Konoha Hospital.
Shinji sat shirtless on a hospital bed.
A middle-aged male doctor stood before him, carefully reviewing a document before gently pressing on the terrifying scar that marred Shinji's chest and abdomen.
The scar was from a blade piercing his body, the cause of Shinji's death before his soul transmigrated.
Rin had performed emergency treatment at the time.
Now, the wound had healed, leaving only a slight itch and stinging sensation upon touch.
"Your body's recovering well. Just come in for regular checkups," the doctor instructed.
"It should be fully healed in about a week. Avoid strenuous activity and training during this time. Be careful not to rub the wound too hard when you shower."
"Understood," Shinji nodded.
The middle-aged doctor picked up another document.
"All your physical examination indicators are normal, except for a slight decrease in eyesight...which shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"
He knew the person before him was from the Hyuga clan.
His current eyesight naturally couldn't compare to when he possessed the Byakugan.
"You can go home now. If you have any problems or feel unwell, come to the hospital for a checkup immediately."
"Thank you, Doctor." Shinji nodded in gratitude, took his report, and left the examination room.
The hospital was far from quiet; instead, it was rather chaotic and noisy.
Due to the war, most medical ninjas were dispatched to the front lines, leaving the hospital understaffed.
Meanwhile, the front lines continuously sent back wounded soldiers.
People with bandages and casts could often be seen hobbling down the corridors, along with hurried and busy medical personnel.
This scene made Shinji sigh inwardly.
As he was about to leave the hospital and rounded a corner, he suddenly bumped into a hurrying figure.
"Ouch!"
A cry of surprise accompanied papers scattering across the floor.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!"
Before Shinji could see who it was, he heard a petulant voice.
A little girl with short purple hair squatted on the ground, seemingly younger than Shinji himself.
She looked familiar...
She glared at Shinji, her face full of annoyance. "You idiot! Do you know who I am?! You're delaying from deicering these to Lord Orochimaru! Can you afford to take responsibility for that?!"
With that accusation and the mention of Orochimaru, Shinji immediately understood who she was. Anko.
She buried her head to gather the scattered documents. Looking up, she was about to lecture the person who bumped into her, but suddenly saw Shinji clutching his chest with one hand while leaning against the wall with the other, his face contorted in pain.
Anko was startled and subconsciously took a step back. "You... what are you doing? What's wrong?"
Shinji gasped, "My chest hurts! You bumped into me! Ow..."
Anko looked skeptical. "Stop pretending. How could a bump hurt that much?"
Shinji tremblingly handed her his report. Anko took it and looked at it carefully. It recorded Shinji's unhealed serious injury, which immediately made her panic.
She stood there, at a loss, wanting to approach Shinji but afraid to touch him. "You... Are you alright? Are you in a lot of pain?"
"Doctor! Doctor!"
She shouted frantically, finally calling over a female medical staff member.
"What's wrong?" The woman checked Shinji's condition. Anko hurriedly handed her Shinji's report.
Anko said in a panicked voice, "I... I accidentally bumped into him. I didn't know he was injured. I didn't do it on purpose, I really didn't!"
The female medical staff member looked at the report, then at Shinji and Anko.
Seeing this, Shinji sighed in relief and said, "I'm much better now. It doesn't hurt much anymore."
Her expression remained neutral as she handed the report back. "The hospital staff are very busy. Don't let this happen again."
Shinji replied, "Sorry for the trouble."
Anko, thinking she was being scolded, repeatedly bowed and apologized.
The medical staff member left, leaving Shinji and Anko alone.
Anko cautiously asked, "Are you... okay now?"
Shinji glanced at her and said, "No."
Anko hung her head, clutching the documents tightly in her hands.
She mumbled, "Then what do you want... I, I don't have any money!"
Shinji was amused inwardly, feeling a bit mischievous.
"Can you afford a meal?" he asked.
"Huh?" Anko was stunned.
"Treat me to a meal as an apology."
Anko understood. Just as she was about to agree, she couldn't help but wonder if this guy was a big eater who wanted to bankrupt her.
What if her allowance wasn't enough?
After a moment of thought, she nodded. "Okay... but I have to deliver these things to Lord Orochimaru first. Don't worry, I won't run away! Or you can come with me..."
Shinji said, "It's fine, I trust you. I'll wait for you at BBQ Q on West Street."
BBQ.
Anko's face scrunched up in a grimace. This guy really was going to cost her a lot!
"Fine, I'll come find you in half an hour."
They parted ways at the hospital entrance.
Shinji watched her small figure trot away, surprised that Orochimaru was currently in Konoha.
He had assumed Orochimaru would be at the front lines. The original Shinji's memories of Orochimaru were scarce, mostly hearsay.
