Old Man Named Hyuga Shin

Chapter 1: The Old Man Named Hyuga Shin

Konoha, the village founded through the joint efforts of First Hokage Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara, drew the great shinobi clans, weary of the endless slaughter of the Warring States Period, with its promise of a peaceful village. Of course, the most important factor was the two men's freakish strength.

With two master persuaders like Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara pushing things along—one using gentle persuasion, the other threats of force—the great clans of the late Warring States Period joined one after another, and the original Konoha Village was founded.

The Hyuga Clan joined at that time, too.

Time passed, and no one could have imagined that Konoha, once the foremost of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, had peaked right from the start. Not long after Hashirama and Madara died, war broke out and swept across the Shinobi World.

Though it wasn't as brutal as the clan wars of the Warring States Period, it continued on and off for more than twenty years without ever truly stopping: the First, Second, and Third Shinobi World Wars!

Hyuga Shin, who had been born into the world of Naruto, lived up to the name of a transmigrator. He rose to prominence in the late Warring States Period, working hard from childhood to strengthen his body, temper his will, and study Sealing Techniques. He had walked the edge of death countless times before finally earning the title of the strongest Hyuga!

Hyuga Shin had tried several times to change the course of the Shinobi World. He had supported Madara's idea of unifying the world, tried to change the Battle of the Valley of the End, and tried to alter the future conflict between the Main Family and Branch Family of the Hyuga Clan. He had also tried to spread many other ideas.

Every attempt had failed! It was as if some invisible hand was controlling everything in the Shinobi World!

He knew Black Zetsu was scheming behind the scenes, but Shin was certain that Black Zetsu hadn't been capable of changing Madara's mind at the time.

The night before Madara changed his mind, the two of them had talked at length about their ideals. Yet, in the space of a single night, Madara had changed.

The same had happened with Hashirama. With Shin's support, Madara's plan to unify the Shinobi World had been taken seriously. During that time, the other Four Great Shinobi Villages had been deeply uneasy.

But in the end, it had all come to nothing, and things had returned to the familiar script of bowing their heads and dividing up the Tailed Beasts.

Shin's final attempt had been at the Valley of the End. He had taken part in that battle, too.

As the strongest person in Konoha after Hashirama and Madara, he hadn't wanted to see the two of them follow the path that seemed set in stone.

The result was predictable: he failed once again. Madara took Hashirama's flesh and faked his death to escape.

To stop them, Shin had joined the battle of his own accord. The two men, driven into a fury, took turns attacking him, leaving him gravely injured and near death!

At one point, they had both wanted to kill him. Fortunately, at the crucial moment, he had forced himself to use the Reverse Summoning Technique and escaped.

While recovering, Shin discovered something that terrified him. As he hovered near death, his soul had shone brilliantly and devoured some of the things inside it!

The memories of his previous life, which had gradually grown hazy, came flooding back. Only then did he remember the goal he had set for himself as a child, after being born into this world: to create a system of immortal cultivation in this chaotic Shinobi World!

In his view, if even toads could cultivate Natural Energy to achieve longevity, then humans should surely be able to create an Immortal Cultivation Method, too.

After all, in his previous life, he had studied countless ancient texts in a world without spiritual energy and still managed to comprehend the Breathing Body-Nurturing Technique and the 108 Body-Forging Forms, becoming the pinnacle of human strength.

Yet somehow, he had gradually forgotten that goal!

It had happened after he began cultivating Chakra!

The chaos of the Warring States Period had left him no time to sit down and create a cultivation method. He could only keep advancing along the path of Chakra, growing stronger and stronger!

Surviving on the lingering memories of his previous life, Shin guessed the truth behind the Chakra system and broke into a cold sweat.

Once he had healed, Shin dispersed all the Chakra in his body and discovered the Chakra Seed hidden within him. Then he used a Sealing Technique of his own creation to seal it away.

After returning to the Hyuga Clan, he claimed that his severe injuries had left him powerless. He retired from the ranks of the shinobi, stopped interfering in everything, and settled down as a harmless figurehead.

In private, however, he began developing a system of immortal cultivation.

Time flew by, and more than thirty years passed in the blink of an eye. Many things happened during that time, allowing Shin, who stood outside the fray, to see even more of the darkness.

In Konoha Year 12, the First Shinobi World War broke out. Tobirama Senju and Uzumaki Mito led a group of Konoha's strongest shinobi against Cloud Village and Sand Village.

At the time, Mu, the Second Tsuchikage of Earth Village, which was still an ally, also sent troops to hold off Mist Village. He and the Second Mizukage killed each other.

After suffering heavy losses, the sides finally declared a ceasefire and began peace talks in Konoha Year 18, under the mediation of the various Daimyo.

