The next day, Souma spectacularly broke his promise.
It wasn't that he didn't want to start training—his body simply wouldn't allow it. Chakra exhaustion was no joke; mild cases required days of bedrest, while severe cases could be fatal.
After Kurakawa Hyūga summoned Tsunade for another treatment session, Souma spent the following days being tended by maids in his room.
This proved to be a bittersweet experience for Souma.
"Ah, this lifestyle is truly corrupting," Souma mused while enjoying the maids' meticulous care.
Exhausted from recent events, Kurakawa took some well-deserved rest, leaving Souma entirely in the maids' hands.
After three or four more days of convalescence, Souma finally felt his strength returning.
After familiarizing himself with his residence, Souma headed toward Kurakawa's quarters.
The Hyūga household was quite spacious, covering approximately 600 square meters—a privilege befitting a main family member.
Kurakawa Hyūga was sipping tea in his room when he suddenly heard footsteps outside, followed by a knock at the door.
"Come in." He already had a good idea of who the visitor was.
"Grandfather," Souma called from the doorway before entering and kneeling on the cushion opposite Kurakawa.
This was their usual way of interacting—far less formal than when outsiders were present.
"How's your recovery going? Should we call another medical shinobi to examine you?" Setting down his teacup, Kurakawa asked with genuine concern.
"It's alright now, my chakra has fully recovered," Souma answered honestly.
After carefully examining Souma from head to toe under the boy's slightly uncomfortable gaze, Kurakawa finally set aside his worries completely.
After all, it was entirely his fault that his grandson had collapsed. When he had called Tsunade to treat Souma, she had scolded him harshly for it—had he not been her senior, she might have berated him even more.
"Grandfather, please train me."
Just as Kurakawa was still regretting how harshly he had pushed Souma in training before, he heard these words.
"Hmm? Why? You used to hate training, didn't you? I had to force you before. And now... Besides, this time you suffered because of it. Can you tell me why?"
Kurakawa was deeply puzzled. His grandson had once acted as if training was worse than death—why was he suddenly asking for it now? He couldn't understand.
He had assumed that after this incident, Souma would despise training even more. He had even prepared himself—if his grandson only wanted to peacefully inherit the main family's duties, he wouldn't push him too hard anymore.
After all, as a member of the Hyūga main family, Souma could easily live as a privileged heir, enjoying a comfortable life. That was the mindset of most main family members these days.
With branch family members risking their lives for them, why should they exhaust themselves?
At least half of the main family, including the clan head and the eight elders, held this belief.
And this was precisely why, in the anime Souma had watched in his past life, the Hyūga main family had barely produced any true powerhouses.
How could anyone grow strong while coddled in an ivory tower?
But as an elder of the main family, Kurakawa still carried the spirit of a shinobi in his bones—which was why he had trained Souma's predecessor so rigorously.
When faced with his grandfather's question, Souma didn't hesitate. His answer reflected his true thoughts over the past few days.
Having been reborn into this world, with knowledge of the future—if he still chose to drift aimlessly, what difference was there between him and a dead fish?
"Grandfather, I want to take control of my own fate! My suffering wasn't because of training—it was because I was weak. If I had enough chakra and physical strength, how could I have collapsed from such a simple exercise?"
Pausing briefly, Souma then locked eyes with Kurakawa, his gaze unwavering.
"So, Grandfather, please train me like before. No—train me even harder than before. This time, I won't complain."
Hearing the resolve in his grandson's voice and seeing the determination in his eyes, Kurakawa smiled.
Just moments ago, he had been drowning in self-reproach. But now, he realized that Souma's collapse might have been a blessing in disguise.
"Good! That's my grandson!" Kurakawa declared proudly. "Then let's begin training right away."
With that, he stood and headed toward the training courtyard, Souma following closely behind.
Once outside, Kurakawa initially planned to start with stamina training as usual—after all, teaching the Gentle Fist to a five-year-old was still too early.
"Grandfather, I want to learn the Gentle Fist of our Hyūga clan."
Souma voiced his opinion before Kurakawa could respond.
"Hmm? Souma, the Gentle Fist is the core technique of our Hyūga clan—not something a child your age should consider. Without the Byakugan, you wouldn't be able to unleash its full power and might even injure yourself. Right now, your priority should be physical training, not chasing after powerful ninjutsu beyond your reach."
Kurakawa was displeased that his grandson, who had just recovered from fainting, was already thinking about learning the Gentle Fist. He even wondered if Souma was just caught up in a fleeting burst of enthusiasm that would fade in a few days.
"Hehe, Grandfather, let me show you a secret."
Souma had anticipated his grandfather's refusal, but he wasn't acting recklessly. He wouldn't have made this request without confidence.
Puzzled by his grandson's mysterious grin, Kurakawa had no idea what was coming. Of course, he never could have imagined what Souma was about to reveal.
