Konoha Year 51

Ah... school again... what a pain.

The boy waiting at the traffic light by the roadside grumbled as he bit into the egg-stuffed flatbread in his hand.

Just then, an arm suddenly reached out from behind him, slung around his neck, and greeted him warmly.

"Yo, if it isn't Xiansheng."

He didn't struggle when the arm hooked around his neck. He could tell from the voice that it was his good friend.

They'd been together from elementary school through middle school, and after starting high school, they'd unexpectedly ended up in the same class again when classes were reshuffled last month.

They were the closest of bros.

So he didn't mind at all and replied without changing expression.

"Yo, you're here pretty early too. Want a bite?" He waved the egg-stuffed flatbread in his hand.

"Holy crap, really?" His buddy lowered his hand, looking surprised.

"Just kidding." He pulled the flatbread back and kept nibbling at it.

"Damn it, then you have to give me a bite." As he spoke, he prepared to snatch a bite by force.

One of them pushed while the other tried to steal the food. As they tussled, the light turned green.

The two stopped fooling around and continued on toward school.

Just then, a truck blared its horn.

They turned to look and saw that the truck seemed to have lost control. It was veering toward the sidewalk.

The worst part was that quite a few people were still standing there, frozen in place.

They thought it would hit them, but to their utter surprise, the truck suddenly swerved sharply and came straight at the two of them instead.

Luckily, Xiansheng reacted quickly and shoved his friend out of the way.

But in the brief moment it took to push him aside, he couldn't get out of the way himself.

All he could do was watch as the truck drew closer and closer.

Then came a loud crash.

His body flew through the air like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Then, with a thud, he landed on the ground, lying there peacefully.

He was covered in blood.

He could no longer hear or feel anything.

His consciousness was fading.

Just before it slipped away, he saw his friend shouting at him and running over.

But he couldn't hear a thing.

...What was he shouting?

December 6, Konoha Year 51

Konoha Hospital

Waaah—

A loud cry rang out through the hospital at night.

The baby was born!

A nurse exclaimed with delight.

The other nurse, clearly more experienced, quickly checked the baby's airway to make sure it was clear, then examined the heart and other vital signs.

After that, she worked with the other nurse to cut the umbilical cord, wipe away the amniotic fluid, disinfect the baby, and wrap him in a blanket.

"My baby?! My baby—"

The young woman lying on the bed turned her head, wanting to see her child now that he had been born.

Once the nurses had finished tending to the newborn, they placed him in the bassinet beside the young woman.

The newborn was rosy-cheeked, with barely any hair. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut, and his tiny hands were balled into fists.

The woman lying beside him reached out and gently touched his face. Her expression was full of relief and joy.

Today, she had become a mother. This was the child she had with the man she loved.

After resting for a while, she and the baby were taken out of the delivery room and moved to a hospital room.

The young man waiting outside had been pacing back and forth anxiously. Hearing the baby cry only made him even more nervous and worried.

When the hospital room door opened and he saw the familiar face, along with the bassinet beside her, his worries finally eased, replaced by overwhelming joy.

Today, he had become a father.

He hurried over to ask how she was doing.

"Xue, have you been in there long?!"

"Doctor, is Xue all right?" he asked quickly, his voice full of concern.

He didn't even glance at the baby first.

Seeing how flustered he was, the doctor didn't keep him waiting and answered immediately.

"Congratulations, it's a boy. The mother is fine, just a little exhausted. She needs to rest in bed. The baby was delivered naturally and is very healthy."

Only then did the weight on the man's heart ease a little.

Once the mother had been brought into the hospital room, the loving couple finally had a chance to talk.

"Xue'er, you're really all right?"

The woman merely replied softly.

"Mm... I'm fine." After pausing for a moment, she suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, right. The baby!"

"Ah, yes." The two of them hurriedly picked up the baby to take a look.

Oddly enough, the father didn't look at the baby's face or check whether he was a boy or a girl.

He looked at the baby's eyes instead.

He gently lifted the baby's eyelids, his expression full of anticipation, as if he were opening a mystery box and hoping to win the grand prize.

And when he saw the baby's eyes, the father cried out in delight.

"Xue'er! Byakugan! It's the Byakugan! The baby inherited it!"

"Believe me, now that the baby has the Byakugan, the clan elders will definitely recognize him. They'll recognize you too, Xue'er."

Seeing how happy the man was, the woman couldn't help feeling happy too. A tear slipped down her cheek.

After celebrating, he held the baby and gave him a hearty kiss, then turned to the woman and said,

"You can rest here for the next few months. Once you're feeling better, we'll take the baby back to the clan and have him acknowledged. Then we'll finally be recognized by the clan too."

"Mm!" The woman answered, then remembered something.

"Hey, Ning. What should we name the baby?" she asked gently, looking at the man.

The man paused, as if he had only just realized he needed to think of a name.

He looked down at the baby in his arms. The tiny, rosy face was peaceful, the baby sleeping soundly with his eyes closed.

The man fell silent for a moment. Many names flashed through his mind, but none seemed quite right.

Then his gaze was drawn to the snowy scene outside the window. White snowflakes drifted down, one after another, like something from a dream. He thought of the woman beside him, too.

A thought struck him.

"Let's call him... Ning Xue," he said with a smile, his voice tinged with excitement.

"Hyuga Ningxue..." the woman repeated softly, her eyes brightening with delight.

