A piercing scream echoed from the private delivery room. Hyuga Himawari, Hiashi's wife, cried out at the top of her lungs as she labored to bring their second child into the world.
Despite this being their second time, Hiashi watched with his heart clenched in a vise of worry, his face pale with anxiety.
Several medical-nin attended to her, their movements swift and practiced.
Hiashi stood by her side, holding his wife's hand tightly, his knuckles white.
For hours, Himawari gave everything she had. Finally, after a final, monumental effort, the sound of a newborn's cry filled the room.
"It's a girl," one of the medics announced.
After gently cleaning the baby, the medical-nin carefully placed the swaddled infant into Himawari's waiting arms.
"You can name your daughter," the medic said softly.
"Can I name her?" Himawari asked, her voice weak but filled with love.
"Of course you can," Hiashi said, forcing a smile through his concern. "We made a promise: you name the girls, and I name the boys." It was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives.
"Hyuga Hanabi," Himawari whispered, a faint smile gracing her lips. "I remember the day you confessed to me during the firework festival..."
Hiashi smiled, looking down at his beautiful new daughter.
But then Himawari's voice grew even fainter. "Hiashi... please protect our daughters. Promise me."
"I will. I promise," Hiashi said, his voice thick with emotion as he kissed his wife's damp forehead.
Then, Himawari's eyes closed.
"Himawari?" Hiashi called her name, a note of panic creeping into his voice.
"She must be tired; she's sleeping," one medic said gently. But as he reached for her wrist to check her pulse, his professional demeanor shattered. His eyes widened, and he looked urgently at Hiashi. "Code Blue! Get the defibrillator, now!"
Hiashi stood frozen in disbelief. Refusing to believe it, he activated his Byakugan. His world shattered. The vibrant flow of chakra within her was gone, and her heart was still. A void where life had been.
"No..." Hiashi's voice cracked, the sound barely a whisper.
A medic quickly took the baby from Himawari's arms and placed her into Hiashi's numb ones, while the others began frantic CPR, their efforts growing more desperate.
They worked tirelessly, but it was no use. After several agonizing minutes, they stopped, their heads bowed in defeat.
Hiashi stood holding his newborn daughter, the weight of his promise and his loss crashing down on him all at once. "No," he breathed, his voice breaking completely. "This can't be happening..."
The lead medic bowed his head, his voice heavy with grief and regret. "We are so sorry, Hiashi-sama. We were not fast enough... we could not bring her back."
The words washed over Hiashi, but they didn't register. His mind was elsewhere, already grappling with a pain far more complex than his own. 'What will I tell Hinata? How do I explain that her mother is gone?'
He looked down at the small, sleeping face of his newborn daughter, Hanabi. In that tiny, innocent face, he saw the ghost of his wife's smile and the crushing weight of a promise made in her final moments. A single tear escaped his eye, tracing a path down his stoic cheek, followed by another. He made no effort to stop them.
In the span of a single hour, he had experienced the pinnacle of joy and the absolute depths of despair. The happiest day of his life had become the saddest.
Hours Later,
The news broke quietly, then spread like a chill through the Hyuga compound: Hyuga Himawari, wife of Hiashi, had died shortly after giving birth to their second daughter, a child who would be named Hyuga Hanabi.
The compound was shrouded in a state of subdued shock.
While the family's private funeral was conducted, Neji was elsewhere in the village, pushing his body to its limits in a grueling stamina exercise. He refused to waste a single day of training.
Hours later, drenched in sweat, he finally paused to rest on a bench. After a few minutes of heavy breathing, he set off again at a run. His path took him past the Yamanaka Flower Shop. He slowed to a stop, his expression unreadable, and entered the quiet shop.
A girl slightly younger than him emerged from the back. It was Yamanaka Ino, her short platinum blonde hair framing a face with keen, light green eyes. Their gazes met, and for a moment, Ino felt a flicker of unease anyone would, faced with the Hyuga's featureless mornin but she was a kunoichi-in-training and this was her customer. She steadied herself.
"Can I help you find something?" Ino asked.
"Flowers. For the dead. For three people," Neji stated, his voice flat.
"Oh… of course," Ino said, her professional demeanor softening. She gathered a bouquet of white chrysanthemums and placed them on the counter. "These are traditional for mourning."
"How much?" Neji asked.
"Six hundred ryo."
Neji wordlessly pulled the money from his wallet, placed it on the counter, and took the flowers. "Thanks," he said tersely.
He left, and Ino offered a slight, respectful bow. "Please come again."
As the door closed behind him, Ino's mother emerged from the back room. "Ino? Who was that?"
"A customer, Okaa-san," Ino said with a small, proud smile. "I made a sale."
"Good job, dear," her mother said, gently patting her head.
Neji made his way to the village graveyard. The morning air was still. As he approached the Hyuga plot, he saw Hiashi was still there, a solitary figure standing vigil before a fresh mound of earth, his wife's grave.
Neji paused, then stepped forward. Without looking at his uncle, he carefully laid a portion of the chrysanthemums at the foot of the new headstone, paying his silent respects. Hiashi opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught in his throat, choked by grief and a heavier, more complicated guilt.
