Hyuga Kiyoshi, the third son of the current Hyuga clan head. Despite being only 14, Kiyoshi was already incredibly skilled in using his doujutsu, the Byakugan, and possessed a masterful command of the Gentle Fist (Juken), being exceptionally proficient in the Sixty-Four Palms (Hakke Rokujūyon Shō).
For these reasons, Kiyoshi was deeply ashamed of his current situation. His clan was the most glorious the world had ever seen! Even before the Land of Fire existed, the Hyuga already mastered their doujutsu. Nations had yet to be formed, and the noble Hyuga were already great and fearsome warriors. Why did they have to go to a small daimyo, and not the other way around?
The Hyuga clan was currently in the Land of Tea but still hadn't given up on their influence and power in the court of the daimyo of the Land of Fire. For this very reason, Hyuga Kiyoshi was sent with a large entourage to the Land of Fire, where the daimyo would be holding a grand celebration for the birth of his fifth child.
Kiyoshi was sent with an entourage of 10 Hyuga from the main house and 25 more from the branch family to these celebrations, carrying grand gifts and plenty of gold and silver.
The daimyo's castle was a work of art that could be seen from afar. A grand castle in the Japanese architectural style, situated on a small hill overlooking the entire city. Its curved roofs, beautifully decorated dark-colored ceramics, each with the daimyo's symbol, and walls made of the most expensive wood available were a sight to behold. Even from the city entrance, the Hyuga entourage could feel the presence of the hundreds of samurai patrolling the castle.
In the grand daimyo's castle, Kiyoshi spotted representatives from other great clans, such as the Uchiha, Senju, Uzumaki, and even the hated Sarutobi.
Kiyoshi's blood boiled as he saw a group of Sarutobi crossing the hall. His hands clenched instinctively as he recalled their last encounter – a chaotic battle where they manipulated the elements like toys, making it impossible to predict their movements. The humiliation of being forced to retreat still burned like an open wound. He could barely keep from shooting a cold glance at one of them as they passed by. Fighting the Sarutobi clan was hell, especially for a clan like the Hyuga, who relied primarily on taijutsu.
Kiyoshi also saw the Akimichi, the notoriously lazy Nara who were so beloved by the daimyo, the formidable Yamanaka, and various smaller clans from neighboring lands, such as the Hozuki clan.
While conversing with the Nara, who despite their lesser prowess in battle possessed an enviable intellect, though they were clearly lazy and unwilling to improve, a Senju man, a warrior from head to toe, approached him and, without delay, got straight to the point.
"Hello, young Hyuga, how are things in the Land of Tea?"
Kiyoshi looked at the man who was speaking to him. The man had long black hair, just like Kiyoshi himself, and wore a dark blue yukata with the Senju clan symbol on various parts of the fabric. Kiyoshi could respect the Senju. A clan where everyone had vast chakra reserves, skilled Water Release users, and were always incredibly efficient in all their missions.
'But apparently, the Senju clan lacks manners,' Kiyoshi thought to himself. The man had deep blue eyes and looked to be a little over twenty years old.
"Things are quite peaceful in the Land of Tea, Senju-san. After the civil war five years ago, the daimyo has done a splendid job of pacifying his lands. I heard that the Senju clan lost its leader last month. On behalf of the Hyuga clan, I would like to offer my condolences." Kiyoshi bowed briefly in respect to the Senju clan.
The Senju nodded, his blue eyes lost in a painful memory. His fingers clenched discreetly on the hilt of the sword he carried, as if the tension of the past was still there, ready to burst. 'It was a tragedy,' he murmured, his voice heavy. 'The tailed beast... that monster... gave us no choice.'
"It was indeed a tragedy. There was no way we could have known the malicious eight-tailed beast would suddenly appear."
"I heard of the brave sacrifice the Senju clan leader made by staying behind and single-handedly stopping one of the most fearsome tailed beasts in the world."
The Senju man filled with a bit of pride, after all, few people in the whole world could say they had fought a tailed beast alone, and the Senju leader had fought for more than 4 days without rest!
The conversation ended with a final respectful nod. Kiyoshi watched the Senju walk away, his mind still fixed on the words about the eight-tailed beast. 'What really happened in that battle?' he wondered. Despite knowing of the great feats of the Senju clan, Kiyoshi personally found it impossible for someone to face those fearsome creatures alone, and to do so for so long seemed impossible. But doubt still consumed Kiyoshi inside. If the Senju clan managed to escape the battlefield, couldn't the clan leader have escaped after three days? What made him stay? What made him sacrifice his own life so uselessly?
Before he could reflect further, he felt a light touch on his shoulder – a member of the main house gestured to him with his eyes, it was time to continue fulfilling his duties with the other clans.
The entire celebration was very pleasant. Exchanging pleasantries with the Senju, friendly words with the Uzumaki, barbs exchanged with the Uchiha, and polite nods to the smaller clans.
