Chapter 3 – Whispers Behind White Eyes
"Before you master your enemy, you must face your own silence."
Hidden Within the Walls of the Hyūga Compound
The Hyūga compound was silent at dawn. Always silent.
Hinata padded barefoot along polished hallways, soft footfalls echoing faintly in the stillness. The rising sun painted the paper walls in warm amber, but inside, it felt cold.
Her small fingers curled tightly around the edge of her kimono sleeve as she stood before the training yard.
There he was.
Hiashi Hyūga. Her father. The clan head. A silhouette of power and judgment.
He didn't look at her when he spoke.
"You were the first to fall in your class during chakra control training."
Hinata bowed low.
"I… I'm sorry, Father."
"Sorry does not strengthen your stance. Nor does it sharpen your Byakugan."
She flinched.
He turned at last, eyes pale and impassive, unreadable even with the same eyes she bore.
"Your cousin, Neji, is already mastering advanced kata. And you? You hesitate to strike even in drills."
"I don't want to hurt anyone…" she whispered.
"Then you will lose. And disgrace our bloodline."
His words struck like needles. No yelling. Just… disappointment. And that was worse.
Shadows in the Courtyard
Later that day, after formal training, Hinata returned to the garden with a bamboo practice pole in her hands. Her hands were red from gripping it too tightly.
Renji watched from the edge of the courtyard wall, half-hidden behind a cherry tree.
She didn't see him, but he saw her.
Every mistake. Every stumble. Every time she bit her lip and tried again.
He had no right to interfere. Not yet. Not here. But he couldn't help the quiet admiration blooming inside him.
The girl everyone ignored… didn't give up.
Not once.
A Letter in the Wind
Renji sat by his open window that evening, a breeze brushing through the room. A letter was folded in his lap — parchment from the Academy.
Subject: Additional Assignment
Instructor: Iruka Umino
Description: "Volunteer mentorship hours – Practical help to struggling students."
Below the list of eligible names… one stood out.
Hinata Hyūga.
Renji smirked. "Strategically helpful face-breaking and now mentorship? I'm climbing the moral ladder."
The First Lesson: Breaking the Silence
They met the next morning under a tall cedar tree behind the Academy.
Hinata kept glancing at her feet.
Renji tossed a small stone up and down.
"Relax," he said. "I'm not going to yell. Or grade you. Or challenge your clan's honor or whatever insanity they do in those compound halls."
She looked up, blinking.
"I… thank you, Renji-kun."
He grinned. "Still with the 'kun'? We're the same age."
Her cheeks pinkened slightly.
They began with stance correction. Hinata's posture was textbook—too textbook.
"Your form is perfect," Renji said, circling her. "But it's memorized, not owned. You're doing what you were told to do. Not what you want to do."
She tilted her head. "W-What do you mean?"
He demonstrated. A loose, casual stance, then suddenly shifted into a tighter, more aggressive version—his chakra pulsing visibly through his limbs.
"This is the Academy's stance. Clean, predictable. But a real fight is messy. Feel your own balance. Then break it. Reclaim it."
She tried again.
And again.
Until sweat beaded her brow.
Until her strikes started flowing instead of hesitating.
Until she met his eyes and didn't flinch.
Meanwhile… in the Land of Screaming
"NOT FAIR!!"
Naruto was dangling from a branch. Again.
His leaf strucking exercise had become a half-week saga. Bark stuck to his forehead protector. Birds mocked him.
From the base of the tree, Sasuke crossed his arms.
"Try using actual chakra control and not blind screaming."
"I AM USING CONTROL!" Naruto yelled. "I'm controlling my rage right now!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"Renji helped Hinata yesterday," Naruto muttered under his breath. "He should help me next."
"You'd need an entire scroll and three dictionaries to understand him."
"I CAN READ!"
Nightfall Secrets
Renji walked Hinata home that evening, stopping at the gate of the compound.
"...thank you," she said, voice small but stronger than before.
He gave a short bow. "Any time."
As he turned to leave, her voice stopped him.
"Why… why are you helping me?"
He paused.
"Because you want to change. And that's rare in a world where everyone's trying to look strong instead of be strong."
Then he walked off.
Hinata watched him disappear beyond the trees, fingers lightly touching the edge of her collar.
In her heart, something flickered.
Not chakra.
Something warmer.