It was the autumn of the 51st year of Konoha. As the sky filled with drifting red leaves, a new legend was about to begin.
Konoha Village was bustling today. For the average citizen, it might have felt like any other day, but for the shinobi hierarchy led by the Hokage, today was a momentous occasion.
Today, the hawk-ish leader of the Hidden Cloud Village, who had long insisted on war with Konoha, finally relented. Their envoys were due to arrive shortly to sign a peace treaty with Konoha's high command. In other words, the "Third Shinobi World War," which had raged for years, was finally drawing to a close.
This was excellent news for Konoha. After years of conflict, the village was struggling to maintain multiple fronts, especially following the death of the Fourth Hokage three years prior.
The Hidden Cloud hadn't had it easy either. Geographically, the Land of Lightning was tucked away in the far upper-right corner of the continent. Not only was it a vast distance from the central Land of Fire, but several smaller nations sat between them, making the logistics of a long-range war a nightmare.
Worse still, not long ago, the man hailed as the strongest in history—the Third Raikage—had died of exhaustion after battling the Hidden Stone Village. Though the Stone lost countless lives in the process, his death prompted the Cloud to actively pursue an end to the war.
"How much longer?"
At the village gates, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, waited for the Cloud's arrival alongside a contingent of Jōnin.
Hiruzen had treated this peace treaty with the utmost importance. Not only had he arranged a grand welcoming party, but he—the Hokage himself—had come to receive them personally.
As the leader of the "doves," the Third always sought peaceful resolutions to disputes. He knew that war produced no winners; only peaceful coexistence and mutual prosperity could serve as the foundation of the world.
Konoha had suffered much in just a few years: the departure of the Sannin, the Nine-Tails' attack, and the death of the Fourth Hokage. Hiruzen couldn't stop those tragedies, but he could do everything in his power to restore Konoha to its former glory. To achieve that goal, what did it matter if he had to lower his posture a little?
"The Cloud delegation has reached the outskirts. They should arrive in the village within ten minutes."
"Very well. Everyone, get ready. We must not be overbearing, but we must not bring shame to Konoha either."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
At the Third's command, the officials surrounding him straightened up, focusing their attention on welcoming the old rivals they had spent years fighting on the battlefield.
However, while a historic event was unfolding at the gates, a certain group within the village was conspicuously absent. Instead, they had gathered en masse at a grand estate.
Don't misunderstand—this group wasn't planning a coup. It was simply that for the Hyuga clan, today held a significance far greater than the arrival of the Cloud.
Today was the third birthday of the Hyuga clan's eldest son and heir: Yuki (Hyuga Yuki).
A third birthday was no small matter. In the Hyuga clan, it marked the age when the primary heir could begin training in the ancestral Gentle Fist. It required a very ancient sacrificial rite to complete the traditional ceremony—a day of immense weight.
And for a certain individual, it was a day that would be impossible to forget...
In a quaint, Japanese-style courtyard, a man dressed in a white kimono paced slowly. He glanced toward a nearby building every so often. From within that house—which was not overly lavish but radiated a heavy sense of authority—came the sound of frantic footsteps.
"Why isn't it done yet? This is taking too long."
Having waited perhaps too long, the man—whose eyes were entirely white, looking almost as if he suffered from severe cataracts—let out a soft sigh. However, he knew there was no helping it.
Hiashi Hyuga was the head of the Hyuga clan. To use the words his elders once used to describe him: "Hiashi is a man capable of leading the Hyuga; he possesses a steady approach and a long-term vision. In time, the Hyuga will reach new heights under his leadership."
Though he had heard that the elders gave similar encouraging evaluations to every designated clan head, the thirty-two-year-old Hiashi remained deeply confident. He believed that under his guidance, the Hyuga would become even more powerful—perhaps even eclipsing their eternal rivals, the Uchiha.
"Hizashi, is the ancestral hall ready?"
"Yes. The young master can head over at any time."
The only person allowed to stay by Hiashi's side at a time like this was his brother, Hizashi Hyuga—the man who, by a stroke of bad luck, was relegated to the Branch House simply for being born slightly later.
Though one was Head House and the other Branch House, with a massive gap in status, deep brotherly affection still existed between them. It was not something to be changed by worldly rules and regulations.
While the brothers waited outside, inside that authoritative building, a small figure was being bathed and dressed by several maids.
Eh? What's going on? What kind of ghost place is this? Why does it feel so chilly?
"A... Atchoo!"
Stimulated by the cold air, the three-year-old boy who was supposed to be today's protagonist, Yuki, sneezed. His clear eyes began to scan his surroundings.
What's the deal? Didn't I fall into a river because I was too absorbed in my phone while crossing a bridge? Why am I here?
And my hands... they look so small?
Yuki lifted his tiny, tender arms—which looked almost like toys—and his mouth hung wide open!
"Young Master? What is it? Do you feel unwell?"
Seeing the young master's dumbfounded expression, a maid—who was currently dressing him in a white kimono embroidered with the Hyuga clan crest—asked with concern.
"Young..."
Wait, what did this woman call me? Young Master? Since when did I become a young master?
He didn't have much time to think. Soon, the nimble-fingered maids had finished dressing him in the exquisite, miniature kimono and led him to a full-length mirror to check his appearance.
Standing before the mirror, the boy saw his full reflection for the first time and froze on the spot.
The mirror reflected a young, doll-like figure with large eyes and smooth black hair. His face was barely a palm's width across, and he was only as tall as an adult's thigh, yet he radiated a natural air of heroism.
However, the boy's most striking feature was his pair of eyes... eyes that looked like they had cataracts.
This kind of pupil—a complete testament to biological diversity—was something he, in his previous life, had only ever seen in a manga.
No way... Yuki swallowed hard as the worst-case possibility dawned on him.
"Master Yuki, Lord Hiashi has been waiting outside for a long time. It is time to go out."
Before he could process the shock for even ten seconds, a maid knelt down, took his small hand, and led him outside.
Huh? Hiashi?
Before he was ready, the sliding door was pulled open, and the stern, imposing figure standing in the hallway appeared before Yuki's eyes.
"Finally ready? Come, follow me to the hall."
After glancing at his seemingly dazed son, Hiashi Hyuga sighed, turned, and began walking toward the other end of the corridor.
The maid gave Yuki a gentle nudge from behind, signaling him to follow his father and fulfill his duties as the young lord.
Well, I really have become a character in a manga world... but who exactly am I? Hyuga Yuki? Was there someone by this name in the original story?
Yuki followed silently behind Hiashi. As he walked, he mentally sifted through his situation.
In his previous life, Yuki hadn't been a fool; he was actually quite intelligent. Faced with such an incomprehensible event, he immediately displayed a level of calm far beyond that of an ordinary person.
Fortunately, the residual memories of this body remained. After a moment of thought, he began to understand exactly what kind of environment he had been dropped into.