The stranger who had accompanied Dr. Yuki to the orphanage had a strikingly similar face to Ryu's own. Ryu was drawn to their remarkable resemblance, noting that their eye and hair colours were similar. In one of the eyes, to be precise.
It was as if he was looking at an older version of himself, a glimpse into a possible future he had never considered.
The newcomer, who was also surprised by the similarity, looked at Ryu in disbelief, reflecting Ryu's own perplexity. Following the exchange, Yuki entered the hall. She and the stranger had heard all the commotion and the brief moment of Kaito and Ryu, but they chose not to intervene.
Dr. Yuki then spoke first: "Ryu, this is Dan Hamura. One of my old friends."
Then she turned to face Dan and said, "This is Ryu," pointing to Ryu.
Ryu thought, "Hamura..." The name echoed in his mind, stirring something deep within him.
Dan was still thinking about the exchange he just witnessed. He thought, "This boy. Such emotional intelligence. Such encouraging words. That too is towards one who bullies him on a regular basis."
As Dan and Yuki were thinking about the earlier exchange between Ryu and his bully, Kaito. They noticed everyone looking at them.
Yuki said, "Everybody finish your plate and go to sleep. Don't let me find anyone out of bed."
She then turned to Ryu and said, "And you, after you are done eating, come to my office."
Dr. Yuki and this new person, Dan, left for Dr. Yuki's private office.
As they walked away, Ryu couldn't help but feel a strange pull towards Dan. It was as if an invisible thread connected them.
Inside the private office. They took seats, and after a moment of silence, Dan finally spoke. "You weren't kidding. The boy sure is something," Dan remarked, his voice filled with respect and awe.
Dan paused for a moment and thought about his talk with Dr. Yuki earlier that day.
…/Flashback Start/…
"No." Dan's pain was visible in the lines of his face, and his voice was firm and determined.
Yuki begged him, "The boy needs you. You are the only family he has."
Dan's gaze softened, the mention of family stirring a long-buried ache within him. "You know I lost my son and daughter-in-law in the Kyubi attack," he said, the words heavy with sorrow.
Yuki replied, "I know that."
"Then you know why I can't do this," Dan said. "I can't... I can't go through that pain again and watch my family die."
A heavy silence descended as Dan grappled with the weight of Dr. Yuki's request. The thought of opening his heart to another child, only to face the possibility of losing them again, was a burden too heavy to bear.
Dan then said, "You still want me to look after the boy, knowing he will die soon, leaving yet another hole in my heart."
Dr. Yuki replied, "Dan, the boy is the only thing left of your elder sister Tsuki."
The words hit Dan like a physical blow. He stumbled back, gripping the edge of a nearby chair for support. "Tsuki…" he breathed, his sister's name a prayer and a curse on his lips.
The mere mention of his sister's name stirred something within Dan—a mix of nostalgia and pain that tugged at the walls he had built around his heart. Dan looked at Dr. Yuki and said, "Are you sure about it?"
Yuki replied, "You meet the boy, then you can tell. The resemblance is uncanny. Besides, I already searched through the birth records in the hospital. The boy's name is Ryu, and the boy's mother has the same name as Tsuki's child, as per the hospital record. It cannot be a coincidence."
Yuki knew that Ryu was more than just a child in need of a home; she was convinced that he was the grandson of Dan's long-lost sister, who had been banished from the family years ago. The resemblance between Ryu, his grandmother Tsuki, and Dan was uncanny, and Yuki was determined to reunite them.
Dan said, "Even if he is really her grandchild, I won't do it."
"Dan, please," Dr. Yuki pleaded, her voice cracking. "This isn't just about you or me. It's about giving a child a chance to know his family, even if it's just for a short time."
Dr. Yuki pleaded, "Why don't you meet him first and then decide? Just for my sake."
Dan, not wanting to get involved in any kind of emotional rollercoaster, said, "Don't make me do this, Yuki. I can't lose another child."
Not wanting to give up, Yuki invoked the name of his long-lost sister, whom he hadn't seen for many years.
She said, "If you don't want to do it for me, then do it for Tsuki. Just meet the boy once. If you don't, then I would write a letter to the Hokage saying you are not mentally fit for the missions."
Dan was shocked. She continued, "You think I don't know that you came out of retirement and have started taking dangerous missions with the excuse of being short on money?". She paused and said, "As your friend, I cannot let you do what you are planning."
Dan's face paled. "You wouldn't dare," he whispered, but the uncertainty in his voice betrayed him.
"I would," Dr. Yuki replied, her voice steel. "Because I care about you too much to watch you throw your life away."
Dan sighed and thought about his own child, whom he had lost, and finally reluctantly said, "Fine, I will go with you, but don't think for a second. I am agreeing to adopt the boy."
With a heavy heart and a mind clouded with doubt, Dan hesitantly agreed to meet the boy, his resolve wavering under the weight of Dr. Yuki's persistence.
…/Flashback End/…
Ryu broke the moment of silence by walking into Dr. Yuki's private office. As Ryu entered the room, a sense of familiarity washed over Dan.
Ryu's eyes darted between Dan and Dr. Yuki, sensing the tension in the air. "Mother Yuki," he said softly, "is everything alright?"
Dan was looking at Ryu. The way Ryu spoke earlier and the way he comforted a younger child who had been his bully revealed a depth of understanding and empathy that Dan had long forgotten existed in the world.
Dan's breath caught in his throat as he gazed at the boy before him. The familiar sparkle in Ryu's eyes and the mischievous smile mirrored those of his long-lost sister, flooding Dan with memories of the past. And then, as Ryu turned to face him, Dan saw a reflection of himself in the boy's features, a glimpse of his son in the laughter that bubbled up from within Ryu.
At this moment, Dan asked Ryu a question: "Why did you say those words to him?".
Dan's voice trembled with emotion, his gaze fixed on Ryu. He then said, "I have heard he used to bully you. It was not necessary for you to cheer him up. Why did you do that?"
Dan's voice wavered slightly with a mixture of emotions that surged within him as he pondered Ryu's actions.
Ryu's brow furrowed in thought, his young face suddenly serious. He looked up at Dan, his eyes wise beyond his years. "Because," he said slowly, "everyone deserves a chance to be better than they were yesterday."
Ryu thought for a moment and said, "And because he needed to hear that. Words can be both liberating and enslaving; they can be both teachers and tyrants.
Dan and Yuki were stunned into silence as he spoke with such conviction.
Ryu then continued, "He wanted to be a ninja like his father. After Root rejected him, he was in a bad place. I needed him to be free from the shackles and make him not give up on his dreams."
As Dan listened to Ryu, a spark ignited within him, a flicker of hope amidst the darkness that had consumed him for so long. The uncanny resemblance between Ryu and his long-lost sister, Tsuki, was undeniable, the echoes of a shared bloodline reverberating through time.
In that fleeting moment of connection, Dan saw a glimpse of what could be—a chance to mend broken ties, to embrace a new beginning even in the shadow of an inevitable end. The walls around his heart began to crumble, brick by brick, as he allowed himself to feel once more.
He closed his eyes and turned to Yuki. He then finally said, "I will do it."
Dr. Yuki's eyes widened, hope blooming in her chest. She said, "You mean...?"
"Yes, I'll take him in." Dan nodded, his gaze never leaving Ryu. "For however long he needs me, I will be there for him."
"What is going on?" Ryu asked, his confusion clearly visible on his face as he peered between them.