Bab 65: Hinata The Master Manipulator
A Few Months Later.
In the Hyuga Clan.
Yuki, the boy whom Hinata had saved from the cruel hands of Itachi, was lying in a very comfortable and cozy bed.
The warm sunlight cascaded through the open window, birds chirped in glee and joy, and beautiful pink petals fell from the trees into the pond beneath.
The sweet scent of flora and fauna filled the air. Members of the clan went about their work; some were guarding, some were chatting amongst themselves, and some were practicing the gentle fist in the training grounds.
Despite the massacre of the whole clan, there was no stress or panic on the faces of branch house members.
.
However, the atmosphere in the room where Yuki was sleeping was different.
He was sweating, the bedsheets soaked wet, his body shivering uncontrollably. With a blood-curdling scream, his eyes burst open, his hand raised as if he were trying to grab someone's hand.
*Huff* *Huff*
"Mother…" he muttered, his throat dry, his eyes wet. He had just experienced a nightmare where his family was murdered, and Itachi was smiling coldly at him as if mocking him.
The unfamiliar ceiling filled him with both emptiness and a sense of protection, knowing that at least he was not alone.
"Oh… you finally wake up, you were worrying me,"
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Suddenly, he heard the most beautiful, soothing voice, filled with warmth and giving a sense of familial love. The voice was so serene and tranquil that it calmed his pounding heart. It was simply too hypnotic for a boy like him.
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He tilted his head and looked at Hinata, who was sitting on a chair, her elbows resting on the table, her face cupped in her palms, and the smile on her face was enchanting.
He had become used to seeing her face in the last few months. She always sat beside his bed, sometimes calmly looking at him, sometimes fondling and caressing his hair, and sometimes preparing food for him.
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Subconsciously, his mind started to see her as the most important person. She had filled the spot of his mother and father, in actuality, he never felt he was away from home.
She never let him feel that he was alone. She was a very good, kind, and benevolent person.
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Her ability to make people believe was so high that it could leave the protagonist's halo in the dust. There was not even a comparison between them.
He couldn't let it show on his face even if he felt loved. His heart was still closed.
However, a slight change in his eyebrows, a little curve on his lips, minuscule changes in his facial expressions, the slowing down of his heartbeat, and even the chemical reactions and electrical movements in his brain were enough for Hinata to notice.
.
There was nothing that could escape her eyes.
"Did the nightmare scare you again?" she asked while ruffling his hair with a kind smile. Yuki's body softened slightly as he felt warmth on his head.
"Hmmm," he hummed softly.
"Drink some water," she said, handing him a glass filled with water and nothing else. After drinking the cold water, he visibly calmed down.
"Do you want to hear something beautiful?" Hinata asked, leaning towards the boy and looking directly into his soul. He slightly backed down, feeling the intensity of her gaze—a mix of excitement and something more profound that he couldn't understand.
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"Hmmm…" he nodded, unable to deny her. His subconscious mind knew what was good for him.
"Hehe, it will help you organize your thoughts and open up your heart to your big sister," she said, cutely poking his heart, and with excitement, she picked up a small mandolin and placed it in her lap.
*tang*
She gracefully plucked a string, strands of chakra visibly rippling in the air—an almost impossible feat for a non-Hyuga. The sound, mixed with her yin chakra, was so gentle and powerful that it caused all other voices to fade into the background. With each note, bluish and purplish chakra rippled around her fingers, creating a mesmerizing vision.
.
Yuki didn't know when, but he found himself standing in front of a vast blue ocean, his feet soaked in the seawater, each wave calming his whole being. The cool breeze caused his hair to flutter, the warm sunlight reflecting on the calm ocean was so beautiful.
Even as a child with a traumatizing past, he felt at peace, all six senses were at ease.
Suddenly, he felt someone hugging him from behind, a small whisper in his ear, "How do you feel, Yuki? Does it feel good?"
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His hand subconsciously raised towards the vast horizon, "It's so beautiful," he genuinely expressed his feelings.
"I am glad you like it," she smiled slightly and sat on the sand.
"Come, sit here," she patted the ground beside her. Both of them sat there in silence, enjoying the beauty of nature.
...
"Do you miss your parents?" she calmly asked.
There was silence for a few seconds before a little sob escaped from Yuki, "W-Why did he kill them? I-I miss them very much. I want them near me, I want to see my Mother."
Hinata looked at the poor boy, letting him empty his heart. Without interrupting, she listened to him; she was a good listener.
"Why, why, why, why did he kill them?" his fist clenched, his anger surging forth with each passing moment. The hatred for Itachi was intensifying to the point that a killing intent was emanating from him.
With each second, his anger was bubbling, his blood boiling. He wanted to kill the murderer of his parents.
Hinata just smiled at the boy in fascination, and when the iron was hot, she struck, "Do you want to kill him?"
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Without any hesitation, with fire in his eyes, he tilted his head and spoke, "Yes, I want to kill him."
She leaned towards him, a slight smirk on her face, "You know, once you start to walk this path, there is no going back!"
