Chapter 3: The Crucible of War and a Boy's Defiance
On the Second Great Shinobi War (Continued)
The tragic geography of the Land of Rain meant it faced threats from multiple fronts. Historical fragments suggest another conflict:
Land of Rain vs. Land of Wind (Amegakure vs. Sunagakure): The legendary puppet master, Chiyo of Suna, referred to Hanzo as an "old rival." Her possession of an antidote to his salamander's poison, and her precise knowledge of its toxin regeneration cycle, is not academic. It is hard-won battlefield intelligence. For Chiyo to have developed such a specific countermeasure, Suna-nin must have clashed directly with Hanzo's forces in the Rain, likely suffering significant casualties from his biological warfare before she could engineer a response. This paints a picture of a multi-front war for the Demigod, fighting Konoha to the north and east, and Sunagakure's incursions from the south.
Land of Wind vs. Land of Fire (Sunagakure vs. Konoha): This front is better documented. It was here that the White Fang of Konoha, Sakumo Hatake, rose to fame by slaying the parents of the future artisan, Sasori. It was also where a young Tsunade Senju, displaying her prodigious medical genius, deciphered and neutralized every poison deployed by Chiyo on the battlefield, breaking Suna's chemical edge. These two Konoha shinobi became legendary figures of this conflict through their direct opposition to Suna's finest.
Land of Earth vs. Land of Lightning (Iwagakure vs. Kumogakure): While less detailed in common chronicles, the relentless logic of war suggests the northwestern fronts were also active. My own research and deduction lead me to believe the fate of the Third Raikage—his legendary last stand—likely occurred during the turbulent, closing stages of this war, not the next. The Second War was a continent-wide conflagration; it is improbable that two major military powers like Iwa and Kumo would have remained passive observers.
It is crucial to note that the heroics of Might Dai, who would later open the Eight Gates, belong to the Third Great Shinobi War, which shaped the generation of Kakashi Hatake. The war I am born into, the Second, is a different beast—a grinding, bloody struggle that defined the Sannin and set the stage for the village's coming internal fractures.
I have spent considerable time cross-referencing manga, data books, and historical snippets to piece this landscape together. As a longtime follower of these tales since their earliest serialization, I welcome any scholarly corrections, for memory and canon can sometimes blur across the years.
Chapter 1: The Hyūga's Tail Feather
Konohagakure
The Hyūga Branch Compound
In a sparse, humble room, a boy of seven or eight stared into a small mirror, his slender fingers tracing a strange, bulging mark upon his forehead.
This… this is my face? Have I truly crossed into the world of Naruto… as a member of the Hyūga clan?
The reflection showed a pale, delicate face, bearing the telltale signs of subtle malnutrition. Only the eyes held a striking, otherworldly presence—pupil-less spheres of sheer, pearlescent white.
A torrent of memories, not his own, surged forth. His name was Hyūga Reitō (Cold Heaven). A child of the branch family. Orphaned, his parents lost to a mission. The year was Konoha 31, in the grim throes of the Second Great Shinobi War.
"What is this?" he muttered, his attention snagging on an object resting on the bare table. A pair of spectacles. A cold dread pooled in his stomach. "No… it can't be. The Hyūga clan? Nearsighted?"
His newfound memories confirmed the absurd, tragic truth. He was, indeed, severely myopic. The cause was rooted in trauma; his mother had sustained critical injuries during his birth, affecting his ocular development. While his Byakugan lineage granted him the potential for supreme long-range vision, his natural eyesight was cripplingly poor. Up close, the world was clear. Beyond an arm's length, it dissolved into a blur of shapeless colors and light.
"This is impossible," Reitō whispered, a hollow laugh escaping him. "The famed 'White Eyes' of the Hyūga… rendered practically blind without aid?" He tried to cling to a sliver of hope. "It doesn't matter… It shouldn't matter. Once the Byakugan is awakened, that should override it. It has to…"
His frantic thoughts were shattered as the door to his room exploded inward with a violent kick.
Anger, hot and immediate, flushed through him. Who dares?!
Three boys stood in the doorway, around his own age, their postures radiating a casual cruelty. The one in the center, with a particularly sharp chin and narrow eyes, spoke first, his tone dripping with disdain.
"Reitō! Listen well. You are forbidden from applying to the Ninja Academy's enrollment. Do you understand?"
The sheer, unearned arrogance of the command took Reitō's breath away. "Who do you think you are?" he shot back, his voice tighter than he intended. "You have no right to order me around!"
The lead boy's eyes widened in genuine surprise, as if a tool had suddenly spoken out of turn. Then his expression darkened into a scowl. "You dare talk back? It seems you need a lesson in respecting your betters. Teach him his place!"
The two flanking boys advanced with identical, predatory smirks. The malice in their white eyes was unmistakable.
Trouble. Reitō's mind raced. Outnumbered and untrained, his options were nil. Driven by instinct, he acted on the principle of striking first. He lunged, aiming a clumsy fist at the boy on the left.
The target merely sneered. "Fool. Allow me to educate you on the Soft Fist of the main family!"
His palm shot out, not with brute force, but with a precise, jarring tap against Reitō's wrist. A shockwave of numb pain shot up Reitō's arm, disrupting his balance and momentum completely. With a contemptuous shove, Reitō was sent stumbling back to the floor.
"Pathetic. Is that all you have?"
"Branch family trash will always be trash."
"Heh, it's bad enough he's a disgrace within the clan. Does he really want to humiliate the Hyūga name outside as well? He'd be better off not getting himself killed!"
"Exactly!"
The two lackeys crowed, their laughter sharp and mocking.
The lead boy, the 'main family heir,' took a final step forward, looking down at Reitō sprawled on the tatami. "Hyūga Reitō. Let me make this clear. As a member of the main family, I am forbidding you. A highly myopic failure like you has no business becoming a ninja. You would only be an embarrassment to the Hyūga. I will not allow it."
The words hung in the dusty air of the small room, a decree meant to cage him as effectively as any seal. Reitō lay there, his wrist throbbing, his blurry vision fixed on the three indistinct, triumphant figures in his doorway. The fire of humiliation burned in his chest, but beneath it, colder and harder, a new resolve began to crystallize.