Yeah I think it's this chap I think that made me dislike the MC. Kinda reminds me of Aizen and hinamori ..hehe
...
Chapter 59: The Sun Just Does What It Does
"I... haven't done anything extraordinary."
Hyuga Kiyonari stared at the screen ahead, voice low but exceptionally clear.
"Please, don't see me as too special."
His tone carried a gravity Hinata had rarely heard since meeting him. He'd even used "please"—a word he didn't say lightly.
Hinata couldn't suppress a tremor. Her grip on his wrist unconsciously tightened.
"Hinata." Kiyonari noticed her tension and softened his tone slightly. "We're friends. Friends don't need this kind of complexity. Many things don't come from some necessary reason—they're just because 'I wanted to do them.'"
"The more special you make me out to be, the more nonexistent meaning you assign to 'Hyuga Kiyonari,' the further... the real Hyuga Kiyonari moves from you."
He sighed quietly and finally turned his head.
"People are good at filling in blanks—unconsciously imagining things as more beautiful or profound than they are. But strip away those imaginings, and I'm just an ordinary person."
"You say you've always needed me. But what have I done? Ate with you, walked with you, talked with you. I was just there when you felt pressured, providing temporary shelter. But as for solving the actual root of your pressures, the fundamental problems—I haven't really helped with anything concrete."
"The one who's been standing at the front, truly facing and working to overcome difficulties... that's always been Hyuga Hinata."
Hinata's pupils dilated slightly. Her fingers, which had been gripping Kiyonari's wrist so tightly, gradually loosened their pressure and finally slipped away.
She remained silent for a long while. Only when the movie neared its end did she finally lift her head.
"You're right."
Hinata was smiling. Not forced, not resigned—just a simple smile without complex meaning.
But... the sun doesn't shine for some special purpose. It just does what it does, and that alone changes the world.
...
By the time the movie ended, night had deepened considerably.
Uzumaki Naruto dragged his exhausted but thoroughly satisfied body up to his apartment. He lived on the top floor in a single room.
As he inserted his key into the lock, he habitually called to the empty room, "I'm home."
However, when the door swung open, warm yellow light filled the space.
His apartment was simple—you could see everything at a glance. There wasn't even a proper place for guests. Yet right now, his room's only visitor sat on his bed.
Sarutobi Hiruzen wore a gentle smile, watching the child who'd just returned home. "Little Naruto, did you have fun today?"
"Old man Hokage! What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here"—this reflexive question replaced the usual hopeful "You finally came."
Sarutobi Hiruzen clearly froze. He hadn't expected his position in Naruto's heart to shift so rapidly. Though he'd anticipated this... Ah, well.
"I came to check on you." He suppressed various thoughts, voice remaining warm.
Naruto bounced excitedly before Sarutobi Hiruzen, spreading his arms wide and gesturing with exaggerated movements. "Old man Hokage, I met so many people today!"
"First I ran into Sasuke, then Kiyonari... We went for barbecue together—that shop's meat was delicious! And then! Kiyonari took us all to see a movie..."
Naruto counted on his fingers, asking with utmost seriousness, "After experiencing so much together, they should all be my friends now, right? Old man Hokage?"
"Of course they're friends." Sarutobi Hiruzen confirmed his thinking. "As long as you had fun together, that makes you friends."
"That's amazing!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe and asked, "Naruto, I also heard you got into a fight... Did you have a conflict with someone?"
Naruto explained urgently. "Even though Sasuke and I fought, I could tell he's actually a good person."
"Oh?" Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at him with interest. "How so?"
Naruto thought carefully before answering. "The fight wasn't entirely his fault. We both found each other irritating. But using Kiyonari's words, it's called... not fighting something-or-other?"
"Friendship through combat," Sarutobi Hiruzen prompted.
"Right, right!" Naruto nodded repeatedly and continued. "When I got burned by the hot meat, Sasuke called me an idiot but still passed me a drink. When I was too full, Sasuke gave me stomach medicine."
"Also, when Kiyonari said he'd treat everyone, Sasuke was clearly worried he didn't have enough money, but claimed it was Kiyonari's own problem. I've never met anyone so dishonest before."
"Then... Naruto." Sarutobi Hiruzen's tone grew even more gentle. "What kind of person do you think Kiyonari is?"
Naruto tilted his head, thinking seriously for a moment. "I think Kiyonari is just Kiyonari. Just like in his eyes, Naruto is just Naruto. We're all just people keeping our shit warm."
The moment those words left his mouth, Sarutobi Hiruzen's face crumpled. A cloud of smoke choked out through his nose.
...
Meanwhile, Uchiha Sasuke pushed open his front door. The moment he removed his shoes, his mother Mikoto heard the commotion and walked over from the living room.
"Sasuke, your father and I were delayed with some matters today. Have you eaten dinner?"
"Already ate, Mom."
Sasuke moved his somewhat stiff shoulders as he headed toward the living room, clearly tired.
"You ate out?" Mikoto asked curiously. "With whom? What did you eat?"
"Barbecue. Kiyonari dragged me along."
"Oh?" Mikoto clearly wasn't letting this go. "Who's Kiyonari? I don't recall you mentioning him before."
Sasuke's steps halted. He turned his head slightly, avoiding his mother's too-direct gaze, using that awkwardly tsundere tone while trying to maintain composure.
"Hyuga Kiyonari. I guess you could call him a friend."
In front of family, he was rarely this honest. No "he's alright" or "decent enough" tsundere deflections—he'd directly admitted Kiyonari was his friend.
Surprise flashed through Mikoto's eyes. Sasuke, who constantly talked about his brother and couldn't go three sentences without mentioning "not as good as brother," had suddenly made a friend—and from the Hyuga clan, no less?
Before she could ask for details, Sasuke continued. "Though he invited too many people. Even went to see some movie. Such a hassle..."
"Who all was there?" Mikoto asked with a smile.
She understood her son too well. For him to sit down and eat with others, even willingly go along to have fun—that alone spoke volumes.
"Three girls and some idiot named Naruto."
Mikoto's smile froze instantly.
Sasuke caught his mother's abnormal reaction. "Mom, what's wrong?"
Mikoto snapped back to attention, as if emerging from distant thoughts. "Nothing... By the way, how was this child called Naruto?"
"How should I know? Just met him today."
He'd planned to end the topic there, but seeing the worry on his mother's face—though not understanding why—he added another sentence.
"With Kiyonari as his friend, he can't be too bad."
***
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