The story of the Hyūga twins had always weighed heavily on Shigure's mind. Hizashi and Hiashi—two brothers torn apart by the cruel fate of the clan system. One was cast into the branch family while the other remained in the main house. In the end, Hizashi gave up his life for Hiashi, and Shigure could never shake the injustice of it.
"I won't let something like that happen again," Shigure swore quietly to himself, his hands tightening.
"Is Hizashi-sensei…?" he asked the attendant walking beside him.
"Hizashi-sama belongs to the branch family," came the polite reply.
"So it's true…" Shigure murmured as he followed the servants deeper into Hyūga territory, weaving past tall gates and manicured gardens until they reached the section marked Branch House.
There, the architecture rose impressively, wood walls lacquered in dark hues and tiled roofs steeped in a style unmistakably Japanese. Above the household's main residence hung two large characters: "Hyūga." Shigure paused for just a breath before stepping through the courtyard.
Under the shade of a pine, Hyūga Hizashi sat serenely at a low table with a cup of steaming tea in his hand. The leader of Team Nine looked as calm as the surface of a still pond.
"Teacher Hizashi!" Shigure greeted warmly, bowing lightly. "It's been a few days—yet you seem even more energetic. Truly a man of refined taste, everything about you is poetic."
A faint smile tugged at Hizashi's lips. "Shigure. Please, sit."
But Shigure was never one to circle endlessly around small talk. "May I ask… what is it you wanted from me today?"
Hizashi's expression grew thoughtful. "Two reasons. First, I have already summoned Kusuo and Akane. They should arrive shortly."
Shigure nodded. So, it really was coming—the Chūnin Exams.
"Once they are here, we will speak of the exam and your team's preparations," Hizashi continued slowly. "But that is not the core of today's meeting."
Shigure had expected as much. "And the other matter?"
With a casual wave of his hand, Hizashi dismissed the nearby servants. One by one, they slipped away until only the two of them remained under the dappled light. Hizashi's tone grew more serious.
"Shigure… what I wish to discuss may sound abrupt. It concerns bloodline limits."
Shigure blinked, his heart tightening. "Bloodline limits…?"
Hizashi's gaze sharpened, testing. "Are you completely certain your eyes are not Byakugan?"
Shigure shook his head firmly. "No. They are not Byakugan."
"Hm." Hizashi leaned back slightly. "And yet, I can't ignore what I've seen. Tell me—could it be you inherited both the Uchiha's Sharingan and the Hyūga's Byakugan? A fusion of bloodlines?"
Shigure's blood ran cold. He had always questioned the strangeness of his eyes, where the redness of the Sharingan seemed to interlace with features so close to the Byakugan. But to hear Hizashi voice the possibility aloud…
"My father was Uchiha," Shigure whispered. "But my mother… I don't really know who she was."
At those words, Hizashi set his cup down and rose, his usually calm demeanor replaced with solemn gravity. For the first time, he truly looked like the guardian of an era.
"Shigure," Hizashi said firmly, "you bear the name Uchiha as your father's son. But in truth… you also carry the blood of my Hyūga clan."
The words struck harder than any kunai. "What!?"
"Look closely at yourself," Hizashi pressed. "Your eyes mirror our Byakugan almost completely. The only difference is the Uchiha's tomoe, hidden within. You may have tried to keep this secret for survival—but am I right? Have you awakened both abilities?"
Shigure hesitated. Every instinct told him to deflect, to bury the truth deeper. Yet Hizashi had always been earnest with him, had even dismissed others to speak in confidence. Trusting him, Shigure gave a small nod.
"Yes. I've awakened both. But why? Why would I have Hyūga blood?"
"The reason," Hizashi said, voice unwavering, "is simple. Your mother was of the Hyūga."
Shigure's thoughts reeled. "My father… Uchiha. My mother… Hyūga? That shouldn't even be possible. With clans that possess kekkei genkai, marriages outside the clan are nearly forbidden, to protect the purity of the bloodline."
Hizashi exhaled. His eyes softened in a sadness few ever saw. "Just as you say. And it is precisely because of that—precisely because you were born of both houses—that you became an outcast in the eyes of many. A child never spoken of, never truly acknowledged."
The floor seemed to sway under Shigure's feet. Yet another piece of his childhood misery—that nameless, isolating hostility from villagers—suddenly made terrible sense.
"Then… my parents?"
"They died protecting Konoha," Hizashi said in a quiet, steady voice. "Not long after the Second Great Ninja War. They returned from the frontline and gave their lives for this village. That was the truth you deserved to hear."
Shigure's throat closed up. He had imagined countless possibilities about his heritage—but not this.
"I only uncovered this recently myself," Hizashi admitted, frowning, almost guilty. "Otherwise, I'd have told you earlier."
Shigure shook his head. "It's all right, Sensei. Had you told me any sooner, I might not have understood. I'm grateful you told me now, openly. If you had hidden it, if you had deceived me… yes, I think I would have resented you."
In that moment, he thought briefly of Naruto, another boy scorned without knowing why. Both of them, shadow-born children of Konoha. But unlike Naruto's unyielding cheer, Shigure knew his own heart carried darker storms.
"Then… can you tell me more? About my father, about my mother?"
Hizashi inclined his head. "Your mother was named Hyūga Shinku. She was unique even among us… because she was the daughter of our clan head."
Shigure's breath caught. "What…?"
The daughter of the patriarch—the princess of the Hyūga clan—had been his mother?
"That information was sealed before your birth," Hizashi clarified. "And because you bore the Uchiha name, the clan chose distance. They would not acknowledge you openly."
Bitterness twisted in Shigure's chest. Born of two great bloodlines, yet treated as nothing but unwanted.
"These truths," Hizashi continued, "I only know because Hiashi confided them to me. Even now, there's more that I cannot tell you. For that, you will need to approach the clan head yourself."
Shigure straightened. "Then I'll go speak to him. Right now."
But Hizashi raised a hand. "Not so simple. If you wish to stand before the clan head, first you must prove yourself. Defeat me in Hyūga-style taijutsu. If you cannot… then I fear he will never recognize you."
"I don't need his recognition," Shigure countered sharply. "All I want is the truth about my mother."
Hizashi regarded him with sad patience. "You think it's that easy? Your existence itself is dangerous, Shigure. Not even the Uchiha know the truth. The Hyūga do not know either. If the village discovers you to be a living fusion of two powerful bloodlines, vultures will circle. Plots will unfold. In the worst outcome, you will be rejected entirely—by both clans and by Konoha itself."
He let that warning linger before stepping closer, eyes bright with quiet fire.
"That is why I called you here. To give you these truths… and to test you. To see your true strength. More than anything, I wish to teach you Hyūga-Ryū's hidden techniques. Not out of duty, but out of joy. When I learned you possessed our blood, I realized I could pass them on to you without regret."
Shigure's fists clenched as the enormity of it all weighed on him. The legacy of two of Konoha's greatest clans ran through his veins, concealed until now.
"And so," Hizashi finished, eyes locked onto his student, "I will pass on everything I know… if you can withstand me."
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