Over the next two years, Konoha negotiated with Sand Village and Mist Village, securing peace with both.

In Konoha Year 21, while Tobirama Senju was negotiating with the Second Raikage, A, the Kinkaku and Ginkaku Brothers led an elite force in a surprise attack. They wielded the Six Paths Tools and possessed the power of the Nine-Tails!

The Second Raikage died horribly. Tobirama Senju stayed behind to cover his subordinates' retreat and died alongside the Kinkaku and Ginkaku Brothers, heralding the start of the Second Shinobi World War.

In Konoha Year 23, the Third Raikage of Cloud Village massed troops at the border. The Shinobi World, which had enjoyed barely five years of peace, was plunged into turmoil once again.

In Konoha Year 24, Konoha went to war with Cloud Village. To gain an overwhelming advantage over Konoha, Cloud Village sent even its Jinchuriki into battle.

Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi had only just taken office and lacked the prestige to command respect. The elders of the great clans resented Tobirama Senju's choice of successor, so they offered little support.

If not for Uzumaki Mito's backing, Hiruzen wouldn't have been able to hold onto the Hokage Position.

As a result, when Cloud Village committed its full strength, Konoha didn't have enough powerful shinobi to reinforce the battlefield.

Without support from the Senju Clan and Uzumaki Mito, it was questionable whether Konoha could have held them off at all.

The Second Shinobi World War dragged on intermittently for eight years. For some inexplicable reason, the great shinobi villages kept joining the fray, turning it into a free-for-all.

Konoha fighting Cloud Village made sense, but what was Mist Village doing fighting Sand Village? Were they trying to steal sand?

Even if an alliance offered enough benefits, there was no need to go to war. Wouldn't it be enough to threaten each other into holding back reinforcements?

In Konoha Year 32, Third Raikage A was leading troops against Konoha when, while retreating, he was surrounded by ten thousand shinobi led by Ōnoki of Iwagakure.

To preserve his village's fighting strength, the Third Raikage opened a path of escape, then stayed behind alone. He battled Iwagakure for three days and three nights before dying of exhaustion.

That marked the end of the Second Shinobi World War.

After the battle, Cloud Village's strength was greatly diminished. Mist Village also feared Konoha might send troops to support Sand Village, so they agreed to stop fighting.

Iwagakure had also suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Third Raikage. The village was full of complaints about Ōnoki, and it had no strength to turn its attention elsewhere.

Soon, the great shinobi villages began proposing peace talks one after another, and the chaotic Shinobi World welcomed a brief period of peace.

In Konoha Year 33, Uzushio Village, home of the Uzumaki Clan, was attacked by a large force of shinobi from the Four Great Shinobi Villages, stirring the peaceful Shinobi World once again.

Because of Uzumaki Mito's status as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the Uzumaki Clan had been targeted by the great shinobi villages for its physical abilities and Sealing Techniques during the First and Second Shinobi World Wars. The clan was wiped out.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, as Hokage, had been unwilling to let his few subordinates become expendable. He was also afraid that intervening would trigger a war between the villages, so he abandoned them.

The Uzumaki Clan had been a staunch ally of Konoha, yet he hadn't sent troops to rescue them. It was Uzumaki Mito who sent a group of Senju Clan members to bring back a little girl.

The Shinobi World then enjoyed another ten years of peace, long enough for yet another generation of leeks to grow.

In Konoha Year 43, the Third Kazekage disappeared without a trace. Sand Village suspected Konoha was responsible, and the Third Shinobi World War began.

At Konoha's Third Training Ground, two watermelon-headed boys in green tights were training. They were Might Duy and his son, Might Guy.

"If you can't finish two thousand frog jumps, you'll run a hundred laps around Konoha, Guy! Can you do it?"

"Yes, Dad! I'll definitely do it!" Guy shouted back.

"Yoshi! This is youth! Give it your all, Guy! Youth never lets down those who work hard!"

"There goes that father and son again. They're natural-born goofballs," two Chunin in flak jackets grumbled as they trained nearby.

"Guy, remember not to care what other people think. Strength isn't just about power; you also need a strong heart! A tiger walks alone, while sheep travel in flocks!"

"Grandpa Shin taught me that. I'm passing it on to you today. I hope that one day you'll become as strong as he is!"

Duy had high hopes for Guy, because Guy was even more talented than he had been!

"Who's Grandpa Shin, Dad? You mention him all the time. He must be strong!" Might Guy asked curiously, but he never stopped training.

He was a disciplined person, and a hardworking genius!

"Don't be curious. Things are getting tense, so I'll take you to visit him in a few days."

"You've got him to thank for the training conditions you have now. I'm sure you'll like him," Duy replied to his son as he jumped.

