The twin of the Sharingan

The carriage wheels rattled to a halt in the heart of the village, dust rising in the fading daylight. Sin sat pressed against the corner of the cart, her small body trembling beneath the oversized cloak Reina had wrapped her in. The driver, a weary merchant, barely noticed when she slipped out the back, her bare feet touching the cobblestones with silent urgency. She blended quickly into the crowd. People bustled through the market, vendors calling out the prices of rice and vegetables, the air thick with the smell of grilled fish and smoke from cooking fires. To them, she was just another child, thin and quiet, wandering where she didn’t belong. But Sin walked with purpose. Every step echoed Reina’s dying words in her head: Find him… he will protect you. She didn’t even know his face. Only that somewhere in this village, he ran a small restaurant. Her eyes darted nervously as laughter rang nearby. A group of boys were kicking a ball made of tied cloth in the dusty street, their shouts carrying above the crowd. Sin hesitated, then forced herself to approach. Her voice cracked, barely louder than a whisper. “Um… d.. do you know a man called hishiro… who owns a restaurant here?” The boys stopped their game and looked at her, curious. One tilted his head, studying her tear-streaked face and trembling hands. “You mean Hiroshi-san?” another asked, pointing toward a narrow street lined with lanterns. “He’s got the place with the red curtains. You can smell it from far away..... always smells like miso and grilled meat.” Sin’s throat tightened. She nodded quickly, clutching the edge of her cloak as though it could shield her from the world. “Thank you,” she whispered, and before they could ask anything more, she hurried in the direction they pointed, her small figure swallowed by the crowd.. The smell of grilled meat and miso grew stronger as Sin reached the end of the narrow street. Her tired eyes landed on a small restaurant with red curtains swaying in the evening breeze. Laughter and clinking dishes spilled out, warm and alive, so unlike the cold silence that had swallowed her life. She hesitated at the door, heart pounding. Before she could step inside, a sharp voice cut through the air. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” A middle aged woman with a tray in her hands stormed toward her, glaring down at the ragged little girl. “We don’t need filthy beggars lurking around here... go on, get out before I call someone to drag you off!” Sin froze, clutching the cloak tighter around her small frame. The woman reached to shove her away, but Sin suddenly shouted, her voice breaking, raw with desperation.... “HIROSHI!” The restaurant went quiet for a beat. Heads turned. And then, from inside, a man appeared. Broad-shouldered, sleeves rolled up, his hands still damp from the sink. He stepped into the doorway, his brow furrowing as he spotted the little girl trembling but standing her ground. The woman turned, flustered. “Hiroshi san, I was just.... she’s some thief, I’m sure of it... ” But Sin cut her off, louder this time, almost pleading. “Hiroshi! Reina… Reina told me… to find you!” At the mention of the name, Hiroshi froze. His expression changed... confusion first, then something deeper, something that flickered like a memory he had tried to bury. He stepped closer, ignoring the stares of the other customers. “What did you just say…?” he asked quietly, his voice low but sharp. Sin’s lips trembled. Tears welled in her eyes. “R-Reina… she told me to find you… before… before she…” Her words broke into sobs she couldn’t hold back. The tray slipped from the woman’s hands with a clatter. Hiroshi stared at the child, at the storm in her eyes, and for the first time in years, his composure cracked. He didn’t know yet who she was. But the weight of Reina’s name… it hit him like a blade straight to the chest.