Ryoko's lips curled into a smile.
"That technique is very impressive," she said. "Really. To be able to drag me into that kind of genjutsu and make me see those images... it's incredibly powerful."
She took a step forward, getting a little closer to him.
"But—"
She tilted her head to look at him.
"That technique puts a heavy burden on the body, doesn't it?"
Nobunaga did not answer.
He continued walking forward.
But his pace wasn't as fast as before.
Ryoko followed beside him like a butterfly.
"I'm guessing," she said, "that after you used it that night, you could barely even stand steadily."
Her voice was very light, as if she were talking about something very ordinary.
"Right?"
Nobunaga's eyelashes flickered.
But he didn't speak.
Ryoko laughed.
That smile was very sweet, so sweet it made one's skin crawl.
"It seems I guessed right."
She took a step forward, blocking his path.
Nobunaga stopped.
Ryoko looked at him, her head tilted up, her large eyes filled with amusement.
"If I hadn't left that night, but had instead taken a step forward—"
She paused.
"You would have collapsed."
She spoke very slowly, word by word, as if trying to nail each one into his ears.
"Collapsed at my feet. Grabbing the hem of my clothes. Begging me to let you go."
Her smile grew even sweeter.
"Isn't that so?"
Nobunaga looked at her.
Sunlight fell between the two of them.
People came and went on the street, the clamor rising and falling. But at this moment, Nobunaga couldn't hear anything. He only heard his own heartbeat.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Very steady.
He lowered his head and looked at Ryoko.
Those eyes were very calm. Calm as a pool of deep water.
"You can try."
He said.
His voice was very light, but very steady.
Ryoko's eyes narrowed slightly.
She looked into his eyes. Those black eyes showed no change at the moment. No Mangekyo, no Sharingan, just ordinary black.
But she knew what was hidden beneath.
She had seen it.
"There will be an opportunity soon," she said.
Nobunaga didn't speak.
Ryoko took a step back.
"The first match," she said, "who was your opponent again—"
She tilted her head and thought for a moment.
"Oh right, it's me."
Nobunaga's eyelashes flickered.
Ryoko laughed.
That smile was very sweet, so sweet it made one's skin crawl.
She said, "I'm actually very strong, you know."
She looked at him.
"Tell me, can you still win?"
Nobunaga didn't speak.
He just looked at her.
Ryoko waited for a while, and seeing that he didn't speak, she wasn't annoyed either.
She just smiled, then turned around.
"Then I'm off," she said. "Nobunaga-kun, good luck."
She walked forward.
After two steps, she stopped.
Without turning back.
"By the way, Nobunaga-kun—"
She paused.
"My main body said that when your match is over, she will come to find you."
She continued walking.
The sound of her footsteps gradually faded away.
Nobunaga stood in place, watching her back disappear into the crowd.
Sunlight fell on him, very warm.
But he felt a bit cold.
He took a deep breath and then continued walking forward.
Into the crowd.
Into the Training Ground.
Into that match that was about to begin, the outcome of which was unknown.
Nobunaga walked into the Training Ground.
Sunlight fell on that yellow earth, on those high stands, and on that dense crowd of people.
He saw the Third Hokage, sitting in the very center.
He saw the "Kazekage" sitting beside him.
He saw—
His gaze stopped.
On the other side of the stands sat a woman.
Auburn hair, emerald eyes, an exquisite face.
The Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumī.
She sat there with an elegant posture and a calm expression. Like a statue.
But those eyes were looking right at him.
Nobunaga met her gaze for a second.
Then he looked away and continued walking forward.
But those eyes, in his peripheral vision, followed him the whole time.
He walked to the Waiting Area.
Many people were already standing there. Examinees from Konoha, Sunagakure, and some other Villages.
Hinata stood at the edge of the stands, alone.
Her grayish-purple short hair was tied into two small pigtails, and her white eyes looked exceptionally clear in the sunlight.
She was wearing a light-colored jacket and clutching a small bundle in her hands.
Nobunaga walked over.
"Hinata."
Hinata turned her head abruptly. Seeing it was him, her face suddenly turned red. "No, Nobunaga-kun..."
"Has your injury healed?" Nobunaga asked.