With a nod, he replied, "I know."
"This means total commitment. Once you begin the path, there is no leaving the path. Are you ready for that? I mean, really ready?" With that, a bone-crushing pressure emanated from her eyes, pinning the boy to his knees. If he wavered now, he would die, literally.
The pressure started to get heavier and heavier, his eyes started to close. He finally felt if he blacked out, he would never open his eyes again. There was no going back. From the start, she never expected a 'no' for an answer. This was a do-or-die situation.
Gathering his last bit of willpower, he lifted his head painfully, meeting her sharp eye. At that instant, his mind and instincts were screaming; she was far too scary. She never asked him a question; she gave him an ultimatum.
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"I WILL DO IT!!" Under the humongous pressure, a few seconds away from his death, he finally declared his resolve. There was no hesitation in his voice. His eyes turned red for an instant before going back to black.
"Good boy." With a kind smile, she patted his back, and the air around her turned back to being kind and warm.
There was an excitement in her voice; she had tested the boy's resolve, and it was rock solid.
.
Yuki's heart was pounding furiously. He was still feeling goosebumps from her pressure, the hairs on his neck were still standing.
'I never want to see that side of her again. I like her when she smiles and is kind to me. I will never do anything to anger her; I will always obey her,' he thought, looking at Hinata's smiling face. These thoughts came from the bottom of his heart.
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"Are you ready to train? Remember, you're living in a den of lions. There is my big brother Neji, Haku, Kimimaru, my two little sisters, Naruto, and there is me, and you, my little cutie, are just a cub. If you slack even for a day, if you are not unique enough to stand out, you will always be in the shadows. Are you up to the challenge?" she revealed what he would be competing with.
"I will not disappoint you."
"Hehe, that's the spirit," she said with a little laugh as she ruffled his hair.
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"There was a survivor from the massacre," she suddenly said, causing Yuki to flinch.
"Who is it?" he eagerly asked.
"Sasuke, Itachi's little brother," she said.
All of his hopes were shattered at that moment. His family's murderer had a brother, and he is still alive.
"So he spared his little brother, huh…" his anger started to rise again. What was so special about him just because he is his brother? What about his parents? What about his mother?
The anger on his face made him look cute in Hinata's eyes. With a teasing smile, she asked, "Do you want to meet him?"
"No, I don't want to," he replied without any hesitation.
"Ohh… what about Itachi? If you want, I can kill him for you," she curiously asked.
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This was a tempting offer for Yuki, but the vengeance and thirst for revenge could only be satisfied by his own hands.
"No, I will kill him, just the way he killed my parents," he asserted. He didn't want anyone to kill Itachi other than himself.
Suddenly, an idea came to his mind. He looked into her eyes, "If I kill his little brother in front of him, will he feel the same pain as I did when he killed my mother?" he asked with great expectations.
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Hinata's eyebrows raised in slight surprise. This was a little dark for a child like him. But when she looked into his eyes, she realized the hatred was real, he truly wanted to make Itachi suffer. A grin slowly started to creep onto her beautiful face.
"My, my, Yuki, you are so little to think about these things. Just remember, when the time comes, I will be beside you, and you can do whatever you want. You are one of my people, and to satisfy your needs is my duty," she lightly hugged him, distracting him from his dark thoughts. This was not the right time.
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"Now tell me, Yuki, do you feel alone?" she asked, touching his heart.
Yuki delved into his deep thoughts. For him, when Hinata was around, he never felt alone. He always felt protected. Even after his real family was dead, she never let him feel the gap in his heart. She had filled that gap with her care and love.
"When you are around me, you always feel like my mother, big sister," he truthfully told her.
Hearing the word 'big sister,' she felt a tingle in her heart.
It was a sweet feeling, slightly different from when Neji called her 'little sister' or Hanabi and Arya called her. But Hinata was Hinata, a greedy and selfish person; this feeling could be more.
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"You say I am like your mother, how so… tell me more," she sweetly asked, as if wanting to hear more.
"Hmm, you smile at me just like my mother, prepare food for me, and… and… I don't know, I just feel like it," his true feelings could not be expressed by words.
"Ohh… sweeeeet," she hugged him, this time a little tight. There was a smile on her lips that couldn't be interpreted.
"Call me Mother," she whispered, her voice dripping with honey.
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"Hm," Yuki, on the other hand, felt embarrassed. He didn't know what to say; this feeling of calling her mother was pleasant.
"Don't you like me calling you that?" she asked him.
"No," he quickly said, sensing the slight sadness in her voice. He wanted to say more, but the words seemed to stop in his throat. With a deep breath, he opened his mouth, "M-Mo-Mother," he finally said it.
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"Hehe, say it again; it feels so good," Hinata giggled. Her heart tingled, the word was so pleasant to her ears, that her body shuddered in happiness. She wanted to hear more.
Yuki felt the happiness from her laugh, and he too felt the same way, but he was shy to say it to her face. However…
"Mother," he shyly said and snuggled into her belly.
