Indeed, the departing Great Toad Sage Fukasaku kept reassuring himself: no one had seen what happened, and as long as he didn't tell anyone, nobody would ever know. For the sake of his pride, he decided he wouldn't mention this incident to anyone.
Shigeo turned around and went back into the house. After taking a bath and changing into clean clothes, he was just about to organize the data in his mirror system when he heard a knock at the courtyard gate.
Shigeo straightened his clothes, walked to the door, and carefully felt for the latch before opening it.
"Shigeo, I was just about to head to the shop. Do you want ramen today? Should I bring it to you, or do you want to come with me to eat?"
Standing outside was Ayame from Ichiraku Ramen. She wore a pink dress and smiled brightly, her big eyes blinking as she looked at him.
Shigeo's parents had been ninja of the Hyūga clan. Three years ago, they died during a mission. Orphaned, Shigeo had been raised at the village orphanage until earlier this year, when he requested to return home and live on his own.
Though Konoha's care for the children of fallen shinobi was limited, the village did provide a stipend each month—enough to live comfortably. Food was never an issue. Naturally, Ichiraku Ramen had become one of his regular stops.
"I'll go to your shop and eat there. Afterward, I'll head back home by myself. That way you won't have to run back and forth," Shigeo said calmly.
Ever since awakening the mirror system, though blind during the day, he could use mirror perception whenever he wished to see everything nearby.
Right now, he clearly "saw" Ayame's smiling face in his mind—her little twin ponytails bouncing as she looked at him happily.
"Alright, let's go together!" Ayame said, reaching out to take his hand and leading him along.
The two of them walked slowly down the main street, passed through several alleys, and went by two Hyūga clan estates before arriving at the main road that faced the east gate of Konoha.
"Hey, look, it's Hyūga Shigeo…" Hyūga Hikaru tugged at Moonlight Hayate's sleeve as they stood by the roadside, calling out loudly.
Among the children of the Hyūga clan of his age group, Hikaru wasn't the strongest, but compared to Shigeo he could swear a hundred times over that he was better.
Yet last night at the shelter, he had seen Shigeo land a solid kick on Hayate's ribs. That display of taijutsu strength shocked him—he never imagined Shigeo could defeat someone five years older.
Seeing Shigeo appear now, fumbling blindly, Hikaru couldn't resist the urge for payback. He quickly whispered and beckoned Hayate over.
"Hayate-niisan, did you forget how he embarrassed you last night at the shelter? How did he even manage to kick you like that? It makes me furious just thinking about it!"
Hikaru added fuel to the fire, deliberately loud enough to stir the crowd.
Ordinarily, scuffles between children wouldn't matter. But with Hikaru shouting like that, the ten-year-old Hayate now felt the weight of all the eyes on him. His humiliation burned even deeper.
With three other children following behind him, Hayate marched up to Shigeo. Not wanting adults to interfere, he grabbed Shigeo by the collar and dragged him into a nearby alley.
The narrow passage was dark and damp, rarely used by anyone. To Hayate, it was the perfect place for revenge.
(End of Chapter)
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