When Neji walked out of the pet shop, he was carrying a cage in his hand. Inside it was the very same Border Collie from earlier.
"Take good care of it," said Kei. "I hope that next time I see it, you've already learned its way of survival."
Neji gave a small nod. Truth be told, his thoughts were still spinning. Most of his attention wasn't on the dog in the cage, but on what Kei had just told him.
The dogs that bite don't bark. The ones that bare their fangs too early lose their edge because everyone can see them coming.
It was an obvious metaphor. Under normal circumstances, Neji might've dismissed such cryptic advice outright. But after what had just happened, he found himself reluctantly acknowledging that Kei's words made a frightening amount of sense.
He glanced at Kei, who stood there casually, leaning on his blind cane, a mild smile still lingering on his face.
A sudden chill ran down Neji's spine.
He wasn't sure why, but at that moment, the Border Collie in his hand felt like a mere pup in comparison to the man beside him.
Sure, the fiercest dog in the shop had been the Border Collie. But the most dangerous creature in that room... had been the man who smiled so gently while talking.
Kei, unaware that Neji had just mentally categorized him as a predator, felt a slight shift in the boy's emotional state. Had he known the full extent of Neji's thoughts, he might've seriously considered giving the kid a few rounds of electroshock therapy, just to keep him humble.
Everything he wanted to say had already been delivered during their little trip for the dog. So Kei turned to the woman behind him.
"Haru, go report back to the Elder. Just tell him Neji's been successfully counseled."
Haru stopped in her tracks.
She stared at Kei, her thoughts in turmoil, her face clearly conflicted.
She lingered, as if waiting for Kei to say something, anything, more to her. But Kei said nothing.
Finally, unable to hold back, Haru asked softly, "Don't you have anything else you want to say to me?"
Kei shook his head.
She was silent for a moment, then turned and left.
In the Hyuga clan's inner courtyard, Elder Taihiro was reclining in a wooden chair. Age had worn down his vigor, and he now spent most of his time sunbathing in peace.
When he saw Haru enter, he asked, "So, how did Kei do with Neji?"
"Lord Taihiro," Haru said quietly from behind him, head slightly lowered, "Kei went to speak with Neji yesterday and today…"
She recounted how Kei had used a duel and a wager to get Neji to listen.
Then, after a short pause, she added, "This morning, Kei took Neji around the village and eventually brought him to a pet shop… where he bought him a Border Collie."
"A pet?" Taihiro blinked, stroking his beard. "You mean… he bought Neji a dog, and that was enough to improve his attitude?"
Haru bowed even lower.
The Elder, not hearing a response, assumed she was still pondering.
After several more seconds of internal struggle, Haru finally made a decision.
"…Yes," she said. "After receiving the dog, Neji's mood clearly improved."
As she spoke, she kept repeating in her heart: I'm not lying. I'm just recounting what happened. These are facts. [TL: she fell to trap lol]
"I see…" Taihiro said, lost in thought.
A dog... just a dog… was enough to neutralize Neji's hatred toward the Main House? Taihiro found the idea difficult to believe. But he knew he only needed to observe Neji for a while to confirm.
Haru, seeing that he remained silent, finally asked, "Lord Taihiro, is something wrong?"
Taihiro snapped out of it and shook his head. "No, just... odd, that's all. But if Kei's methods are good enough to earn the Hokage's recognition, then maybe there's more to this dog than meets the eye."
Haru flinched. Her hands, clasped behind her back, trembled slightly. A drop of sweat ran down her forehead.
And then Taihiro slapped his thigh. "Ah! I get it now, I finally understand what Kei was trying to do!"
Haru's heart lurched.
"What… what do you mean?" she asked, voice nearly catching in her throat.
Taihiro, completely oblivious to her tension, chuckled with self-satisfaction. "It's Neji's age! That's the key! Kei bought the boy a pet simply to distract him. What a clever brat."
Haru stood frozen.
Not because Taihiro had guessed correctly, but because he'd guessed wrong. Wildly wrong. Dangerously wrong.
"You see," the Elder continued, "at that age, boys are full of mischief. Give them a toy, and they forget all about whatever grudge they were holding. It's classic child psychology!"
Haru's lips twitched.
That's… that's your conclusion? she thought.
If Taihiro truly believed that was the answer, then whatever happened next was bound to spiral far beyond anything she could predict.
Inside her, the conflict grew stronger. On one side stood Taihiro, a man she had feared and revered for years. On the other was Kei.
She didn't understand why, but whenever something involved Kei, she would hesitate, she would waver.
She wasn't even sure who she was anymore.
As her inner storm raged, Taihiro suddenly spoke. "Haru, you've done well this time. I want to reward you."
Reflexively, Haru replied, "Elder Taihiro, I'm just doing my duty. There's no need for a reward."
"You don't need to refuse," Taihiro said kindly. "I've always thought of you as my own daughter. When a daughter does well, she deserves to be rewarded…"
Haru's breath caught.
But it wasn't because of the so-called reward.
It was because she suddenly remembered what Kei had said in the pet shop.
Do you know how to raise a dog? It's simple. When the dog is obedient, you reward it. When it disobeys, you punish it. If you do that consistently, you'll have a dog that follows your every word, and never dares to bite you.
Those words hit her like a stone smashing into still water, sending ripples through her soul.
Now she understood, those words weren't just for Neji.
They were also meant for her.
If Taihiro truly saw her as a daughter…
Then why had he raised her like a dog?
Every reward he'd ever given her, what did it mean now?
Her hand clenched into a fist, digging her nails into her thigh. She used the pain to anchor herself, to keep her spiraling thoughts from leaking out.
When she lifted her head again, her face was expressionless.
"I understand. I'll continue assisting Kei to the best of my ability," she said evenly.
Taihiro waved her off with a smile. "Good, good. Off you go, then."
"Yes, Elder Taihiro."
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters