The atmosphere of the Hyuga Clan was heavy and oppressive. It was not only because of the news that war was approaching, but also because today was the funeral of Hizashi Hyuga. People moved quietly, keeping their voices low, as if any sound would break what little order remained.
In the courtyard, the thick smell of sandalwood mixed with the old scent of tatami mats. The air pressed against the nose and throat, making it hard to breathe. It felt close and stale, clinging to everyone who stood there.
"..."
Hizashi Hyuga looked at the photo surrounded by layers of white chrysanthemums. He looked at the image of himself and at the people kneeling in the room, and the whole scene felt unreal. It was as if the world had lost its sense of order.
Hinata Hyuga, who had only just turned three not long ago, hid behind him. She carefully held the corner of this "father's" clothes with her small hand and stared at everything in front of her without understanding. At her age, she did not know what death meant.
Her gaze stopped on Neji Hyuga kneeling before the photo. He looked stiff, like a forgotten clay statue left in the corner of a room. His back was straight, but there was no movement in him at all.
"Neji Hyuga, please accept our condolences."
A member of the Hyuga Branch Family gently patted Neji Hyuga on the shoulder and sighed. The normally calm and restrained Neji Hyuga trembled slightly, then lowered his head under Hinata Hyuga's gaze as a clear tear slid down his cheek. The pain that spilled out from him made Hinata Hyuga's chest tighten as well.
"All things are impermanent, arising and passing away... When birth and death cease, peace remains... May you leave suffering and be reborn in the Pure Land..."
The monk's chanting was long and flat, striking her ears again and again. Each sound felt heavy, then sharp, making her body tense without her realizing it. She suddenly remembered the strange looks from those older brothers and sisters of the Branch Family yesterday.
Only then did Hinata Hyuga begin to understand that the death of Lord Hizashi Hyuga might have something to do with her. Her fingers slowly loosened from the edge of her "father's" clothes. She turned and slipped out of the mourning hall with small, hurried steps.
At the front of the crowd, Ryuji Hyuga seemed to sense something and turned his head to look back. He did not speak, but his eyes followed the movement behind him.
This was the first snow of the year in Konoha. Large flakes fell silently and densely, covering the trimmed pine branches in the yard and burying the stone path. The world was wrapped in a cold, pale stillness that swallowed sound.
Only the lanterns under the eaves swayed weakly in the wind and snow. They cast dim, shaking circles of light that barely reached the ground. Everything else seemed distant and quiet.
Before Hinata Hyuga's eyes, figures in solemn black clothes walked past. In the corner of her vision, they shifted like dark shapes, and the strange looks they threw at her scraped against her skin. Each glance made her shrink back a little more.
Guilt and fear rose inside her, and she instinctively chose to run. What started as walking quickly turned into a desperate dash. She only wanted to get away from that suffocating house.
Crunch. Crunch.
Her feet sank unevenly into the snow as she ran. Her thin clothes flapped in the wind, the wide belt tight around her waist, and snow slapped against her face before melting into icy water down her collar. The cold seeped in with every step.
When she finally ran out of the Hyuga Clan's clan grounds, her foot slipped. She fell hard into the thick snow, and the cold wrapped around her at once. It stole her breath.
"Mm..."
The tears she had been holding back finally spilled over. Warm drops rolled down her frozen cheeks and fell into the snow, leaving small dark marks that vanished almost immediately. She struggled up and kept running.
As she turned the next corner, she ran straight into someone.
"I am sorry, I am sorry."
Hinata Hyuga wiped her tears and stood up, apologizing without thinking as she looked up. She had bumped into one of three boys.
When the boy saw Hinata Hyuga's white eyes, the words he was about to say stopped in his throat. The other two boys beside him also blurted out in shock, staring at her face.
Everyone already knew that war was coming, and the Hyuga Clan was seen as one of the causes. Their position in Konoha had become very awkward. People used to be the ones watched by the Byakugan, and now they were the ones being watched.
