Hideki * Onmyōji

Hang's face was ashen.

He sat there, his lips moving several times as if he wanted to refute something, but in the end he simply slammed the teacup down on the table, stood up, and stormed off.

Yuansheng sighed, stood up, bowed slightly to Quhai, and then followed the direction of the ship.

The courtyard fell silent.

Quhai sighed, his back hunched slightly, and he raised his hand to rub his temples.

He turned to look inside the room, where Hideki was sitting in the corner, his hands folded on his knees, sitting very properly.

His light-colored eyes were half-closed, as if he were lost in thought.

From the Quhai routes began until now, he hasn't uttered a single word, nor has he even changed his posture.

Looking at him like this, Quhai suddenly remembered that the kid had the same expression at the Memorial Service.

As the seventeen souls ascended into the sky along the pillar of light, Hideki stood at the very edge of the Delegation team's formation.

His face was streaked with tears, but his eyes were never completely closed; they remained open the entire time, staring intently at his surroundings.

At the time, Quhai didn't pay much attention, assuming he was simply moved by the singing. But now, looking back, he feels something is amiss.

Quhai at Hideki's downcast eyes, Tokai's vague sense of unease was eventually suppressed by exhaustion.

He was just a child who hadn't grown up yet. He was probably frightened at the Memorial Service and hasn't recovered yet.

He didn't expect the child to have any insights; the most important thing right now was to figure out how to make Konoha sufficiently interested in the Land of Whirlpools.

We must, in any way, tie the Land of Whirlpools to the Konoha's big ship.

"Hideki," he said, "Go out for a walk, do whatever you want, just don't go too far."

Hideki silently bowed his head in response, opened the paper door, and left.

Quhai, picked up a pen, and fell into deep thought.

After leaving the Post Station, Hideki went to Konoha Hospital first.

Sōsuke was fast asleep in the hospital bed, snoring evenly, and his face finally had some color back.

He sat by the bed for a short while, placed the fruit he had brought on the bedside table, and then got up and left.

After leaving the hospital, he Earth Flow through the streets and alleys of Konoha.

After the Memorial Service, Konoha seemed to have been washed by that golden light; even the air in the streets and alleys had changed.

People used to greet each other on the street, but things are different now.

As he passed the Dango Shop at the corner of the Commercial Street, a man with the Senju was helping the Akimichi Clan's Tavern Keeper unload a bag of new rice from a cart.

The Tavern Keeper, wiping her sweat, smiled and said, "Just leave it at the door." The Ninja replied, "Let me help you carry it inside; this bag is too heavy."

It wasn't a big deal, but Hideki remembered seeing these two people on the same street just a few days ago. They were also unloading goods, but no one offered to help them.

The bookstore owner saw the door of the shop across the street open, so he went up to greet it. The shop owner across the street was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly recovered, smiled, waved, and then continued with his work.

The bookstore owner, having received a response, couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth, looking quite pleased.

Everyone was subtly extending their kindness, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

However, he was not included.

As Hideki walked through the Commercial Street, the Tavern Keeper of the Akimichi Clan nodded politely to him, and he nodded back, but it was just a polite gesture.

After all... he's not Konoha Ninja.

Hideki turned out of the Commercial Street and was about to return to the Post Station when someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder from behind.

"Hey, good afternoon!"

Hideki nearly bounced off the ground. He turned around abruptly and saw Uchiha Izuna standing behind him with a smile, his bright black eyes curving into two arcs, so close they were almost touching his nose.

"You... you--" Hideki staggered back three steps, his back slamming into a lamppost on the side of the road.

"Waaaaah!" Izuna exclaimed as well.

"What's your name!" Hideki clutched his chest, his heart still pounding in his throat.

"You scared me!" Izuna matter-of-factly.

"... Didn't you scare me first?!" Hideki's voice cracked.

"Ugh! Let's not talk about that! Want to come with me? I'll show you something!"

Hideki was completely confused. "Huh? Why?"

"What do you mean 'why'? Just come with me and that's it!"

"Wait a minute, I remember you're Diplomat from Konoha, right?"

"Yes."

Shouldn't Diplomats be reviewing documents at the Hokage Building at this hour?

"Oh, I'll have my Shadow Clone help me slack off."

Hideki paused for a moment. "... So you're Shadow Clone."

"No, I am the original body."

"..." Hideki's expression cracked slightly. "Are you really that irresponsible?!"

Izuna completely ignored his accusations, grabbed Hideki's sleeve, and dragged him forward. "I don't care! I'm going to take you to see something!"

Hideki as he was pulled along, his sleeve gripped tightly in Izuna's hand, unable to break free.

"... You're being completely unreasonable!" Hideki managed to utter only this one sentence after a long pause.