The Old Man Named Hyuga Shin

Chapter 1: The Old Man Named Hyuga Shin

Konoha, a village established through the joint efforts of the First Hokage Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara, was founded because various shinobi clans, weary of the endless slaughter of the Warring States Period, were moved by their vision of a peaceful village. More importantly, however, they were swayed by the monstrous strength of those two men.

Driven by the two great manipulators—one offering gentle persuasion, the other threatening with force—the various shinobi clans remaining at the end of the Warring States Period joined one after another, founding the original Konoha.

The Hyuga Clan joined during that era as well.

Time flew, and no one expected that Konoha, initially the leader of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, would reach its peak at the very start. After the passing of Hashirama and Madara, war erupted in a short time, sweeping across the Shinobi World.

Although not as brutal as the chaotic clan wars of the Warring States Period, the fighting continued intermittently for over twenty years: the First, Second, and Third Shinobi World Wars!

As someone who had been reborn into the Naruto world as a fetus, Hyuga Shin lived up to the name of a transmigrator. He rose to prominence at the end of the Warring States Period, working diligently from a young age to strengthen his physique, hone his will, and study Sealing Technique. He walked on the edge of death countless times until he achieved the title of the strongest Hyuga!

Hyuga Shin had also tried several times to change the course of the Shinobi World, such as supporting Madara's idea of unifying the world, altering the Battle at the Valley of the End, opposing the future conflict between the Main Family and Branch Family of the Hyuga Clan, and spreading many other ideologies.

Without exception, he failed every time! It was as if an invisible hand was manipulating everything in the Shinobi World!

He knew that Black Zetsu was plotting in the shadows, but Hyuga Shin was certain that Black Zetsu did not have the ability to change Madara's mind at that time.

Because on the very night before Madara changed his mind, the two of them had chatted about their ideals; in just one night, Madara had transformed.

Hashirama was the same. Because he had Shin's support, Madara's idea of unification had been taken seriously, and for a time, the other four great villages were truly anxious.

But later, it all came to nothing, returning to the script of bowing heads and distributing Tailed Beasts.

Hyuga Shin's final attempt was at the Valley of the End, and he had participated in that battle as well.

As the number one person in Konoha whose strength was second only to Hashirama and Madara, he did not want the two of them to walk down that fixed path.

The result was self-evident: he failed again, and Madara obtained Hashirama's flesh to fake his death and escape.

Hyuga Shin had joined the battle to stop them, but the two, driven to a true rage, attacked him in turns, leaving him severely wounded and near death!

Both had wanted to kill him at one point, but fortunately, he managed to use the Reverse Summoning Technique at the critical moment to escape.

While recovering from his injuries, Hyuga Shin discovered something that terrified him: because he was on the brink of death, his soul had shone brilliantly, counter-devouring something within his own spirit!

The memories of his past life, which had gradually blurred, came rushing back like a tide. Only then did he recall the goal he had set for himself as a child after his rebirth: to create an Immortal Cultivation Method in this chaotic Shinobi World!

In his view, since even toads could use Natural Energy to cultivate and achieve longevity, humans must also be able to create an Immortal Cultivation Method from it.

After all, in his past life, in a world without spiritual energy, he had been able to derive the Breathing Body-Nurturing Technique and the 108 Body-Forging Forms through the study of countless ancient texts, becoming an existence that reached the pinnacle of humanity.

But later, he had gradually forgotten this goal!

It happened right after he began practicing the chakra system!

Because of the chaos of the Warring States Period, he had no time to spare to create a new path, and could only go further and further down the chakra system, becoming stronger and stronger!

Surviving on the remnants of his past life's wisdom, Hyuga Shin guessed the truth about the chakra system and broke out in a cold sweat.

After his wounds healed, Hyuga Shin dispersed all his chakra and detected the Chakra Seed hidden within his body, then used a Sealing Technique he had developed himself to seal it away.

Upon returning to the Hyuga Clan, he announced that he had lost his power due to his severe injuries, withdrew from the shinobi ranks, stopped interfering in all matters, and honestly acted as a mascot.

Privately, however, he began the development of the Immortal Cultivation Method.

Time flew by, and thirty years passed in the blink of an eye. Many things happened in the interim, allowing Hyuga Shin, who had transcended the situation, to see even more darkness.

In the 12th year of Konoha, the First Shinobi World War broke out. Tobirama Senju and Uzumaki Mito led a group of Konoha's powerhouses to confront the Cloud Village and the Sand Village.

At that time, the Second Generation of the Rock Village, Mu, who was still an ally, also sent troops to block the Mist Village, eventually perishing together with the Second Generation of the Mist.

In the end, due to the massive consumption of resources, a ceasefire and peace talks were announced in the 18th year of Konoha under the mediation of the various Daimyo.