"Hehe, say it again," she giggled. This feeling, she wanted to feel it again and again, more and more, to the point where her smile started to look slightly psychopathic.
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"Mother," he quietly whispered, a genuine smile on his face. He finally felt it. He was at home, in his mother's embrace. He tightly hugged her; this time, he would not let go.
"Haha..hehe… say it again…" she laughed and asked again…
*shook*
Yuki slightly shook his head in confusion. Hinata was sitting in front of him with a kind smile, holding the mandolin.
"Huh… what did you do?" he asked.
Raising her hand, Hinata ruffled his hair, "When you grow up, you will be able to do these little tricks."
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Although she called it a trick, by no means was it a little one. Hinata again raised her hand, and countless silk-like chakra threads started to weave on her fingertip, creating an invisible mask.
She touched Yuki's forehead, and the mask was placed on his face, all the threads connected to tenketsu points on his face.
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"What did you do?" he curiously asked, having not noticed anything.
"Look, you are the same as me. When you go outside the clan compound, nobody will find out that you are a Uchiha, and thus there will be no danger to you and your new home," she said, emphasizing the word 'new home'.
She then brought out a piece of mirror and showed him his reflection. There were no major changes except that his black eyes were now just like Hinata's.
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"Are you happy now?" she asked.
"Hmmm," he hummed and nodded.
"I am going now. You can play with the kids or read some books, okay?" she put the mandolin in a mini-scroll and gave a last ruffle to his hair before walking out of his room.
*Step* *step*
Her every step echoed in the wooden hall and was soon followed by another pair of steps.
"This time, you took it to a whole another level," there was amazement and amusement in his voice.
"The Genjutsu or the consolment?" she asked in ignorance. In her view, she didn't manipulate the boy; she simply consoled him, saved him from his trauma, and offered her shoulder to rely on.
"Both," Ren plainly said.
While walking forward, she tilted her head and looked at Ren with a slight smirk on her face, "So, you were there."
"Of course, I was enjoying the beach and the drama,"
"Hehe, I took it as a compliment," she brushed off his remark with a laugh.
Ren didn't comment on her methods to manipulate the boy into her palm. From the beginning, he knew she would do anything to achieve her goals, whether by willingness or acceptance (Saam), by bribery or corruption (Daam), by punishment (Dand), by dividing (Bhed), or by creating an illusion (Maya).
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And this time was no different. After some months of taking care and making a profound impression on his young mind, she created an illusion so great that it touched the borders of reality and made it comfortable for the boy to open up his heart.
Then she used his willingness for revenge against him to make him disciplined in achieving the power needed.
Then she used her own powers to set an upper limit for him to cross so he would do his best to surpass her and be recognized by her.
And finally, she exploited his soft spot for his mother and replaced it with herself.
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And lo and behold, he became her son. She did it so majestically and smoothly that from now on, there won't be any chance of defiance and betrayal from him.
After all, she was his mother, and he was her son.
...
"Why are you so silent, Ren?" Her question woke him up from his inner thoughts.
"I have no words."
Even though the sun was rising in the sky, the house they were walking in was silent, dark, and somehow gloomy. The windows were closed, and the curtains were down, just like her lab and bedroom.
"Why always the dark atmosphere?" he couldn't help but ask. He had wanted to ask this question for many years.
She waved her hand dismissively. "No reason, it just feels like home," she honestly replied.
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Just like the air in space, privacy between them was nonexistent.
After answering the question, they walked in silence, lost in their own thoughts.
"There is something you should know," Ren suddenly said.
"I am all ears, go on," she simply said.
"There is one person from the branch house. He is not happy about clan traditions," Ren said without any emotion.
To be honest, the Caged Bird Seal was never used for decades by the clan head or any member of the main house. But it existed, and some people felt it was unfair.
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Ren continued, "There might be some others, but he is showing his dissatisfaction openly."
"I see," she nodded. She was not angry at the said Hyuga. This was basic human thinking, but there was a hint of annoyance in her eyes.
"Didn't he know that he is only safe in the clan compounds, whether he likes it or not? Every village wants to steal a pair of Byakugan, and even Konoha is not safe," she said.
Ren nodded because he had seen the outside world and fought in the 3rd Great Shinobi War, so he knew how the world works and how valuable Byakugan is. A single unprotected man is just a piece of meat for hungry wolves to devour.
"Maybe an example is needed so there won't be any situations like this," Ren suggested.
Hinata pointed her finger towards him, and with a smirk, she said, "Now you're talking my language."
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"The Caged Bird Seal is so ancient; it needs a great evolution, and the time is right for it," she said.
Hinata had many plans for the seal's upgrade, and she had been working on it in her spare time for the last two years.
"How much time does it need to complete it?" Ren asked, obviously aware of it.
"Hmm… if I put all my focus on it, then one year, and if on the current pace, it might take three years," she replied.
"So, three years then, huh…" Ren nodded.
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End of the chapter, how do you like it?
A timeskip is coming.... are you ready...
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
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