Chapter 8: 8: The Caged Bird

Chapter 8: 8: The Caged Bird

Ever since that day, Shiraishi felt that his relationship with Ruri had taken a strange turn.

Although on the surface, everything seemed normal—passing notes during class and training together in the evenings—Ruri seemed distant, silent, and rarely spoke.

A few days passed like this.

On that particular day, Shiraishi went to the academy as usual, but when the first class was about to begin, he noticed that Ayane, who usually sat to his left, hadn't arrived.

This struck Shiraishi as odd.

As a member of the prestigious Hyuga clan, Ayane would never skip or be late for class. It simply wasn't in line with the conduct expected of someone from a powerful clan.

Just as the first class was about to end, footsteps could be heard outside the door.

It was Ayane, standing alone at the doorway. Without saying a word, she bit her lip, a sense of sadness and despair enveloping her.

What was even stranger was that Ayane had tied a white ribbon around her forehead, as if trying to conceal something. It was a sudden change that caught everyone's attention.

Previously, Ayane would never wear such an ribbon on her forehead.

The class teacher, Mr. Fujimura, glanced at Ayane, intending to reprimand her. However, upon noticing the profound despair and sadness in her eyes, he sighed softly, as if he understood something, and simply said, "Come in, just make sure not to be late next time."

Ayane nodded and, under the curious and puzzled gazes of her classmates, made her way to her seat and sat down.

"Good morning, Shiraishi-kun," Ayane forced a smile, trying to greet Shiraishi as usual. However, her smile seemed forced, and tears welled up in her eyes, as if they were ready to burst forth.

Before he could respond, she buried her head on the table, as if ashamed of being seen in this state, afraid of being mocked and looked down upon.

And indeed, the rest of the students looked at her with strange expressions, whispering and pointing, as if they were privy to some secret.

However, those who were unaware of the truth were merely curious and concerned for Ayane.

Shiraishi's face was filled with question marks, but he didn't ask any questions.The roots of this story extend from novell bìn origin.

Ruri glanced past Shiraishi, casting a brief look at Ayane, but remained silent.

——Ruri, do you know what happened to Ayane?

Shiraishi wrote the question on a note and handed it to Ruri. As a member of a prestigious clam, Ruri must have some knowledge of the situation.

——What else could it be? It's the "excellent" tradition of the Hyuga clan.

For Ayane, having a 'slave' mark engraved on her forehead was even crueller than being killed outright..Indeed, what a dreadful era they lived in.

If such matters were confined to the shadows, Shiraishi could reluctantly accept it. However, the Hyuga clan's rules were openly known.

What did it mean to publicly treat the other half of one's clan as 'slaves' without any attempt to conceal it?

At that moment, Shiraishi looked towards the Rock Monument in Konoha, which depicted the three carved figures of Hokages', symbolizing their great achievements in the village.

Especially the First and Second Hokage, revered by the world as the ones who ended the era of constant warfare.

And what happened afterward? The wars continued.

There was no discernible difference from the time of constant warfare, as children were still sent to battlefields.

Nothing seemed to have changed.

The only difference was that the shinobis had formed a larger village composed of various clans, establishing a system of one country, one village.

Shiraishi couldn't help but feel that their existence was filled with irony.

So-called families, if they were only at this level, the Hyuga clan's tradition had been incompatible with Konoha from the very beginning.

Logically speaking, such a Shinobi clan shouldn't have been allowed to join the Konoha Shinobi Village governed by the "Will of Fire".

The tradition of this clan was a clear denial of the "Will of Fire".

If they couldn't cherish their own clan, how could they claim to have the belief to love and care for the entire village?

Shiraishi questioned this matter with a big question mark.

In the end, he sighed and said nothing.

These days, living peacefully with Ruri had almost made him forget that he was a "heretic" in this village, destined to become a "traitor" sooner or later.

But this tranquility had made him almost forget his identity as a "traitor," and he couldn't help but yearn to blend into the village.

At that thought, Shiraishi broke into a cold sweat.

Comfort breeds complacency.

From the beginning, he had never submitted himself to Konoha. He was grateful to Konoha for teaching him the ways of the ninja, but his gratitude only extended to that aspect.