After Kaguya left, the three elders resumed their discussion. They couldn't help but reflect on Kaguya's parting words.
"What did Forebear Kaguya mean by 'enter her eyes'?"
"I believe she meant strength," Hyuga Hiashi replied after a moment's thought.
"Strength?" One elder frowned in confusion.
What kind of strength? Hiroki Hyuga's level? They hadn't seen his true power yet...
As for Hinata and Hanabi, they were still growing—how much strength could they possibly have?
Seeing their puzzled expressions, Hiashi spoke again with a nostalgic look on his face, "That blue eye of Hiroki's—the *Tenseigan*—is said to unleash power surpassing Kage-level strength. Hinata has the same potential..."
"Wait, what's the *Tenseigan*?" one elder interrupted.
Hiashi glanced at the closed door before lowering his voice, "Hizashi, step outside first."
"Yes." Outside, Hizashi let out a soft sigh before quietly walking away.
A while later, Hiashi turned serious as he explained the origins and significance of the *Tenseigan* to the three confused elders.
After hearing everything, the elders remained silent for a long time. Finally, they exhaled deeply and gravely emphasized to Hiashi, "Hiashi, do not let this information spread."
Hinata and Hanabi had been waiting outside the entire time. When they saw Kaguya appear, Hanabi happily rushed forward and eagerly asked, "How did it go in the end?"
"Don't worry, everything is fine," Kaguya replied.
"That's great!" Hanabi was practically jumping for joy.
The next day, Hinata, Neji, Kimimaro, and Karin moved out in perfect sync toward the academy.
On campus, whenever students spotted them, they instinctively cleared a path for their passage.
There was no other reason—power-wise, the Hyuga clan now stood supreme.
"How enviable," Kiba Inuzuka muttered wistfully, watching them walk away.
He just felt like they cut quite a striking figure.
"Woof woof~" Akamaru, perched atop his head, barked along.
Meanwhile, Tsunade also entered the ninja academy.
By the third period that morning, she had already visited both the sixth-grade elite class and fifth-grade elite class.
Iruka coughed lightly, smiling as he loudly announced to the seated students, "This class will be taught personally by Hokage-sama herself! Everyone, please welcome her!"
With that, Iruka stepped aside from the podium.
Immediately, enthusiastic applause erupted below.
Eyes shining brightly, the students gazed at Tsunade, especially those from commoner backgrounds who sat up straight with particular excitement.
Previously, the only time they'd ever seen the Hokage was during the opening ceremony of the school year. How rare was this honor—to receive direct instruction from the Hokage?
If they performed well today, maybe they might even earn the Hokage's favor.
Sakura bit the cap of her pen, then pulled out a brand new notebook from her desk—one she had never used before—with every intention of recording everything Tsunade said.
The applause quieted as Tsunade stepped slowly onto the stage. She picked up a piece of chalk and wrote several large characters on the blackboard.
"Today," she said, "I'm going to teach you something new."
Four bold characters reading "Natural Energy" now filled the blackboard as she continued calmly.
"What exactly is Natural Energy?"
The students below sat in stunned silence at first, then murmurs rippled through the room.
While they whispered among themselves, Sakura had already taken out her pen and begun scribbling notes furiously.
Hinata, Kimimaro, and Karin also pulled out their notebooks.
Shikamaru, who had been slouching on his desk, turned his head slightly toward Hinata.
Noticing how focused she looked, Shikamaru instantly straightened up, no longer appearing so indifferent. He casually poked both Ino and Choji—who weren't paying enough attention—and muttered, "Listen carefully."
Iruka coughed a few times, and gradually the classroom grew quiet.
Tsunade continued with her explanation.
Before this, she had already taught the same lesson to the fifth- and sixth-year classes.
As for the lower grades, she hadn't planned on teaching them herself.
They hadn't even learned to walk properly yet—teaching them something more advanced would be asking too much.
For the other regular classes, different teachers would handle basic instruction.
What she was teaching now was still part of what she'd previously shared with Iruka and others.
"Naturally, as its name suggests, Natural Energy exists within mountains and rivers, all things in nature..."
"This is just the introductory class on the topic. The following lessons will be taught by your regular teachers. If anyone progresses quickly, let Iruka know—I'll personally oversee their training when I can."
When they heard those last words, everyone perked up, especially the common-born students, their excitement obvious.
The moment Tsunade left, they burst into excited whispers.
"She said 'personal instruction'... do you think that means becoming her apprentice?"
"It might actually be possible..."
"Ehem ehem..." Iruka interrupted their chatter. "This is still class time. Any talking can wait until after class."
