The egg before him was about the same size as a chicken egg. Unlike a chicken egg, though, its shell was sky blue and occasionally shimmered with blue light. It looked beautiful.
This egg was a gift Hyuga Gen's parents had brought back for him after returning from a mission.
"Be a good boy, Gen. Listen to your grandfather. Once you hatch this egg, we'll come back."
Those were his mother's words before she left on her mission. They were also the last words she ever said to her son.
That was why Hyuga Gen treasured the egg so much. He cared for it diligently every day, hoping the little life inside would hatch soon.
Then he would be able to see his parents again.
"What if it's a dud and can't hatch at all?" Hyuga Gen wondered. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Maybe his mother had deliberately given him a dead egg.
As he spoke, Hyuga Gen activated his Byakugan without hesitation and carefully examined the egg.
"Brother Gen, you can use the Byakugan already? That's amazing!"
Seeing the sudden change in Hyuga Gen, Hyuga Natsu naturally understood what had happened. Her mother could use the Byakugan too, and had told her about it.
When the Byakugan was activated, chakra flowed into the eyes, causing the veins around the corners of the eyes and temples to bulge. The person's whole bearing also became cold and fierce.
"Yeah. Natsu, aren't you scared when I look like this?"
Seeing Hyuga Natsu looking curious and envious, without a trace of fear, Hyuga Gen was a little puzzled.
"I was scared the first time I saw Mother use it, but after she explained it to me, I wasn't afraid anymore."
"So that's how it is. Remember to keep it a secret that I can use it, okay? You're the only one who knows right now. Let's make it our little secret."
Hyuga Gen didn't want anyone else to know he had already activated his Byakugan.
"Okay. I definitely won't tell anyone."
When she heard it was a secret between the two of them, Hyuga Natsu promised without hesitation.
She didn't know why Brother Gen didn't want anyone to know he could use the Byakugan, but once she thought of it as their "little secret," nothing else mattered.
Hyuga Gen knew that if the others in the clan found out he had activated the Byakugan at five, it might cause a sensation. That wasn't what he wanted right now.
So far, he hadn't heard of anyone in the Hyuga Clan who could activate the Byakugan at five. Of course, there was a genius in the clan who would come later: Neji, who had activated his Byakugan at four.
He vaguely felt that his ability to activate the Byakugan might be because he had come to this world and fused with the previous soul. Otherwise, it probably wouldn't have been possible for the original owner to activate it so early.
Hyuga Gen also vaguely sensed that his Byakugan was somewhat different from others', and that it was slowly improving. Of course, he wasn't certain about any of that yet.
Setting the other thoughts aside, Hyuga Gen carefully examined the strange egg.
"Thump, thump. Thump, thump."
Hyuga Gen seemed to hear the sound of a heartbeat. He could see something inside the eggshell beating. He tried to make out what it was, but couldn't see clearly no matter how hard he looked. After all, he had only just learned to use the Byakugan, and now he was starting to feel dizzy.
"Looks like I'll have to practice using the Byakugan more. I'm still completely unpracticed, and my chakra runs out quickly."
But from what he'd seen just now, the egg probably wasn't dead. He could sense plenty of life in it. Maybe it would hatch soon.
"Brother Gen, how is it? Can it hatch into a little chick?" Hyuga Natsu asked curiously after he finished examining it.
"It should be able to hatch. It might even hatch soon. As for whether it's a little chick, I'm not sure."
Hyuga Gen thought it was unlikely to hatch into a little chick.
He'd seen the chicken eggs in this world, and they weren't much different from the eggs in his previous world. So this beautiful blue egg probably hadn't been laid by a chicken.
"Hey, Brother Gen, look! It's glowing blue. There seems to be something inside!"
Hyuga Gen had already noticed.
"Could it hatch today? It's possible. It's been so long, and the life force I sensed just now wasn't weak."
He was curious, and a little excited, to find out what would hatch from the egg.
"It moved! It moved, Brother Gen! It looks like something's about to come out!" Hyuga Natsu cried excitedly.
A shadow inside the egg was struggling with all its might, as if trying to break free and crawl out of its shell. Fine cracks had appeared on the surface of the eggshell.
But the cracks weren't enough to break the shell open. The movement grew weaker, and the little life inside seemed to be running out of strength.
"Brother Gen, quick! We have to help it! It looks like it can't make it. It's barely moving!"
Hyuga Natsu was getting anxious.
"Natsu, we can't help it. It has to get out of the egg on its own."
Hyuga Gen didn't want to see a life die either.
"Why not? Can't we break the shell and save it?"
As she spoke, Hyuga Natsu was about to try and crack the egg open.
"No, Natsu. It has to do it on its own. We can't help it. If we break the shell for it, it might die right away. You don't want to see it die, do you? All we can do is believe in it."
Hyuga Gen stopped Hyuga Natsu and looked at her seriously.
"Breaking through from within is a birth. Breaking through from the outside only hastens its death. Even if it miraculously survives, it'll have all kinds of defects that make it hard to live."
Hyuga Gen had seen this somewhere before, though he couldn't remember where.
As the seconds passed, Hyuga Gen stared at the egg, hoping a miracle would happen. A little life was about to be born. He didn't want to see it die inside its shell.
Heaven seemed to answer Hyuga Gen's plea. A little head suddenly poked out of the shell. After struggling with all its might, it tipped the egg over, and the tiny creature slowly crawled out.
Before long, it had finally freed itself from the eggshell. But now it seemed utterly exhausted, lying there without moving.
"That's great! It finally came out. But Brother Gen, what is it? It's completely bald and so ugly."
Hyuga Natsu now looked a little disgusted.
She'd been so worried just moments ago that she'd almost cried. Now she was already complaining about it. Hyuga Gen couldn't understand what she was thinking.
"Could it really be a little chick? It kind of looks like one, but I can't be sure. It's just a little ball of flesh. Maybe we'll be able to tell after it grows a bit."
"I'm not sure either. We should be able to tell once it's grown a little."
"Then take good care of it, Brother Gen. It's getting late, so I'll head home. I'll wait for you at my house tomorrow morning."
After saying that, Hyuga Natsu bounced away.
"Got it."
Since she was willing to go, Hyuga Gen was more than happy to let her.
"But how am I supposed to raise it? I should ask Aunt Hui. She probably knows."
Hyuga Gen wasn't sure, but she would know more than he did. With that in mind, he ran off to ask Hyuga Hui for help.
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