Chapter 1 - Hyūga

Hyūga Haru was currently laying in bed in a clinic located in the Hyūga compound. For the past day or so she'd been dealing with various Hyūga elders and clansmen well-wishers dropping by to congratulate her for this special occasion. As much as she'd prefer the peace and quiet, she couldn't help but smile and feel joyous on this day. The Hyūga heir was about to be born!

"Push!" The old Hyūga medical-nin that was kneeling at the end of the bed called out to her. "It's almost here, it's crowning! Keep pushing Haru-Sama!"

"Eughhh!" Haru screamed out in pain as she pushed with all her might. She could feel a tightness and ripping sensation she'd never felt before as she strained to deliver her child. She suddenly felt her body give way as the baby slid out of her and into the waiting hand of the medic-nin.

Crying filled the room as the medic-nin clipped the umbilical cord and began wiping down the newborn.

"Congratulations, you've given birth to a beautiful, strong baby girl!" The medic-nin said as she handed the wailing newborn over to Haru.

A man standing in the corner of the room smirked and spoke for the first time since the last visitor left earlier when Haru went into labor. "Of course she did. After all, our Hyūga clan has no place for the weak! Let alone a child of mine."

The man, Hyūga Hiashi, current head of the Hyūga clan and husband of Hyūga Haru walked over to take his newborn daughter from his wife. "That will be all, you can leave us for now. If any complications arise we will contact you."

The medic-nin gave a deep bow as she walked away. "Of course Hiashi-sama. I'm sure everything will be fine, but don't hesitate to call for me if you require anything."

Hiashi stood there looking at his daughter with a ghost of a smile on his lips. "After the attack of the Kyūbi a few days ago, and the death of our Hokage, we finally have something to celebrate. A ray of light for our Hyūga clan. Her name shall be Hinata!"

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Her first memories were blurry, as if they were a particularly vivid dream that she just couldn't remember all the details of.

'Where… Where am I?' She tried to move her arms, legs, anything at all really; but she just couldn't. 'What's going… on..?' She tried to struggle some more but she felt as if she was trapped in a soft, warm, wet… blanket? Shell? She wasn't sure, but it was dark and cozy and felt… safe for some reason.

'My name… Who was I? I can remember I was in bed trying to fall asleep… Am I dreaming? If I am, this is a pretty fucking weird dream….' She tried to concentrate as hard as she could on what she could remember. 'I had a family, I lived in Tokyo, Japan. I was 14. I remember their faces, but… What were their names..? It was a warm family. I was loved, and loved them as well. I remember that. I had a younger brother, we went to the same school, had the same friends… But who were they… Who am I?'

For the life of her, she couldn't remember the personal details of her loved ones. She knew her interests, hobbies, details of the city and country she lived in, but everything substantial, everything important was faded, like a word on the tip of her tongue that she just couldn't think of.

The longer she laid there and thought, the more clear her thoughts became, as if they were no longer muddled. 'I feel like I should be more worried than I am. I understand logically that I'm restrained and my senses are fully working; I'm trapped and confused, but the panic just isn't here. I should be freaking out right now shouldn't I? But this just feels right.'

And it was right around the end of that thought that the earthquake happened. Or at least what she first thought was an earthquake. 'Holy shit, ok, now I'm starting to panic a little.' The shaking came in spurts and as her small world began quaking, she could feel a pressure squeezing around her, and hear what sounded to be muffled voices in the distance.

'Agghh, cut it out already!' The pressure she could feel was building up and she started to feel as if she was sliding backwards towards an unknown destination. 'Whooaa, ok there. I do not like the feeling of that.'

Suddenly she felt a comparatively cold feeling on the top of her head, considering that up until this point she was safe, comfy, and warm. She could feel more pressure and her body began to slide even further. Her ears were cold now, then her eyes, then her mouth. She felt like she was covered in slime and just began to register what she was looking at in front of her face as she fell backwards into a pair of giant hands.

