Chapter 21:The Silver Ring's Secret

In the early morning sunlight, Hyoujin was sitting in the yard, playing with small pebbles, while his father carefully cleaned an old silver ring under the sun. The man looked confident and dignified, with black hair and warm hazel eyes full of pride. His posture was upright, and his hands worked with caution as he wiped the ring with a soft white cloth.

"Do you know, Hyoujin?" his father said with a warm smile. "This ring... is the most precious thing I inherited from my mother. She always cherished it, and I promised her I would keep it safe no matter what."

His father lifted the ring towards the sunlight, and its pure silver shine reflected back, then continued in a calm voice: "When you graduate from the ninja school, I will give it to you. It will be a symbol of your dedication and what you will become one day... And if you ever feel lonely, it will remind you of us."

Hyoujin didn't fully understand the value of the ring, but he could tell from his father's tone that it was priceless. Beside them, his mother stood at the door, watching the scene with a gentle smile. Her white hair shone in the sunlight, and her gray eyes radiated kindness. Her soft, serene features resembled Hyoujin's so much that it was as if she was a reflection of him in the mirror.

"Enough serious talk," she said jokingly, "the food is ready, and that's what should occupy the mind of a child his age, not things like this!"

She approached Hyoujin and sat next to him, then gently patted his hair. "What do you think about going for a walk to the river after lunch?"

Hyoujin jumped up eagerly: "Yes! I want to catch some fish!"

His mother laughed and said, "Then, get ready."

The day felt like a beautiful dream that would never end. The breeze was gentle, and the scent of flowers filled the air. The three of them sat together for lunch in the yard, their laughter filling the atmosphere with joy.

But suddenly, everything changed.

Clouds covered the sky, and the colors around him began to fade. Hyoujin looked at his father, and saw him disappearing into thick mist. He then turned to his mother, but she too began to fade slowly. Their voices became distant, as if coming from another world.

"Wait!" Hyoujin shouted, trying to grab hold of something, but they were disappearing gradually.

At that moment, the silver ring slipped from his father's hand and rolled onto the ground. Hyoujin ran after it, but the ground beneath him turned to soft sand, slowly swallowing him up.

"No! Please don't go!"

Then... darkness fell.

Everything became still. No sound, no light.

Hyoujin suddenly woke up, breathing heavily, his eyes scanning the room as he tried to make sense of what had happened. His heart was pounding, and his mind wondered: Was it just a nightmare?

After a moment, he realized it had only been a dream. But still, he felt a strange sense of confusion and sadness, as if something precious had been stolen from him. He sat in his bed, contemplating what he had seen, the mysterious feeling weighing on his chest. Then he remembered... the ring!

How had he forgotten it all this time?

He quickly got up and went to his parents' room, where the safe had not been opened since their passing. When he pulled out the box, he found it covered in a thick layer of dust, as if it had been waiting for him for years.

He wiped away the dust and slowly opened it.

And there... was the ring, as shiny as he remembered.

He smiled when he saw it, and his father's memories flooded his mind. He scolded himself for forgetting something so important. But then he noticed something... the strange design of the ring. It seemed familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it before.

He stared at it for half an hour without coming to a conclusion.

"Maybe it's a symbol of a clan or village..."

He decided to visit the clan leader. As the leader of an old clan, surely he knew something about this symbol.

---

I left the house, and on my way, I met Uchiha Satoshi, who seemed exhausted as he walked slowly.

"Hello, Satoshi. How's work in the security department?"

Satoshi sighed as he rubbed his neck. "Ah, Hyoujin! The villagers won't stop causing trouble. I barely find time to rest. I really envy you, having a shop and not having to deal with all this chaos!"

I laughed a little and said, "Don't exaggerate, it's not as you think. It's easy to say it's just a shop, but there are a lot of details that need to be overseen."

Satoshi raised his eyebrows with sarcasm, "You don't even go to the shop more than once a month, right? You only show up sometimes to keep up appearances."

