Birth

Jiang Yi woke from a deep sleep. He tried to open his eyes, but everything before him was pitch-black. The sound of running water trickled in his ears.

"Where am I? Why can't I move? Am I dreaming? Or have I been kidnapped?" Just as Jiang Yi's thoughts ran wild, a wave of intense drowsiness washed over him, and he quickly fell asleep...

The Land of Waterfalls, somewhere.

Rika had just finished treating her last patient of the day. She slowly stood up, gently caressed her heavily swollen belly, closed the shop, and made her way home.

As soon as she opened the door, Rika saw a big yellow dog with a glossy coat run over. It carefully circled around her.

Seeing the dog wanting to approach but not daring to, Rika smiled. "All right, Taro. Dinner will be ready soon. Just wait a little." With that, she headed inside.

As Rika passed the yellow dog, it twitched its nose and sniffed hard. Then it turned to look at her before suddenly dashing out the door.

"Taro, where are you going now? Come back!" Rika called after the yellow dog, but it vanished in an instant...

More than ten days later, in the dead of night, a figure slowly approached Rika's home and stopped at the door.

A moment later, the door opened. He saw a yellow dog wagging its tail happily, letting out a low whine. He crouched down and stroked its head, then went to Rika's room. After lighting a candle, he stood quietly, watching her sleep.

"I hope my child inherits the Hyuga Clan's bloodline."

"Rika, wake up. I'm here." He gently patted her arm.

Rika slowly opened her eyes and saw Hyuga Shun standing before her. Her expression quickly changed from drowsy to delighted. "Shun, you finally came!"

Hyuga Shun nodded. "Our child is about to be born, so I came specially to see you. You've had a hard time these past two years."

Rika gently stroked her belly and shook her head. She looked at Hyuga Shun with hopeful eyes.

"Shun, after the baby is born, can you come visit us more often? We've only seen each other once this past year."

Hyuga Shun looked troubled. "I'm sorry, Rika. The war is over, and I have fewer and fewer chances to visit you. I've also told you about my clan's situation. I hope you can understand."

Seeing how troubled Hyuga Shun looked, Rika could only smile wryly and nod. "I understand. I'm sorry. I hope you won't take it to heart."

Hyuga Shun looked around the house and said, "You can't stay here any longer. Take care of your shop. We'll leave in a few days."

"Leave again? Where are we going this time?" Rika looked at Hyuga Shun in confusion.

"To the Land of Iron. There are no shinobi there, so you and the baby can live safely without fear of being discovered." Hyuga Shun came over to Rika and took her hand. "It's all for our child!"

"I understand." Rika lowered her head and gently stroked her belly.

A week later, in a frost-covered forest, a tent stood beneath the trees. The anguished cries of a woman and the encouraging voice of a man came from within.

"Relax and take a deep breath. The baby's about to come!"

With a cry of "Wah," Rika's face showed her relief. Hyuga Shun held a baby in his arms.

"Let me see the baby, Shun."

"It's a boy." Hyuga Shun carried the baby over to Rika. "Rest for now. I need to seal the baby's Byakugan right away."

Rika nodded weakly, but kept her eyes fixed on the baby.

Hyuga Shun took a few steps forward with the baby in his arms, gazing at him with excitement. He saw the baby's sparse black hair and pure white eyes, and his hands trembled slightly.

"This is my child, a child with the Hyuga Clan's bloodline. As long as he isn't discovered, he won't be branded with the Caged Bird and forced to be a dog of the Main Branch! Maybe he'll be able to accomplish things I never could!"

Jiang Yi opened his eyes and saw a man with bandages wrapped around his forehead. He had long black hair and a pair of pure white eyes.

"Th-this is the Byakugan? Am I still dreaming?" Jiang Yi tried to speak, but all that came out was a series of "wah, wah" cries.

"Am I being held in this man's arms? What on earth is going on?"

Jiang Yi could only watch as the man held him in one arm and drew a circle on the ground with the other. Its central design was incredibly intricate. Then the man placed him inside the complicated pattern. The man took a deep breath, his fingers moving rapidly through hand signs, then shouted:

"Seal!"

Jiang Yi saw the pattern drawn on the ground activate as if by some mysterious force. It rose into the air and spun wildly. Then, to his horror, the black lines dancing in the air rushed toward his eyes.

"Ah, no!" Jiang Yi's mind shuddered. He squeezed his eyes shut and passed out.

Hyuga Shun lowered his hands and picked up the baby. He saw that the baby's hair had turned brown and the black markings at the corners of his eyes were slowly disappearing. He gently opened the baby's eyelids and saw that his pupils had turned the same black as an ordinary person's. He let out a deep breath of relief.

A few days later, at the border of the Land of Iron, Hyuga Shun looked at the town in the distance. Beside him stood Rika, holding a sleeping baby.

"Rika, I'm sorry. This is as far as I can take you." Hyuga Shun turned to look at her.

"I understand your difficulties. I'll take good care of myself and the baby, so don't worry."

"You don't need to worry about your safety or the baby's. Taro can protect you." As he spoke, Hyuga Shun turned to look at the yellow dog behind him.

Rika looked at Hyuga Shun and nodded.

"I'm an unfit father. You should give the child a name." Hyuga Shun looked at the baby in Rika's arms.

Rika gazed tenderly at the baby, her finger lightly brushing his cheek. Then she looked up at Hyuga Shun with a smile. "Nian. Let's call him Nian."

Meeting Rika's gaze, Hyuga Shun lowered his head without realizing it. "All right. That's a good name. Our child will be called Nian."

A trace of disappointment flashed in Rika's eyes at Hyuga Shun's reaction, and her smile slowly faded. Then she smiled again. "Well, I'm leaving. You take care of yourself, too!"

"All right. I'll come visit you and the baby whenever I can. Even if I can't, I'll send you letters."

Rika nodded and walked toward the Land of Iron with the baby in her arms. The yellow dog followed behind her. When it passed Hyuga Shun, it held its tail straight up and looked at him before turning away and running after Rika.

Hyuga Shun stood where he was, watching Rika walk away. He remained there quietly for a long, long time, until her figure disappeared from sight.

Hyuga Shun slowly looked away and turned to leave. He found a secluded spot and formed a hand sign. A puff of white smoke appeared, and black markings flashed across his face. With a bang, he vanished.