>>5961119Next, you talk to Masami. You find her browsing talisman’s at a little shop. She quickly tosses the ones she was looking back into a pile as you approach, embarrassed about it. Giving them a quick once-over, you see that they’re just a collection of random ‘blessings’, blessings of wealth, health, or romantic success, whatever. Nothing you believed in, but you weren’t judging her.
You succinctly explain the situation to her as well, just like you did for Naoki.
“I know a little about Hiraku.” Masami says. “My grandpa mentioned him once when I asked about the Hyuga, and it was a cautionary tale about how they weren’t to be trusted… Not Hiraku, but the Hyuga in general. Apparently Hiraku was disgusted with his clan, and what it meant to be a Hyuga ninja. He wanted to leave to go become a priest and live a more honorable life, but his clan denied him, telling him that it was a waste of his bloodline gifts. They refused to let him leave because other villages have been known to try and steal eyes that have access to the Byakugan. Hiraku walked up to his clan leader and ripped his own eyeballs out of his skull with his bare hands, crushed them into pulp and threw them to the floor. After that, he just left. Apparently the second hokage interceded on his behalf to just let him go. The story was fresh when Lord Third and my grandpa were little boys, but eventually people stop caring about things and move onto new dramas, I guess. If Hiraku looked decently young to you, he probably died shortly after that. It was all a long time ago.”
“Well, I understand a little more about him, but what do you think I should do?”
“Well… If you’re going to die eventually unless you do the ritual, you should do it. But Lord Third told you you’d be fine, and there’s no reason to doubt Lord Third. Hiraku might just be doomsaying. I bet he knows a lot about the kami, but he doesn’t know everything, even if he is a ghost. And he definitely wasn’t a ninja, so he might just be wrong? Still, if you think he’s trying to trick you, I doubt it. If he has the integrity to sacrifice his own eyes and risk the wrath of his own clan for what he thinks is right, he probably has the moral fortitude to not be plotting against you. He was willing to die over his desire to become a priest, so the idea that he’s going to steal your life force seems dumb to me. If he told you something, then he must have believed what he was saying.”