"Well, maybe I let things go on their own, but there are things I need to follow up on every now and then." I replied, defending myself with a smile.

Satoshi smiled and said, "You're lucky. I'm stuck in security and can't escape the villagers and their constant complaints."

"Anyway, where are you going?"

"I'm heading to the clan leader's house to ask him about something."

He gestured his head in the opposite direction and said, "You should know the leader isn't at his house, he's at the security center. I saw him heading there an hour ago."

I thanked him and left for the security center.

On the way, I saw Mikoto Uchiha carrying her young son, Sasuke, as she walked calmly down the street. When she saw me, she smiled and greeted me.

"Hello, ma'am. How are you today?"

"Hello, Hyoujin. I'm fine, and I want to thank you for the beautiful gift. Sasuke really liked it, he barely sleeps without it!"

"I'm glad he liked it," I said with a smile, as I looked at the little boy, who was staring at me with wide eyes as if trying to understand who I was.

Before I could say anything else, I heard quick footsteps approaching us.

"Mikoto! What is this gift that your child liked so much?"

I turned to see Kushina, with her distinctive red hair, looking at the child with clear curiosity.

"Hello, Kushina. How are you?"

She approached and gently touched the child's cheek. "I'm fine. By the way, your child is very cute. Is it a girl?"

Mikoto laughed and shook her head. "No, he's a boy."

As they were talking, I thought it was time to leave, but Mikoto stopped me with a smile.

"By the way, Kushina, I was thanking Hyoujin for the rocking crib he made. It's very comfortable, and it rocks the baby to sleep."

Kushina's eyes widened in surprise. "A rocking crib?! Can you make one for me too?"

I hesitated for a moment. The previous crib took me a whole month to make, and I wouldn't have bothered if I weren't indebted to Fugaku. But before I could answer, Kushina put her hand on her waist and said confidently:

"I'll give you a rare sealing technique in exchange."

When I heard that, my mind paused for a moment. A sealing technique from the Uzumaki clan? This was an offer I couldn't refuse.

I smiled and said, "Agreed."

Kushina took out a scroll from her bag and handed it to me. I took it carefully, feeling the old paper beneath my fingers. I placed it in my pocket carefully and promised that the crib would be ready in two weeks.

After that, I bid them farewell and headed to the security center. When I arrived, the guards let me in immediately.

I was surprised when I saw Fugaku about to leave his office, but he stopped when he saw me. He invited me in curiously, knowing that I rarely leave my house.

"Sorry for the trouble, sir."

"It's fine, tell me. Did Orochimaru succeed in treating your condition?"

I shook my head. "Not yet. It seems it's more complicated than I thought."

Fugaku raised his eyebrows in surprise. "If Orochimaru himself couldn't treat you, it must be really complex. I'll let you know if I get any information about Tsunade."

"Thank you, sir. But that's not the reason for my visit today."

"Then, what do you want?"

I took the ring out of my pocket and placed it in front of him. "I wanted to ask if you recognize this symbol."

Fugaku took the ring and examined it for a while, then handed it back to me.

"Well, this is the symbol of the Kurama clan, a clan specializing in illusion techniques. They were considered powerful during the Warring States period, thanks to their strong bloodline. But over time, their strength declined. Today, they can be classified as a medium-sized clan, similar to the Inuzuka clan in influence. The last time a person with their powerful bloodline appeared was about forty years ago. It seems their bloodline isn't as pure as it once was."

Fugaku said this thoughtfully, staring at me with a mysterious look.

I felt a chill run down my spine from the tone of his voice and his gaze. "Sir, is there something I should know?"

He smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry about it. By the way, if you ever think about marriage, don't marry outside the clan."

I nodded quickly and thanked him, then left, thinking about his words.

When I returned home, I began contemplating the information I had received. How did my grandmother have the Kurama clan symbol if she was from the Uchiha bloodline? I felt there was a deep secret worth investigating.

I thought about visiting the Kurama clan. They might have the answer, and maybe even a cure for my condition, as Orochimaru hinted.