As everyone knows, the Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan has a natural range of up to one kilometer. This range is what they can achieve just by activating the Byakugan. However, with proper development, the range can be extended further. Even so, the farthest range ever recorded in the Hyuga Clan is just a few kilometers—at most, a dozen.
This information was compiled and verified by various forces during the Third Ninja World War.
If someone like Hyuga Hiashi had claimed he could see beyond this range, Kurenai Yuhi wouldn't have been surprised. As the clan head, it's expected for him to surpass conventional limits. But Hinata? She's only a few years old. She graduated from the academy just over a month ago. And now, her Byakugan can see within a twenty-kilometer radius? That's monstrous.
She's clearly broken the Hyuga Clan's upper limit!
Izanami quietly observed the astonished expressions around him, smiling inwardly. Not only were they shocked, even Hyuga Hiashi himself had been stunned by Hinata's rapid growth.
Izanami, who bears the Otsutsuki Bloodline (Red), and Hinata, known as the Princess of the Byakugan, were truly a match made in heaven.
When Izanami revealed Hinata's entry into the team, it was tantamount to transplanting her eyes. With the boost of the Sage Art: Eye (Red) Acceleration Cheat, Izanami had already completed the first fetal transformation.
Although Hinata's bloodline hadn't reached the red level, she only needed to absorb Izanami's chakra to awaken her latent potential and push her upper limits even higher.
Beginning from Konoha Year 58, both Hinata and her sister Hanabi began to defy their predetermined fates.
That year, Izanami awakened a unique ability inherited from Naruto Uzumaki—extraordinary physical recovery.
Every day after training, regardless of whether they were injured, Izanami would let Hinata and Hanabi bite him to absorb his chakra. The chakra they absorbed not only healed injuries but also activated their dormant potential.
Because Hinata possessed the purest form of the Byakugan, the changes in her were the most pronounced. Despite just graduating, her Byakugan's range had already exceeded Hyuga Hiashi's.
At this rate, by the time of Shippuden, Hinata's Bloodline Limit: Byakugan could very well upgrade from purple to gold.
"What's wrong?" Hinata tilted her head, looking cute and innocent. She had no idea why Kurenai Yuhi and Shino Aburame appeared so shocked.
Suppressing her emotions, Kurenai instructed in a serious tone, "Hinata, don't reveal the full range of your vision in the future. If people find out, you'll become a target."
A Byakugan without the Caged Bird Curse Mark, from the main family, capable of seeing up to twenty kilometers—that kind of power would attract attention from the Black Market and the assassination lists of the Great Ninja Villages.
"Yes." Although unsure of the deeper meaning behind Kurenai's words, Hinata nodded solemnly.
"This range is extremely reassuring. I'll leave the rest of the surveillance to you," Kurenai said, smiling warmly as she patted Hinata's head.
Shino Aburame silently withdrew the insects he had sent out. Compared to Hinata's vision, his insects' sensory abilities paled in comparison.
From then on, Hinata activated her Byakugan at intervals, surveying the area within a 20-kilometer radius as they moved forward.
Two days passed.
During those days, Team 8 eliminated two groups of bandits and scared another into retreat.
Due to the treacherous mountain paths, the route offered little flexibility. Bandits and rogue ninja, familiar with the terrain, often ambushed travelers at narrow passes. The team had two options: take a dangerous detour—or fight.
Bandits rarely attacked caravans escorted by ninja. However, some fools, driven by greed or ignorance, decided to take a gamble.
Those two groups of eliminated bandits were precisely that kind of fool.
Team 8 executed them without hesitation.
Although it was their first time killing, the discomfort didn't last long. Their training included techniques to dispel Genjutsu and simulated bloody scenes. Though some students might not handle real blood well, Izanami and his teammates were top students. They had already overcome that psychological barrier.
On the third day, after walking several more miles, Hinata activated her Byakugan as usual to scan the 20-kilometer perimeter.
Suddenly, her expression changed drastically.
"Everyone, stop—now!" she called out, alarmed.
Hearing her command, the convoy, which was slowly navigating the mountain trail by foot and horseback, came to a halt immediately.
Kurenai's expression turned serious. "Hinata, did you see something?"
"Yes," Hinata nodded quickly, panic surfacing in her voice. "Seventeen kilometers ahead, there are two unidentified individuals. Their chakra is incredibly strong… much stronger than Red Sensei's. Way stronger."
Her words were not meant to belittle Kurenai, but to communicate the severity of the threat through comparison.
Kurenai wasn't offended. Instead, she pressed further, "Can you describe them?"
"They're wearing long windbreakers and bamboo hats. One resembles Sasori. The other is flying low on a giant bird, like he's scouting for something," Hinata reported.
Kurenai's expression changed immediately. She turned to Mr. Nishimura, the caravan leader.
"Turn around right now. Change the route. There are S-rank missing-nin ahead."
"Quick! Turn around!" Mr. Nishimura shouted in panic. Clearly, he knew exactly how dangerous S-rank criminals were.
"So they're S-rank missing-nin…" Hinata murmured, understanding the gravity of the situation.
Izanami remained silent, but a strange white pattern flickered within his blue pupils. His gaze penetrated the terrain, revealing the two figures Hinata had mentioned.
One was tall, the other short—one in the air, the other grounded.
These were the notorious Akatsuki members: Sasori of the Red Sand and Deidara.
But why were they here?
What were they searching for?
As Izanami studied Deidara flying overhead on his clay bird, a realization struck him. If he wanted to master puppet control using the Reincarnation Eye, he needed to learn how to craft puppets.
Crafting required materials. Materials required money.
But… weren't there ready-made puppets right here?
After rerouting, the team walked a few more minutes before Izanami asked to step away, claiming he needed the restroom.
The version that returned wasn't the real Izanami—it was a shadow clone filled with a massive amount of chakra.
The real Izanami raced silently toward the location of Sasori and Deidara.
Hinata noticed something was off. Her Byakugan caught the subtle chakra flicker around the clone.
The shadow clone, meeting her gaze, gave a slight shake of the head.
Hinata understood and said nothing, returning to normal as if nothing had happened.
She wasn't worried. Through her Byakugan, she could see Izanami's movements. His chakra signature flickered rapidly, phasing through terrain.
After witnessing Attraction and Amenotejikara, Hinata knew that Deidara's clay bird couldn't withstand such power.
If Izanami wanted to flee, no one could stop him.
To be continued…
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