The name carried their love for their child, and it also reflected both of their names.

The man carefully lifted the baby high, as if he were the most precious treasure in the world.

"I believe this name will bring him good luck."

Whew... it's so cold. Where am I?

Why can't I open my eyes?

Who are they?

Who's talking?... Hyuga Ningxue?

Who is that?

And who... am I?

A few months later

Hyuga Ning held the baby in his arms, his fingertips gently smoothing the soft blanket wrapped around the child.

His beloved Xue still looked pale, but her eyes shone with quiet warmth and determination.

They both knew that returning to the Hyuga Clan Compound and seeking the elders' recognition would be an uphill battle.

Xue wasn't from Konoha. She came from the distant Land of Snow and had no prestigious shinobi lineage. To the Hyuga Main House, who placed such great importance on bloodline and the purity of the Byakugan, that was practically a sin.

Ning was a member of the Branch Family, and his marriage to an outsider and the child they had together had already attracted plenty of criticism.

Now that the baby had been born and, by good fortune, inherited the Byakugan, this was the only card they had to play—and their most important one.

A few days later, one morning, Ning carefully helped Xue along as she held Ningxue snugly in her arms, wrapped up tightly. Together, they stepped through the solemn, ancient gates of the Hyuga Clan Compound.

The atmosphere instantly grew heavy. The clan members they passed looked at them with a mixture of curiosity, scrutiny, and undisguised contempt, their eyes especially drawn to Xue's unusually pale hair and features.

Inside the Main House's great hall, three white-haired elders sat upright, the oppressive atmosphere making it hard to breathe. The eldest, Hyuga Tadayoshi, had eyes as sharp as an eagle's. He spoke slowly, his voice utterly devoid of warmth.

"Hyuga Ning, do you understand the gravity of your crime?

You brought an outsider and a child of uncertain bloodline into the Main House's inner grounds. Do you understand what that means?"

Ning took a deep breath and straightened his back, responding calmly and without submission.

"Elder, honored elders, this is my beloved, Xue, and our child, Hyuga Ningxue. The baby has awakened the Byakugan, proving that he carries the pure bloodline of the Hyuga Clan."

He gently held the baby out to the elders. After taking the child, the elder lifted his eyelids.

After confirming that the baby had the Byakugan, he returned him and nodded to the other elders, indicating that the eyes were indeed the Byakugan.

The second elder, seated to the left, gave a cold snort.

"The Byakugan? Who can guarantee the purity and strength of a child born from a Branch Family member and an outsider? The Land of Snow... I've heard it's only a minor country. What right does it have to mingle with the noble bloodline of the Hyuga Clan?"

Xue trembled slightly, but still did her best to remain composed. Sensing her nervousness, Ning drew her closer and spoke firmly.

"Elder, bloodline purity isn't the only measure. Xue is the woman I love, and Ningxue is a child of the Hyuga Clan. They deserve the clan's recognition and protection."

The third elder, who had been silent until then, looked at the baby's peaceful face and spoke slowly.

"The child has indeed awakened the Byakugan. That is a fact. But the clan rules cannot simply be set aside."

He paused and looked at Xue.

"Woman, you come from the Land of Snow. Does your family possess any special abilities or traditions? Perhaps... you can prove that you aren't without value."

Xue raised her head. A resolute look appeared on her pale face. She gently handed the baby to Ning, then formed a simple hand seal. Though she was weak after giving birth and her chakra was sluggish, the temperature around them still dropped several degrees in an instant. A few tiny, glistening ice flowers appeared out of nowhere and drifted gently to the ground.

"The Land of Snow has secret arts for controlling ice and frost. They aren't a Kekkei Genkai, and I'm no shinobi, but the art has still been passed down through the generations. I'm willing to teach it to the Hyuga in the future, to help strengthen the clan's shinobi and give the Hyuga Clan another source of strength."

The elders exchanged glances. The chill in the air was faint, but undeniable.

The eldest elder pondered for a moment. At last, his eyes fell on the baby's eyes, a symbol of the clan's future, and he slowly nodded.

"Very well.

Since she has borne a child for the Hyuga Clan, and the Byakugan has appeared, the child is an extension of the Hyuga bloodline.

The child... may be entered into the clan registry and placed in the Branch Family. As for you..."

He looked at Xue.

"Since you chose to marry into the clan, you must know your place and keep to your duties. Raise your children well. As for your secret art, the Hyuga of Konoha have no need for the secret arts of a small country. You may teach it to your child."

The elder's words loosened the tension in Hyuga Ning's body a little. Behind him, Xue smiled with joy.

However, the eldest elder's next words cast a shadow over that happiness.

"But since the child has joined the Branch Family, the rules cannot be ignored. When he is a little older, he must be marked with the Caged Bird seal. It is essential for protecting the Main House's bloodline and preserving the Hyuga Clan's peace. You must be prepared for that."

Hyuga Ning stiffened, but quickly lowered his head. "...Yes. We will obey the elders' orders."

They had succeeded in rejoining the clan, and Ningxue's future was secure, but he was destined to be bound by the Branch Family's shackles. Holding their child, now finally recognized by the clan, the couple left the elders' room with a tangle of joy and worry in their hearts.

Ningxue seemed to sense his parents' emotions. He smacked his lips and remained peacefully asleep. He had heard them, and he had a pretty good idea where he was.