Anu

Inside Hyuga Hiashi's study, candlelight flickered, casting mottled shadows on the walls.

After hearing his older brother ask, "How many can you kill?" Hizashi Hyuga stood there, stunned. The anger that had been boiling inside him was doused as if someone had dumped a basin of ice water over his head, leaving only a thread of resentment churning in his chest.

He opened his mouth, only to realize he had nothing to say.

That was true. Even if he killed Hyuga Akira, there was still Hyuga Gen, and Hyuga Takashi... The old men of the Main Branch were deeply entrenched. Could he kill them all? And even if he did, wouldn't the Hyuga Clan descend into infighting?

Hyuga Hiashi watched the changes in his younger brother's expression and smiled faintly.

He slowly lifted his teacup and took a small sip, his tone softening.

"Hizashi, I know you're unhappy. I raised Ah Hong for all these years, and I'm heartbroken too. But the fact that he made it back alive is already a blessing. As for the Byakugan, I'll find a way to get it back. As for Elder Zhao..."

He paused, set down his teacup, and turned to the side. Candlelight illuminated half his face, leaving the other half in shadow...

"Elder Zhao has shed blood and earned merits for the clan. There's no conclusive evidence to hold him accountable now. If I take action against him rashly, what will the other clan members think? They'll say I'm ungrateful, that I'm too ruthless toward a man who served the clan. Then people will lose faith, giving others an opportunity to take advantage."

Hizashi Hyuga clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. "So we just let this go? Ah Hong nearly died at his hands!"

"Of course we can't just let this go." Hyuga Hiashi glanced at his younger brother, his gaze profound. "But dealing with someone doesn't have to mean confronting them openly. Hizashi, do you understand what I mean?"

Hizashi Hyuga's heart jolted. He looked up and met his older brother's eyes.

Those eyes were as calm as water, yet seemed to conceal a bottomless abyss.

"I... What should I do?"

Hyuga Hiashi didn't answer directly. Instead, he turned his back to his younger brother, his voice low.

"Elder Zhao is getting old. After enduring so many battles and returning from the Southern Border, his health must be much worse than before. I've decided to let him enjoy his retirement. For now, Ah Xiao can take over his duties."

"Hizashi, you're a role model for the Branch House. It's only right that you visit him more often. And the clan's younger generation should take a greater interest in the elders' health..."

Hizashi Hyuga didn't consider himself particularly clever, but he understood that his older brother was speaking between the lines.

On his way home, he looked up at the sky... He didn't know when his older brother had started staring at the moon so often. He gazed at the moon overhead again and again, but couldn't make sense of it. Shaking his head, he muttered to himself,

"I'm willing to act against Hyuga Akira for the future of the Branch House. But what about you, brother? What are you doing it for?"

When Naoki awoke from his nightmare again, the sky outside had already darkened.

He lay motionless in bed, staring at the ceiling and gasping for breath.

The dream had returned.

The Eerie Buddha Statue, the red veil, Hideko's face covered in black Cursed Seals, and finally, the blood spraying as a blade slashed across her throat...

"Damn it..."

He raised a hand and found his palm slick with cold sweat.

Then he suddenly noticed Aikawa Yumi sitting in a chair in the darkness, watching him.

Anger surged through him. Naoki sprang out of bed and rushed over to Aikawa Yumi like the wind, clamping a hand around her throat and lifting her up.

"You wretched woman, what did you do to me?!"

Aikawa Yumi dangled in the air, her feet off the ground, but there wasn't the slightest hint of fear on her face. Instead, she smiled.

"What, you want to kill me?"

"Anu's being very naughty, daring to defy his mistress."

Naoki ignored her and slowly tightened his grip...

"Kill me, and when the events in your dream become reality, no one will be there to save you."

The woman's sudden words made Naoki's eyes widen. He released her and said coldly, "What do you mean?"

Aikawa Yumi rubbed her sore throat and coughed a few times, but that same smile remained on her face.

"Anu's pretty strong." She calmly straightened her skirt. "But after your sister went out of her way to save you, is this how you repay me?"

Naoki ignored her. His Two-Tomoe Sharingan glowed an eerie red in the darkness...

His genjutsu skills weren't very good, but he was confident he could handle an ordinary person without chakra.

But the moment he tried to cast genjutsu, a sudden headache made him clutch his forehead and stagger back two steps.

Seeing this, Aikawa Yumi's smile widened.

"What, were you trying to use your ninja genjutsu on me?"

"My Anu, you really are silly."

Naoki looked up and glared at her.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I'll tell you when the time is right, but not now."

Naoki clenched his fists and backed away two steps. Maybe he should just leave. There was definitely something strange about this woman.

As if she'd read his mind, Aikawa Yumi smiled and approached him.

"Thinking of running away? Aren't you afraid the events in your dream will become reality?"

Naoki's heart tightened. "What do you mean?" he asked coldly.

"I'm guessing you had a dream, right..." Aikawa Yumi chuckled. "You think it was just a dream? It was simply a glimpse of the reality you'll experience in the future..."

Naoki couldn't accept it.

Reality?

That he would kill Sakurai Hideko?

Bullshit!

He didn't believe anything like that could happen, yet deep down, he had a feeling that it might be true...

"Why is this happening?" he asked.

"When I found you on the beach, you were on the verge of death, so I had no choice but to use some special methods. They can have side effects, and your dreams are one of them."

"What did you do to me?" Naoki pressed.

Aikawa Yumi reached out and patted Naoki's cheek. "You don't need to know. I'll tell you when the time comes."

Naoki threatened her. "You think I wouldn't dare kill you?"

"Kill me?" Aikawa Yumi's smile didn't fade. "By the time the dream devours your soul, it'll be too late."

"Don't blame your sister for not warning you, then."

Naoki hated feeling like he wasn't in control, but there was nothing he could do about the situation.

He didn't believe the events in the dream would really come true, but he didn't dare gamble Sakurai Hideko's life.

What if...

The time had come to choose: should he leave, return to Konoha, and deal with the problem there, or stay and play along with the woman in front of him?

In the dim room, Naoki's expression shifted between light and shadow. Then Aikawa Yumi suddenly spoke.

"Are you wondering whether to return to Konoha to deal with the problem or stay here?"

Naoki remained silent.

"My Anu." Aikawa Yumi rose onto her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around Naoki's neck. Their faces were very close. "Do you think those ninjas can solve your problem? How adorably naive. In the Land of Hot Water, ninjas aren't always all that useful..."