'That was a mother fucking vagina, and this is not happening to me right now.' A baby? Seriously? She couldn't believe what was going on. Her eyes were stinging due to bright lights, she felt gross and cold, and oh yeah, she was a fucking baby. 'Great, just great. Of all the weird-ass dreams I could be having right now…'

She started to take stock of what was in the room around her, when she felt herself being tilted backwards. "Hey! Old hag! What the hell do you think you're doing? Eh!?" And then she got slapped on the ass.

She angrily started screaming at the woman that was currently holding her and none too gently rubbing her down with a towel. Just as she started getting into her favorite string of curses, she realized that words weren't actually coming out of her mouth; only the angry cries of a newborn. "Oh this is the game we're playing. Now I fucking see how it's gonna be."

She couldn't hear what was being said over the sound of her own cries, but at the moment she didn't really care. She was angry and venting at the unfairness of having been so rudely taken from her nice, warm, cozyyy… "Huh.. Now that I think of it that was a womb wasn't it. Whatever! It's cold in here, and I'm naked, and my ass hurts, and it's fucking loud… Well I guess that last one is on me, but I'm still mad!"

She felt herself get wrapped into a warm blanket and handed off into the arms of the woman that she could only assume to be her mother. 'It makes sense that this is my mother. I did come out of her vagina I suppose.'

As she started to acclimate to what was going on, she began to calm down and gave up her foul rant of the injustice of everything. In fact, as she was now cradled in the arms of her… mother… She once more felt that same safe and warm sensation come over her. As if everything was going to be ok.

'This is kind of weird. It's as if I'm supposed to love this woman. I do love this woman. Is this what a child feels? Is this imprinting? I guess this isn't too bad of a feeling…'

She could hear a man's voice talking to the old hag in the background, but she wasn't paying attention to what they were saying. She was focused on the woman's, her mother's, face looking down on her and smiling as she spoke.

"Hey there sweetie. I'm your mommy. Shhh… There now, everything's all right, I got you now. That's my baby girl." Her mother was talking sweetly to her and cooing at her, as she embraced her in her arms.

'I do understand you, and I love you, but hear me out here. What the sweet hell is up with your eyes?' She studied her mother's face, and while she was extremely beautiful, her eyes were completely white. Not that that was a bad thing mind you, just strange. It wasn't the dull grey eyes either, that's usually associated with a blind person, they were just… white.

She felt herself be handed off to another person, this time a man who she assumed to be her father. As she looked at the man's face that was holding her, she started to get a sick feeling in her stomach.

Ignoring what the man was saying, she started thinking rapidly, and having what was probably her third panic attack in the past few minutes… or was it hours? 'Oh my god. Oh my god. This is not real. It can't be real. I know this face. I know those eyes. But this can't be real.'

She started to listen to what the man was saying just in time to hear him finish his speech. "...A ray of light for our Hyūga clan. Her name shall be Hinata!"

'It's real…'

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

'So I'm Hyūga Hinata huh?' Of course she watched Naruto. Hell, she watched Shippuden and was in the middle of Boruto, for crying out loud. It was her jam. But that didn't mean she necessarily wanted to be reborn into that world. That was when it hit her.

'Holy shit, I died. But how did I die? I was healthy and in my bed for fuck's sake! I was 14! I couldn't have died! I shouldn't have died!' She scrunched up her face to think as she was being handed back into her mother's arms.

'The strangest thing is besides a serious case of confusion, I don't even feel sad or scared that I died. It's like I know the feelings should be there, but just like the names of my old self and family, those emotions are just… gone. Either Hinata was actually a sociopath in Naruto, which I don't believe is the case at all, or this reincarnation thing comes with some serious coping mechanisms programmed in. Maybe it's the world's way of saying "Hey! Here's your new life! Congratulations! Now get the fuck over it and adapt!"'

She took a minute to pause and gather her thoughts as her mother continued to snuggle her.

'Hell if I know why I still have memories of my previous life. I can still remember the show and manga though… Does that mean I literally have a cheat sheet of what the hell is about to happen to me? Hinata was seriously timid in the show though, and that just ain't me. And I sure as hell won't just be playing along to the script. And I for sure won't be marrying Naruto. No thank you, boys are not for me. But I suppose I can worry about all that stuff later, I'm gonna take a damn nap.'

