Looking up at the sky, Hyūga Hanabi suddenly had the urge to see Ye dou—to find out how he spent his weekend.
"I won't go shopping with my sister and the others this afternoon. Where should I go? Maybe to the forest behind the mountain..."
After completing her training, Hanabi quietly slipped out of the Hyūga compound, dressed in a fresh set of clothes. The Hyūga clan shinobi assigned to guard her sighed in resignation. They hadn't even had time to eat yet, but they had no choice but to follow. Letting her roam alone was too risky, especially if she encountered members of the Uchiha clan.
As two of the most prestigious dōjutsu clans in the ninja world, the Hyūga and Uchiha were locked in an unspoken rivalry. Each clan sought superiority, and friction was inevitable.
This was a matter of pride—an issue that could never be easily resolved!
Not long after, Hanabi skillfully weaved her way past the Uchiha district and slipped into the dense forest.
The scenery was familiar. The presence was familiar. That same indifferent expression was familiar.
But Hanabi didn't mind—she had long grown accustomed to it.
She casually opened the bento box she had brought, walking toward the stone where she usually left it. Just as always, the bento she had placed before was still there, untouched—except for one detail. The food inside was gone.
"..."
Her pale Byakugan eyes widened slightly, her small mouth parting in disbelief. She stood frozen in place.
Slowly, as if controlled by an external force, she turned her head stiffly, her gaze locking onto Ye dou with incredulity.
"...You... ate it!?"
---
[A Small Happiness]
Spring had arrived, bringing life back to the village. The trees were in bloom, and Konoha thrived in the gentle sunlight.
In the forest, Ye dou, dressed in his usual tattered black training robe, continued striking a wooden training post with relentless precision.
Behind him, a surprised voice spoke up. Hanabi stood there, bento in hand, her Byakugan eyes slightly widened as she stared at Ye dou.
A soft spring breeze swept through, rustling the leaves like a whispered greeting.
Under the sunlight, their elongated shadows stretched across the ground. If cherry blossom petals had been drifting through the air, one might have mistaken this for a romantic school drama scene.
"You... ate it?"
At this moment, Hanabi's delicate face was filled with disbelief. The years of silent persistence, the unspoken emotions—everything seemed to dissolve in an instant, replaced by an overwhelming sense of joy.
There was an unfamiliar warmth, a strange, almost suffocating emotion. Even her breathing felt heavier.
Her Byakugan eyes locked onto Ye dou, watching, waiting. She wanted to see him nod. She needed to hear confirmation from his lips.
Ye dou ceased his strikes against the wooden post. Turning, he met Hanabi's gaze with his usual calmness.
"This isn't a place you should be."
"Did you eat it?"
Ye dou furrowed his brow slightly. "Your presence disrupts my training. Don't come here again."
"Did you eat it?"
Hanabi stubbornly repeated her question, standing firm as she met his eyes without fear.
Right now, nothing else mattered. The answer was everything to her.
Ye dou fell silent. He hesitated, his gaze wavering slightly. Then, finally, he gave a small nod.
In that instant, the world around them seemed to blur, fading into white. The only thing left was the Hyūga princess, her lips curling into a quiet smile, her long hair flowing in the wind.
"Go back. This isn't where you should be."
Ye dou turned away abruptly, resuming his strikes against the wooden post.
"Was it tasty?" Hanabi asked, unfazed.
Without looking back, Ye dou replied coldly, "You should know the nature of the relationship between the Hyūga and Uchiha clans."
Hanabi ignored his warning. "Was it delicious?"
"Your actions will be seen as provocation. One day, the Uchiha will retaliate."
"Tasty?"
Ye dou exhaled sharply, his patience fraying. "Do you not understand words?"
His tone grew colder, frustration creeping into his expression. This girl—why was she so insistent?
Finally, he turned sharply, about to reprimand her—only to find her face mere inches from his.
Her proximity. The faint scent of her presence. The unshaken confidence in her gaze.
Whoosh!
Reacting on pure instinct, Ye dou leaped back nearly ten meters, putting immediate distance between them, his expression darkening.
"What the hell do you want?!"
At that moment, he seriously considered summoning a scroll filled with shuriken, kunai, and ninja tools—anything to rid himself of this girl before she unsettled him further.
He could slice her with a well-aimed kunai. Crush her with a precise gravity-enhanced attack. Anything to remove this disturbance from his mind!
His expression turned dangerous. His eyes darkened, his face etched with a rare look of irritation. Hanabi thought to herself that if her sister were here, she would likely be trembling in fear.
And yet… inexplicably, Hanabi didn't feel frightened at all. On the contrary, she found it almost... endearing.
Seeing his hair ruffle, his reaction so much like that of a startled black cat with its tail stepped on, she had to resist the urge to cover her mouth and laugh.