Hayate stared at Hinata's large, gentle eyes, uncertain whether he should tell her the truth.
"Wruff! Wruff!"Akamaru barked twice from the top of Kiba's head, sniffing the air curiously. Then Kiba's nose twitched, and his eyes fell on the faint bloodstain darkening Hayate's sleeve.
"Hayate—" he blurted. "You… you actually killed that guy?!"
Hayate's fists clenched. Then loosened. Then clenched again.He forced a smile. "We're shinobi," he said quietly.
Kiba paused, then exhaled through his nose. "…Yeah. Ninjas."
The group left the Land of Tea behind. Before long, they came upon a small open-air teahouse nestled by the roadside, where an old man was busy tending to customers.
"Boss, three cups of tea," Hayate said, finding a clean table and sitting down. Because of the forehead protector gleaming on his head, several patrons glanced over curiously.
"Right away, honored guests!" the old man replied cheerfully.
As they sat, Hayate noticed that Hinata seemed lost in thought. Her expression was soft, but shadowed.
"What's wrong, Hinata?" he asked gently. "You've been worrying the whole way here."
"Oh… I…" Hinata lowered her head, tapping her index fingers together nervously. "I'm just worried about Kurenai-sensei and Lord Jiraiya…"
"Don't worry." Hayate smiled. "They'll be fine. Jiraiya's one of the Legendary Sannin. There's nothing to worry about."
"One of the… three legendary ninja?" Hinata's eyes widened. "That means… he's really strong?"
Kiba's ears perked up; Akamaru wagged his tail. "Yeah, Hayate—tell us! What's he like?"
"He's incredible," Hayate said, grinning. "As for the details… you'll find out soon enough."
"Tch!" Kiba scoffed, crossing his arms. "You don't even know, do you?"
Hayate chuckled, seeing right through the challenge. "I'll tell you later," he said simply.
Hinata giggled softly behind her hand. "Brother Hayate, that's so mean—you're teasing Kiba again."
I just wanted to see you smile, Hayate thought, helplessly raising his hands in mock surrender.
He stole a glance at Hinata. The way the sunlight touched her pale cheeks made his chest tighten slightly. She's… really cute.
"Brother Hayate?" Hinata suddenly called out.
"Eh? What is it?" Hayate straightened, flustered. "Something wrong?"
"Look over there," she whispered, pointing to a little girl not far away. The child sat on the ground, a basket full of flowers beside her, watching a line of ants crawl past.
"She feels… strange somehow," Hinata murmured, frowning.
"Strange?" Hayate tilted his head. "I'll check."
He walked over. The girl couldn't have been more than nine or ten. Her hair was neat and dark, her skin pale and spotless. She stared down at the ants, occasionally poking them gently with a fingertip.
Hayate didn't sense anything unusual—until the girl suddenly pressed one of the ants flat with her finger. Then, without warning, she looked up at him.
"Big brother," she asked sweetly, "why are you staring at me?"
Her voice was soft, but something in it sent a shiver down Hayate's spine.
"Ah… I was just curious," he said awkwardly. "Why did you… kill the ants?"
The girl tilted her head, thought for a moment, and replied in a calm, almost melodic tone.
"Because… it hurts to live."
The words froze Hayate's breath. From a child that young, they were chilling.
She looked at him again, those wide, glassy eyes reflecting nothing but an eerie light. "Big brother… does it hurt for you too?"
The question struck straight through him. Why would she ask that? For a second, Hayate wondered if she could see right through him—to the guilt he was still trying to bury.
He took a slow breath. "No. It doesn't hurt," he answered gently. "Because there are people who care about me. People I want to protect. And… I have things I need to do."
"Oh?" The girl's brows lifted slightly. "Then you must be very tired."But then she smiled—a dazzling, fragile smile. "It's fun talking with you, brother. But my hands are dirty, so don't go anywhere, okay? I'll just chase a few ants and come right back!"
She stood, plucked a single flower from her basket—a crimson rose—and held it out to him. "Here. This is for you. My name's Mayfair. Don't forget it."
Hayate accepted the flower carefully. "Mayfair, huh? Are your friends around? I don't see anyone else here."
Shff—!
A cold gust rippled through the air.Two men dressed in black appeared on the road ahead, kneeling down with perfect synchrony.
"I am late," one said solemnly. "May the master forgive our sin."
Hayate blinked. What the—? Who are these guys? Some kind of system reward?No—the system never gave him anything that generous. That meant… these were Mayfair's subordinates?
"Let's go," Mayfair said suddenly.
Her bright, innocent smile vanished in an instant.The warmth drained from her face, replaced by an expression as cold and lifeless as winter frost.
In the next heartbeat, all four of them—Mayfair and her men—disappeared.
Hayate stood frozen.Only when Hinata tugged lightly on his sleeve did he come back to himself. He looked down at the rose still in his hand—its petals a deep, blood-red hue that shimmered faintly in the wind.
"Because… living hurts…"
Mayfair's words echoed in his mind. His chest ached, as though a cold blade had slipped between his ribs.
So that was her—the leader of the Blood Clan…
Five of them, he realized. One had died fighting Hanzō of the Salamander. Another—Ryosuke Naraku—he had killed himself. That left three.
He exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of what was to come pressing on his shoulders.
Far in the distance, the Land of Tea lay quiet beneath a pale sky. Hayate knew it would soon become a battlefield—a storm that even now was gathering strength. But their opponents were Jiraiya and the others. The Blood Clan's end was inevitable.
Still… he couldn't shake the faint ache left by that little girl's words.
"Because living hurts…"
He closed his hand around the rose. The petals trembled, scattering one by one into the wind.
Come back to me…Can you come back?