Father and son trained hard beneath the blazing sun until nightfall.

The Hyuga Clan Compound was a series of closely packed Japanese-style courtyards, arranged in a neat, square pattern. Everything about it reflected the Hyuga Clan's strict rules.

In a small courtyard near the center, Hyuga Shin, soon to be eighty-four years old, dragged his aged body through the slow movements of tai chi. His expression was utterly relaxed. His Hyuga robes and long gray-white hair swayed with each movement, giving him an indescribable grace.

The wrinkles on his face suggested that he must have been quite handsome when he was young.

"Great-Grandpa, please take it easy! You're so old, and you're still pushing yourself. Aren't you afraid you'll shake your bones loose?" A beautiful fourteen- or fifteen-year-old Hyuga girl walked in from outside, chattering as she pushed open the door.

"Lingyin's here. Sit down first! Let me finish my routine," Hyuga Shin replied, continuing his slow movements.

"Great-Grandpa, my father said the Third Kazekage disappeared recently. They suspect Konoha did it, and they've started gathering troops at the border. Do you think there's going to be a war?" Hyuga Ayane asked as she lay back in Hyuga Shin's recliner, sharing the latest news she had heard.

"What's that got to do with you? You're just a little girl, yet you're worrying about the Hokage's problems. Go! Make me a pot of tea." Hyuga Shin gave her an exasperated order.

"Hmph! You old grouch, always treating me like a child. I'm already fifteen! In the Warring States Period, I could've held my own!" Lingyin replied indignantly, but she still got up to fetch water and brew tea.

"With those pitiful skills of yours, in the Warring States Period you'd have been a bounty on legs. Anyone could've claimed the reward." Hyuga Shin didn't hold back in putting the girl in her place.

"Was it really that scary? Besides, I'm pretty strong, you know. I'm already a Chunin!" Lingyin was a little proud of herself.

After all, for a girl in this relatively peaceful era to become a Chunin at fifteen, she had to work hard.

"You can't imagine how terrifying the Warring States Period was. At your age, your father Kusuke was full of himself, too. I gave him a beating, and he settled down." Hyuga Shin launched into a Hammering Blow, his movements growing more fluid.

"But, Great-Grandpa, haven't you lost the ability to extract Chakra and cultivate? Don't you have any strength left? How did you beat Father?" Lingyin asked curiously. That was what the elders of the Main Family had always told her.

"Even though I lost my strength, I still have my wits and experience. I just set up a chain of traps, and your dad couldn't get out of bed for three days. Then he pestered me until I taught him how to set traps for half a year."

"Awesome! So your old man taught Father his title of Hyuga Trap King!" Lingyin exclaimed in surprise.

"Great-Grandpa, were people in the Warring States Period really that strong?" Lingyin continued to ask.

"Not really. Aside from those two cheats, Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara, everyone else was about the same to me."

"But the Warring States Period shinobi were generally at least a level or two above today's when it came to combat sense and ways of trading their lives for their opponents'. They were all pretty ruthless." Hyuga Shin wasn't bragging; he'd experienced it all.

"Great-Grandpa, could you tell me more about your stories from the Warring States Period? I really want to know." Lingyin asked as she brewed tea, like an inquisitive little child.

"What's so interesting about the Warring States Period? It was nothing but fighting and killing. You couldn't even get a decent night's sleep on the battlefield. Several clans would fight to the death over a tiny patch of land. Human life was worth less than grass!" Hyuga Shin sounded wistful, though his hands never stopped moving.

"Then, Great-Grandpa, can I learn how to set traps from you?" Lingyin asked hopefully.

"Go ask your dad. I don't have time to teach you." Hyuga Shin slowly finished his routine, went to the recliner, and took a sip of tea. He clearly didn't want to agree.

Teaching kids was such a hassle!

Lingyin tugged on Hyuga Shin's sleeve, about to say something, when a clear eagle's cry rang out overhead. She saw Hyuga Shin look up at the Ninja Hawk flying across the sky and murmur, "A storm's brewing."

"Was that an emergency messenger hawk, Great-Grandpa?" Hyuga Ayane asked gravely. As a young lady of the Hyuga Main Family, Lingyin knew how serious this was.

Emergency messenger hawks were rarely used—except when war broke out!

"Mm. Don't come here for a while. Train hard with your father. The battlefield isn't child's play, so you need to understand that. Go on back." Hyuga Shin gave her his calm advice.

"All right, I'll go now. I'll come visit you again when I have time." Hyuga Shin watched Hyuga Ayane walk away, saying nothing.

A new crop of seedlings had grown. You couldn't wait any longer, could you, Sage of Six Paths?