Naruto: Beyond The Cage

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Chapter 1 – The End and the Beginning

Death was sudden. He felt no pain, no fear. Just an instant of awareness… and then, emptiness.

No body. No time. Just a formless existence floating in nothingness.

"Is this the end?"

The thought arose and dissipated as quickly as it had come. But before it was completely lost, something changed. First, a muffled, distant sound, as if coming from underwater. Then, a feeling of openness. A comforting warmth invaded the void, contrasting with a sudden cold, marking the rupture of that indefinite state.

Then, the light.

He blinked. His eyes, still accustomed to the darkness, struggled to absorb the sudden clarity. The world around him was blurry and distorted, but slowly, shapes began to stand out. Two figures appeared before him, like sentinels of a new beginning: a man and a woman. There was something unusual in their eyes. It was not just the typical expression of caring parents; there was a more complex emotion hidden there. Between joy and pride, a subtle trace of guilt was present, as if, in that brief moment, both of them already knew the arduous path that the newborn would have to tread. Even with the newly formed body and the fragility that limited it, something surprising blossomed in his mind: memories and sensations from a past life mixed with his new perception. He knew, in an inexplicable way, that he was not an ordinary baby. His consciousness belonged to someone with years of experience – an inquisitive mind, accustomed to analyzing every detail with the logic of an attentive observer. The soft murmurs of the two adults around him mixed with his confusion. But, amidst the whirlwind of thoughts, one in particular cut through the depth of the moment:

"Fuck… I died and was reincarnated. And what's up with those two? The woman – probably my mother – is fucking hot, and the man, who must be my father, seems to exude maturity. But what the hell are those looks? Did someone just die? Just what I needed… In my past life, I was an orphan with no parents, and now I'm an unwanted baby?"

"And wait… What's up with their eyes? Are they blind?"

The sentence, full of the frankness of a teenager, echoed in his mind. Even though his new body was vulnerable, his consciousness was already analyzing everything around him with coldness and curiosity.

The days that followed were a whirlwind of discoveries. Despite being in the body of a newborn, his sharp mind distinguished him from other babies – an attentive gaze and a restlessness that led him to question every detail around him.

The figures he had initially thought were his parents were watching over him, but there was something strange. Whenever their eyes met, he saw only immaculate white, with no trace of pupils. The persistent question wouldn't leave him:

"How is it possible for blind people to live such normal lives?"

The days were marked by a simple routine, full of rituals and traditions that told ancestral stories. He didn't understand everything, but he absorbed every detail.

Over time, his ears began to pick up more distinct sounds. Words, conversations, distant echoes... That was how, finally, he realized where he was.

Konoha.

Not only that. He belonged to the Hyuuga Clan.

And, even worse, to the secondary branch.

The village where six-year-old children were sent to war.

The clan where the division between superiors and inferiors was so brutal that they created a cursed seal to prevent their own members from killing each other.

Faced with this realization, only one thought took over his mind:

"I'm screwed.