Konoha. An ordinary morning.
Relentless rain washed over the village, shrouding it in a muted gray haze.
Inside a small psychological clinic at the end of the street, a middle-aged mother looked at her son, no longer withdrawn and silent as he once was, and said with heartfelt gratitude, "Doctor, I truly don't know how to thank you. He seems so much more cheerful now."
Seated behind his desk, Hyūga Kei wore a gentle smile.
"This is simply my duty. Just remember to spend more time with him. A child's growth depends greatly on the presence of family…"
After a few more polite words, he waved goodbye to the mother and son. The warmth on his face gradually faded back into calm neutrality.
Parents consumed by work, children left alone at home, personalities shrinking inward until silence becomes a habit, he had seen far too many cases like this.
Mental illness was not like physical illness. It could not be cured primarily with medicine. It required dialogue, guidance, release, confession. Words were both the scalpel and the suture.
To Kei, that case had been little more than child's play.
He could mend other people's hearts.
But he himself could never return to what he once was.
Even now, he didn't know how fate could be so cruel. In his previous life, he had been a professor of psychology and a practicing clinician. While volunteering at an orphanage, his vision had suddenly gone black, and when he opened his eyes, he had awakened in this perilous world of shinobi, reborn as a branch member of the Hyūga Clan.
If that had been all, he might have endured it.
But after transmigrating, his eyes had inexplicably gone blind. The power of the Byakugan was gone.
For a Hyūga, what could be more tragic?
Fortunately, when heaven closes a door, it opens a window. He had obtained a system called Psychological Consultation.
By treating patients, he could receive rewards based on the effectiveness of the therapy, or the degree to which he disturbed their hearts.
From his observations over the past month, most rewards originated from the patient themselves.
For instance, if he treated a shinobi proficient in the Great Fireball Technique, there was a high probability he would gain that shinobi's insights into the jutsu, allowing him to master or deepen his understanding of it rapidly.
And so, returning to his old profession, he used the funds left behind by his parents to open this psychological clinic within the village.
With his exceptional psychological expertise, he had already begun building a modest reputation in just one month.
The rain outside intensified, falling in denser sheets. Convinced no one else would come, Kei reached for the metal blind cane resting beside his chair, preparing to close for the day.
Just then, faint footsteps sounded at the door.
Perhaps because he could not see, his other senses had sharpened considerably. He could clearly perceive the world around him, reconstructing its form within his mind.
Such cold chakra.
A member of the Uchiha Clan?
With a quick mental profile of the visitor's identity and general appearance, Kei suppressed his curiosity and calmly sat back down.
Sensing the visitor take a seat across from him, he spoke first.
"Hyūga Kei. You may simply call me Doctor. How may I help you?"
As he spoke, he deftly retrieved a medical notebook from his pocket, ready to record.
Though he could not see what he wrote, it was a habit from his previous life, one he had no intention of abandoning.
"Uchiha Shisui. I have a few questions for you."
"Uchiha…" Kei wrote the name automatically, then paused mid-stroke.
He subtly lifted his head, as though "examining" the man before him.
"Shisui of the Body Flicker?"
"Yes. Unless there is another who bears that title."
Kei's brow furrowed slightly, his smile fading.
"Are you here for treatment? If not, I suggest you leave."
Shisui blinked, momentarily stunned. Studying the Hyūga doctor who appeared roughly his own age, he asked, "As a physician, is this how you normally speak to your patients?"
"So you believe you are ill?" Kei countered.
Interest flickered in Shisui's eyes.
Kei, on the other hand, felt only misfortune.
Of all people, an Uchiha, and it had to be this one.
If memory served, Uchiha Itachi was eleven this year. That meant Shisui's death was not far off. At a time like this, Kei wanted nothing to do with him.
Danzō Shimura, ever the schemer, was likely watching Shisui from the shadows. If Kei were dragged into that web, it would spell trouble.
Thus his coldness was deliberate. He hoped Shisui would take the hint and leave.
But Shisui did not rise.
"You seem to dislike me," he said calmly. "Why?"
Kei inhaled slowly. Shisui had clearly sensed the hostility, yet he remained. Troublesome.
Setting his pen down, Kei said, "Very well. What psychological problem does the famed Shisui of the Body Flicker wish to consult me about?"
"Not everyone who comes here must be a patient," Shisui replied evenly.
"This is a place for psychological consultation," Kei said flatly, "not a social gathering. If you have no issue to discuss, kindly do not waste our time."
His words were curt, almost dismissive, but Shisui persisted.
"I initially only wished to understand something. But now, I truly have a question."
Without waiting for permission, Shisui asked:
"If the village and one's clan were to come into conflict, what should one do?"
Troublesome indeed.
Kei cursed inwardly.
The meaning was obvious: the strained relationship between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha.
Several years had passed since the Nine-Tails Incident. Though the village had regained outward calm, tensions with the Uchiha had only worsened.
Whether through subtle manipulation or other forces at play, most villagers now believed the Nine-Tails' attack had been the Uchiha's doing. Combined with the Police Force's rigid enforcement style, resentment had festered. The divide seemed irreparable.
Under such circumstances, Kei had no desire to meddle. He was a psychologist, not a savior.
He considered refusing.
But Shisui would not let the matter rest so easily.
And besides, such a valuable "patient" was rare. Letting him go would be wasteful.
Recalling the system's mechanics, Kei reached a decision.
He did not need to cure Shisui.
He merely needed to disturb his heart.
The system rewarded emotional upheaval just as well as healing.
That would suffice.
Focusing his senses, Kei felt the turbulence within Shisui. Despite his composed exterior, his emotions were tangled.
Worries and fear. Or perhaps, dread.
Kei understood what to do.
From Shisui's perspective, the indifferent doctor across from him entered a strange state.
Kei's dull, sightless eyes fixed upon him.
Shisui felt exposed, as though body and soul alike were being stripped bare beneath that empty gaze, like a sheep flayed of its wool.
Before he could react, Kei spoke.
"I know you desire an answer. I will give you mine, on one condition. Once you hear it, you will cease troubling me."
"Oh?" Shisui's eyes narrowed slightly. "And what is it?"
"Destruction."
Kei's voice was calm, almost indifferent.
"What you long for is nothing more than an impossible dream. Your choice cannot prevent what is coming."
Ignoring Shisui's expression, dark and heavy as the storm outside, Kei tilted his head slightly.
"This is my answer. Are you satisfied?"
A deafening crash of thunder split the air.
The rain, already relentless, grew fiercer still.
As Shisui fell silent, a voice only Kei could hear echoed softly in his ear:
[Psychological consultation complete. The patient was deeply shaken by your words.
Mental disturbance level: Exceptional.]
[Reward obtained: Phantom Body Flicker Technique]
[Note: Shisui's signature technique. Upon activation, multiple phantoms are created within a designated area. The phantoms replicate the user's movements, and the user may freely switch between them, blending illusion and reality seamlessly.]
300 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter
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