Looking at Shion, Shinji softly asked, "Are ninjas really that appealing to you?"
Shion nodded. "Back in the Land of Demons, everyone respected me because of my status as a shrine maiden, but I didn't like it. It was only after coming to Konoha that I truly made friends. And you, Shinji, you were my first friend!"
Shinji smiled. "I'm honored!"
As though she had thought of something, yearning shone in Shion's eyes. "I don't know what a ninja is, but I know that only by becoming a ninja like you can I make friends and stop being lonely! I don't want to go back to the Land of Demons and be a shrine maiden like some clay statue. I want to be like you, freely chasing my dreams!"
Shinji pushed off with his legs and began swinging.
He had always understood that what Shion wanted was not to become some kind of ninja. What she wanted was companionship!
A little girl had been born carrying the burden of protecting an entire nation and suppressing evil demons. Anyone in her place would have felt afraid and lonely.
As a Lantern Bearer who protected the Shinobi World, wasn't he the same?
It was precisely because he understood that he did not try to persuade Shion otherwise. Instead, he smiled and said, "Hey, I have faith in you!"
Shion's eyes lit up. "What!?"
Shinji's smile faded as he said evenly, "Who knows? Maybe someday, you'll become a powerful ninja standing at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World!"
"Shinji, you..."
Shion stared blankly at Shinji. She had thought he was merely joking to comfort her, but when she met his eyes, she suddenly felt that he seemed serious.
*As the Ninja Academy's super genius, does Shinji... does he really acknowledge my talent? Does