Morning light filtered through the paper screens of the Hyūga compound, soft and pale, like the breath of a world that refused to fully awaken. Renji rose before it could touch the floor, as always. His movements were slow today—not from laziness, but from the dull heaviness lingering in his limbs after yesterday's punishment.
The seal beneath his blindfold pulsed faintly, a lingering burn that seemed to echo even his smallest thoughts.
He tied the blindfold carefully, ensuring the cloth fully covered the twisted markings that spread around his eyes. The habit had already grown automatic. He could no longer imagine stepping outside without it.
His first task awaited him in the north corridor: cleaning the walkway leading to the heiresses' quarters.
The broom felt heavy in his small hands, but he lifted it without hesitation.
A servant's life allowed no hesitation.
As he swept the stones, voices drifted from the rooms beyond.
"Lady Hinata, please hold your stance. Your balance must be stable."
"Like this…?"
"S-S-Sorry…"
Renji paused for a moment.
His Byakugan activated automatically beneath the blindfold, and through the walls he saw her: Hinata, standing in a basic academy-ready guard stance, arms trembling, feet too close together. Her instructor corrected her gently—gentler than most Hyūga teachers ever were—but Hinata still flinched at every touch.
She was trying so hard.
Renji returned to sweeping.
He was not allowed to watch. Not allowed to interfere. Not allowed to speak unless spoken to.
But when she stumbled and fell to her knees, he felt the pang in her chakra—frustration, sadness, self-blame—and the seal reflected it as a faint, uncomfortable tug behind his forehead.
It was strange.
Hinata's emotions became echoes in his own body.
Her shame felt like pressure behind his ribs.
Her fear made his breath tighten.
Her sadness filled the seal with a dull ache.
He wondered whether she felt anything in return—whether the seal connected them both or only him to her.
He doubted the clan would allow such a thing.
By midday, Renji's tasks shifted toward the inner gardens. He carried a stack of fresh towels, walking carefully along the stone path. As he approached the small bridge crossing the koi pond, he heard laughter.
Children.
Branch children.
A group of them stood at the edge of the pond, throwing small stones into the water. They turned when they saw Renji.
"Hey. You. Servant boy."
Renji bowed his head. "Good afternoon."
One stepped closer, smirking. "Why are you still wearing that stupid blindfold? Are you pretending to be mysterious or something?"
Renji kept his tone quiet. "It is necessary."
"For what? Hiding your ugly face?" The boy laughed, and the others joined.
Renji bowed again. "I apologize if it offends—"
"It does," another boy said, shoving him lightly with his foot. "Everything about you offends the clan."
Renji didn't move.
If he stepped back, he might provoke them.
If he steadied himself, they would think he was resisting.
If he fell, he would be punished for causing a scene.
So he stood still.
One of the younger boys picked up a pebble and tossed it lightly at Renji's shoulder—not hard, just enough to sting.
"Even the main branch doesn't want him," he whispered. "That's why they sealed him like a wild dog."
"Did they really?" another asked, eyes wide. "I heard the seal covers his whole face."
"It's true," someone else whispered. "My father said he screamed a lot."
Renji's hands tightened around the towels.
He wasn't allowed to defend himself.
He wasn't allowed to deny what happened.
He wasn't allowed to say anything.
One of the boys crouched and stared at his blindfold.
"Hey… what do your eyes look like now? Did the seal twist them? Are they ugly?"
Renji remained silent.
"Yes," he finally said, voice steady. "They are ugly."
The children blinked.
They hadn't expected that answer.
They looked away, suddenly uncomfortable.
Renji continued past them, carefully carrying the towels toward the training hall.
When he reached the hall, he placed the towels in the side room and turned to leave—only to sense familiar chakra.
Hinata.
She approached the hall entrance with uncertain steps, accompanied by her attendant. Her eyes widened the moment she saw him.
"R-Renji…"
Her attendant frowned. "Lady Hinata, your next lesson awaits. Do not linger."
Hinata hesitated—then gathered a small burst of courage.
"Wait… please," she whispered, and the attendant sighed but stopped.
Hinata took a timid step closer.
Renji bowed deeply. "Lady Hinata."
"I… I saw you sweeping earlier," she murmured. "Your back looked… um… stiff. Are you… still hurting?"
Renji straightened slowly. "It is nothing."
"That's not true…" she whispered.
Hinata clasped her hands nervously, eyes darting around to make sure no elders were near.
"I heard the branch children were teasing you again," she said, voice small but earnest. "Um… you don't… have to listen to them…"
Renji shook his head.
"I do," he said gently. "They are members of the clan. I am not."
Hinata bit her lip.
She hated that answer.
He felt it through the seal—a faint tremor of frustration.
"I… I don't think that's right," she whispered.
Renji wanted to tell her:
Don't say such things aloud. They'll punish you.
But he remained silent.
Hinata stepped closer—so close he could feel the warmth of her chakra even through the blindfold.
She reached out—hesitating at the last second—but finally pressed something small and wrapped into his hands.