She could feel her eyes starting to close of their own accord, she was pretty tired after being squeezed through a flesh tunnel, and newborn babies aren't exactly known for their abundance of stamina. 'Yeah… a nap sounds really… nice…' She drifted off to sleep in the warm embrace of her mother, listening to the comforting sounds of her mother's voice.

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Man being a baby is fucking weird. And frustrating. She has these weird, chubby arms and legs that barely move when she tries to move them, and her neck can't lift her head at all. The strangest and perhaps best thing about being a baby though, is how fast time flies. Really though, she was tired all the time and when she wasn't sucking on titties for milk, defecating herself, or crying for no reason at all just for shits and giggles, she was napping. And naps are in fact the best thing ever. She slept for what seemed to be off and on for the large majority of the day, and still got to go to sleep for a solid nine or so hours. Sometimes though, she'd wake up in the middle of the night and decide to scream at the top of her lungs for no goddamn reason, just because if she woke up, everyone else should wake up too.

Life was honestly pretty great in the Hyūga household. Her mother, who she came to realize is called "Haru", may just be the most patient and caring person in the world. Honestly she kinda felt bad for messing with the woman with her random crying, but it would be weird if a baby didn't cry… right? Her father was rather stern and a bit condescending, from what she could gather from his conversations with other Hyūga clan members, but he always seemed to smile with pride when he interacted with her.

'I guess his brother hasn't died yet huh… Wait a second. I'm going to end up being kidnapped aren't I. I mean I'll be rescued right away by dear old dad, but then Hizashi-ojisan would end up sacrificing himself right? What the Hyūga does with those slave seals is pretty fucked up, so I can excuse his shitty behavior. Also, if he dies, then Neji is gonna end up being a pain in my ass. Yeah. Simple. I just have to somehow stop my three year old self from getting kidnapped. I can do that. Easy.'

'Oh, speak of the devil.'

"Oh, if it isn't Hinata-chan." Hyūga Hizashi walked into the room carrying a small boy in his arms. "I'm gonna leave Neji-chan here with you for a while. Tch, he should at least get used to being around the one he'll be serving someday." He let out a big sigh. "It seems something strange is happening with the Uchihas. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but everything is pretty tense right now. Be good Neji, I'll be back soon." He frowned for a moment staring at me before sighing again and walking away.

'Honestly, this man. I feel bad for his circumstances, and know he's a good man, but does he really have to give me that look every time he sees me? But something strange going on with the Uchihas huh? It probably has to do with the Kyūbi attack then. The rumors of the sharingan being able to control the Bijū is probably starting to spread around by now and getting blamed for the attack. What utter nonsense.'

Hinata looked over at Neji and gave him a silly grin. Being only a few months old, she could do little more than that. Neji gave a small smile and a bubbly laugh, crawling over to her so he could lay down next to her and play with her hands. 'Haaah, better start charming him now, while we're young.' Hinata sighed, and started to make cute baby noises back.

'That's right bitches, I can do clan politics too.'

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As the months passed and Hinata grew, she was almost 7 months old. She had started to be able crawl around, finally getting used to her body now that she barely had the muscle to support her own weight. It wasn't long after that when she started to get into more trouble as well.

"Hinata-chaaan! Honestly where did that girl get to..?" Haru was frantically looking around for Hinata who had crawled off somewhere when her back was turned. "Hinata!" Shaking her head, she activated her byakugan, the kekkei genkai that all members of the Hyūga clan are born with. The byakugan is special in that it's an ocular ability that's the cause of the Hyūga clan's unique eyes. It allows the wielder to see through solid surfaces, examine a person's body and chakra paths, and allows them to see almost everything in a 360 degree field of vision around themselves. There are quite a few other miscellaneous perks that come with it as well, but most of them depend on how much you train in using it. The only weakness is a small blind spot at the base of the neck.

"Ah! Hinata-chan!" Haru quickly ran into a room down the hall and scooped Hinata off the ground. "How many times do I have to tell you! You're not allowed in your father's office. Someday when you're older and inherit the clan you can go in, but if your father finds you playing around with those scrolls again, I really am afraid he may punish you!" Giggling at the defeated look on Hinata's face she took her back down the hall to her room to play with her for a while.