After school ended, every student who had attended the lecture recounted everything to their parents.
The parents took great interest, prompting adjustments in their children's training routines.
However, there was a difference: aristocratic families prioritized secret techniques unique to their clans first, treating Natural Energy cultivation as secondary.
Common-born children, desperate to grasp the hope offered by Tsunade, chose to prioritize Natural Energy training instead.
Meanwhile, Hiashi learned about this matter from Hinata.
After some thought, he went to the Hokage Building to find Tsunade.
At that moment, Tsunade hadn't left yet. Seeing Hiashi arrive, she gave him an annoyed look. "Can't you handle this yourself? You know how irritated I get when people pile extra work on me."
Hiashi gave a helpless smile, his expression tinged with bitterness. Then he made his request. "Hokage-sama, may I obtain a copy of what you taught at the Ninja Academy today?"
Tsunade looked at him for a moment before pulling out a small booklet from her drawer.
In order to have the teachers at the Ninja Academy help her teach the basics of natural energy training, she had long arranged for copies to be made of her notes, ensuring each teacher received one.
Picking it up, Hiashi flipped through the pages until he reached the end, his brows furrowing involuntarily. "Hokage-sama, this isn't the complete version, is it?"
Tsunade looked at him, slightly surprised, and arched an eyebrow. "Didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable. Correct, this isn't the full version."
["Due to current circumstances, this site might shut down anytime. Please move to our permanent source app, the Huanyuan App, as soon as possible."]
Placing the booklet on the table, Hiashi said solemnly, "Hokage-sama, please give me a complete copy."
"What do you want to do with it?"
"Train naturally," Hiashi replied. "If those kids can do it, we adults should not fall behind either."
"Even if I gave it to you, you might still struggle to use it," Tsunade sighed slightly. "That thing, to be precise, is Sage Chakra. It requires precise control and absolute balance..."
Hiashi smiled confidently. "The Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan lets us understand our physical conditions more clearly than others. Achieving what you mentioned is not impossible."
After thinking silently for a while, Tsunade nodded slightly. "Let me organize everything first..."
Inside a small room, Mizuki kept turning the small book titled 'Sage Art Basics' over and over again in his hands, his expression strange as he muttered to himself:
"Sage Art? That sounds pretty ambitious. Is the name definitely correct?"
"This entire book contains nothing but concepts and theories. Why does the Hokage want to teach this in Konoha?"
"Forget it, I'll just send it to Orochimaru-sama for him to take a look."
...
On the border of the Land of Fire, approaching the Country of Rain.
Hidan and Kakuzu were heading toward the Country of Rain when Hidan walked out from a patch of woods and gradually slowed down, falling behind Kakuzu.
Without looking back, the mask on the back of Kakuzu's head suddenly opened its mouth and spoke in a hoarse voice, "Hey, Hidan, don't tell me you're planning to sneak away?"
"I've changed my mind. There's plenty of world out there; why should I tag along with you guys?" Hidan couldn't help but snicker.
"You still don't get the situation, Hidan," Kakuzu, finally halting his steps ahead, turned around and murmured eerily.
When Hidan showed no reaction, Kakuzu teased further, "Do you even know anything about that group Hiroki Hyuga used to lead?"
"What?"
"Do you know anything about that person—like what kind of eyes he has, their specific abilities, or information about the others?"
Instant silence filled the air. Hidan knew almost nothing valuable about them.
Kakuzu's eyes gleamed more deeply with amusement. "So where exactly do you plan to go? Maybe White Zetsu is already following your every step. They can find you easily wherever you are."
After a quiet pause, Hidan looked at him curiously. "Kakuzu, then how about you? How did you meet them, and why are you working for them?"
Kakuzu shrugged indifferently. "I only pledge loyalty to money. As for everything else, I couldn't care less."
The two stood still when suddenly a gust of wind swept through, sending countless leaves tumbling down from the towering trees.
Above them, Konan appeared in the sky, gazing coldly at the two figures below.
Her eyes first landed on Hidan. Just as she was about to speak, her attention shifted to Kakuzu, who was draped in numerous pouches. "Kakuzu, what's all this? Money?"
"Correct," Kakuzu replied with a nod, offering a brief explanation. "I just completed a mission. The Fire Daimyo paid handsomely after the Sarutobi Clan attempted rebellion and he wanted to save his own life."
"Hand it over once we're back." After saying that, Konan stopped paying him any further attention.
"...Right..." Kakuzu hesitated slightly, clearly reluctant.
Looking down at Hidan, Konan said, "As for you, I have a question. Why specifically target members of the Sarutobi and Shimura Clans for slaughter?"
