The cold. It was the first sensation that struck me when I opened my eyes. Not the artificial chill of an air conditioner, nor the cold of winter behind a tightly closed window. No. It was raw, natural, biting cold, heavy with moisture. My back rested on a hard surface. Stone? Earth? Impossible to tell.
I took a breath, and the air burned my throat. A harsh air, thick with smoke and burning wood. The sky above me was gray, speckled with dark clouds, as if rain threatened to fall at any moment.
I shot upright, panic surging through me. Around me, this was not my room, nor my house, nor anything familiar. It was a clearing, bordered by massive, gnarled trees with thick trunks. An unsettling silence weighed over the place, broken only by the distant cawing of crows.
"W-where… am I?" I murmured, but my voice sounded different.
I looked down at my hands. They were small. Too small. My skin was paler, my fingers thin, delicate. My heart raced. I wore a white kimono, light, tied with a dark sash. My legs… short, awkward. I was no longer myself. I was in the body of a child.
The sound of footsteps made me startle. I spun around, and my eyes widened.
Three children, about my age, were staring at me, dressed in similar white kimonos. Their gazes were strange, intense, freezing the blood in my veins. Their pupils… no, there were no pupils. Just milky white eyes, piercing, almost inhuman.
The Byakugan.
I froze, unable to breathe. Suddenly, everything made sense. This world. This body. These eyes.
I was in Naruto.
A wave of dizziness hit me. No, it wasn't possible. How? Why me? Had I dreamed too intensely? Was it a punishment? An accident? No answer. But one certainty: I was no longer in my world. I had been thrown into the one I had only seen through a screen. And not during Naruto Uzumaki's time, no. Much earlier.
"Hey, you're awake, finally!" one of the children said, relieved.
His voice was clear, yet firm.
"We thought you wouldn't come back. Father would've been furious."
Another added, mockingly:
"He's always weak. Not worthy of a Hyūga."
The word struck me like thunder. Hyūga. The Hyūga clan. One of Konoha's founding clans. Masters of the Byakugan. I swallowed hard. Not only was I in this world, but I had been reincarnated into one of its most prestigious clans.
The third boy approached and held out his hand.
"Come on, get up. Training starts."
I hesitated, then took his hand. His grip was surprisingly strong for his age. As he helped me up, a sharp pain shot through my temples. As if my head were about to burst.
For a moment, my vision blurred. The world around me became clearer, more detailed, as if every vein in the leaves, every crawling insect under the soil, were suddenly visible. My sight pierced through flesh and tree trunks. Translucent silhouettes, with networks of blue lines… flows of energy.
The Byakugan had activated.
I stumbled back in panic, breathless. The children looked at me without surprise.
"Finally, you're getting used to it," one of them said. "Father will be pleased."
But inside, I was trembling.
It was true. I had the Byakugan. I could see chakra. I could see everything.
Fear gave way to another emotion: excitement. Because I knew. I had read, watched, analyzed. I knew the story that was about to unfold. Hashirama Senju. Madara Uchiha. The dream of Konoha. And the tragedy.
I remained silent, trying to play the part of the child I had become. But in my head, thoughts were racing.
"This is my world now. I have to survive. I have to change things."
Later that day, we were gathered in a vast courtyard. Adult Hyūga, in combat attire, awaited us. One of them, a stern man with sharp features and icy eyes, stepped forward.
"Today," he said in a harsh voice, "you will learn the first step of the Jūken. The Gentle Fist."
The children around me assumed positions, knees bent, hands open. I tried to mimic them, clumsily. But in my mind, memories of my former world collided: I had never fought, never hit anyone. And yet, here, it was the norm.
The instructor approached and, without warning, struck me sharply in the chest. A wave ran through my body. I gasped, falling to my knees.
"Too slow," he said curtly. "Too weak. You won't survive like this."
The other children snickered. Shame burned in me. But beneath that shame, a spark ignited. Rage. Not against them, but against myself.
I clenched my fists. "Fine. If I have to become strong, I will."
I stood again, still trembling, and resumed the stance. My hands opened, my eyes lit up. I felt the chakra flow again, that mysterious, vital current.
And for the first time, I tried to mimic a Jūken movement. It wasn't perfect. It wasn't even good. But it was a start.
Night fell quickly that day. Lying on a mat in the clan residence, I stared at the wooden ceiling. Everything was silent, except for the beating of my heart.
"I am a Hyūga. In the world of Naruto. At the time when everything will be decided."
I thought of Hashirama, of Madara. Of clan wars, massacres, shattered dreams. I knew their future. I knew their friendship would end in hatred. I knew Konoha would be born, but fragile.
And I also knew one thing that no one here could yet imagine: the Ōtsutsuki.
The threat from beyond. The ultimate enemy.
I closed my eyes, a burning resolve filling my chest.
"If I am here, it is not by chance. My role is clear. I will not let history repeat itself. I will not let this world fall."
In the shadow of the night, my journey had just begun.