Shinji examined the corpse of the Otsutsuki branch family elder.
The corpse's skin was unnaturally pale, a result of its blood, organs, and flesh having been completely devoured by the mysterious figure.
In truth, it was little more than a husk.
This didn't matter to Shinji, as his focus wasn't the body itself but the pair of Otsutsuki clan Byakugan in its eye sockets.
Perhaps due to age, the elder's Byakugan had lost some vitality, appearing mottled.
Even so, the value of these Byakugan was immeasurable.
First, they were pure Otsutsuki clan Byakugan, far surpassing the Hyuga clan's in purity. Second, they were free of the "Caged Bird" seal, making them viable for extraction and transplantation.
With practiced precision, Shinji extracted the Byakugan from the corpse and placed them in a small nutrient canister.
Holding the canister, peering through the glass at the floating Byakugan, Shinji weighed his options for a long time before sighing and shaking his head.
The dojutsu power of these Byakugan was likely considerable, given their owner was an elder of the Otsutsuki branch family.
However, due to the elder's advanced age, their dojutsu power and vitality had significantly diminished over time.
Relying solely on this pair was clearly insufficient to support Shinji's bold plan.
"Since I've decided to take the gamble, I have to go all in!" Pausing, he mused, "If it succeeds, my Tenseigan Plan will be nearly guaranteed. But if it fails…"
Shinji didn't dwell on the consequences.
The runaway "biological exoskeleton" left him no choice—he had to bet everything!
Resolved, he took the nutrient canister and moved to a newly expanded, spacious testing area adjacent to the secret laboratory.
At the center of the testing area, he sat cross-legged, activated his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and summoned Susanoo.
Roar!
Instantly, a half-bodied golden giant materialized in the testing area.
Shinji exhaled, then activated Susanoo Tomoshibi, removing the pair of Uchiha Fugaku's Mangekyo Sharingan from Susanoo's second eye sockets.
This left Susanoo's three pairs of eye sockets occupied only by his own Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and another pair of Byakugan, also from the Otsutsuki branch family.
Carefully stowing Fugaku's Mangekyo, Shinji retrieved the elder's Byakugan from the nutrient canister, holding them in his palms.
Closing his eyes briefly, he snapped them open.
From the second empty eye sockets of his Susanoo, a beam of golden light shot out, levitating the Byakugan in his hands and drawing them into the sockets.
Squinting slightly, Shinji completed the integration of this pair of Byakugan through Susanoo Tomoshibi.
Through Susanoo Tomoshibi, he more precisely gauged the dojutsu power of this pair.
Compared to the other Otsutsuki Byakugan he possessed, this pair's dojutsu power was slightly stronger, even after losing some vitality.
At their peak, these Byakugan's power would likely have far exceeded the other pair.
"It seems the Otsutsuki elder killed by the mysterious figure held a high status in the branch family!"
Shinji chuckled lightly.
This elder had caused him significant trouble during the Grass Country battle, even launching a meteor strike against him.
Fortunately, the mysterious figure, unaware of the elder's identity, had launched an indiscriminate attack, killing him with a bizarre Blood Demon Art. Otherwise, Shinji might not have dealt with that threat so easily.
"Time to begin."
Shinji focused his thoughts.
Controlling two pairs of Byakugan simultaneously wouldn't yield much additional dojutsu power, so his purpose in integrating this pair via Susanoo Tomoshibi was to leverage its miraculous fusion ability to merge the two pairs of Otsutsuki Byakugan.
Fusing dojutsu Bloodline Limits was familiar territory for him.
Yakumo's unique Koryugan was the result of fusing multiple pairs of Hogan and Blood Dragon Eyes.
Of course, fusing two pairs of Byakugan—especially pure Otsutsuki Byakugan from the Moon—was undoubtedly different from his prior fusions.
Even with his fusion experience, Shinji couldn't predict the outcome of this attempt.
Nearly all ninja world dojutsu evolved or mutated from the Otsutsuki's original Byakugan: the Sharingan, Samsara Eye, and Tenseigan were all examples.
Even later dojutsu like the Jougan and Isshiki's unique cross-shaped eye could be considered Byakugan offshoots. As the source of all dojutsu, the Byakugan was a Bloodline Limit with infinite potential.
"Too bad I can't use Izanami no Mikoto to glimpse the fusion outcome with Susanoo Tomoshibi."
With all three of Susanoo's eye sockets occupied, Shinji couldn't use Fugaku's Mangekyo dojutsu, Izanami no Mikoto.
After adjusting his state and gathering his dojutsu power, Shinji, fully prepared, didn't hesitate. He activated Susanoo Tomoshibi to begin fusing the two pairs of Byakugan.
Roar!
With a bellow from Susanoo, brilliant golden light erupted from its second and third eye sockets.
Under Shinji's dojutsu power, the two eye sockets began to overlap.
Perhaps due to their shared clan and origin, the fusion proceeded smoothly. Shinji expended little dojutsu power, and the two pairs of Byakugan began merging seamlessly. However, the process was protracted, unlike his previous fusions, which had succeeded abruptly upon reaching a critical threshold.
During the lengthy fusion, Shinji faintly sensed a profoundly familiar and immense chakra source from far away.
He didn't recklessly attempt to resonate with it, knowing it was the giant Tenseigan on the Moon!
Now was clearly not the time to stir trouble.