Konoha spent two years negotiating with the Sand and Mist villages to achieve peace.

In the 21st year of Konoha, while Tobirama Senju was in peace talks with the Second Raikage A, he was ambushed by an elite force led by the Kinkaku and Ginkaku Brothers, who wielded the Six Paths Tools and possessed the power of the Nine-Tails!

The Second Raikage died a miserable death, and Tobirama Senju perished alongside the Kinkaku and Ginkaku Brothers while covering his subordinates' retreat, thus raising the curtain on the Second Shinobi World War.

In the 23rd year of Konoha, the Third Raikage of the Cloud Village massed his troops at the border, and the Shinobi World, which had been peaceful for only five years, was stirred into turmoil once again.

In the 24th year of Konoha, war broke out between Konoha and the Cloud Village. To crush Konoha in terms of combat power, the Cloud Village even deployed their Jinchuriki.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had just ascended to the throne and lacked sufficient prestige; the elders of the various clans were dissatisfied with Tobirama Senju's designated successor and were merely going through the motions.

If not for the support of Uzumaki Mito, he would never have been able to sit firmly in the position of Hokage.

This resulted in Konoha lacking sufficient powerhouses to support the battlefield against the full might of the Cloud Village.

If not for the support of the Senju Clan and Uzumaki Mito, it was questionable whether they could have even held out.

The Second Shinobi World War lasted intermittently for eight years, with various villages joining the war for inexplicable reasons in a chaotic brawl.

Konoha fighting the Cloud Village was normal, but what was the deal with the Mist Village fighting the Sand Village? Were they fighting over sand?

Even if the benefits provided by an alliance were sufficient, there was no need to go to war; wouldn't mutual deterrence to prevent the other side from sending reinforcements have sufficed?

In the 32nd year of Konoha, the Third Raikage A, while retreating after engaging Konoha, was surrounded by an army of ten thousand shinobi led by Ōnoki of the Rock Village.

To preserve the village's vital strength, after cutting open an escape route, the Third Raikage stayed behind alone and fought the Rock Village for three days and three nights until he died of exhaustion.

This was also the end of the Second Shinobi World War.

After this battle, the Cloud Village's strength was severely damaged, and the Mist Village, fearing that Konoha would send troops to help the Sand Village, also ceased hostilities.

The Rock Village had also suffered heavy casualties at the hands of the Third Raikage, and there were many complaints within the village against Ōnoki, leaving them with no energy to look elsewhere.

Afterward, the major ninja villages successively proposed peace talks, and the chaotic Shinobi World ushered in a brief period of peace.

In the 33rd year of Konoha, the Uzumaki Clan's Uzushio Village was attacked by a large number of ninjas from four villages, causing ripples to stir once again in the calm Shinobi World.

Because of the strength of Uzumaki Mito, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the Uzumaki Clan had been coveted by major villages for their unique constitution and Sealing Technique during the First and Second Shinobi World Wars, eventually leading to their genocide.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, as Hokage, was unwilling to let his few remaining subordinates become expendable resources to solidify his own position, and he was even more worried about triggering a war between the villages, so he abandoned any plans to provide support.

The Uzumaki were, at the very least, staunch allies of Konoha, yet he didn't send troops to rescue them; it was only because Uzumaki Mito sent a group of Senju clansmen that a little girl was brought back.

With this, the Shinobi World ushered in another ten years of peace, and a new generation of "leeks" had grown up.

In the 43rd year of Konoha, the Third Kazekage went missing, his whereabouts unknown. The Sand Village suspected Konoha of being responsible, thus sparking the Third Shinobi World War.

In Konoha's Third Training Ground, two bowl-cut figures in green spandex were training; they were none other than the father-son duo, Might Duy and Might Guy.

"If you can't complete two thousand frog jumps, then run one hundred laps around Konoha, Guy! Can you do it!"

"Yes, Father! I will definitely do it!" Guy responded loudly.

"Yosh! This is youth! Work hard, Guy! Youth will never let down those who put in the effort!"

"It's those two again; they really are natural-born clowns," two Chunin wearing flak jackets who were training nearby muttered.

"Guy, remember not to care about the eyes of others. A strong person needs not only strength but also an extraordinary heart! Tigers always walk alone; only sheep travel in herds!"

"This is what Grandpa Shin taught me, and today I pass it on to you. I hope that one day you can become a strong person like him!"

Duy had high expectations for Guy because he was even more talented than he was himself.

"Who is Grandpa Shin, Father? I often hear you mention him; he must be a strong person, right!" Might Guy asked with curiosity, though his training never stopped.

He was a self-disciplined person and a genius of hard work.

"No need to be curious. The situation is becoming increasingly tense now, and in a few days, I will take you to pay your respects to him."

