Shoi stood a few feet away, his eyes lowering as the tension between them thickened.
"Y-you've got a... strong... reaction," he muttered, his voice uncertain.
Hinata's heart raced. Her voice caught in her throat, unsure of what to say.
"I didn't mean to—" Shoi began, taking a hesitant step forward. "It was an accident."
He looked at her as if trying to soften the blow. "When I entered the bath, I didn't know you were inside..."
Hinata swallowed, still unable to meet his gaze. It wasn't anger she felt—it was confusion, perhaps even a twinge of doubt. Could it really have been an accident?
Though he was injured, as he looked at Hinata's face, he realized she was in a vulnerable state. He decided to take a chance and move even closer.
"I know this is... weird," Shoi continued, his voice softening. "But ever since I arrived, I couldn't help but notice how lonely you seem. It's like you're carrying all this pain, and no one's there to see it." He said, trying to change the topic.
Hinata stiffened, still refusing to look at him. His words struck a chord—she had been feeling isolated, but that wasn't something he should be bringing up so casually.
"I just thought," Shoi continued, trying to sound more genuine, "maybe I could be someone to lean on. I mean... we both lost people, right? I know I haven't been here long, but I care. I don't want you to feel like you have to go through this alone."
Hinata's lips tightened. His words were too sudden, too forward. He had only just arrived at the Hyuga compound, and now he was trying to make himself indispensable, as if he were the only one who could understand her grief. But Naruto's loss was hers alone, not something for someone else to latch onto.
"Shoi... I appreciate your concern, but you barely know me," she said quietly, her voice regaining a bit of its strength. "You've only been here a few months. You don't understand what I've been through."
He nodded, his expression turning more serious. "You're right. I don't know everything. But I want to. I want to be here for you now because I see you're hurting, and no one else seems to notice."
Hinata didn't respond immediately, her mind torn between wanting to shut down this conversation and feeling the weight of loneliness Shoi was stirring up. The silence between them felt suffocating.
"Do you want to take a walk? Outside the village?" Shoi asked.
"...?"
"I don't think you can walk around. You're injured..." Hinata began, but as she was about to finish, Shoi walked towards her.
"My chakra is special; my injuries heal quickly."
Hinata's eyes widened in disbelief as she watched Shoi approach, his steps steady and sure, as if the injuries that had once incapacitated him were nothing but a distant memory.
Her Byakugan instinctively activated, scanning his body again. His chakra network, which had been unstable and damaged just hours before, was now completely restored.
The flow of his energy was pure, untouched, and healing him at a speed that defied anything she had seen.
She couldn't help but draw a comparison—Naruto had also healed quickly, though his was through the regenerative abilities of the Nine-Tails.
But Shoi? He didn't have a bijuu inside him. This was something else entirely. It unnerved her.. Is this...
"How...?" Hinata whispered, her voice barely audible as her mind raced. "That's... not possible. Even he didn't heal this fast unless he was using the Nine-Tails' chakra."
Shoi gave a small, almost humble smile, as if he understood exactly what she was thinking. "I know it's strange.
But like I said, my chakra is... different. I don't know why, but it's pure. It helps me recover from things others wouldn't."
Hinata felt her heart skip a beat. Pure chakra? The more she looked at him, the more he reminded her of Naruto—the same indomitable spirit, the quick recovery, the way he seemed so determined.
But he's not Naruto.
"Why are you telling me all this?" she finally asked, her voice firmer this time.
Shoi's expression softened further, his gaze never leaving hers. "Because I see how much you're hurting, Hinata.
No one else seems to see it. They look at you, and they think you're strong, that you've moved on... but I see it. I see that you haven't.
And maybe that's why I'm here. To help."
Hinata's chest tightened. His words struck deeper than she wanted to admit.
For so long, she had carried the weight of Naruto's loss alone, putting on a brave face for the clan, for everyone.
But Shoi... he saw through it, and that terrified her. She wasn't ready to let anyone in, especially someone like him, who had only just arrived in her life.
She took a step back, trying to regain control of the situation.
"You don't know me, Shoi," she repeated, though her voice was less certain now. "I don't need anyone to help me. I've been handling things on my own for a long time."
Shoi shook his head gently, closing the gap between them once again. "You shouldn't have to, though. And... maybe I don't know everything about you yet.
But I want to. I want to understand what you've been through. Maybe we can help each other."
Hinata looked away, her heart conflicted. It was true that she had felt more alone than ever since Naruto's death, and there was a part of her that wanted to believe Shoi's words—that maybe, just maybe, she didn't have to carry the burden by herself anymore.
But something still held her back. She wasn't ready to let go of past memory, and the thought of someone else filling that space, even for a moment, felt like a betrayal.
"Please," Shoi said quietly, his voice almost a whisper now, "just give me a chance. Let me show you that you don't have to do this alone."
Hinata's hands trembled slightly, her emotions swirling in confusion.
She didn't know what to say, and for the first time in a long time, she felt vulnerable in front of someone other than her closest family.
Shoi's presence, his persistence, and now his strangely fast recovery—it all blurred together, making it harder to draw the line between her memories of Naruto and the reality of Shoi standing before her.
Finally, she nodded, though her heart still wavered. "Just... a walk," she said softly. "That's all."
Shoi smiled faintly, his expression softening with relief. "That's all I'm asking for."
As they moved through the village outskirts, Hinata's mind raced.
She couldn't deny that Shoi's presence was disarming, but she wasn't sure if it was in a good way.
There was something about him that felt... different.
His words echoed in her mind, and though she resisted, she found herself constantly comparing him to Naruto—the way he carried himself, how quickly he healed from his injuries, how he seemed so determined to reach her in a way no one else had even tried.
As if sensing her turmoil, Shoi spoke again, his tone softer now. "I know it's hard. Letting go of the past, of the people you loved... It's not something anyone should ever ask of you.
But... I just want you to see that I'm here. Not as someone who's trying to replace what you lost, but as someone who sees you for who you are now."
Hinata's breath hitched. His words, no matter how gentle, continued to chip away at the walls she had built around herself.
She glanced at him, noticing the confidence in his stride, the calmness in his eyes.
"Respectfully... he can never be me," Shoi said suddenly, his voice unwavering. "And disrespectfully, I would never want to be him."