A piece of sweet mochi.
"I… saved it for you," she whispered. "In case… you didn't get to eat again."
Renji's fingers clenched around it, trembling slightly.
"…Thank you, Lady Hinata."
She smiled—a small, fragile smile.
Then her attendant cleared her throat sharply.
"Lady Hinata. Your time is up."
Hinata flinched.
"I-I'll come again," she whispered hurriedly. "Please take care of yourself… Renji."
She was pulled away before he could reply.
Renji stood alone in the corridor for a long moment, holding the small gesture of kindness between his hands.
Sweetness.
Warmth.
Concern.
Things he wasn't supposed to have.
Things he wasn't supposed to feel.
Yet he felt them anyway.
And that frightened him more than the seal.
As evening approached, Renji's final task was assigned: accompany the older servants to heat water for the heiresses' baths. It was quiet work, mostly carrying buckets and stoking the fire.
But as he worked, something inside the seal stirred suddenly—sharp, urgent, painful.
Renji gasped and clutched his forehead.
What—?
Hinata's chakra flared sharply from her training room—frightened, unstable.
Something had happened.
Renji did not think.
He ran.
Blindfold or not, Byakugan guided him through corridors and corners until he reached the small dojo where Hinata trained.
Through the wall, he saw her—
On the floor.
Crying.
Shaking.
Her palms red from striking practice.
Her breathing fast and shallow.
Her instructor stood nearby, expression concerned but strict.
"You must try again, Lady Hinata. Calm your breathing."
"I-I can't…" she sobbed. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
The seal pulsed painfully.
Renji pressed a hand against the wall, breath shuddering.
Hinata's pain hurt him.
Hinata's fear hurt him.
Because the seal was reacting.
Because he was bound to her emotion.
And because he cared—
far more than he should.
He forced his breathing steady, calming his chakra.
If he remained distressed, the seal might activate accidentally—something the clan would never forgive.
Hinata cried harder.
Renji turned away.
He wasn't allowed to comfort her.
He wasn't allowed to speak to her.
He wasn't allowed to interfere.
All he could do was kneel silently outside the dojo—
while her tears echoed through his own heart like a blade.
That night, lying on his thin bedding, Renji touched the blindfold lightly.
He whispered into the darkness:
"I am your servant, Lady Hinata… but I fear…"
His voice trembled.
"…one day, I will not be able to endure how much your pain feels like my own."
And with that truth—
sleep came slowly, heavy and full of chains.
Morning came too quickly.
The Hyūga compound was still dim and quiet when Renji stepped outside to begin his first task of the day: clearing the central courtyard of fallen leaves. His hands felt stiff, not from the cold, but from the emotional strain that clung to him from the night before.
The seal had throbbed for hours after sensing Hinata's distress.
Even now, it pulsed faintly beneath the blindfold, as if reminding him that her emotions were now interwoven with his own.
He swept slowly, deliberately, trying to quiet his thoughts.
He failed.
Because no matter how much he tried to focus on the simple rhythm of broom against stone, he kept seeing Hinata's trembling hands, her tear-filled eyes, her whispered apologies as she tried—desperately—to meet expectations too heavy for her small frame.
He could endure endless punishments.
But watching her suffer—
even from behind a wall—
felt worse.
He paused slightly, breathing unevenly.
The seal responded instantly with a faint spark.
Right.
He needed to stay calm.
For her.
Hinata's chakra appeared faintly in his Byakugan's range, still in her room, still waking. Her emotions were quieter today—embarrassment, sadness, and exhaustion, but also something else.
Determination.
She was trying again.
Renji felt a small tug of pride.
Then forced it away.
Servants weren't allowed pride.
Especially not pride in the heiress.
He resumed sweeping.
A few minutes later, a group of older female attendants passed by, speaking in hushed voices.
"Lady Hinata cried again during training yesterday."
"She's too soft. Too gentle."
"She won't survive the academy if this keeps up."
"And that servant boy? His seal responded loudly. I heard it from the corridor."
"Well of course. That cursed variant links him too closely. He'll feel everything those children feel."
"Poor thing. Or maybe it's what he deserves."
Renji kept his eyes down.
He wasn't supposed to hear.
But he heard everything.
One of the attendants noticed him and paused.
"Boy."
Renji bowed instantly. "Yes?"
"Come here."
He approached, broom held respectfully against his side.
The woman squinted at his blindfold.
"You're still wearing that? Are the marks so bad?"
Renji kept his head lowered. "…I was instructed to keep it on."
"To avoid frightening Lady Hanabi?"
"Yes."
The attendant sighed. "Well… at least you look less unsettling with it on. Those markings were unnatural."
Another whispered, "Ugly."
Renji didn't flinch.
He had learned long ago that insults hurt less when repeated countless times.
But the seal flickered faintly—
a reminder of Hinata's sadness the night before.
He couldn't let today go the same way.
So he bowed again, silently returning to his work.
