Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Naruto or its characters.

I decided to stop worrying about my incoming death. I had 18 years to figure that out, and it was likely that me just being born different from Canon Neji would impact how the plot would go.

I spent a large portion of the first several months learning the language. I would try my best to listen to my parents speaking and sometimes Mother would point out objects and say their names. Through this, I was able to eventually come to understand a good majority of what my parents said. I also tried to practice talking but my vocal chords were far too underdeveloped to speak clearly.

My fast learning made sense once I thought about it in terms of what I learned in my Psychology class at college. The reason young children that learned multiple languages at young ages tend not to gain accents was that there are critical periods of language development in which the portions of the brain responsible for language acquisition become used. This is also why learning second languages as an adult seem so troublesome. The portion of the brain that were directly tied to language development stop being used, and your brain uses other portions of the brain that are less useful for language acquisition to learn languages. This concept showed with how I was able to pick up the language. I was not able to fully understand certain words and verbs, and more complex sentences still alluded me, but my comprehension of the language had already surpassed my peak in my former life. Based on this, it seems only natural that I would be able to pick up the language much more quickly than my previous life as an adult.

The other portion of my time that I didn't spend eating, sleeping or getting my diapers changed ( an experience I tried to ignore), I spent messing around with the bundle of energy inside of me known as chakra. I knew that playing around with it could be dangerous because if I used too much of it would kill me, but I tried to be extra safe when using it. I spent my time trying to stick my feet to the walls of my crib, but I always stopped as soon as I felt tired. I often wondered when Neji had started using chakra in the plot.

Probably not before he was 1.

'Speaking of the plot, wouldn't that mean'

I glanced over at my new father. He was, without a doubt, Hizashi Hyūga . Which means he would die while I was fairly young. I didn't know my father as well as my new mother, but I could tell he loved me. It was in the way he looked at me. He looked at Mother and I like nothing else in the world mattered.

Hizashi was rather busy, despite just getting a son, and he wasn't around the house often unlike Mother. I hadn't been particularly close to my father in my first life either; this made the distance figure Hizashi could be at times easier to consider as a father. Hizashi still tried to make time for Mother and I. Sometimes Mother would take me to see Hizashi spar with his twin brother. I always looked forward to these moments because I would get to see chakra being used firsthand. It was at of one of these matches that I remembered one of the defining characteristics of Neji's backstory: The main and branch family of the Hyūga.

"Concede, Brother. You know you've lost." My father spoke down to his twin. Hizashi had just landed the decisive first strike and had managed to knock Hiashi down This was the second day in a row that my father had won sparring, and it obviously rubbed his brother the wrong way. This is usually where the matches end. Today was a little different though. As my father leaned down to help his brother up, a dark look flashed through Hiashi's eyes.

"Not today, brother." Hiashi snarled. He leapt up to his feet and began to spin. "Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven! Kaiten!". A dome of blue swirling chakra surrounded my Uncle and soon in engulfed my father.

"Hizashi!" Mother cried. My father was flung back several feet and landed in a heap on the floor. He raised one hand to console Mother as he pulled himself off the floor. Father didn't say anything for the longest moment. The atmosphere was tense. Sparring between my uncle and father had never gone this far. Then Father broke the silence.

"Hiashi, you said you wouldn't use Main Techniques when we sparred in front Neji. Neji can't know that you've been letting me win", Hizashi whined. The tension within the room was cut with a hot knife as both the brothers began to laugh.

"You were starting to get a swollen head, little brother. Also, I couldn't let my nephew have a bad impression of me" Hiashi laughed.

I had been sitting on my mother's lap the whole time, and I could feel her tense under me. She picked me up and slowly rose to meet the laughing twin brothers. She walked over to them with the silence of only a trained shinobi.

SLAP!

With a single motion, she slapped the cheeks of both the brothers.

My mother truly was a force of nature. I had never seen her like this before. With her long brown hair, slender figure, it was clear that my mom would be considered a beauty by any standard. Yet now with her eyes bulging with the signs of an active Byakugan, it was clear that she was also a fierce kunoichi.

"How could you do this in front of Neji. What if he had started crying? This is just like when we were all on the same genin team. You two always take things too far!" Mother roared.

This statement made me blink. These three were all on the same genin team? That must have been a disaster. But, also what made me think was what my Father had said. Main Family? Wasn't that the really important to Neji's backstory. What was it the specifics of it again?