As long as someone saw those unmistakable Byakugan eyes, villagers would show disgust and speak harshly. That attitude spread to their children as well. And the cruelty of children was simple and direct.
"Look, her eyes are white!"
"They really are white. She is a monster."
"Is she the same as that thing, some kind of demon?"
The three boys began shouting and laughing. Hinata Hyuga, who had just stood up, was pushed down again. One of the boys even reached out toward her eyes.
Hinata Hyuga froze, her face turning pale as she stared blankly. She looked as if she could not move at all.
"Sto..."
"Hey."
Just as the boy was about to touch her, two voices sounded almost at the same time. The boy turned his head without thinking, and the next moment a palm filled his vision.
Smack!
The slap sent him spinning half a turn before he fell to the ground. A bloody tooth flew out with him and landed in the snow. The sound was sharp and clear.
"Ah!"
The other two troublemakers had just started screaming when Ryuji Hyuga swung his hand twice more. Two teeth flew out neatly, and both boys collapsed without another sound. They lay still in the snow.
"Hinata Hyuga-miss."
Ryuji Hyuga looked at Hinata Hyuga, who slowly opened her eyes in fear. He calmly pointed back in the direction of the Hyuga Clan. "It is dangerous at night. If you are done playing, you should go home."
"Y-yes..."
Realizing she had caused trouble for someone else, Hinata Hyuga lowered her head and answered softly. She turned and walked away, her small back gradually disappearing from view. Ryuji Hyuga then withdrew his gaze and looked behind him.
Crunch... crunch...
A short figure wrapped up so tightly that he looked like a penguin waddled out from behind a utility pole. As he passed the three boys lying on the ground, he casually kicked each of them once with his hands still in his pockets. Then he walked up to Ryuji Hyuga.
"Big brother, you are amazing."
The "shorty" looked up at him, pulled down his scarf, and revealed a familiar face. His voice was childish as he spoke. "Are you a ninja? Are you a Genin?"
Looking at the boy's blue eyes and the whisker-like marks on his face, Ryuji Hyuga's gaze grew deeper. Uzumaki Naruto Uzumaki, the orphan of the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, and the current Nine-Tails jinchuriki. He had not expected their first meeting to be like this.
Ryuji Hyuga narrowed his eyes slightly. "You are not afraid of me?"
Uzumaki Naruto Uzumaki copied the gesture and shook his head firmly. "I am not afraid, because big brother does not hate me." His tone was simple and certain.
Ryuji Hyuga paused for a moment. He almost thought of Naruto Uzumaki's ability to sense malice, but quickly realized the boy did not have that ability yet. That meant he had noticed it by instinct alone.
"A natural sense and experience?" Ryuji Hyuga thought, feeling a spark of interest. The current Naruto Uzumaki was far more pleasant than the one he would become later. Still, his identity was too sensitive, and this meeting had come too early.
Even if they met, it should not be like this.
Ryuji Hyuga gave him one last look, raised his hand, and used Body Flicker to leave. His figure vanished in an instant. Uzumaki Naruto Uzumaki stood there, his eyes shining brightly.
Body Flicker was so cool.
Not long after Ryuji left Uzumaki Naruto Uzumaki, another figure appeared in front of him. The newcomer wore an ANBU mask and held out two Scrolls. "Ryuji Hyuga Jonin," he said coldly. "These are from Third Hokage."
The familiar chill gave it away at once. Root Ninja. Ryuji Hyuga took the two Scrolls, already understanding the source. When he opened the first one, it was a pass to the Forbidden Technique vault, clearly sent by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
As for the second one, his eyes flickered slightly as he read. "We are to investigate Hanzo of the Rain Village in the Land of Rain while heading to the Land of Hot Water?" he thought. Was this Hiruzen Sarutobi's order, or Danzo Shimura's, or both together?
Either way, he did not refuse. "Hanzo," Ryuji Hyuga thought with a faint smile. "He sounds like a decent puppet."