Neji merely offered a slight, formal bow in his direction, then turned to place the remaining flowers on the well-kept graves of his own parents.
Hiashi watched the boy's quiet, dignified actions, and a profound wave of anguish washed over him.
'This is my burden to bear,' he thought, his heart clenching. 'This is my bad karma.'
As Hiashi watched Neji, a deep fear took root in his heart. He saw a future where Hinata, as the gentle older sister, could be sacrificed for the main branch's sake, just as his brother Hizashi had been for him. With Hanabi's birth, that cruel possibility was no longer abstract, it was a terrifyingly real threat.
He muttered to himself, the words a solemn vow, "I can't let Hinata be weak. I won't lose her, too. I promised Himawari I would protect our child." To shield both of his daughters from the clan's brutal fate, he knew he had to change everything.
But Neji did not linger. His respects paid, he turned and left without a word to continue his training.
A Few Days Later,
In the Hyuga training hall, the air was cold and still.
"Again," Hiashi commanded, his voice devoid of any warmth as he looked down at his daughter.
Hinata struggled through the Gentle Fist form, her small hands trembling with exhaustion. Her arms were leaden and sore from the relentless drilling, and finally, her strength gave out. She stumbled and fell hard onto her knees.
Hiashi's face held only a strict, cold expression. His commands were no longer patient; they were sharp and stern.
"Otou-sama," Hinata asked, her voice barely a whisper, "why are you doing this to me?" Her father had always been strict, but never like this.
"I will not raise a weak heir. Now, get up!" Hiashi raised his voice, the sound echoing off the walls.
Shaken, Hinata pushed herself up and forced her body back into the beginning stance, repeating the form once more.
"You should be like your cousin, Neji. He works hard every single day without complaint," Hiashi stated, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Hinata remained silent, her head bowed.
"You will agree with my point. You will work hard, like Neji," Hiashi insisted.
"Yes, Otou-sama," Hinata said, tears finally welling up and spilling over her cheeks.
"Stop those tears," he said coldly. "I will not see you cry in this training hall again."
Hinata quickly wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand and continued the form, her movements shaky but determined.
Just then, Neji arrived at the training hall. He paused in the doorway, surprised by the intense scene, yet not entirely shocked. In the back of his mind, he knew the original Hiashi was a strict master. It seemed that version of his uncle had finally emerged, the cause undoubtedly rooted in the recent death of his wife.
"Good, you are here, Neji," Hiashi said. He then glanced at Hinata. "Hinata, you can stop now."
As Hinata moved to take a seat, relief washing over her, Hiashi's voice cut through the air. "Who gave you permission to sit?"
Hinata flinched as if struck and immediately stood back up, her posture rigid.
"Get into your stance, Neji," Hiashi ordered.
Neji closed the door behind him and began a series of fluid warm-up exercises before settling into a perfect combat stance.
Hiashi then looked at Hinata, who was watching from the sidelines. "Observe closely. Learn from this sparring session."
"Yes, Otou-sama," Hinata answered softly.
'Her eyes are red,' Neji thought, his gaze flicking to her for a few seconds before he forced his focus onto the spar about to begin. Yet, despite his disciplined resolve, a slight pang of sympathy for his cousin lingered in his heart.
Hinata watched the sparring session intently, her fear of her father's disapproval outweighing her exhaustion. She was afraid that if she missed a single detail, she would be punished.
When the spar concluded, Hiashi turned his stern gaze to her. "Have you learned something?"
Hinata was shaken but still managed to answer, "That precision is everything."
"Good," Hiashi said, his voice still cold. "Go and rest. We will resume practice later."
Hinata bowed slightly and hurried from the training hall.
"You, Neji," Hiashi said, turning to his nephew. "Will you stay longer?"
"No," Neji replied. "I have other training to attend to."
"Very well. I will see you tomorrow."
Neji nodded and left. As he walked away from the hall, he saw Hinata walking slowly down the path, her shoulders slumped. He could hear her muttering to herself, her voice filled with sorrow, "Does my father hate me?"
Neji approached her quietly and gently ruffled her hair. "Toughen your heart, Hinata. Your father is not being cruel. He is trying to protect you from the Hyuga tradition."
"What do you mean by that, Neji-nii?" Hinata asked, her large eyes wide with confusion.
Neji didn't answer with words. Instead, he simply met her gaze, a silent understanding passing between them. Hinata's eyes flickered up to the cursed seal on his forehead, and in that moment, she understood everything. Seeing her realization, Neji offered a small, genuine smile perhaps his first true smile to her in a long time.
With that, he turned and left the residence.
Hinata was left alone with her thoughts, but now her confusion was replaced with a dawning resolve. With a new, courageous step, she turned and walked back into the training hall. Hiashi, who was cleaning up, looked up, confused by her return. But he paused, seeing that her expression was different now; she looked clearer, stronger.
— X —
Currently, 6+ Advanced Chapters Available
Access advance chapters on Patreon.
Support me at:
Pat reon.com /The_Undying_One