He leisurely made his way to the agreed-upon location and sat down in the restaurant.
After about half an hour, he saw a petite figure peering around at the entrance.
Anko was inwardly cursing Shinji.
After delivering Orochimaru's documents, worried that her allowance wouldn't be enough, she'd asked Orochimaru for some money.
However, when Orochimaru handed her his wallet, she discovered that he didn't have much money either.
There were only a few bills inside, and she couldn't bear to take too much.
This jerk not only embarrassed her but also wanted to swindle Lord Orochimaru's money! How hateful was that!
Seeing Shinji looking at her from his seat, Anko suppressed her anger, not letting it show on her face.
She walked over, tiptoed to the seat opposite Shinji, and asked, "What was your full name again?"
She had only glanced briefly at the name on the report earlier and hadn't paid close attention.
"Shinji Hyuga."
"Oh, Shinji Hyuga... I'm Anko Mita... wait, Hyuga?" Anko nodded, about to introduce herself, then abruptly stopped mid-sentence.
"You're from the Hyuga clan?" She looked astonished, staring at Shinji's black eyes.
"Your name is Anko what?" Shinji asked.
"Oh, Anko Mitarashi..." Anko replied, her eyes still fixed on Shinji in surprise.
Shinji asked the waiter for a menu and ordered without consulting Anko.
After a moment of thought, Anko suddenly said, "I remember now! You're the one Rin saved!"
"You know Rin?"
"Yeah, Rin and Obito were really close, so I got to know her too."
Anko wasn't in the same graduating class as Rin; she was two years younger.
Soon, the owner brought out a dessert and a drink. Anko's eyes lit up, and she grabbed them without hesitation, stuffing them into her mouth.
She was paying, after all, so she had to eat more!
When what Shinji ordered arrived, he picked up his chopsticks and began placing pieces of meat onto the grill.
Anko wanted to help, but her technique was terrible. She just picked up the meat and randomly placed it on the grill without any care.
Shinji tapped her chopsticks with his own. "Don't mess around. Just wait and eat."
Anko pouted, inwardly cursing him.
'I'm the one paying, and he's being so bossy!'
She picked up another piece of cake and shoved it into her mouth, chewing vigorously.
But when Shinji placed a piece of cooked meat onto her plate, she tasted it and instantly forgot her annoyance.
"You're pretty good at this," Anko said as she picked up the meat with her chopsticks.
She was just a little girl, and Shinji didn't really want to chat with her, but he had to play along for now.
After eating a few pieces of meat, Anko couldn't contain her curiosity any longer and blurted out, "I heard your eyes are from your dead teammate?"
Shinji glanced at her, his expression calm. "Yes."
"I have a friend in a similar situation, but he only replaced one eye."
"Kakashi Hatake?"
"You know him?"
"He's a genius Jonin, who in the village doesn't know him?"
Anko nodded.
Kakashi's reputation in the village was indeed quite prominent.
She then asked, "So, what's the difference between your Byakugan and your current eyes?"
Shinji paused, looked at her, and said, "Of course, there's a difference. With Byakugan, I could see things kilometers away, see through any obstacle, see the chakra pathways and acupoints in the human body, and the flow of chakra. Now, they're just ordinary eyes. I can't see any of that anymore."
Anko couldn't help but say, "That's so sad."
Shinji said indifferently, "It's only temporary. I'll get Byakugan back soon."
Anko exclaimed, "Eh?"
Shinji continued, "Our Hyuga clan keeps many eyes of our predecessors. These eyes are well-preserved, so that when a Hyuga clan member's eyes are injured, they can be replaced with new Byakugan. The clan has already arranged an eye transplant surgery for me. Soon, I'll have the Byakugan again."
"You can do that?" Anko hadn't thought about why Shinji was telling her all this, but she found it fascinating.
"Since I can go from having the Byakugan to ordinary eyes, naturally, I can also get the Byakugan back," Shinji said. "And those eyes are from very powerful predecessors, including past clan heads."
Anko listened in a daze, then asked, "Whose Byakugan are you getting?"
Shinji's eyes flickered slightly.
Looking at Anko's attentive face, he slowly said, "I don't know. The place where the Byakugan are kept is a restricted area of the clan. The key is held by Hyuga Hitomi, one of our clan's Jonin. No one is allowed in without the clan head's order."
Anko couldn't help but ask, "Then wouldn't you..."
Shinji tapped her head lightly with the other end of his chopsticks. "What's with all these questions? Eat your BBQ."
Anko pouted, rubbed her head, and continued to eat her meat.
Shinji only ate a few pieces, putting the rest onto Anko's plate.
"Stop giving me more, I'm full."
"You're paying, you have to eat more."
"...Fine, but just a little more."