Chapter 4: Do You Even See Yourself as Human?
"No... that's impossible..."
Hyuga Hinata shook her head violently, her short indigo hair flying about.
"Father would never... the Hyuga clan would never..."
Intense fear and revulsion made her instinctively reject everything she'd read.
She squeezed her eyes shut and flung the black notebook away with a flick of her wrist. "What Life Simulator? It's fake! All of it's fake!"
It's fake. It has to be fake!
She covered her ears and closed her eyes, repeating it to herself over and over in her mind. As if doing so would convince her this was just a terrible story she'd imagined because of too much stress.
"Don't think about it! Can't think about it anymore!"
She spoke to herself in an almost tearful voice, crouching down. Her trembling fingers reached for the notebook, then jerked back as if burned.
Finally, she picked up the notebook, intending to throw it in the trash. But as she passed by the window, a crystalline snowflake drifted down and landed gently on the back of her hand.
Hinata froze.
She slowly turned toward the window, her pale eyes widening abruptly, reflecting the snowflakes dancing through the sky.
"It's... it's snowing."
...
"So it's snowing."
Hyuga Kiyonari turned his gaze toward the window and the flurries outside. "Right about now, she's probably desperately trying to convince herself the Life Simulator is fake."
Hyuga Hinata's fundamental character trait at this stage was cowardice. When faced with problems she couldn't solve or didn't want to confront, her first instinct was always to run away.
When other children bullied her, she chose to flee. When she spotted a possible spy outside the compound, she chose to flee again. Therefore, when she saw the content in the Life Simulator, she would certainly refuse to believe it.
But Hinata's character also possessed remarkable resilience. Even though she'd never once received a kind word from Hyuga Hiashi, she still trained diligently day after day. Even after Hanabi was born, she never gave up on herself.
So she would definitely work through this. She would verify whether the Life Simulator was real or fake. She just needed time.
The actor was in position. Now, the curtain would rise.
...
The first day of the new year arrived. Konoha's streets were already blanketed in pristine white snow, fluffy layers piled alongside the roads—exactly the right depth for rolling perfectly round snowballs.
News of the Cloud Village's decision to end the war had reached Konoha, plunging the entire village into a peculiar state.
Happy? Not exactly. After all, the Third Shinobi World War had effectively ended before the Fourth Hokage even took office.
But the Cloud Village had been like a thug threatening to jump you after school, only to be nowhere in sight when school let out. Yet the next day, you'd still worry whether today would be the day he'd actually show up. After all, he was a thug—capable of anything.
They'd kept up that threatening stance for years. Only today had they finally said they were done fighting. Immediately, all of Konoha relaxed. Even the number of drunks sprawled outside the taverns had increased noticeably. Fortunately, the Uchiha Military Police Force was diligent about enforcement, keeping the streets clean.
Hyuga Kiyonari had also arrived early at his work station. Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to actually tail Hinata. Instead, he tracked three carefully selected brats.
Though Konoha was blessed with exceptional people, and bullying ran rampant, there still weren't many with the audacity to call the Hyuga main family's eldest daughter "white-eyed freak." These three were among that elite group, and they regularly tormented others for fun. Absolutely lawless.
Heh. You'll find out what it means to cross the wrong person soon enough.
Kiyonari watched the three figures ahead from the corner of his eye. Suddenly, a blonde kid burst out of a nearby shop and crashed straight into him. Caught off guard, both of them tumbled into the soft snow, sending up a cloud of white powder.
"Damn demon fox! I told you not to touch my things!"
The shop owner chased out wielding a bright red fox mask, shouting viciously, "Get lost, demon fox!"
Kiyonari pushed off the weight of Uzumaki Naruto pressing down on him and poked his head out of the snow, looking around. Where did those three brats go?
Naruto scrambled up frantically, then reached down to pull Kiyonari from the snow crater. "Um... I'm sorry!"
"Haah—"
Kiyonari took a deep breath and turned to look at the shop owner still cursing.
"If you're not going to use your eyes, you should donate them."
Only then did the shop owner notice Kiyonari's appearance. His arrogant demeanor immediately deflated. Though the boy was still young, those eyes proved he would definitely become a shinobi.
"Lord shinobi, I didn't mean to—"
Kiyonari ignored his excuse, simply raising his hand slowly toward him, fingers spread wide.
The shop owner didn't understand the gesture and stammered, "Wh-what does this mean?"
"Compensation. If apologies worked, what would we need the Military Police for?"
The shop owner froze, then quickly replied, "How much do you think is appropriate?"
"Five thousand—" Kiyonari noticed what the man held in his hand and changed course. "No, four thousand ryo, plus that mask in your hand."
The shop owner's face stiffened. Before he could speak, Kiyonari unhurriedly straightened his clothes, revealing the embroidered Hyuga clan symbol.
"If you're unwilling, the Uchiha Military Police are right over there. I could also ask the elders from my clan to come mediate."
Sweat beaded on the shop owner's forehead. Already in the wrong, he could only hastily hand over both the mask and the money.
Kiyonari accepted his spoils, long fingers lightly rifling through the coins. He counted out one thousand ryo and, along with the vivid fox mask, stuffed them into Naruto's arms.
"This is your share."
His tone was flat as he pocketed the remaining three thousand ryo.
If he'd asked for five thousand, his personality would have split it fifty-fifty with Naruto. With the current arrangement, Naruto got the mask he wanted, Kiyonari got an extra five hundred ryo, and the shop owner paid less in compensation. A triple win.
Uzumaki Naruto stared at the unexpected windfall, eyes wide as saucers. "Eh? For... for me? No... I can't take this!"
Watching the boy's timid behavior, Kiyonari's expression suddenly sharpened. "Did he throw you out?"
Cowed by the intensity, Naruto unconsciously hunched his shoulders and nodded with a small sound of affirmation. "Yes."
"Then should he compensate you or not?"
"I guess so..."
"Then take it."
Kiyonari turned to leave. The sky had gone completely dark—he didn't have much time to waste here. Just then, he felt his sleeve tugged.
Seriously? What do you want now?
"This is money he paid to you. I really can't take it..." Uzumaki Naruto clutched the mask like some precious treasure. "Having this mask is enough."
Kiyonari actually laughed in exasperation.
Heh. This is the future savior who'll rescue the shinobi world?
What have they done to you?
He grabbed Naruto by the collar and yanked him close, looking into his eyes. All Kiyonari saw in them was worthlessness. No trace of the lion.
"Look at my eyes and answer me!"
"He has one head and two eyes. You have one head and two eyes. So why does he get to throw you out whenever he wants, and you don't even dare take his compensation? Or do you think I'm doing you a favor?"
"Do you even see yourself as human?!"