"Byakugan, activate!"
As Souma spoke, veins bulged around his eyes, and his vision expanded. Everything within a one-kilometer radius became crystal clear—360 degrees with no blind spots. Under the Byakugan's gaze, Kurakawa appeared as a network of chakra pathways, his energy flow visible in perfect detail.
Witnessing this, Kurakawa's jaw dropped in shock. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, even activating his own Byakugan to verify what he was seeing. Finally, he had to accept the truth: his five-year-old grandson, Souma Hyūga, had awakened the Byakugan at such a tender age.
"A genius... a true genius! Hahaha! The Hyūga main family hasn't declined after all!"
Kurakawa danced around excitedly before finally calming down. He swelled with pride at the realization that his grandson was a prodigy.
"Grandfather, the title of 'genius' alone can't control one's destiny. A genius who doesn't grow is worthless."
Souma remained composed about awakening the Byakugan so young.
In a way, the Byakugan—a kekkei genkai—was strong in the early stages but weaker later on. Unlike the Uchiha clan's Sharingan, which remained top-tier at every stage, the Byakugan had limitations.
If chakra concentration were measured on a scale from 0 to 100, the Byakugan would awaken at 10, while the Sharingan required 20 for a single tomoe. However, the Byakugan's power plateaued—even at 99, it only matched a three-tomoe Sharingan at 40. It couldn't compare to the Mangekyō at 50 or the Eternal Mangekyō at 75.
Only when both the Byakugan and Sharingan reached 100—evolving into the Tenseigan and Rinnegan—would they stand on equal footing again.
Of course, this chakra concentration analogy was just a metaphor.
In short, the Byakugan offers a direct path to the pinnacle, but this step is insurmountable for 99.999% of people. The Sharingan, on the other hand, allows one to progress step by step, with each advancement representing a qualitative transformation.
This was the only point where Souma felt the Hyūga clan fell short compared to the Uchiha clan.
However, it's said that the Byakugan is the origin of all ocular techniques. Even the legendary Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, initially possessed the Byakugan before it mutated into the Sharingan, eventually evolving directly into the Rinnegan without going through the Mangekyo or Eternal Mangekyo stages.
But this held no reference value for Souma!
The Sage of Six Paths was special, and Souma didn't believe he possessed any such uniqueness.
Currently, Souma's goal was the Tenseigan!
Unfortunately, he had no leads whatsoever. The only known Tenseigan wielder in the original story, Toneri Ōtsutsuki, had awakened it in a way that held no significance for Souma.
"The road ahead is long, and the Tenseigan seems so distant," Souma silently thought.
After hearing Souma's words, Kurakawa felt deeply comforted. His grandson had truly matured overnight after this fainting episode.
"Souma, since you've awakened the Byakugan, I must inform you of certain taboos. Within Konoha village, activating the Byakugan is prohibited except under special circumstances. It's more permissible within our clan grounds, as we've established barriers specifically designed to counter the Byakugan. Many special areas within our territory also have these barriers, whose sole purpose is to block the Byakugan's vision."
Kurakawa then proceeded to explain the various restrictions regarding the Byakugan.
The most crucial rule was that indiscriminate use of the Byakugan to spy on people or objects within the village would result in being summoned by the Konoha Military Police Force. In severe cases, even the ANBU might come knocking.
This made sense—if the Byakugan could be used freely throughout the village, the Hyūga clan would have long been ostracized by the entire community.
Imagine women bathing at home, couples engaging in intimate activities, public bathhouses, or more seriously—the Hokage's office and various clans' confidential matters would all be exposed to the Hyūga clan's gaze.
After listening to his grandfather's teachings, Souma nodded seriously. He had no interest in challenging these restrictions—he wasn't some white-haired, perverted old man who enjoyed reading adult books and peeping in bathhouses!
Now that Souma had awakened the Byakugan, Kurakawa decided to stop holding back and began preparing to teach his grandson the Hyūga clan's core technique—the Gentle Fist.
After all, the Gentle Fist was a taijutsu style developed specifically to complement the Byakugan! And the Byakugan was essential for executing the Gentle Fist properly.
Unlike the Strong Fist style, the Gentle Fist involved channeling one's chakra into an opponent's body to damage their chakra pathway system (tenketsu) and internal organs.
For the Hyuga clan, the Strong Fist style could only serve as reference material, not something to actually learn.
Thus, even though Souma greatly admired the Eight Gates technique from the original story, he had no intention of learning it.
This wasn't a matter of rebellion—the Strong Fist style simply didn't suit the Hyūga clan's development. Did people really think generations of Hyūga ancestors were fools?
After all, this was the conclusion reached through centuries of trial and error.
And so began Souma's formal training in the Gentle Fist!