Year 30 of Konoha.
After the death of Hashirama Senju, the First Shinobi World War broke out and dragged on for several years.
During that war, the second-generation leaders of every village died one after another, and the Third Kage stepped onto the stage of the Ninja World.
Several years after the war ended, its aftereffects finally began to settle.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, took charge of Konoha, continued the policies of his predecessor, and pushed hard to expand the Ninja Academy’s education system.
…
Late at night, at the Hyūga residence.
“Remember this, Hiashi.”
The current Clan Head of the Hyūga clan spoke coldly to the boy kneeling before him.
“By Lord Third’s command, we must send eligible children from the clan to the Ninja Academy.”
“We have chosen you and Ryosuke.
Hizashi will go as well.”
“I have only one requirement for you.”
“Defeat the Uchiha in your class and prove to everyone that the Hyūga, with our Byakugan, are the foremost Dōjutsu clan in the Ninja World!”
…
“I understand, Father.”
…
The next day, Hiashi Hyūga, Hizashi Hyūga, and Ryosuke Hyuga, the son of a main clan elder, walked together on the road to the Ninja Academy.
Behind them followed a group of “servants” from their own clan.
The Hyuga clan had a strict hierarchy.
The Clan Head’s line and the Elders’ Line held the highest status, and in each generation, only one person could inherit the position of the main family.
If one line unfortunately died out, a successor would be adopted from the other line to carry on the Clan Head’s position.
Everyone outside the main family belonged to the branch families, and those of lower standing within the branch families served as servants and similar roles.
It was a complete pyramid structure.
Ryosuke Hyuga was six years old this year, a head shorter than Hiashi, but he was the only one present qualified to walk side by side with him.
“Hiashi-nii-san, I heard the Uchiha are sending a pair of twins to enroll too.
Haha, it’s that famous good-for-nothing, right?”
Ryosuke Hyuga clasped his hands behind his head, the corners of his mouth curled in the kind of smug smile only a spoiled child would have.
“His younger sister clearly has outstanding talent for ninjutsu, but as her older brother, he’s so useless he can’t even use a basic Clone Technique!”
“Being born into a clan with a Kekkei Genkai and ending up like that really is a curse!”
“Come on, you’ve heard about him too, right?”
Hiashi had a steadiness uncommon for someone his age.
He frowned slightly.
“Keep quiet, Ryosuke.”
Ryosuke curled his lip in disdain, then turned to look at Hizashi behind him.
“Heh, Hizashi, how does it feel to be the frail one between the twins?”
Hizashi lowered his head, a shadow flickering through his eyes.
The difference in their status forced him to answer.
“Ryosuke-sama, I do not feel anything.”
“How could you not.”
“Shut up!”
Hiashi cut him off, his voice cold.
“Lord Third will be there in person today.
If you can’t restrain yourself, go back to the clan grounds!”
Ryosuke shrugged and muttered under his breath, “What’s so great about the Ninja Academy anyway?
Mixing with a bunch of commoners… I could clearly just take the Chūnin Exams directly.”
“But…”
As if remembering something, he broke into a grin.
“There is one thing I’m interested in seeing.”
“I want to know just how miserable that chakra-less Uchiha’s face looks!”
…
At the corner.
The Hyūga group’s footsteps came to a sudden halt.
Their Byakugan narrowed sharply, and the Uchiha clan crest entered their field of vision.
Unlike the Hyūga, who looked imposing with their numbers, there were only two of them, one boy and one girl, both about the same age as the Hyuga brothers.
The girl had smooth black hair, fair skin, and a gentle gaze.
She looked very well-behaved.
Ryosuke’s gaze fixed on the other one.
His shoulders were broad, his short black hair falling carelessly around his face.
His features resembled the girl’s somewhat, but his sharp contours made him look far more severe.
Those eyes were like dull black obsidian, lazily half-lidded and filled with a coldness that kept others at a distance.
Activate Byakugan!
Not a trace of chakra.
In the Byakugan’s vision, he looked like a human silhouette carved out from space itself.
It’s him.
He’s that chakra-less good-for-nothing!
The corners of Ryosuke Hyuga’s mouth lifted, words of mockery already rising to his throat…
…
He looked over.
In that instant,
Ryosuke Hyuga’s breath caught, and his heartbeat stopped.
What… was that…
…
…
His mind went blank.
Only when the sound of retreating footsteps gradually reached his ears did he come back to himself.
Thud.
Ryosuke Hyuga fell sitting onto the ground, cold sweat soaking through his back.
Just now… what was that just now?!
That pure, biological terror erupting from the flesh itself came crashing down on him like an exploding volcano!
Was that guy really human?!
The moment their eyes met, he had felt like a little white rabbit staring at a lion.
He could not even bring himself to think of resisting.
All he wanted was to empty his mind and die without pain.
Ryosuke clenched his fists and could not recover for a long time.
Hiashi folded his arms and said calmly, “You activated the Byakugan just now, didn’t you?”
“Shingetsu Uchiha.”
“He is the chakra-less outcast among the great Dōjutsu clans, the one you often hear the clansmen talk about.”
“There is one thing I never mentioned before…”
“Three years ago, I saw him at the Death Forest training grounds.
I was just like you are now.”
“He really had no chakra…”
As Hiashi recalled it, a complicated look entered his eyes.
“You understand even without me saying it, don’t you?
He is absolutely not a good-for-nothing.
He is a monster who exists in this world despite defying all logic!”
…
…
Mikoto Uchiha turned to look at her brother.
“That Hyūga kid was looking at you so strangely.
Do you know him?”
Shingetsu Uchiha shook his head.
“No.
He just has the face of someone who’ll die young.”
“Don’t curse someone you just met!
That’s awful!”
Mikoto scolded him and punched him in the back, only to make her own little hand turn red instead.
“Ow!”
Shingetsu Uchiha, twin brother of Mikoto Uchiha, was also a transmigrator.
Unlike those senpai who had system panels or carried giant monsters around with them, the only thing special about him was his physique.
…
[Heavenly Restriction]
…
It meant a cursed restriction bestowed by heaven.
He could not store chakra like an ordinary ninja.
In exchange, as the condition of his cursed restriction, his chakra had been traded for the ultimate strengthening of his physical body.
The clan discovered this during his early training.
Twins were already considered an ill omen, but he could not even store chakra?
Even the wild boars in the Forest of Death could do that!
The family instructor in charge of his early training said in front of everyone, “Isn’t someone like this just a waste?
He’s a disgrace to the Uchiha Clan!”
Then…
The instructor was beaten to a pulp by Shingetsu’s father.
If the clansmen had not held him back, he might have beaten the man to death.
Shingetsu still remembered that scene.
His mother had held him and the frightened Mikoto in her arms.
It had been so warm.
His father roared furiously at every clansman present, “So what if he has no chakra?
He is my son!”
“If any of you dare run your mouths, I’ll kill you!”
Shingetsu, who had been an orphan in his previous life, felt the love of parents so clearly for the first time.
…
After all, the Uchiha were not the Hyūga.
Not only did the Clan Head not punish his father, he also reprimanded the instructor who had spoken out and removed him from his position.
It was from that day onward that Shingetsu truly accepted his identity.