"Believe it or not, the awakening of your bloodline limit isn't your fault.
It's the fault of parents who were unaware of their heritage or never considered the future.
Listening to Ben's explanation, Haku felt like the boy was just offering pleasantries to ease his guilt.
"Was either of your parents from the Yuki clan? They were known for their Ice release powers, but they've gone extinct."
Knowing about his clan did Haku little good; the hope of finding acceptance was crushed as quickly as it came, his eyes growing more desolate.
"If they had given it even a little thought, things could have been prevented. You were just a victim in all this."
"Thank you for your kind words, mister. I must leave now."
Not believing a single word from Ben, Haku tried to leave when suddenly he found himself surrounded by a crystal-like fence.
"Not so fast, I wasn't finished. Now, see these? That's my Bloodline limit, one of a kind, just like yours. I paid the price for this power; my parents were betrayed by their village, hunted like dogs."
"So what I'm saying is, even if she wasn't accidentally killed by you, she would've been mentally tortured, broken, turned into a baby-making factory by those coveting your power."
Tears welled in Haku's eyes as he yelled back, "But we could've hidden it. I would've never used it, nobody would have known, and we could've had a happy life. But it was all ruined by me."
"Hahaha, as innocent and wonderful as your claims are, they don't hold any substance in our world. Keeping a secret? Don't kid yourself. Even ninja villages kill their own personnel to safeguard secrets, and they still don't remain secret for long. Do you know why?"
Haku and Karin shooked their heads.
"It's because even the dead are brought back to life by the living for their desires."
Looking at Marin, Ben continued, "See this lady? Her village was destroyed, not a normal village, but a ninja village, one of the strongest, by the joint forces of others. The refugees are now hunted in the world because of their power and unique bloodline limit. The way they're treated, even an animal has better rights."
This time, Haku couldn't scoff at Ben's speech.
"Listen, Haku, what you did, was it wrong, was it right? It can only be answered by you, and nobody else. Nobody has the right to judge you. And you don't have to come up with an answer now; it can wait. All you have to do is start looking for it."
Finally, some light appeared in Haku's eyes—some determination, and, most importantly, hope.
"Haku, I'm offering you a chance to follow me. I'm rebuilding Uzishogakure from the ashes, and I need residents. What do you say? I'll give you a family, shelter, food, and, most of all, a purpose to live."
Just before Haku could answer Ben, his stomach growled, protesting the lack of food he had eaten till now.
Blushing, Haku closed his eyes, feeling shy and cursing his unruly stomach for its timing.
"Hahaha, come on, let's eat. You can give me your answer later today. There's no need to rush; after all, the choice will affect your future."
Despite Ben's offer to wait for his answer, Haku said, "No, there's no need to wait. I will follow you, for you are the only one who has accepted my presence. I will do anything you tell me, just don't abandon me. I am even willing to be your servant."
"What do you mean, a servant? I will treat you as a friend. There's no way I will abandon you. Come on now, let's eat."
With that said, the group returned to eating, with Haku in tow. The villagers, upon seeing Haku, approached Marin to warn her about him but were yelled back by her.
However, every shopkeeper refused to serve them, leaving Haku feeling saddened and burdensome.
Having enough of this, Ben fused with Ghostfreak and put a shopkeeper in a genjutsu to serve them food. Haku was truly happy to see someone willing to let them eat in his store.
After eating, instead of returning to the car, Ben decided to rent an inn for Haku to wash himself and rest a little.
Taking care of this, Ben brought some clothes for Haku to change into.
As Haku was going for a bath, Marin, an older woman, offered to wash him, thinking Haku could use some affection.
However, Haku's revelation that he was a boy left her speechless; he appeared more feminine than a girl.
"Hahaha, if he says he is a boy, then he must be, Miss Marin. The Yuki clan was known for their feminine traits and smooth skin."
"Ben, how do you know so much about the Yuki clan and the history of the kekkei genkai?"
"That's because my clan offered to teach me and provided me with all types of scrolls and records to find out if a Bloodline limit like mine has ever appeared before."
With everything done, the group headed towards the car.
Ben remembered the morning incident and used Heatblast to evaporate the vomit remains and then flooded the car with Water Release to clean the residue before heating it up again for travel.
Seeing a car for the first time, Haku was perplexed but silently seated himself at the front with Ben driving.
"Ben, dear, can you please not transform into Rath and drive this? How about something else, something that is less prone to short-circuiting?"
Feeling ashamed of his previous display, Ben transformed into Diamond Head and started the car.
"Don't worry, Maren. This time, I'm not going to use Rath."
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