji, see them off," Hiashi said with a smile.
Leaving the living room, the three walked along the covered walkway towards the main gate.
The Hyuga courtyard was large, with rockeries, flowing water, ponds, and lush greenery. The sunlight was clear, casting shadows on the stones.
"You're Shinji Hyuga, right?" On the way, Minato, lost in thought, initiated a conversation with the young man beside him.
"Yes, Lord Minato."
"No need to be so formal. Thanks to your intel you've provided, we achieved a crucial victory," Minato said with a gentle smile.
"The intelligence wasn't gathered by me alone. It was the effort of the entire reconnaissance team."
Minato was slightly taken aback, touched by his words. He nodded, "You're right."
Then he sighed, "The situation must have been extremely dangerous."
Shinji replied, "It was all for the village. One of Senior Minato's students... didn't he sacrifice himself for this very reason?"
These words brought silence upon the group.
Shinji glanced at Rin, who lowered her head sadly.
After a moment, Minato said, "No one will die in vain."
His voice was firm and resolute, as if making a promise.
Shinji replied without changing his expression, "Senior Minato is right. Every fallen comrade is a hero of the village. Their will shall guide us forward."
Minato was slightly surprised by such grand words and couldn't help but take another look at Shinji.
"It's remarkable that you have such awareness."
Shinji took the opportunity to say, "It was my fallen teammates who gave me this warning. I also want to be someone like Senior Minato, fighting on the front lines for the village. It's a pity that the clan requires me to stay in the village to recover for now. I wish I could fight alongside my comrades."
Minato chuckled, "Since you haven't fully recovered, focus on resting. Young people like you being alive is also a contribution to the village. Moreover, the power of the Hyuga clan is unique and holds great significance for the village."
Shinji's eyes flickered slightly and he said, "Senior Minato is right."
At the Hyuga compound gate, after parting ways, Shinji watched the two depart, his expression returning to calmness.
'He was rejected... as expected.' How could Minato accept his wishful request? He wasn't a hot-blooded idiot like Naruto.
After Minato and Rin had distanced themselves from the Hyuga compound, Rin couldn't help but say to her teacher, "Shinji is also a very good person, isn't he?"
Perhaps the shared loss of their teammates made Rin empathize with him.
Minato was noncommittal, only smiling, "Don't associate with him too much."