Land of Fire - Warring States
The wind whistled quietly, almost peacefully, as it danced through the trees, lifting autumn leaves from their branches to join in the waltz. Sunlight peeked through the canopy, luminous particulate drifting slowly to the forest floor. The scene could be considered serene if not for-.
Boom!
Wood chips and branches rained down from the sky as an explosion rocked the forest. Shards of metal and the faint scent of gunpowder revealed the culprit: a kunai wrapped with an explosive seal. Near the impact sight, an unassuming boulder became engulfed in smoke, revealing a white-haired, green-eyed impeccable beauty with two crimson dots adorning her forehead. She wore loose fitting navy blue pants with a long-sleeved white kimono and navy sandals. She leapt back instantly assuming a defensive stance.
"Wretched Hyugas, why won't you leave me be?"
Her snarl echoed out into the quiet forest. Silence answered her.
Squelch…
The sound of flesh separating became audible as keen sword-like bones slowly but surely slid out of her palms barely peeking out of the sleeve. Her eyes scanned the trees as she gripped her dual bones.
"You leave the Land of Water to infringe upon Hyuga territory yet you have the audacity to question me? I suppose I should expect that sort of idiocy from a Kaguya."
Her eyes flicked up and to the right before launching her bones with exceptional speed. A blur shot out of the trees flitting in between the bones before launching a palm into the side of the both bones sending them spinning outwards. As the figure touched down not 20 meters away; long flowing obsidian hair, delicate but stoic features and pale activated Byakugan stared back at her. He wore a similar long-sleeved kimono but with the Hyuga clan sigil embroidered over his left breast tied with navy cloth and wearing navy sandals.
For a moment, after both shinobi revealed themselves, the forest returned to silence.
Squelch…Hmmm…
Simultaneously as if on cue, chakra cloaked the Hyuga's palms, bones erupted from the hands of the Kaguya, and both met in the middle. The wind whipped and the ground fractured under the impact of their collision. The Kaguya kunoichi spun, swords lashing out at her opponent, her every strike deftly parried by the Hyuga. The Hyuga launched palm strike after palm strike each shot aiming for her vitals yet only met the edge of her bone blade. The volley went on for what seemed like hours, the pair weaving between the trees before both shinobi separated in a clearing. The Kaguya smirked before holding her palms parallel to the ground, fingers facing the Hyuga.
"Ten-Finger Drilling Bullet"
Like buckshot, her ten fingertips shot out.
"Gentle Fist: Revolving Heaven"
Spinning in place rapidly, expelling chakra from each of his tenketsu, a dome of chakra swept away the projectiles. However when the technique abated and the dome dissipated, a spine resembling a bone whip greeted him, the vertebrae mere centimeters from his eyes.
"Dance of the Clematis: Vine"
Ducking swiftly, instead of retreating, he advanced, swinging forth a palm overcharged with chakra with extreme speed.
"Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm"
Chakra compressed the air generated by the high-speed thrust before launching forward, impacting her chest with tremendous force. The Kaguya shot backwards, careening through the air before crashing through several trees. Moving forward, he began to follow before stopping inexplicably. A few moments later, the Kaguya leisurely moved tree remnants out of the way as she made her way back to the clearing.
"Kaguya Kiyomi…and you are?"
"Hyuga Haruki. Why did you come back?"
Kiyumi smiled sadly at Haruki as she sat down slowly.
"I can not go back to the Kaguya clan. And I can't escape the sight of a Hyuga…so why run anymore? For that matter…why didn't you chase me?"
For the first time since revealing himself, the look on Haruki's face changed. Brows furrowed, he broke eye contact with her seemingly unsure of the answer himself. So he simply said nothing. To Kiyomi, her fate was set, so she began to ponder.
"Hyuga Haruki…I seem to have heard of that name before. You're the new head of the Hyuga clan aren't you? Didn't you just have a child?"
Haruki's Byakugan instantly trained itself onto Kiyomi.
"So the Kaguya actually can do more than just fight…yes, and yes. Not of my own desire, though…for either."
"Why wouldn't you want to be the head of the Hyuga clan?"
"Seriously? A clan full of uptight shinobi that worry more about Byakugan purity and the Gentle Fist than progression and evolution. A clan of traditionalists. Besides, the elders wanted me to procreate with all their daughters in hopes of creating enough potential clan heirs. It took all of my power of negotiation to stop them at only one."
As if the floodgates had bursted, Hyuga Haruki began to talk…a LOT. Gesticulating whilst pacing back and forth anxiously, he talked…and talked and talked. As he unloaded all of his grievances with the Hyuga clan on her, Kaguya Kiyomi could merely stare, wide-eyed and silent.
'Since when do Hyuga talk this much?'
"And honestly? Why in the Sage's name do we only use taijutsu??? We have the best chakra control of all shinobi clans, and we use it for taijutsu. Absurd. A travesty. UNFORGIVABLE!"
Birds scattered as Haruki shouted out into the forest, leaves falling from the branches, his last word reverberating throughout the clearing. A light chuckle sounded out in response.
