"Miss Lin."
Seeing the maid serve tea, Nohara Lin felt slightly awkward. She stood up and returned the greeting, embarrassed, but the maid didn't meet her gaze—only bowed and withdrew.
The vast, empty reception room made her uneasy. From somewhere inside came the low murmur of voices—her teacher speaking with the head of the Hyuga clan.
Lin picked up her teacup and took a sip, her eyes wandering aimlessly.
She had rescued a fellow villager on the battlefield, but in doing so, it seemed she had stepped into some kind of trouble—enough that her teacher had come in person to help him.
Thankfully, whenever the Hyuga clan invited her over, they treated her with courtesy. Aside from asking in detail about what happened that day, they had never made things difficult for her.
Her thoughts drifted, until she suddenly caught sight of a figure at the door.
Outside, the courtyard was alive with daytime noise, and sunlight slanted into the reception room. The man stood right at the border between light and shadow, his features faintly outlined against the dim backlight.
The members of the Hyuga clan really are all good-looking…
The thought came without warning. She had visited the Hyuga compound several times, and the pale Byakugan eyes had long since blurred together in her memory.
But this man—she remembered him clearly.
"It's you."
Lin set down her teacup and rose quickly to her feet.
On a mission with Kakashi to search for a missing reconnaissance unit, they had found only Hyuga Shin—blind and gravely wounded. Every other member of the team had died.
They had been close to the Iwagakure garrison perimeter, in constant danger of being discovered. At the time, Hyuga Shin had told her and Kakashi that if they didn't want to drag a blind burden back with them, they could take his eyes instead.
That was her impression of him—before he was brought back to the village. Though she had visited the Hyuga clan several times since, she had never seen him again… even though she came each time because of him.
"How's your health?" Lin asked, her gaze lingering for a second on his eyes.
Those black eyes were deep and quiet—ordinary at first glance, yet utterly out of place on a Hyuga.
"Almost healed."
"And… your eyes? Have you gotten used to them?"
"Yes. I can see everything clearly."
"That's good."
Lin had only performed an eye transplant twice, both in emergencies. With the lack of proper tools and equipment, she had worried it might leave Hyuga Shin with lasting side effects.
"Thank you for doing that," Hyuga Shin said suddenly.
"You came just to thank me again?" Lin laughed softly. This man was surprisingly direct. "Didn't you thank me before? Besides, we're from the same village—it's my duty to save you."
"This was important to me," Hyuga Shin replied.
Lin looked slightly embarrassed. "You… shouldn't think too much of it."
He didn't press the matter further. Instead, he asked, "I heard Minato-sama is here."
Lin nodded. "Teacher is talking to Lord Hizuru."
"Then I'm lucky to have a chance to meet Minato-sama."
Lin smiled faintly. Her teacher had an endless number of admirers; she was used to it by now.
They spoke for a while longer until a sound came from inside—the voices of Hyuga Hizuru and Namikaze Minato approaching.
Hizuru's smile was warm, far gentler than Hyuga Shin had ever seen before. Beside him stood the man destined to be the Fourth Hokage—a tall, slender blond youth with striking good looks.
"Teacher," Lin greeted immediately, then turned to the clan head. "Lord Hizuru."
Hyuga Shin stood quietly to one side, bowing slightly without speaking.
"The front-line battle is deadlocked—we'll be relying on you to lead us, Minato," Hizuru said.
"With Hokage-sama here, victory is certain."
Hizuru's gaze passed over the two in the room, noting that Hyuga Shin wore a forehead protector today. His eyes then shifted to Lin, and he smiled. "Miss Lin was invited here to clarify details from that day, for follow-up treatment. I didn't expect you to come here just for this—it seems we haven't hosted you often enough."
Minato smiled as well. "Lord Hizuru is too polite. I was only worried Lin might trouble you."
Hizuru replied, "Miss Lin is an outstanding medical ninja—many in our clan admire her greatly."
Lin felt a little flustered hearing this.
"You two stay. We'll take our leave," Minato said, bowing slightly.
"I'll see you both out," Hizuru offered with a smile.
The three of them walked down the corridor toward the gate. The Hyuga courtyard was vast—rock gardens, flowing water, ponds, and greenery basked in the clear sunlight, shadows dancing across the stone paths.
"You must be Hyuga Shin," Minato said after a moment, starting the conversation.
"Yes, Minato-sama."
"There's no need to be so formal. Thanks to your intelligence, we achieved a very important victory." Minato chuckled.
"I didn't obtain it alone—it was the work of the entire reconnaissance unit."
Minato was slightly taken aback, clearly moved. He nodded. "You're right."
Then he sighed. "It must have been dangerous at the time."
Hyuga Shin replied, "It was for the village. Even a student of Minato-senpai sacrificed himself for it."
The words brought silence. Out of the corner of his eye, Shin saw Lin lower her head in quiet grief.
After a pause, Minato spoke again. "No one dies in vain."
His voice was calm but firm, his expression resolute—as if making a promise.
"You're right," Hyuga Shin said evenly. "Every comrade who died is a hero of the village, and their will guides us forward."
Minato was surprised by such lofty words, and he gave Shin a longer look.
"It's admirable for someone so young to have such awareness."
Shin took the chance to continue, "It was the sacrifice of my teammates that taught me. I want to be someone like Minato-senpai—fighting on the front lines for the village. Unfortunately, the clan insists I remain here to recover. If I could fight beside Minato-senpai…"
Minato smiled. "Since you haven't fully recovered, rest well. A young man like you is still a valuable asset, and your Hyuga clan's abilities are especially important to the village."
Shin's gaze shifted slightly. "If Minato-senpai says so."
At the Hyuga gate, after parting ways, Hyuga Shin watched them leave, his expression settling into calm.
Rejection… as expected. Why would they accept such a request? He wasn't some hot-blooded fool like Naruto.
After leaving the Hyuga compound, Lin glanced at her teacher. "Shin-kun is a very good person."
Perhaps the loss of teammates made her feel a quiet connection with him.
Minato didn't comment—he only smiled and said, "Don't interact with him further."