After morning chores, Renji was assigned to escort Hinata during her outdoor walking practice. The task wasn't formal protection—he wasn't allowed to be called a guard—but he always walked a short distance behind the heiress during certain morning routines.
At first, he had worried his presence would make her stiffen with anxiety.
But over time…
Hinata had grown more comfortable with him quietly at her back.
Now she walked through the garden path, small and timid, but calmer than yesterday. She practiced her breathing and posture—steps light, hands held in a traditional Hyūga position for balance.
Renji followed precisely three steps behind, as instructed.
Her attendant walked beside her, correcting her occasionally.
"Lady Hinata, keep your back straight. And look forward, not downward."
"I-I'm trying…"
"You must do more than try."
Hinata stumbled slightly.
Renji reacted without thinking—
shifting forward a fraction, ready to catch her—
but stopping himself at the last instant.
He wasn't allowed to touch her unless she fell.
He wasn't allowed to speak unless spoken to.
He wasn't allowed to interfere in training.
Hinata recovered her balance, cheeks flushing faintly with embarrassment.
Her attendant sighed. "Again."
Hinata lifted her chin obediently.
Renji followed quietly.
And the seal pulsed with every small tremor of her emotion.
When the practice ended, Hinata approached him hesitantly.
"R-Renji… um… thank you. For… um… staying today."
Renji bowed deeply. "It is my duty."
"But… I'm still sorry you felt… the other day… when I…"
She lowered her head, cheeks pink.
"When I cried."
Renji stiffened.
He had hoped she didn't know.
He had hoped she didn't feel the connection.
"The seal reacts to your chakra," he explained softly. "It is normal."
"But I don't want it to hurt you…"
Her voice trembled with genuine worry.
Renji shook his head. "Your feelings can never hurt me, Lady Hinata."
She looked up, surprised.
A small warmth flared in her chakra.
The seal echoed it—
gentle, warm, comforting.
Hinata opened her mouth, as if wanting to say something else, but her attendant called to her sharply.
"Lady Hinata! Time for your calligraphy lesson."
Hinata flinched.
"Ah—yes!"
She hurried away, pausing only once to glance back at Renji with a soft, lingering look he could feel even through the blindfold.
Renji stayed kneeling until she was out of sight.
Only then did he let his shoulders sag slightly.
Hinata's kindness was gentle.
Too gentle.
And for someone in his position, too dangerous.
If the elders ever realized how close she felt to him…
He pressed a hand lightly over his blindfold.
Do not drift too close, he warned himself.
For both our sakes.
But the truth was undeniable:
Every day, her kindness pulled him closer—
and every day, the seal bound their lives tighter.
In the afternoon, Renji was sent to gather medicinal herbs from the greenhouse area behind the compound. It was peaceful there, away from the scrutiny of the main halls. The scent of soil and leaves soothed him. For a moment, he allowed himself a fragile breath of calm.
He reached for a cluster of mint leaves—
and froze.
A faint cry echoed in his ears.
Hanabi.
His Byakugan snapped into focus, tracing her location—a nearby room where she was being fed by the nurse. The baby was crying, frustrated and restless.
Renji wasn't expected there.
He wasn't allowed there.
But her emotion—
pure, sharp, childish distress—
stabbed through the seal like a surge of heat.
Renji clenched the herb basket.
So even a baby's cries… affect me.
He steadied himself.
He needed calm.
He inhaled deeply.
Exhaled slowly.
Lowered his chakra output.
The seal pulsed—
then softened.
Hanabi's crying eased shortly afterward.
Renji blinked behind the blindfold.
Can the seal influence my chakra in return…?
Or… am I influencing theirs?
Before he could think more, the sound of quick footsteps interrupted him.
"Renji!"
A young servant boy ran into the garden, panting.
"Th-The elders want you at the front hall!"
Renji stood immediately.
"Is it urgent?"
"Yes! They said to bring you QUICKLY!"
Renji nodded and ran.
What now?
Punishment?
A new task?
A new restriction?
He arrived at the front hall and knelt instantly.
"You called for me."
An elder approached, expression stern but not angry.
"You are to escort Lady Hinata to the academy grounds tomorrow," he said. "She is to observe the training of children her age. You will accompany her, carry her things, and ensure she does not wander."
Renji bowed.
"Yes."
"She must not cry again," the elder added sharply. "Whatever emotional disturbance she experiences will reflect through your seal. You will remain calm at all times and maintain distance."
Renji bowed deeper.
"Yes."
The elder stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"And remember—your presence outside the compound is a privilege, not a right. Do not speak to outsiders unless directed. Do not draw attention. Do not raise your head."
Renji bowed until his forehead nearly touched the floor.
"I will obey."
"Good. Prepare yourself."
The elder left.
Renji rose slowly.
Tomorrow… he would follow Hinata outside the compound.
Into the village.
Into the world.
For the first time… in his entire life.
And the weight of that possibility settled on him like a mix of fear—
and something dangerously close to hope.
___________________________________________
Details about bonus content can be found on my profile page.