Being looked down upon forced him to tilt his head upward to see her, which irritated Hidan slightly. He impatiently replied, "I killed them simply because I felt like it. Who asked them to provoke me?"
"If you want to join Akatsuki, you'll need to prove your strength." Konan stated.
A pure white sheet of paper shot from her body like a razor-edged blade toward Hidan.
"You're the ones begging me to join in the first place."
As he scoffed, Hidan raised his scythe into a ready stance.
And so, their battle began.
After several dozen minutes, seeing that Hidan remained completely unharmed without even a scratch, Konan emotionlessly declared, "You've passed."
With that, she spread her pure white wings and soared into the sky.
"Who exactly is that woman? How dare she act so arrogant?" Resentment filled Hidan's tone; he especially disliked her attitude. "Do I really have to be bossed around by powerful women for the rest of my life?"
"Oh? You've met many strong women like her?" Kakuzu curiously asked.
"There are plenty in Konoha," Hidan scoffed.
Kakuzu let out a quiet chuckle.
...
Another month passed, and nothing major occurred throughout the Ninja World, though various schemes were brewing behind the scenes.
Outside Kiri, White Zetsu halted before reaching their destination.
"What's wrong?" Hiroki asked.
"We can't go in. They probably laid Sealing Formation across the surface like they did previously under Orochimaru," explained White Zetsu.
"Fine."
Although losing White Zetsu as a mount, Hiroki still entered Kiri unnoticed.
Following his memory, he secretly infiltrated Terumi Mei's residence.
The room where he and Kimimaro had lived had become an empty house—the Mizukage wasn't present.
After waiting for some time, he finally saw a familiar figure arrive.
"You haven't changed much at all," Hiroki stepped out from the shadows.
Hearing his voice, Mei turned around and took quite some time before recognizing him, speaking teasingly, "You've changed significantly, though. Guess I can't call you 'little buddy' anymore."
"I originally expected to hear news of you becoming the Mizukage," Hiroki said.
"And whose fault is that?"
"Terumi Mei let out a soft snort," she said, "If it weren't for that unresolved disappearance case, I'd already be Mizukage..."
"You could've turned me in, you know. Why didn't you?" Hiroki said with a teasing grin.
Terumi Mei snorted coldly again and countered, "How's Kimimaro doing?"
"He's fine. He's staying in Konoha. If you ever visit Konoha, you might even get to see him."
"Why specifically Konoha? You and Konoha..." Hearing that someone from her own Mist village would serve Konoha in the future seemed to annoy Terumi Mei slightly, causing her brows to furrow involuntarily.
Pausing briefly, she suddenly appeared to understand something and voiced a question that had been troubling her recently: "Was it you who took away the Sand Ninja's One-Tail Jinchuriki?"
"Yes." Hiroki nodded.
"What about that thing you said before—about taking over the entire Ninja World? Was that true too?"
"That's right." Hiroki nodded again.
"Telling me so much... Don't tell me you're planning to kill me now to keep secrets buried?"
Terumi Mei startled and stepped back a few steps—whether genuinely frightened or merely pretending, it was hard to tell.
Her reaction amused Hiroki, who chuckled and said, "Exactly. You know way too many secrets now, so there's only one path left for you: cooperate with me."
"..." Terumi Mei hesitated, momentarily at a loss for words.
"You don't really need to do anything special yourself. Just follow the footsteps of those allied villages, just like what you're currently doing."
Terumi Mei looked confused.
So… what's different now from how things were before?
Why did he even come here anyway?
Just to chat with her?
Terumi Mei couldn't help but study him carefully, her expression turning slightly odd. "Why not use your previous method of talking this time?"
"I simply felt it somewhat disrespectful to use that approach." Hiroki replied calmly.
A faint self-satisfied look surfaced on her face as she folded her arms, teasingly retorting, "Oh please, you just missed your big sister's charm—how exhausting."
Hiroki cast her a calm sidelong glance. "Are you reaching that certain age?"
"What age?"
"The age," Hiroki said slowly, "where you've been single for so long, and haven't found a decent guy, so when any man talks to you nicely and treats you politely—you start imagining things and building entire scenarios in your head."
"You..." His words hit a nerve directly within Terumi Mei. Her face flushed red as she pointed her finger at him, seemingly ready to erupt, yet unable to utter a single word.
Kaguya, observing quietly nearby, couldn't help but slightly curl her lips into a faint smile.
After an awkward moment, the previously arrogant Terumi Mei finally regained her composure and solemnly asked, "What can I gain by cooperating with you?"
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