"Oi. Hyuga, enough with ranting. Why didn't you chase me?"
"Mmh? Oh that's easy, I intended to let you go. So why can't you return to the Kaguya clan?"
Emerald eyes shot open in surprise before angling towards the ground, deep in thought. Silence permeated the surroundings for a long time as Kiyomi began to reminisce. With respect, Haruki waited patiently.
"I deserted…the Kayuga clan is on a warpath, carving out swathes of bodies in the Land of Water…I can't be a part of that any longer. Slaughter and more slaughter. That's all that my clan is."
"A deserter…unfortunately my clan would never accept a deserter, otherwise-"
"It's fine, I'll simply be a rogue ninja."
Kiyomi interrupted standing up swiftly, before turning around to hide her sadness. As if drawn to her hypnotically, he walked over to her before pulling out a storage scroll.
"Unfeasible. My clan would have you killed within the week. There's a month's worth of rations as well as survival, medical, and housing supplies. It's not much but there's a section of our territory directly managed by me, you can stay there to keep safe for now…it's 3 km due east…a straight shot. Get there within the hour and you can still avoid the patrols."
Before she could respond, he dropped the scroll at her feet before instantly vanishing. Eyes welling with tears as the forest regained its serenity, she whispered.
"Thank you."
2 years later…
"Push!! It's almost here!"
Three Hyuga women and one Hyuga Haruki surrounded a bed hosting a pregnant Kaguya Kiyomi as they attempted to deliver her baby. Kiyomi screamed in pain as she pushed and pushed and finally the head began to show. Haruki held her hand tightly, eyes shut with anxiety yet Byakugan activated to miss nothing. Things seemed to be going as planned until-
Same Time - Earth - San Francisco, California
Walking down Haight street, Airpods in, without a care in the world, came our protagonist. 5 '11, shoulder-length dreadlocks, thin built, conventionally handsome, and smooth chocolate skin. Listening to music while reading a webnovel fanfic, he sauntered down the street obliviously and slowly he began to walk into the street.
HONKKK!
"What in the-"
Crasssshhh!
"Ahhh he got hit!!! Call 911!"
The words seemed to reach his ears but nothing processed as his consciousness faded.
'Ah…I'm dead'
You know it! Truck-kun back to claim another victim.
Land of Fire - Hyuga Clan Leader Territory
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!!"
Bones erupted from her stomach as blood-curdling screams sounded within the medical tent. Even as she pushed and the baby seemed to come out of her, what was supposed to be a child more so resembled an urchin. Grasping the porcu-child carefully by the bone spurs, the Hyuga medics extricated the child from the lacerated mess of a womb of its mother.
"Kiyomi!!"
Haruki screamed out in anguish for even as the medics tried their very best to heal her, blood continued to seep from her wounds and pool around them at an alarming rate.
"Haruki…let me hold him…my sweet and kind Hyuga Hiroshi."
Shaking with the realization that she couldn't be saved, Hyuga Haruki received his porcu-child from the medic and handed him to Kiyomi. As he did, the bone spurs began to slowly recede and retreat into the body of little Hyuga Hiroshi and Kiyomi cradled him even as her heart rate began to slow. Kissing him on his forehead, she began to take irregular, shuddering breaths before summoning all of her remaining strength.
"I love you my child, be strong, kind, and generous just as I named you…Hiroshi. I'm sorry I won't be there to teach you, but don't ever blame yourself…Live well Hiroshi"
Just as her last words left her lips, a consciousness from an entirely different dimension awoke.
'Where am I? Didn't I die?'
White eyes opened slowly as they took in their surroundings.
'Two red dots and bleached white hair…why does that sound familiar?'
"Clan leader, it looks like Hyuga Hiroshi has awoken"
'...Hyuga?...Ah…I'm in the Shinobi world…F*ck yeah! I've been waiting to be isekai'd!! Wait, so does that mean that truck that hit me was…TRUCK-KUUUUUN!!!!...Wait…why does the vibe seem off?'
Scanning the room a little better, his eyes finally look down and take in the devastation the awakening of his Shikotsumyaku bloodline limit had wrought on his mother of this life.
'...She's dying? Did I do that?'
Eyes widening further he took in the horrid sight, yet instead of fear, sadness gripped him. Tears welled up in his eyes as the realization that before he could even meet her, he would lose his mother.
"Wahhhhh"
As his infant wails sounded, his eyes pulsated. His Byakugan awoke seemingly echoing Hiroshi's distress.
"I'll take care of him Kiyomi"
She gazed lovingly once more towards Hyuga Haruki and Hiroshi, before closing her eyes and breathing her last.
"Ahhhhhhh! Wahhhhhh!"
Twin cries, one infant, one adult, blended into one as the distraught father and son pair mourned the loss of their loved one. The Hyuga medics bowed their heads in respect. Being the only Hyuga's Haruki trusted to help him hide and take care of Kiyomi, the three of them had accompanied the couple from beginning to end.