'I really don't know why I keep trying honestly. Those scrolls contain useful information about this world! I'm sure of it! But she's never gonna let me get in there. I might as well give up for now.'

"Okaasan, nooo!" Hinata put on her best pouty face as her mother carried her away from the office.

"Hinata-chan, how about we play with your blocks? Or I could read you a story?" Haru smiled lovingly at her daughter as they entered the accursed prison known as her room.

'My room isn't bad, it's large enough, with a nice crib and toys. But if I have to play with another stuffed animal or those damn blocks again I'm going to shank someone.'

Sighing to herself about her misfortune, Hinata gave her mom a wide smile and said simply "Book! Book!"

Haru laughed out loud. "Ahh, you're so cute! Ok, let's see. How about I read you the story of Konoha's Yellow Flash? It's a good one and was always Neji-chan's favorite."

'Not again, please not again.' Hinata got comfortable in her mom's lap as they sat on the floor and smiled up at her. "'Kay!"

'The things I do for love…'

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Soon the months turned to years, and Hinata learned to walk, talk in full sentences (honestly she was able to do this from a much younger age, but after she turned one and a half she said "fuck it" and started to speak properly, albeit with a limited vocabulary), and potty trained herself as soon as humanly possible. Oh, and two years old, she began her training in the special Hyūga clan taijutsu: The Gentle Fist. Hinata was both excited and pissed at this prospect. Who the hell starts training two year olds? What the fuck Hyūga?

Hinata was approaching her third birthday, the day she's been preparing herself for since she was 3 months old.

"Hinata. Come with me." Her father was standing in her doorway looking at her as she was reading a book about the history of Konohagakure. He was looking very stern at this moment and Hinata, who's gotten very good at reading her father's very minimal expressions, knew he was very serious.

'This man. I swear, I haven't seen him smile at me since I learned how to walk. He's got a foot long stick up his ass.'

Hinata gave him a loving smile and closed the book. "Yes, otousan!"

"Hinata, do you know what happens on your birthday three days from now?" He asked as they walked towards his office.

"Mmm! It's the day I become the Hyūga heiress!"

"That's correct. In the eyes of your mother and I, you were born the Hyūga heiress, but it's not official until the ceremony on your third birthday. Right now, in the eyes of the clan, you're nothing but my daughter."

"Otousan, is there anything else that happens?"

"Yes, that day you are officially deemed ready to begin your training to become worthy of your station. We'll start with studies of clan matters the day after and we'll also begin your training with the byakugan, increase the difficulty of your training in taijutsu, and start training with chakra control."

"Is that everything?"

Hiashi gave her a leveled look. "No, but you don't have to worry about that right now. It's clan matters. Nothing for you to know yet."

'I see. So you're not going to let me know my sweet Neji-chan is going to become a slave.'

"Mm! I got it, otousan. I won't let you down."

He nodded at Hinata. "You will not. For the next two days, we will be reviewing the specifics of the ceremony and the etiquette in which you will conduct yourself. I will not tolerate you making a fool out of the main branch."

"Yes, otousan." Hinata tried her best to give him the same stern look back and very seriously nodded her head. She swore for a split second that he was about to smile.

'Everything will go perfect indeed. I've already made sure that I've been spending time with Neji these past two years. It was a bother as uncle seemed to want to keep me away from him after I grew past infancy. But now we're already introduced and could be considered friends. Also, if I remember correctly, it's also the night I'll meet Naruto. That poor kid, he needs a friend.'

"The day will begin with a parade through the Hyūga compound, followed by a tea ceremony with the elders. After which, you will spar with your cousin and show what you have learned over this past year. There will then be another meeting with the elders where they will give us their assessment of you and acknowledge your place as the heiress of Hyūga."

Hiashi motioned for her to take a seat. "We will begin with your manners and what you are to say to the elders."

"Yes, otousan."

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The next two days seemed to pass in a blur. It was finally the day Hinata had been waiting for. The day of her third birthday!

'Everything starts today! I won't let Uncle or Neji down!'