"Lady Hinata, Lord Hiashi has summoned you."
The soft creak of a sliding door broke the stillness of a small, modestly adorned room. A young man, perhaps a servant or a distant branch member of the Hyuga clan, stood at the threshold, his voice polite yet hesitant as he announced the reason for his intrusion.
Seated gracefully at a low wooden desk was a young girl with an air of quiet composure. Her long, dark blue hair flowed like silk down to her lower back, framing a delicate face that seemed too serene for her age. Her eyes, a stark white devoid of pupils, reflected her Hyuga lineage—a trait the boy shared, though he averted his gaze after only a fleeting glance at her.
"Tell Father I will be with him shortly," Hinata replied, her voice soft but steady. She offered the boy a small, gentle smile.
The effect was immediate. A faint blush dusted his cheeks, and he hurriedly bowed before retreating, sliding the door closed with care.
Hinata's smile lingered for a moment before fading. She turned her attention to her hands, resting lightly on the desk before her. These small, pale fingers trembled slightly as she flexed them, as if testing their reality. Seven years. It had been seven long years since she had awakened in this unfamiliar body and in this unfamiliar world. Seven years since she had lost her identity as an ordinary young man in a distant, unremarkable life—and been reborn as Hyuga Hinata.
A child. A girl.
It still felt surreal, even now. The memories of her past life flickered faintly, like remnants of a half-remembered dream, but they were undeniable. She had once been someone else, someone insignificant. She couldn't even recall her original name with clarity anymore—it had been swallowed by the tides of her new existence.
And yet, despite the passage of years, she couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of dissonance, of being an outsider peering into a life that wasn't hers to claim.
The desk before her held a neat arrangement of calligraphy tools and a small scroll. Her delicate handwriting sprawled across its surface—characters she had painstakingly practiced over the years to perfect the grace expected of a Hyuga heiress. Her efforts to blend in, to become Hinata in every sense, had been unceasing. But sometimes, when she was alone like this, she allowed herself to acknowledge the truth that she could never voice aloud.
She was living someone else's life.
Her father's summons likely meant another round of training or perhaps a discussion of her future role in the clan. The thought filled her with unease. She was expected to be strong, to embody the pride and power of the Hyuga clan—but the weight of those expectations often felt suffocating.
Hinata sighed softly, her hands curling into fists on her lap. She would go to her father, as she always did, and do her best to meet his expectations. But deep down, a quiet doubt lingered like a shadow in her heart. Could she ever truly become the Hinata they needed her to be? Or would she always remain an imposter in her own skin, a soul misplaced in a life that was not hers to claim?
Straightening her posture, she smoothed the wrinkles from her robes, each movement deliberate and careful, as if it might bring her closer to the poise and grace expected of her. Steeling herself, she rose to her feet and slid the door open, stepping into the empty corridor beyond.
The hallways stretched long and quiet, their stillness broken only by the soft rustle of her robes and the faint padding of her steps. The faint aroma of polished wood and incense lingered in the air, grounding her in this life she had come to know so intimately. Yet, as her pale eyes roamed the expanse of the Hyuga compound, a strange dissonance gripped her chest.
These halls, so familiar and yet so foreign, often brought fleeting, unbidden memories—hazy fragments of another time, another place. She recalled cramped, fluorescent-lit apartments, the hum of machinery, and the cold glow of a computer screen. Faces blurred together, voices indistinct, yet somehow their absence left an ache.
She could no longer remember their names or the specifics of her past life, but the feeling of it clung to her, a distant echo she couldn't shake. And here, in the timeless quiet of the Hyuga estate, those echoes sometimes felt louder than ever.
Hinata paused, her gaze drifting to the paper lanterns lining the corridor. The flickering candlelight cast delicate shadows against the walls, and for a moment, she wondered if her other self—the person she used to be—would have marveled at the beauty of this world. Or would they, too, have felt the weight of displacement?
Shaking her head, she banished the thought and continued forward, her footsteps light but purposeful. Whatever memories haunted her, they had no place in the life she lived now. She had been reborn as Hyuga Hinata, heir to one of the most powerful clans in Konoha
…
Knock.
Knock.
"Come in," came the measured voice from within, low and steady, its authority impossible to miss.
Sliding the door open, Hinata stepped inside the dimly lit room, her pale eyes adjusting to the soft glow of the paper lanterns scattered across the space. The faint aroma of incense hung in the air, mingling with the quiet stillness that seemed to envelop the Hyuga estate at this hour.
Before her, seated in a composed seiza at a low wooden table, was Hiashi Hyuga. His posture was rigid, his expression unreadable as his gaze lingered on a document resting on the table. The head of the Hyuga clan exuded an aura of calm power, the kind that could make anyone feel small beneath its weight.
Hinata lowered herself into a seiza across from him, her movements deliberate and practiced. She folded her hands neatly in her lap and waited, her head slightly bowed in deference.
"Hinata," Hiashi began, his tone even but tinged with a trace of something sharper. "Today marks an important milestone. You will graduate as a genin and take your first steps toward serving Konoha and the Hyuga clan."
"Yes, Father," Hinata replied softly, keeping her eyes fixed on the table.
Hiashi's gaze sharpened as he continued, "You understand what this means, do you not? As the heir to the Hyuga clan, your every action reflects upon our name. Your duty is not merely to excel but to uphold the honor of this house. I expect nothing less than perfection from you."
Hinata nodded, her expression composed despite the growing weight in her chest. "I understand, Father. I will do my best."
Hiashi studied her for a moment, his silence heavier than his words. Then, his tone shifted, colder now. "However, there is another matter we must address. Your interactions with the branch house have not gone unnoticed."
Hinata's eyes flickered with faint surprise but quickly lowered again.
Hiashi's words grew pointed. "The elders have expressed concern regarding your… over-familiarity with the branch members. They view your behavior as unbecoming of an heir. Acts of kindness and favoritism towards them undermine the established order of this clan."
For a moment, the silence between them was almost suffocating. Hinata felt her hands tighten slightly in her lap, but she maintained her calm façade.
"I understand their concerns, Father," she said, her voice soft but steady. "I will uphold my duties to the clan and act as is expected of me."
Hiashi's gaze remained fixed on her, as though searching for any hint of defiance. Finding none, he gave a small nod of approval.
"Good. Remember, your position is not one of indulgence but of responsibility. Do not allow personal sentiments to cloud your judgment."
"Yes, Father."
But even as she spoke the words, Hinata knew in her heart she could never fully comply with what was being asked of her. She would not allow herself to be cruel or dismissive toward the branch house, no matter how much pressure the elders applied. It wasn't defiance—not openly, at least—but a quiet resolve rooted in her very being.
Hiashi's voice interrupted her thoughts. "You are dismissed. Prepare yourself for the ceremony later today."
Hinata bowed deeply before rising to her feet, her movements as graceful as ever. "Yes, Father."
She turned and left the room, her steps light but purposeful as she walked back down the corridor. The weight of her father's expectations bore down on her shoulders, but beneath it all, a quiet determination burned. She might not be able to change the Hyuga clan's traditions or its elders' rigid ideals, but she could at least choose how she treated others.
And she chose kindness.