Hinata was stunned for a moment, then nodded hurriedly. "Yes, it's healed! Kurenai-sensei helped treat it, it's fine now!"
She stretched out her arm to show him; there were still bandages wrapped under her sleeve, but she hid them quickly, thinking he hadn't seen.
Nobunaga didn't speak. Hinata lowered her head, her voice so small it was like she was talking to herself: "I... I'm too weak... I've caused trouble for Neji-niisan..."
Nobunaga looked at her. Sunlight fell on her, making her whole person glow.
She stood there, clearly the one who was injured, yet she was thinking about whether she had caused trouble for others.
"You're not weak," he said.
Hinata looked up, stunned for a moment.
"You just haven't learned how to use your power yet," Nobunaga said. "But you have something in your heart that many people don't."
Hinata looked at him, her white eyes shimmering with moisture. "Wh-what thing?"
Nobunaga thought for a moment. "Courage."
He said, "The courage to stand on the stage and not admit defeat. The courage to get back up after being knocked down. The courage to move forward even when you're clearly afraid."
Tears welled up in Hinata's eyes. She didn't let them fall, but just stood there, looking at Nobunaga. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but nothing came out.
The first match was Naruto versus Neji.
In the Waiting Area, Naruto was doing warm-up exercises, swinging his arms and kicking his legs, muttering to himself.
Sakura stood nearby cheering him on, while Sasuke leaned against the wall, looking into the distance with an expressionless face.
Nobunaga walked over.
"Naruto."
Naruto turned his head, and seeing it was him, grinned.
"Nobunaga! Why are you over here? Aren't you in the next match?"
Nobunaga stood beside him.
"There's something I want to tell you."
Naruto blinked.
"What is it?"
Nobunaga looked into the distance.
Neji stood alone on the other side, his back to the crowd, arms crossed, like a silent statue.
His white clothes reflected the sunlight, making his back look exceptionally aloof.
"Do you know about the Hyuga Clan's Caged Bird?"
Naruto was stunned for a moment.
"What bird?"
"Caged Bird," Nobunaga said. "The cursed seal of the Hyuga Branch House. Children of the Branch House are born into the Branch House and must be branded with that cursed seal at the age of three. Once branded, the Main House can control the life and death of the Branch House through that seal. As long as the Main House wishes it, a single thought can cause Neji excruciating pain, or even kill him directly."
Naruto's smile vanished.
He listened to Nobunaga's words, the expression on his face gradually becoming solemn.
"Neji's father was from the Branch House," Nobunaga continued. "To protect the Main House, he died in place of someone from the Main House. He died on the battlefield, at the hands of the enemy. Neji has known since he was a child that his father's death was because of that cursed seal."
Naruto did not speak.
He looked at that white figure in the distance.
"So that's why he's like that?" Naruto's voice was very low. "That's why he hates Hinata so much? Hates the people of the Main House?"
"He doesn't hate Hinata," Nobunaga said. "What he hates is the system that made his father die. What he resents is that he can't change anything."
Naruto fell silent.
Sunlight fell between the two of them.
The proctor's voice came from the distance, reading the list for the first match.
"Hyuga Neji versus Uzumaki Naruto."
The crowd began to stir. Some people walked toward the center of the arena, while others retreated to the sidelines.
Neji turned around and walked toward the stage. He didn't walk fast, every step steady. As he passed by Nobunaga and Naruto, he glanced at them.
There was too much in that glance. Disdain, indifference, and a hint of an indescribable complexity.
He didn't stop and continued walking forward.
Naruto watched his back.
"Nobunaga," he spoke.
"Yeah."
"Does Neji himself know all this that you're saying?"
"He knows," Nobunaga said. "He knows everything. But what he doesn't know is—"
Naruto turned his head to look at him.
"Doesn't know what?"
Nobunaga looked at Neji's back, at that aloof, angry boy who had wrapped himself up so tightly.
"He doesn't know that when his father died, what he was thinking about wasn't hatred."
Naruto was stunned.
"What do you mean?"
"His father used his own life to ensure that he wouldn't have to go to the battlefield," Nobunaga said. "To ensure that he could live on. To ensure that he—"
He paused.
"To ensure that he would have the chance to change those unfair things."