The villagers who had spoken with such certainty suddenly felt uneasy. It was as if something ugly deep inside them had been reflected clearly by those pure Byakugan eyes. The street fell into a deathly stillness, and everyone held their breath without realizing it.
Yunchuan Hyuga's gaze settled on the man who had first spoken up.
"Reincarnation of the Nine-Tails? The one who killed the Fourth Hokage?" He looked at the villager with a faint smile and spoke calmly. "May I ask where you heard these claims?"
"T, this…"
The man was caught off guard and turned awkward and flustered. His eyes darted around before he pointed at a woman beside him like grabbing a lifeline. "It, it was her. I heard it from her!"
As soon as he said it, everyone looked in the direction of his finger. The woman became the center of attention, sweat beading on her forehead.
Yunchuan Hyuga's gaze shifted to her. Under that calm yet pressing stare, she swallowed hard.
"Th, this…" Her voice was dry and tight with panic. "E-everyone says it. It has spread all over the village. Wh-who does not know?"
"I see. Everyone says it."
Yunchuan Hyuga nodded slightly without comment and swept his gaze over the silent crowd. His calm voice spread clearly through the air. "Then who here?"
"Which of you has personally seen this child hurt anyone, even in the smallest way?"
The air itself seemed to freeze.
Silence.
People looked at one another, unable to answer. Disgust and fear had driven them to avoid him, insult him, and teach their children to see him as a monster. Yet the source of that fear, rooted in Root, was only rumors that everyone repeated, and no one had truly seen the child harm anyone.
This was their weakness. It was not that no one thought of it, but that it had nothing to do with them. Avoid trouble and avoid causing trouble, that was their thinking, and it turned into group indifference and bullying.
In their eyes, even if Naruto Uzumaki was not a monster, so what. They had not done anything unforgivable, had they. If everyone said and did the same, then he must have a problem, right.
If someone investigated later, they could just bow and apologize. I already apologized, what more do you want from me. Even now, facing Yunchuan Hyuga with no answer, some resentment still quietly rose in their hearts.
Yunchuan Hyuga's expression softened again, and that gentle, approachable smile returned.
"Everyone, we are all villagers of Konoha." He spoke warmly. "Living under the same roofs and facing the storms of the Ninja World together, we are family who rely on each other."
"How can family hurt one another without any proof, just because of a few rumors of unknown origin?"
"Even if it were not this child, but any one of you standing here, I would still say the same. I would choose to believe you without hesitation."
[Your lie has been judged as Flowery Words. Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and others experienced emotional fluctuations and reached the level of Believing It to Be True. You have obtained 700 Reality Points.]
At some point, the eye on the guard of the blade at Yunchuan Hyuga's waist opened. These words were like warm spring water flowing into a lake, easing the resentment in several hearts and loosening their furrowed brows. A few even showed traces of guilt, and Sasuke Uchiha, watching from afar, stared at Yunchuan Hyuga with curiosity.
Naruto Uzumaki also lifted his head now, his blue eyes wide with disbelief. He stared blankly at Yunchuan Hyuga, the golden light casting a hazy glow over that tall figure. It felt as if a thin layer of gold covered him, making it impossible to look away.
While Naruto Uzumaki's mind was still blank and filled with unfamiliar emotions, Yunchuan Hyuga looked at him again. This time, he did not wait for Naruto Uzumaki to take the hand himself. That strong hand firmly grasped Naruto Uzumaki's small, dusty hand that was frozen in midair.
Warmth like sunlight spread clearly and quickly from their joined palms. It traveled up Naruto Uzumaki's arm and drove away the chill from before. Startled by the sudden warmth, his whole body trembled, and he was lifted up lightly by Yunchuan Hyuga's arm as if his bones had been taken away.
He stood steady, still keeping his head down, but his small body was no longer stiff. Yunchuan Hyuga did not let go right away, and the warmth made him feel a sense of safety and comfort he had never known.
"I should be the one apologizing."
Yunchuan Hyuga spoke easily, as if the earlier exchange had never happened, and smiled. "I made you fall. It must have hurt, right?"
"You look like you were heading to get breakfast. To make it up to you, how about I treat you to ramen?"
The sudden kindness left Naruto Uzumaki at a loss. He shook his head again and again and stammered, "N-no, it is fine. N-no, I mean it was my fault. I cannot…"
The kindness made him unsure how to react, and he instinctively tried to pull his hand away and escape. But in the next moment, a very clear sound rang out.
Grrrr.
It came from Naruto Uzumaki's stomach, like a protest, and froze all his movements at once. Yunchuan Hyuga clearly heard it too and let out a soft laugh he could not hold back, teasing but without any malice.
"Come on." He lowered his voice in a joking tone. "You do not want me to let you go back and lie in bed alone, crying from hunger, do you?"
At those words, Naruto Uzumaki's heart shook, and a sharp soreness rose up for no clear reason. His nose tingled and wrinkled slightly.
Yunchuan Hyuga did not give him time to struggle. With a grip that felt natural and unquestioned, he pulled the still dazed Naruto Uzumaki forward and started walking down the street.
The villagers who had not yet dispersed watched with complicated expressions. No one stepped forward or said anything more, and there was no resentment either. Instead, they felt genuine respect, thinking that Yunchuan Hyuga was far too kind, even gentle to a child suspected of being a monster.
"Sasuke, I have been looking for you. What are you doing here?"
As Sasuke Uchiha watched the tall and small figures leave, a voice with curiosity and a smile came from behind him. Sasuke turned and saw a boy with long lashes carrying a short sword on his back.
"Brother Shisui." He greeted him, then looked at the two figures in the distance. "That is the Yunchuan Hyuga everyone has been talking about lately, right?"
Hearing this, Shisui Uchiha followed his gaze and looked toward the distant figures. He had not seen what happened here, and his impression of Yunchuan Hyuga came only from what others said. War hero, hardworking genius, a rebellious member of the Hyuga Clan.
For Shisui, who valued both his clan and the village, his first impression of the name was very good before meeting him. Yet now, watching that back being observed by the crowd, Shisui Uchiha slowly frowned.
"What is this feeling…"
He had already awakened Mangekyo Sharingan and possessed Kotoamatsukami, the strongest Genjutsu. It could be said that he was the best at Genjutsu in all of Konoha. As a master of Genjutsu, he was extremely sensitive to changes in himself and his surroundings.