"The fact that you have such training conditions today is all thanks to his care. I believe you will like him," Duy replied to his son's question while continuing to jump.

The father and son exercised diligently against the scorching sun until nightfall.

In the Hyuga Clan compound, the row upon row of Japanese-style courtyards with their square layouts reflected the strict rules of the Hyuga Clan.

In a small courtyard near the center, the nearly eighty-four-year-old Hyuga Shin dragged his aged body as he slowly practiced Tai Chi. His expression was extremely relaxed, and his white Hyuga robes and long gray hair possessed an indescribable beauty as he moved.

One could tell from his wrinkled face that he must have been a handsome man in his youth.

"Great-grandfather, please take it easy. You're so old, yet you're still tossing yourself around. Aren't you afraid of shaking your old bones apart?" A fourteen or fifteen-year-old Hyuga girl walked in through the door, nagging as she approached.

"Little Lingyin is here. Sit down first! Wait until I finish," Hyuga Shin responded slowly while continuing his practice.

"Great-grandfather, my father said that the Third Kazekage has gone missing recently. They suspect Konoha did it, and they've started gathering troops at the border. Do you think a war is coming?" Hinata Ayane lay on Hyuga Shin's lounge chair and shared the latest news she had obtained.

"Does it have anything to do with you? You're barely a child, yet you're worrying about the Hokage's business. Go! Boil a pot of tea for your old man," Hyuga Shin couldn't help but retort.

"Hmph! You old grump, you always treat me like a child. I'm already fifteen! In the Warring States Period, I could have been holding my own!" Lingyin responded with dissatisfaction, though she still got up to fetch water and brew tea in the room.

"With your amateur skills, in the Warring States Period, you'd just be a bounty with a head attached; anyone could claim it," Hyuga Shin struck down her pride without hesitation.

"Is it really that scary? Besides, I'm actually quite strong, you know! I'm already a Chunin!" Lingyin was a bit proud.

After all, for a girl in this relatively peaceful era, becoming a Chunin at fifteen was certainly proof of hard work.

"The terror of the Warring States Period is beyond your imagination. Your father, Kusuke, was just as arrogant at your age, but I gave him a lesson, and he became obedient," Hyuga Shin performed a Ban Lan Chui (Parry and Punch), his movements growing increasingly fluid.

"But Great-grandfather, you can no longer extract Chakra to train, and you have no power left, so how did you handle Father?" Lingyin asked curiously, as that was what all the elders of the Main Family said.

"Although I lost my power, I still have wisdom and experience. I just set up a chain trap array that kept your father from getting out of bed for three days, and after that, he pestered me for half a year to learn how to set traps."

"So cool! So Father's title of 'Hyuga Trap King' was taught by you," Lingyin said in surprise.

"Then Great-grandfather, were all the people in the Warring States Period that strong?" Lingyin continued to ask.

"Not really. To me, aside from those two cheaters, Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara, everyone else was just average."

"However, the combat awareness and the 'life-for-a-life' methods of ninjas in the Warring States Period were generally several levels higher than they are now; they were all quite ruthless." Hyuga Shin wasn't bragging; he had experienced it all.

"Great-grandfather, can you tell me more about your stories from the Warring States Period? I really want to know," Lingyin asked while brewing tea, looking like a curious child.

"What's there to be curious about regarding the Warring States Period? Aside from fighting, it was just killing. You couldn't even sleep well on the battlefield. Several ninja clans would fight to the death over a tiny piece of land; human life was as cheap as grass!" Hyuga Shin sighed, his hands never stopping.

"Then Great-grandfather, can I learn how to set traps from you?" Lingyin asked with great expectation.

"Go back and learn from your father; I don't have time to teach you," Hyuga Shin slowly finished his practice, went to the lounge chair, and took a sip of tea, refusing quite reluctantly.

Teaching children was the most annoying thing!

Lingyin tugged on Hyuga Shin's sleeve, just about to say something, when a sharp eagle cry suddenly came from the sky. Seeing Hyuga Shin look up at the ninja hawk flying overhead, he muttered, "A storm is coming!"

"That was an emergency transmission hawk, wasn't it, Great-grandfather?" Hinata Ayane looked serious. As a young lady of the Hyuga Main Family, Lingyin knew the gravity of the situation.

Emergency transmission hawks were not used lightly, except when war broke out!

"Yes. Don't come running to me for a while. Train properly with your father. The battlefield isn't a game of house; you need to have that realization. Go back now," Hyuga Shin instructed calmly.

"Alright, then I'll be going. I'll come visit you again when I have time." Watching Hinata Ayane's retreating figure, Hyuga Shin remained silent.

A new crop of seedlings has grown; are you getting impatient again, Sage of Six Paths?

Please recommend and add to your collection, thank you.