As if sent by the heavens to answer my question, someone else entered the conversation.

"What is the meaning of this?"

An older gentleman with featureless white eyes walked into the clearing. He radiated authority that only came with age and experience. He walked with a cane that made a tapping on the floor as he came closer. His face was twisted in an almost sour expression as he looked over at my parents.

"Father." My Father and Uncle both said in unison.

"Honorable Elder." Mother said while bowing.

He looked over the current scene with the critical eye. The red cheeks of my father and uncle and my mother clearly being the culprit.

"You know your duties as a branch member, Hinako. You are to service the main family."

"Yes, Honorable Elder. I meant no offence. I will fulfill my duties as expected of me from my clan." Mother said dutifully.

"I would expect nothing less," Grandfather said stiffly. He walked away as fast as he entered.

As he walked away, I could only think about what this mean. Being a branch family was almost being a second-class citizen in the Hyūga clan. How could I forget such an important part of Neji's background? But more importantly, what did this mean for me? Would I be able to sit down quietly an accept my place like Neji had done in the story?

For some reason, I doubted it.

By the time I was 6 months, I said my first word. Mama. This brought delight to my mother and jealousy from my father.

But there was a look of pride between the two of them. They clearly thought that I would be a a prodigy, and I didn't want to prove them wrong. Soon, I was walking and speaking basic sentences. I could speak better but, I didn't want to come off as too smart or they could grow suspicious.

Mother taught me how to read, and they would often find me trying to read from the thick tombs that lined the wall.

Mother would also often play games with me that were poorly hidden training for being ninja. Games that involved throwing objects at specific points for kunai training. Games similar to patty cake to help with my dexterity and reaction speed.

I still practiced my chakra exercises as well. I too afraid to try anything too advanced, but I could get my feet to stick to the walls of the house, and I could get my clothes to stick my body in my attempt to mimic the leaf sticking exercise. I would often practice having my clothes stick to my body while I read. In my humble opinion, I was doing pretty well for a kid that wasn't even 1 years old yet.

When I finally turned 1, my parents had a birthday party that was just the three of us. We sat in the living room of my house around a small table. On the table laid a small cake with a single candle. I blew it out as my parents sang beside me. There were some traditions that even remained among lifetimes and worlds. Apparently, birthdays were one of them.

"We also got you a present," My mother beamed as she pushed a wrapped box in front of me. I tore into with all the excitement of a 1-year old child. Inside of it was a several rubber kunai and a book about chakra points.

"Does this mean?" I looked over at my parents trying to hide my excitement but failing miserably.

"Yes, son. Your mother and I agreed. It's time to officially start your ninja training.". My dad beamed down at me. We all pulled together for a hug, and I think I had never been happier in my one year of being in this new life. If only this moment could have lasted forever.

But, it didn't.

It seemed like any other day. Father and I had just finished our morning exercises.

During our first lesson he had taught me how to activate my Byakugan. It was a simple as just focusing chakra to my eyes. He was rather surprised that I was able to do it on my first try, but he didn't know about my chakra exercises.

The first time I activated my Byakugan, I had immediately gotten a massive migraine.

Having extended 360-degree vision was an adjustment that I would have to get used to if I wanted to be able to use correctly in battle. The Byakugan could be too much stimulus for people who are ill prepared for it and that was why I got a migraine. Father told me that the headaches would go away with time and practice.

Father would have me wake up at the crack of dawn so he would have time to go to work afterwards. Morning exercises consisted of endurance training with exercises such as running, jumping jacks, squats, and push-ups. After this, Father would then show me Hyuga Clan Kata while instructing about how to hit tenketsu. This would then be followed by kunai, shuriken practice and practicing hand signs.

Did I mention I did this all while having my Byakugan active so I could get used to the negative effects?

Training pushed in a way that I had never been pushed in my previous life. I refused to complain though. Most children didn't start training at the age of 1. Father and Mother expected a lot of me, and I refused to let them down.

After morning exercises, Father would leave for work. He was an active Jounin, and I expected he was Anbu which is why he hadn't left the village. Anbu went on secret missions outside of the village, but there were also Anbu tasked with patrolling the village and keeping the citizens safe. I assumed my Father was in the ladder. He never talked about his work, and I never asked him about it.

Today was no different. As soon as morning exercises were over, I went back to my house and showered.

