Teaching (Part One)

Inside an unremarkable inn in an oasis town.

Hotaru's emotions gradually settled. Only when she raised her head and looked at him with red, swollen eyes did Sōji finally speak slowly.

"Don't worry. You can follow me, or you can choose to go home. As long as that's what you want."

Hotaru froze. "I... I really can follow you?"

Sōji nodded. "But let me make this clear first. I'm not a good person either. I wouldn't say I've killed countless people, but I have taken a few hundred lives."

He spoke calmly, as if merely stating a fact. "The path I walk is dangerous. If you follow me, you might die."

Hotaru fell silent for a moment. Then she suddenly smiled. There were tear tracks on her face, and her eyes were still swollen, yet that smile was especially radiant.

"I'm not afraid. My forbidden technique can kill people too!"

Looking at her, Sōji suddenly recalled this girl's fate in the original story.

She had met Utakata, the Six-Tails jinchūriki, another lonely soul. They had warmed each other and kept each other company, finding a sliver of warmth in that cruel world.

And the ending... did not seem to have been a happy one.

Sōji withdrew his gaze, his tone softening somewhat. "Sleep."

He stood and walked to the window. "Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you some ninjutsu. You need to learn how to take care of yourself."

Hotaru nodded vigorously. "Mm!"

The night deepened.

Sōji stood by the window, watching the distant desert. Moonlight spilled across the dunes, casting a silvery-white glow.

He thought back on everything that had happened today.

Hotaru's appearance had altered some of his plans, but it had also brought new possibilities.

The Tsuchigumo Clan's forbidden technique might not compare to a Tailed Beast, but it was still a force not to be underestimated. If he could win Hotaru's loyalty, it might prove useful in the future.

More importantly, there was Utakata.

The Six-Tails jinchūriki fleeing the Land of Water—the man whose story had ended in tragedy in the original work.

If he could recruit Utakata, he would not only gain a powerful combatant, but also create a faction within Kirigakure that supported him.

Still, there was no need to rush. Utakata's mental state was not good, and he could not control the Six-Tails' power well either. Sōji could take his time.

Sōji lightly tapped the window frame with his fingers, his gaze falling upon the depths of the desert.

Soft breathing came from the bed behind him. Hotaru had already fallen asleep from exhaustion, curled into a ball and hugging Ugly Treasure like a kitten.

Ugly Treasure was being squeezed so hard it could barely breathe, but it did not struggle. It merely stared at Sōji with its round eyes, looking utterly pitiful.

The corners of Sōji's lips curved. "Sleep."

He spoke softly. Ugly Treasure could only let out a wronged whimper before closing its eyes.

Moonlight streamed through the window, falling over those two small figures.

Sōji withdrew his gaze and looked outside.

The nights in the Land of Wind were cold, but the future he wanted was gradually becoming clearer in the darkness.

The next morning, sunlight passed over the town's low adobe rooftops and cast patches of golden light across the inn's second-floor floorboards.

Outside the window, the bustling sounds of the market had already begun: camel cries, merchants calling out their wares, the clinking of bronze vessels, and the scorched fragrance of baked flatbread drifting through the cracks.

Sōji turned his head for a look. Hotaru was curled up on the bed against the wall, sleeping soundly with Ugly Treasure in her arms.

She had treated the purple caterpillar cursed spirit like a pillow. Its soft body had been squeezed into a strange shape, yet it showed no intention of resisting, only letting out an occasional muffled whine to prove it was still alive.

Sōji quietly got up without disturbing them. Standing by the window, he lifted one corner of the black cloth, and the Six Eyes swept over the entire town.

Sandview City, the largest oasis town on the Land of Wind's border and a necessary stop on the eastern and western trade routes.

The streets were already packed that morning. Caravans wrapped in headscarves drove camels along, barefoot children chased and played, and women in simple robes drew water by the wells.