Kiyoshi also fulfilled his mission of exchanging a few words with the nobles present at the celebration, securing 3 more contracts for the Hyuga clan, and the entire celebration ended on a cheerful note
As the group prepared to depart, a cold wind cut through the air, causing Kiyoshi to pause for a moment. He looked towards the horizon where dark clouds were beginning to form, and an inexplicable discomfort began to settle in his chest. Something was wrong, but he couldn't identify what it was. It wasn't until the return journey that the truth was revealed with brutal force.
—-----
The entire journey back had been peaceful. The lands of the Land of Fire had been at peace for decades, with few wars happening currently, which was why the Hyuga clan had decided to venture into the Lands of Tea.
Kiyoshi was finding the return journey boring, but the upside was that boredom meant safety, and there were only six more days of travel left to cross the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Tea.
It was like a thunderbolt in the silence. Suddenly, they appeared from all directions: samurai, without banners, without honor, striking deadly blows. Shinobi hidden in the shadows of the trees launched devastating ninjutsu. Kiyoshi barely had time to activate his Byakugan before seeing his branch family members fall, their bodies torn apart by swords and explosions. The once peaceful forest was now a battlefield. 'How dare they?', thought Kiyoshi, his blood boiling in his veins as he prepared to fight. But even he knew... this battle was already lost.
All that followed was a blur, a desperate struggle for survival. The branch family members were the first to fall under the barrage of attacks from the samurai and ninjutsu of the shinobi.
Kiyoshi's eyes burned with fury as his Byakugan activated, veins visible around his eyes and forehead.
The carriage that the Hyuga clan used was already destroyed, the Shinobi had taken care of that with several fire ball jutsus.
Using the maximum range of his Byakugan and Gentle Fist, Kiyoshi seemed to dance on the battlefield with his cousins from the main house. He dodged a pressurized water jet jutsu from a Shinobi in a not-so-distant tree, ran towards the samurai who was facing his cousin, and plunged his chakra-infused fingers into the liver of that pathetic excuse of a warrior.
Kiyoshi used the man's body as a shield as several shinobi threw dozens of shuriken at Kiyoshi.
"Aaargh!"
Kiyoshi didn't need to turn around to see; his Byakugan informed him of everything. Hyuga Rei, a childhood friend. They trained together, played together, grew up together. Kiyoshi's eyes could see his childhood friend slowly dying, with the last remnants of chakra in his body fading like embers of a dying fire.
'These bastards! They must die, all of them! These dishonorable samurai, the unscrupulous Shinobi, and especially the bastards who orchestrated all this. They must all die!' Kiyoshi roared in his mind as tears streamed down his eyes, but they did little to cloud his vision of his friends and cousins dying.
"Kiyoshi, we must split up! None of us will survive if this continues!"
The words of one of the Hyuga from the main house cut through the chaos around him, bringing Kiyoshi back to the brutal reality. "Split up?", he thought, his blood pulsing in his head. He didn't want to abandon his companions, but the logic of the situation forced him to admit the truth: staying together only made them a bigger target.
"Alright," Kiyoshi replied with a voice filled with frustration and repressed anger. "Split into three groups. If any of you reach the Land of Tea, inform the clan of what happened here. These men will not escape unscathed."
His Byakugan scanned the battlefield, registering every movement, every potential threat. Kiyoshi knew the situation was beyond control, but his mind was already beginning to formulate strategies. He used the moment to approach two younger Hyuga from the main house and two others from the branch, forming a small group.
"Let's go!" he shouted, his words more of an order than a request. Crossing the battlefield, they advanced towards a less dense part of the forest, the sound of fighting and death cries echoing behind them.
But Kiyoshi knew they couldn't run forever. Their enemies were no amateurs; someone had hired them, someone knew the route they would take. This attack was carefully planned. As he ran through the woods, dodging trees and jumping over roots, he forced himself to think further. Who was behind this? The Sarutobi? The Senju? Had the smaller clans united in an attempt to bring down his clan? Kiyoshi didn't know and didn't have time to think about it.
Kiyoshi and what was left of the Hyuga entourage split into two groups, after which they split into two more groups, until they were all alone, dividing the enemies almost equally among them.
It had been 12 days since the attack, and Kiyoshi was already exhausted. He had been relentlessly pursued every day. He was ambushed on a road, attacked while meditating, a group of Shinobi tried to kill him while he slept, and that's not counting the samurai who still hunted him among the roads and forests near the border.
"Whoever planned this has a lot of money. A group this size to kill envoys from a clan?"
It was only at the beginning of the second week of his ordeal that Kiyoshi heard devastating news. They had tried to assassinate the daimyo of the Land of Fire. The daimyo survived, but his wives and concubines, his daughters, and two of his sons were killed during the attack.
Kiyoshi went pale at the news, his mind racing with the implications it would have for him and the Hyuga clan. Putting a dirty old cloth on his head, Kiyoshi restrained his hair and eyes as
he wandered hurriedly out of that small town.
"I need to go back… as soon as possible."
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Just wanted to flag up that I'm not 100% happy with this chapter. It was meant to be a simple intro to the character from the last chapter, but it ended up going on a bit.
If you think there's anything I could improve, please let me know!
If you're interested in beta reading for me, please let me know. I'd love your feedback on the chapters before they're released, so I can make improvements.