I helped Mother with chores and we would snuggle on a couch while we read together. I would read the book they got me for my birthday, and sometimes other books in subjects I was interested in. I would have to stop and ask my mother for helping reading especially difficult words and phrases, but she never seemed to mine. I would always look forward to these moments that I would shared my mom. I was still a mama's boy through and through.

The fierce kunoichi that had slapped my uncle was rarely seen by me. My only guess was that I had done little to anger her since my birth, or that she reserved her anger for my father and uncle. Today would be different though.

BOOM!

"What's that, Mama?" I questioned my Mother from my position next to her.

"I don't know, Neji" She replied quickly. "I'll go check it out". She jump and left the room with a poof of smoke, the sign of the shunshin.

I've never seen her move that fast. I wonder what happened. Hopefully, it's nothing urgent.

She popped up back into the room in the same cloud of smoke that she left.

"We have to leave. Now." Her voice was urgent as she picked me up and set her on her back. She ran out of our house and soon into the busy streets of Konoha.

"Mama, what's happening?" I questioned her. My question was answered as a I looked up into the sky. In the sky, I could see a large red creature smashing into buildings. The Kyuubi attack! How could I forget! My mom ran even faster as the Kyuubi seemed to get even closer to the both of us. There was another BOOM as the Kyuubi destroyed more buildings that were closer to us. I could feel the explosion as the force caused me to fall off my Mother's back.

"NEJI" My mother screamed. There was another explosion right next to me. I tried to get up, but the quaking of the ground left me feeling so disoriented that I fell over. I could hear the creak of woods splintering as the house next to me caved in. A single streetlight fell over and rolled off the roof. I could only watch as it moved its way closer to me, ready to spear me straight through.

I couldn't move.

I blinked.

in that second my mother reacted.

She shoved me roughly away from where I was standing.

But, she didn't have enough time to save herself.

"Neji," Mother said weakly. The pole had gone straight through her body and she just laid there unwilling to move. Every breath seemed to involve pain throughout her body.

"Neji, you have to go." Mother coughed out some blood as she said this. Everything inside of me screamed at me to run. To go find help and shelter.

But I couldn't. I was still frozen.

I could only watch as Mother continued to cough out blood. She continued to beg for me to leave.

I continued to stare at her as blood dripped from her torso.

Her face become more and more pale. Until, suddenly,

She was gone.

I had lost my mother again.

I just sat there and stared at her. She looked so different dead. Her eyes that use showed strength were dull. Her face was no longer vibrant. Her beauty had faded.

I didn't know what to do. I had promised to treat my mom right in this life, and I thought I had gotten a second chance. But, she was gone.

What is my purpose? Why was I sent here to lose another Mom? Why did she have to sacrifice herself selfishly like I once had?

Father found me like down my face staring at Mother's corpse. He eyes visibly widened as he looked over the scene. Without a word, he picked me up and carried me away.

We held Mother's funeral a week after her death. Lots of people I had never met showed up to give their condolences. Mother had touched not just my life but many others. They always tended to say the same thing.

"She was so brave."

I didn't see it like that. This was just like when I died for my friends. I had seen life slowly leave my Mom's body. I had seen her eyes turn glossy and her face turn pale. There was nothing beautiful about her death.

All my life I had romanticized characters who had died to save others. But now, I knew the truth about it. Their deaths weren't great or special.

Their deaths were selfish.

I promised myself then and there that I would never die for another person again. Not like Mother.

Hinata was born only a couples of months after. Father had decided to take me because he had become afraid of leaving me alone after what happened.

Hinata was passed around the room like I once was. I couldn't help but remember that this was the child that Neji died for in the story. Father held her and pulled her close. I hadn't let him hold me recently, so he treasured the intimacy of a child no matter where he could get it.

"Look Neji, Hinata has her eyes," Father said as he brought Hinata down to my position. I liked into the eyes of newborn, and in it I saw something that I hadn't seen in a while.

It was same kindness and warmth that had once been in my mother's eyes.

Hyuga weren't NOT kind, but it rarely showed in the white almost soulless eyes of the Byakugan. Despite this, Hinata eyes radiated the kindness present within my mom.

I felt a warmth spread through me as I looked down at her. A warmth I hadn't felt her since my Mother's death. I could feel a smile uncurl on my face.

'I would do anything for this child.' I realized.

I had promised to never die for another person again. Yet, as I looked down into her gentle eyes,

I knew.

I knew that I was doomed to this fate once again.

Author's Notes: Hopefully, people like this story. I have most of planned out but if people don't like it I might not finish lmao