From time to time, several ninjas wearing Sunagakure forehead protectors would dart across the rooftops on their daily patrols.

There were no threats within his Cursed Energy sensing range. He lowered the cloth and tied it back in place.

"Mmm..."

A muffled groan came from behind him.

Sōji turned around and saw Hotaru sitting up while rubbing her eyes. Ugly Treasure seized the chance to shrink into a little ball and slip out from beneath her arm.

In a flash, it crawled back to Sōji's waist and coiled itself up again, exposing only its head as it looked on resentfully.

"Morning," Sōji said.

Hotaru froze for a moment, then hurriedly sat up straight and tucked her messy hair behind her ears.

"G-Good morning..."

Her voice was still a little hoarse, and her eyes held the dazed look of someone who had just woken up.

After bathing last night, she had changed into the cheap clothes Sōji had bought in Sandview: a grayish-brown coarse cloth robe tied at the waist with a simple hemp cord. The sleeves were too long, covering half her fingers.

But at least she was no longer wearing those tattered rags, and she had slept peacefully.

At that moment, Hotaru did resemble the girl from the original story somewhat. She was simply too thin, so thin that her cheekbones protruded slightly, like a young sapling bent beneath wind and sand.

"Wash up. Eat. We have things to do today," Sōji said succinctly.

"What things?"

"I'll teach you something."

Hotaru blinked, and then her eyes slowly lit up. "R-Really?"

"Mm."

"But..."

She lowered her head and tugged at her overly long sleeve. "I... I don't have anything to repay you with..."

Sōji said nothing. He merely reached into Ugly Treasure's mouth and pulled out two rice balls. He had bought them at the night market last night; they were wrapped in oil paper and still warm.

"Eat."

Hotaru took the rice balls and watched the furry purple caterpillar retreat back to Sōji's waist, her eyes full of amazement.

"It... it can store things in its mouth?"

"Mm." Sōji nodded slightly without explaining further.

"How much can it store?" Hotaru found it utterly fascinating.

"Probably enough to keep us fed for a long time," Sōji replied vaguely.

Hearing that, Hotaru could not help opening her mouth wide. Her gaze toward Ugly Treasure immediately grew several degrees more reverent.

Ugly Treasure was amazing!

An hour later, on the Gobi flats outside Sandview City.

The sun had risen, dyeing the distant dunes golden-red. The wind was not strong, but it carried dry heat that scraped against the face like rough sandpaper.

Sōji stood beside a weathered rock, watching Hotaru before him. She stood three meters away, clumsily forming hand seals, murmuring under her breath.

"Rat... Ox... Tiger... Rabbit... Dragon..."

Halfway through, her fingers tangled together.

"Wrong!" Sōji barked sternly.

Hotaru froze, her little face flushing red. "I... I'll try again..."

"Don't rush."

As he spoke, Sōji walked over and separated her fingers. "Hand seals aren't about who is faster. They're about who is more precise. If you get it wrong, start over. Don't force it."

Hotaru pursed her lips and nodded seriously.

"Start from Rat again. Thumbs facing each other, index fingers together."

Hotaru followed his instructions.

"Ox. Bend your index fingers, and press your thumbs against them."

"Tiger. Cross your hands and raise your thumbs."

"Rabbit. Press your palms together and bend your middle fingers."

"Dragon. Raise your thumbs and interlace the rest of your fingers."

Sōji instructed her through every seal. This time, she was slow, but exceptionally accurate.

"Do you remember them?"

"I... I remember..."

"Good. Again. This is the Goat seal. Watch closely."

As he spoke, Sōji changed hand signs. He slowed down and demonstrated each seal one by one. This was precisely the basic hand seal sequence for the Three Body Technique.

Hotaru stared at his fingers without blinking.

After Sōji finished demonstrating, he took a step back. "Do it once by yourself."

Hotaru took a deep breath and began forming seals.

Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit...

This time, she was very slow, but the sequence was entirely correct.