After secretly escorting Neji and Kimimaro back to their respective residences, Shinji quietly returned to his apartment.
Today had been a surprising day for him.
Even he hadn't anticipated that Neji, Kimimaro, and 'H' would so smoothly awaken the Tenseigan.
What excited him even more was that this pair of Tenseigan had been born through sheer luck, without a true original host.
Neither Neji nor Kimimaro, who provided the chakra, nor 'H,' who fused it, could be considered the true owners of this Tenseigan. At best, the three of them only had the qualifications to potentially become its masters.
Speaking of qualifications, Shinji himself had a share.
Since the cellular tissue used to create 'H' included his own, he and 'H' were, to some extent, blood relatives, allowing him to share a portion of 'H's eligibility.
Thus, there were actually four potential candidates to become the original host of this pair of Tenseigan.
While Shinji wasn't the one closest to the Tenseigan, his own strength spoke for itself. Once he awakened his Rinnegan, his power would advance further, making him capable of bearing the pair of Tenseigan alone.
At that point, with his formidable strength, he could stand out and become the recognized original host of the Tenseigan.
"If I could get the Tenseigan to recognize me as its original host, I wonder what it would be like to wield it with 'Susanoo Tomoshibi'…"
Shinji's thoughts began to wander.
Using 'Susanoo Tomoshibi' to control other dojutsu Bloodline Limits required first suppressing them and then extracting their pupil power and techniques.
In this process, internal energy loss was inevitable.
This was why, despite having controlled a pair of Rinnegan, Shinji himself hadn't undergone a dramatic transformation.
The act of suppressing the controlled Rinnegan alone placed a heavy burden on his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Even though he could draw some pupil power and techniques from the Rinnegan, after accounting for the internal loss, the surplus was limited.
But if he controlled eyes that recognized him as their master, the results would be worth anticipating.
Imagine if Shinji, having awakened his Rinnegan, could wield a pair of Tenseigan without internal loss—how terrifying the amplification of his pupil power would be!
After a moment, Shinji reined in his thoughts.
His Rinnegan hadn't yet awakened, and the Tenseigan was in deep dormancy. Now was clearly not the time for daydreams.
Tap, tap, tap.
His fingers lightly tapped the table as he began to plan how to monitor Kimimaro.
Though Kimimaro's character ensured he would keep his word, the stakes were too high to leave anything to chance.
…
Land of Wind.
Beside an oasis in the desert, several tents stood by the water, their curtains flapping in the sandy wind.
Whoosh.
At that moment, a figure landed near the oasis, crouching low and cautiously approaching the tents.
Upon reaching the first tent, the figure hesitated, then lifted the curtain to peek inside.
"No one?"
The figure let out a soft exclamation, then swiftly moved to the second tent, yanking open its curtain.
At that moment, a cold voice came from within the tent. "So it's you!"
"!?"
The figure who had lifted the curtain was startled, not daring to linger for an explanation. They retreated hastily, fleeing into the desert.
Boom.
In an instant, a massive fireball shot out from the tent, striking the fleeing figure dead-on and knocking them into the oasis's lake.
A figure then slowly emerged from the tent.
Those familiar with the Hidden Sand Village would recognize at a glance that this was none other than Yagura, an elite jōnin of considerable renown in the village.
Almost simultaneously, in a temple in the Land of Wind…
Bang, bang, bang.
Amid a series of explosions, Maki, a Hidden Sand jōnin, burst through the smoke, shouting at the figure fleeing ahead, "You can't escape! Surrender now!"
The fleeing figure cursed loudly, "Damn it, it's a trap!"
Maki pursued, "Lord Kazekage knew there was a mole from the Akatsuki in the village, but we didn't expect it to be you! Give up, you can't escape the Land of Wind!"
The fugitive kept running. "If you keep chasing, I'll have to fight you!"
"Hmph!"
Maki snorted and lunged forward.
After a brief struggle, Maki captured the opponent.
Though the fugitive was also a jōnin from the village, compared to Maki, an elite jōnin, they had little room to resist.
…
Land of Water.
On the small island where the Six-Tails Jinchūriki, Utakata, had previously been hiding, several teams of Hidden Mist Anbu were meticulously searching every inch.
After a long while, the scattered Anbu regrouped.
The team leader asked, "Any findings?"
The Anbu members all shook their heads.
"The scene's been cleaned so thoroughly—that itself is a clue! Whoever did this must be a traitor from our village!" After a pause, the Anbu leader asked, "Have we confirmed the recent whereabouts of all the high-ranking officials who knew the Six-Tails Jinchūriki's hiding place?"
One Anbu hesitated. "Everyone else has been accounted for, except…"
The Anbu leader's gaze sharpened. "Who?"
The Anbu reluctantly gave a name.
"Hiss…"
The previously assertive Anbu leader inhaled sharply.
After a moment of thought, he said, "If it's that person, our authority doesn't allow us to investigate privately. We'll have to report to Lord Mizukage first!"
…
Hidden Leaf Village.
Chirp.
With a sharp eagle cry, another communication hawk landed in the intelligence division's aviary.
An intelligence team shinobi quickly retrieved the small sealed scroll tied to the hawk's leg and said to a Hidden Mist shinobi stationed in the aviary, "A message from the Hidden Mist!"
After confirming the seal on the scroll was intact, the Hidden Mist shinobi didn't delay and immediately delivered it to the Hidden Mist's temporary outpost in the Hidden Leaf.
Before the intelligence team could catch their breath, another communication pigeon flew into the aviary, flapping its wings.
"Intelligence from the Hidden Sand!"
After a quick identification, the Hidden Leaf intelligence team handed the scroll to a Hidden Sand shinobi stationed in the aviary.
Like the Hidden Mist shinobi, the Hidden Sand shinobi took the intelligence and hurriedly headed to their village's temporary outpost in the Hidden Leaf.
"Here comes another!"
Looking at the black dots approaching in the sky, the Hidden Leaf intelligence team shinobi sighed helplessly.
These days, if anyone was the busiest, it was undoubtedly the Hidden Leaf intelligence team, handling information from across the shinobi world!