The light traced a soft golden edge around him, his black hair moving gently while his white eyes reflected a warm glow that felt almost holy. The strong scent of disinfectant, the herbs, and the flowers in the visitors' hands seemed to fade under that window and that figure. Only the movement of light, the path of the wind, and his calm presence remained.
They gazed at him as if they were gazing at the sky outside, high and clear without a single flaw. In the far distance of his line of sight, they could faintly make out Konoha's iconic Hokage Rock, and an unspoken sense of ease spread through them. "This is really nice," someone muttered before thinking.
The quiet broke, and a female ninja snapped back to herself and tapped the speaker on the head. "Nice, my foot," she whispered, "he is hurt that badly and you call it nice?" Only then did the man notice Ryuji Hyuga's right arm, wrapped from shoulder to fingers in thick bandages and a rigid brace, an IV line dripping slowly beside the bed.
"Good afternoon." Ryuji Hyuga turned his head toward the door, smiling gently at the slightly stiff visitors. His voice was a little hoarse from injury, yet calm and clear. They all knew what this newly appointed Jonin had done not long ago on the Land of Moon battlefield against Kumogakure.
He had used his own body to guide lightning from the sky, killing countless Kumogakure Ninja and shattering Kumogakure's defenses with terrifying power and resolve. Now, he felt like a piece of jade carefully lifted from a violent current, its sharp edges worn away, leaving only quiet warmth. That contrast made their respect grow even stronger.
"Ryuji-sama, sorry to disturb you," the leader said, showing no hint of looking down on his youth. He took a breath to steady himself and spoke with clear respect, asking him to rest well and recover soon. Ryuji Hyuga thanked them with a smile and asked if they had just returned from the front, acknowledging their hard work.
They replied that it was their duty and that thanks to him, the situation at the Land of Moon front had eased greatly, now waiting on a response from Kumogakure. As they spoke, they carefully set down their flowers, joining many others already filling the room, each with a card and well wishes. After a few more polite words, they found an excuse to leave and slipped out quietly, satisfied and a little excited by his gentle manner.
When the door closed softly, the room returned to silence, now filled with fresh flowers and a richer scent. A system chime sounded in Ryuji Hyuga's mind, announcing the gain of 500 Reality Points and updating his Remaining Reality Points to 20354. Hearing the points rise, his smile became more sincere, pleased to finally pass twenty thousand.
Another knock interrupted his thoughts. Sensing a much stronger heartbeat outside than before, Ryuji Hyuga raised an eyebrow and invited them in. The door opened just a crack, and a head cautiously peeked inside.
At the sight of her face, surprise flashed through his mind, though he showed it openly and said, "Miss Aoi?" The visitor was Hyuga Aoi, eldest daughter of the Main Family Elder Hizashi Hyuga. She stepped fully into the room, her Byakugan brightening as it took him in.
She carried the reserved air typical of the Main Family, her gaze briefly sweeping over the piles of flowers with a trace of irritation before returning to him. Her eyes paused on his immobilized right arm, and her expression sank slightly. "I am here on behalf of the Main Family to visit Wang," she said stiffly, setting a thermal container on the bedside cabinet and asking about his recovery.
Ryuji Hyuga's smile faded into something cooler as he answered that the injury was not serious and thanked the clan for its concern. That distance pressed on Hyuga Aoi's chest in a way she could not explain. Another system notice rang out, awarding 1000 Reality Points and raising his Remaining Reality Points to 21374.
Ryuji Hyuga's gaze turned strange as he listened. She was being serious after all.
Ryuji Hyuga noticed the shift in Hyuga Aoi's mood at once. Or rather, a young girl's thoughts were never something that could be hidden from him, especially not in front of Root. Her breathing was slightly uneven, her body tense and stiff, and her heartbeat was racing.
He had prepared himself for a change in Aoi Hyuga, yet when he truly confirmed her feelings, he still felt a strange sense of discomfort. It was only discomfort, without any extra emotion and without any romantic thoughts. He knew very clearly what he wanted, and just as clearly what he did not need.
The "Ryuji Hyuga" that existed in Hyuga Aoi's eyes had never truly existed at all. "Lady Aoi."
