Hyūga Compound – Inner Walls, Late Night
While Seijuro was busy with his research, the Hyūga elders were busy with their own shit. They needed to find a way for the Caged Bird Seal to survive—to thrive, even—but whatever they had now wouldn't work, no matter how much they wished to shove it down everybody's throat.
More and more Hyūga were being targeted, and currently, even some Hyūga who were in the ANBU were called back since they were now more of a liability than anything.
Luckily, Konoha was able to get back the info on the Yamanaka and Nara clans—several S-rank missions were conducted to retrieve that shit.
Seijuro didn't get much sleep over the past few weeks, like at all—but oh well, at least now those two clans had nothing to worry about.
The Hyūga now remained the only clan affected by this. They wanted to retain that seal, to have that control over their side branch members.
Anyway, so yeah, that's why no Hyūga had left Konoha in the past six months.
Kumo had acquired some Byakugan. Dodai, the Raikage's right-hand man, had a Byakugan in his left eye now. Surprisingly, Iwa didn't jump on this chance for a free pair of Byakugan—as if whoever was pulling the strings didn't allow them to take those eyes.
And currently, Iwa didn't have the resources for that shit.
POV Change: Hikaru Hyūga – Clan Training Grounds
Hikaru had just finished his training for the day. His progress in the Gentle Fist was amazing—he could now reach up to 128 Palms, when before his max was like 64. He felt like he could reach 256 Palms, maybe even go as high as 512 strikes.
He could even do the Spinning Wheel Jutsu, and was now quite proficient in it. His strength seemed to have improved massively—reaching elite Jōnin level.
"Byakugan." As the veins around his eyes bulged out, they seemed a bit lighter. Usually, there would be like 24 veins—right now, there were only 12. And that wasn't the biggest change.
While usually, his eyes were pupil-less, his Byakugan now seemed to be a bit blue. It was like a light cyan color—sure, still pale, but now it gave off some sort of otherworldly glow.
And now, with his Byakugan activated, he could see... up to two kilometers in all directions. His eyes seemed different now—like, sure, they were still Byakugan, but something about them had changed.
Hikaru would ponder on it. His Byakugan had been practically destroyed—for a second there, he actually went blind. Yes, as Seijuro healed him, his vision gradually came back. He doesn't remember well, but Seijuro had poured a liquid into his eyes, and after that liquid had taken effect, his eyes began to change.
He would ponder a bit. Should he ask Seijuro for more? If he received more of it... would his Byakugan evolve?
POV Change: Hyūga Clan Council – Emergency Meeting
"You cannot be serious."
"We've lost 127 branch members in two months."
"They were all killed after their seals were triggered! Our own weapon has become the enemy's trigger switch!"
"We're aware. But removing the control function invites rebellion. You saw how they looked at us during the memorial—like they were... equal."
The head elder said that last part with genuine disgust—like the mere thought of those people seeing shit like this was utterly disgusting to them.
Probably how those slave owners felt back then, when the president abolished slavery.
Hiashi said nothing.
He looked at the scroll Seijuro left—at the carefully detailed alternative. A seal that protected, not controlled. That blocked sensory tracking, preserved the eyes, and removed remote detonation.
And... still preserved the Byakugan after death, auto-incinerating it if removed. All without giving the main branch the ability to "discipline" anyone.
It had merit.
It also took the leash away from the elders.
Hiashi closed the scroll and set it down.
"We are being hunted," he said simply. "And the only ones who can fight... are the very ones we keep in chains."
"But they are ours—"
"They were," Hiashi cut in coldly. "But if this keeps going, we won't have anyone left to own."
Silence.
POV Change: Hikaru – Back in His Quarters
Hikaru sat alone, candlelight flickering.
He wasn't sure what Seijuro had done—but he could feel something inside him shifting. Awakening.
Something old. Something deep.
A new kind of clarity.
He could see the stars more clearly now—like the heavens themselves had opened. His chakra control was sharper. His Gentle Fist strikes more precise.
He was becoming something else. And he knew others were starting to feel it too.
He looked out the window toward the main compound.
He could use this power... he could use it to push the main house back.
Going from regular Jōnin to elite Jōnin level in a few days without the need to train felt like a power rush. He needed more. No—he needed to give his eyes some time to adapt.
And once that was done...
He would pounce.