'So Watanabe's stagnation was caused by a curse? And it was Yorimitsu Taisho who managed to redirect his curse...' Gabimaru thought silently, taking a few heavy steps forward as he navigated the winding paths toward the student living quarters.
'I heard that exorcising a curse is infinitely more difficult than placing one. I wonder… just how much stronger has he become compared to me?' Gabimaru tightly clenched his fist, the fabric of his sleeve straining against his knuckles.
"Huuu..." He exhaled a long, ragged breath as he reached a small stone well nestled in the centre of the school courtyard. He stopped in his tracks, shaking his head aggressively. 'What the hell am I even thinking? Have I really become this shallow?'
Admonishing himself for his petty jealousy, he picked up a long wooden ladle, scooped up a generous portion of the crisp well water, and took a large gulp. He let out a quiet sigh, tossing the remaining water out over a small, resilient flower bush that was struggling to grow near the stone base of the well.
"Gabimaru!" a familiar voice suddenly called out through the quiet courtyard.
"Huh?" Gabimaru froze, his head jerking up instantly toward the sound.
'Tsunade? Did my brother send her here to act as his spy?' Gabimaru's thoughts instantly turned defensive as a young woman approached him. She had long, sweeping brown hair, with one thick strand of her bangs falling forward to completely obscure her left eye.
"What do you want?" he scoffed, his posture stiffening.
"Don't be like that. Is that really how you treat your own childhood friend?" she responded smoothly. Her voice was remarkably calm, carrying an oddly serene quality that contrasted sharply with his tense energy.
Internally, she let out a silent sigh of relief as her eyes scanned him. 'Huuu... thank goodness. His hand is completely healed. I was worried when I heard that it got cut off on his earlier mission.'
"What are you waiting for? Speak," Gabimaru snapped, placing the wooden ladle back down against the stone lip of the well with a dull thud.
Tsunade's expression remained placid, but her thoughts flared with annoyance. 'Tch... does he seriously still think I am just a lackey working for his brother? What on earth is wrong with him? She turned away and began walking without another word.
"Huh?" Gabimaru stood there in a daze. "What up with her?"
…
Elsewhere on the grounds, Yorimitsu continued his steady stride toward the book pavilion.
"How long are you planning to follow me?" Yorimitsu asked suddenly, halting in his tracks without turning around.
Shion stopped instantly, her eyes widening slightly in the dimming light. Instead of stepping back, she closed the distance between them, reached out, and gently took hold of Yorimitsu's hand. Using her index finger, she began tracing characters directly onto his palm.
'You said that you were going to help me speak again, didn't you…?'
"Ha?!" Yorimitsu's face instantly flushed, completely caught off guard by the sudden, intimate contact. He cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. "Yeah... I know I said that. But I didn't mean this very second. I am still trying to gather the necessary materials and resources for the procedure. You really don't need to trail my shadow everywhere I go. I can just summon you when I am fully prepared."
Shion paused for a brief moment, her gaze dropping to his hand before she continued tracing fluidly.
'Yeah... I know. But there is something else.'
"What is it?" Yorimitsu asked, his voice softening.
'I know I originally told you that I would share my truth only after I was fully healed,' she traced, the pressure of her finger growing firmer, more deliberate. 'But after that battle... I feel I can trust you enough. I no longer have to fear that you will die.'
Yorimitsu blinked, stunned. "Huh?"
'Come with me.'
She traced one final, decisive stroke across his skin, released his hand, and immediately turned to walk toward her own living quarters without uttering a single sound.
'She feels incredibly tense,' Yorimitsu noted internally, watching her rigid posture as she walked away. Without a second thought, he pivoted and followed closely after her.
Within a few moments, they arrived inside her private chambers. The room looked vastly different from Yorimitsu's expansive quarters; the space felt much smaller, almost claustrophobic. In the centre sat a modest wooden table identical to his own, while a single flower stalk rested atop a stand in the corner, flanked by a simple fabric dressing screen.
The two sat down on opposite sides of the small table. Without a word, Shion reached across the wood, took hold of Yorimitsu's hand, and began tracing characters deliberately onto his palm.
'I am named Hattori no Shion,' she traced, her touch steady despite the weight of the text. 'And I am the sole remaining heir to my clan.'
Yorimitsu's eyes locked onto her face, his gaze unmoving as the implications settled in. 'I knew she was special… so she is the true princess of the Hattori clan.' Yorimitsu didn't say anything; his hand still firm under her, he just looked ahead.
"In the province of Iga, my clan was the sovereign house that held the most power, keeping the other two great factions in check,' she continued, her pacing slowing down. 'My father… my father…' Shion paused abruptly, her fingers trembling violently against his skin.
She took a sharp breath, forcing her hand to steady as she resumed. 'My father was assassinated by my own uncle.'
"Ha?! The Patriarch of Iga is dead?" Yorimitsu asked aloud, his brow furrowing as he looked deeply into her eyes. "But if the head of the province fell, why hasn't any news reached the capital?"
"That is because the other rival houses moved under the cover of night,' Shion's tracing grew harsher, almost scratching into his palm. 'They made absolutely sure to slaughter every single soul from my clan, including the very uncle who had made the treacherous deal with them. Because of my unique bloodline, they kept me alive as a prisoner. Their plan was to force me to marry one of their sons to get justification to extract my family's inherited secrets. And that... that's why they cut out my tongue so I don't go blubbering to anyone else before the time is right."