So he simply shifted his gaze to the Insulated Food Container and asked, even though he already knew the answer, "Is this also the clan's decision?"
"…Yes." Hyuga Aoi paused, then lifted her chin slightly and answered in a stiff voice.
As if realizing her thoughts were a mess, she sat down on the chair beside the bed in a give-up sort of way. She opened the Insulated Food Container and took out the food inside. Steam mixed with the smell of rice drifted out, all light and plain dishes.
It was clearly prepared with care, though with her abilities it was obvious she had not cooked it herself. It was most likely made by the Branch Family Members who usually handled her daily needs. What she did next, however, made Ryuji Hyuga pause in surprise.
She held a bowl of hot porridge in one hand and a spoon in the other, scooping it up clumsily. Then she brought it straight in front of Ryuji. "…"
The corner of Ryuji Hyuga's eye twitched as he said, "Lady Aoi, I can do it myself…"
"Just call me by my name." Before he could finish, Hyuga Aoi cut him off impatiently. "Your arm is injured. How are you going to eat, lick it with your tongue?"
Seeing the spoon come even closer to his mouth, Ryuji Hyuga leaned his upper body back slightly. He swallowed the words "only my right arm is injured" before saying them. He was still thinking about how to handle this properly when the door opened again.
kacha. Several people in white coats from the Medical Staff pushed a medicine cart into the room, bringing with them a sharp medicinal smell. "Lord Ryuji, it's time to change the dressing."
The woman in front spoke gently but firmly, glancing at Hyuga Aoi in a way that left no room for argument. Hyuga Aoi pursed her lips and stepped aside. Soon after, the annoyance in her eyes faded and her face turned pale.
Just watching the process made it feel long and painful. No matter how careful the Medical Staff were, removing the blood-soaked bandages and cleaning the deep wound was still torture. The burn marks that pierced flesh and bone, along with the tearing pain, were impossible to ignore.
Ryuji Hyuga pressed his lips together, cold sweat covering his forehead. His left hand clenched the bedsheet so hard his knuckles turned white, yet he did not make a sound. The sight alone was enough to make one's chest tighten.
"…" Staring at the horrific wound, Hyuga Aoi's face went completely pale, her body trembling slightly.
A system prompt sounded, awarding Reality Points as emotions surged and belief deepened. Ryuji Hyuga's injuries were not fake, though he had limited his self-healing so they were only half real. That was why the system judged it as acting that had become real.
Back on the Kumogakure battlefield, the move he used with Lightning Release followed the same principle as the later Lightning Release Kirin. The difficulty and power, however, were on entirely different levels. Sasuke Uchiha only used his and Itachi Uchiha's Fire Release to raise storm clouds, while Ryuji Hyuga had drawn on the presence of hundreds or even thousands of Konoha Ninja and Kumogakure Ninja.
Just guiding the lightning from the thunderclouds was enough to severely damage the meridians and nerves in his right arm. This was exactly the result Ryuji Hyuga wanted. That single battle was enough to establish his reputation, and staying on the battlefield any longer would have been pointless.
Using the power of Konoha and Kumogakure to cast that Ninjutsu could be seen as good strategy. Facing the complete form of Two-Tails, however, was not something he should defeat at his current stage. So when he faced Two-Tails's rage, he showed signs of being gravely wounded and unable to continue fighting.
That was when Jiraiya and Gamamaru descended from the sky at just the right moment. They suppressed Two-Tails with a sealing move, interrupted the Tailed Beast Ball, and then used a Sealing Technique to force it back into its jinchuriki state. As for Ryuji Hyuga, who had "sacrificed himself" for Konoha, the outcome was obvious.
Under countless admiring gazes from the Konoha Ninja, he was escorted back to Konoha as a hero for treatment. From there, he could continue gathering points from wave after wave of people. His first public performance before the entire Ninja World had gone very smoothly.
Over in Kumogakure, Fourth Raikage was probably furious by now. Even so, Ryuji Hyuga smiled to himself. "The war cannot end this smoothly. I hope Sunagakure moves faster."