Bloodline Limit Handsome Boy

He stopped a few steps away from Haku, crouched down, and met those hollow eyes at eye level.

"Living alone must have been hard, huh?" Shien's voice was soft.

He knew what Haku had suffered as a child, so he treated him with great gentleness.

Haku slowly raised his head, looked at Shien, and revealed a weary smile.

"I'm just someone nobody needs."

"No. You simply haven't found someone who needs you."

As he spoke, Shien drew the tachi at his waist.

A flash of steel, and the collar around Haku's neck snapped apart.

Before Haku could even process it, Shien had already taken off his coat and draped it over Haku's shoulders.

"And I need you."

Warmth spread through his body, and a spark of hope seemed to kindle in Haku's hollow eyes.

"You need me?"

"Yes." Shien looked at Haku seriously.

"I need your strength. I need your abilities. I need you to become my companion and save those... people like you, who long to be saved but cannot find their way."

He extended his hand to Haku. It was a clean, warm hand.

"So, are you willing to become someone I need?"

Haku stared blankly at that hand. At that moment, the bone-deep exhaustion and emptiness within him seemed to find a distant shore he could lean upon.

Slowly, he placed his icy, scar-covered little hand gently into Shien's palm.

Haku looked up and smiled at Shien.

That smile was like thawing snow and ice, carrying a pure, gentle warmth.

"I'm willing... Please let me become someone you need."

After leaving that small town steeped in despair, the biting wind carried dampness that chilled them to the bone.

At the edge of town, Shien found an inn that looked exceptionally shabby, but could at least shelter them from the wind and rain.

The inn's conditions were harsh. The so-called "washing up" consisted of nothing more than an old wooden tub placed in the room, which Akabane had to personally fill with hot water.

Only after steaming vapor spread through the icy room did Shien let Haku, who was nearly soaked through with grime and cold, step into the tub.

The hot water washed away more than the mud of recent days; it also seemed to carry off some of the bone-deep chill and exhaustion.

When Haku put on the clean clothes Shien had prepared and stood before the two of them again, he seemed completely transformed.

His wet black hair was no longer tangled, but lay smoothly against his fair, almost translucent cheeks. The mist softened his delicate features even further.

His brows and eyes looked as though they had been painted, while warmth had brought a faint blush to his lips. Together, they created a pure, flawless beauty that transcended gender.

Especially those freshly washed eyes, though they still held a trace of the quietness left by hardship.

Their innate gentleness was gradually emerging, like a lake shrouded in mist, first revealing its clarity beneath the sunlight.

Even the well-traveled Akabane could not help a flicker of surprise from crossing his eyes when he saw Haku's face clearly.

Shien stared at Haku and asked curiously.

"Haku, are you a boy or a girl?"

Haku tilted his head and smiled. "I'm a boy!"

Shien nodded in satisfaction and thought to himself:

No wonder the old ancestors called beautiful people beauties, not beautiful women.

Hehe, I'll gladly take this Ice Release beauty.

Hearing Haku's answer, Akabane glanced at Shien, who was smiling happily, and could not help showing a strange expression.

Could it be that the clan head...?

[ Ding! A world feedback has reached the third tier after a destiny-altering change to the plot character "Haku" was detected! ]

[ Rewards issued: Herbalism knowledge, Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals x1, 1:1 Chakra Replication (all in Haku's state before death) ]

Haku's reward made Shien's eyes shift slightly. There was even a reward in that kind of state?

Starting with Pakura's rewards, Shien had only claimed the other rewards.

He had kept the 1:1 Chakra Replication reward in reserve.

His chakra was already abundant enough anyway. If he ever found himself short, he could replenish it immediately. It counted as keeping a trump card for himself.

Haku's herbalism knowledge quickly passed through Shien's mind.

It was not particularly profound, but it was exceptionally practical, covering common medicinal herbs found in the wild.

No wonder Naruto had encountered Haku gathering herbs.

Next, in the inn's cramped but at least warm main room, Shien brought Haku some steaming simple soup and rice balls.

Haku ate slowly and treasured every bite, taking small mouthfuls with a natural elegance. He was completely different from the wretched figure who had fought stray dogs for food earlier.

However, he had likely suffered too much over the years. Though he was actually ten years old, he was about the same size as a six- or seven-year-old child.

Slim and frail. Combined with how little he spoke, and how softly he did speak, he resembled a shy little girl.

Once Haku had filled his stomach and driven away the cold, Shien decided to set off for the next destination—the Kaguya Clan's territory.

"Next, I'm going to save another child. He's also lost in life and may need you to talk to him."

Haku nodded obediently, without the slightest hesitation or fear.

To him, as long as he could stay beside someone who needed him, it did not matter where they went.

On the coast of the Land of Water, waves crashed violently as the sea wind howled.

A vortex suddenly appeared in midair, and a man wearing a tiger-striped mask emerged on the shore.

After looking around and confirming it was safe, he walked toward a nearby boulder.

He jumped onto it, found a comfortable spot, and sat down to patiently wait for something.

Before long, a half-black, half-white pitcher plant rose from beneath the rock.

It was Zetsu.

"Any news on Yagura Karatachi?" Obito asked.

Pain had helped suppress Yagura Karatachi before only so they could bleed Hidden Mist dry.

Now that Yagura Karatachi had returned to Hidden Mist and publicly exposed the fact that he had been controlled, doing that again was impossible.

Zetsu spoke in a hoarse, low voice. "I advise you to give up on that idea as soon as possible. Hidden Mist's defenses are getting tighter by the day. Be careful you don't lose your life there."

Obito merely gave a cold snort, a savage glint flashing through his eyes.

"As long as I'm careful, ambushing him won't be difficult. Since he refuses to be a puppet, there's no reason for him to remain alive."

Rin had died at Hidden Mist's hands back then. He wished he could slaughter every single person in Hidden Mist.

How could he give up at a time like this?

Hearing the icy killing intent in Obito's voice, Zetsu knew there was no persuading him and could only give up.

"He'll be going to suppress the Kaguya Clan's rebellion soon. You should have a chance to act then."

"The organization has only just begun. I need to recruit people too, so I can't stay here any longer."

Zetsu's meaning was obvious: he would not continue gathering intelligence for him.

Obito was somewhat displeased, but he also knew the Eye of the Moon Plan was what mattered most.

"I understand. Go back first."

Zetsu gave Obito a deep look, then sank into the ground and vanished without a trace.