Deep within the Forest of Death, the flames had long since died out.
The air was thick with the scent of charred wood and the residual odor of burned Chakra. The ground was pitted and uneven, bearing the scars of the recent fierce battle.
Fugaku Uchiha knelt on one knee, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth as the light of his three-tomoe Sharingan gradually faded.
He looked up ahead and saw the Byakugan youth still standing amidst the lingering smoke, his figure tall and slender, a faint smile on his face.
Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga stood to the side, their postures steady.
After the intense battle, they had joined forces with Fugaku and finally managed to drive back this mysterious Byakugan youth.
Yet even so, none of the three dared let their guard down.
The air was eerily still.
As the wind swept through, it lifted a few charred leaves, sending them drifting slowly between the four figures.
The Byakugan youth lowered his head, brushed the dust from his shoulder, his expression still gentle.
"Impressive, the Uchiha and the Hyuga..."
Fugaku's voice was grave. "Who are you, really?"
The youth raised his gaze, his pinkish Byakugan shimmering faintly, giving the sensation of an invisible mental force peering directly into one's soul.
"I've already said, I am a Hyuga."
His tone was calm, almost tender.
"Hiashi, wouldn't you agree?"
Fugaku's gaze was as cold as frost.
Hiashi looked at the youth with a complicated expression, "..."
The moment their eyes met, the air seemed to freeze.
After a moment, Hiashi gave a slight nod.
It was an acknowledgment of the Byakugan youth's identity.
Shortly after, the youth raised his hand, and a black Sealing Scroll materialized out of thin air.
With a gentle toss, the scroll landed steadily before Hiashi.
"It contains a means of contact."
His words were light, yet carried an intangible pressure.
As if he were not making a request, but delivering a command.
Hiashi hesitated briefly before reaching out to take the scroll, his expression growing unprecedentedly solemn.
"Understood."
He bowed slightly, his tone carrying a hint of reverence.
In his heart, this youth likely hailed from the legendary Moon Hyuga lineage.
Seeing this, the Byakugan youth smiled faintly and said nothing more.
As he turned, he vanished silently into the air.
"What a monster."
Fugaku retracted his Sharingan, his voice low. "Aren't you going to explain? Since when does your Hyuga clan have someone like this?"
Hiashi's expression remained unreadable.
He merely shook his head slowly, his voice detached yet firm.
"This matter does not concern the Uchiha."
Fugaku frowned, displeased.
"Suit yourself."
Fugaku snorted coldly.
He turned and picked up the Ninja Beast Egg that had been knocked to the ground during the battle, initiating resonance the moment he touched it.
Beside him, Hiashi and Hizashi did the same.
They immediately began resonance!
Of the nine Ninja Beast Eggs, Minato Namikaze and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio had snatched six in one go. The Hyuga and Uchiha together had only managed three—a humiliating outcome.
As for the remaining three, Fugaku intended to treat Yashiro and Yakurami first before attempting to seize them.
On the way back, the night grew darker, and the mist began to envelop the forest once more.
Hizashi glanced back in the direction they had come from, hesitating for a moment before he couldn't help but ask:
"Brother, that person... who is he?"
Hiashi did not answer immediately.
He tightly gripped the scroll in his hand, the sealing runes shimmering faintly under the moonlight.
"You don't need to concern yourself with this matter."
Hiashi's expression was stern.
Hizashi fell silent, aware that as a member of the branch family now, he had no say in this matter.
A breeze swept through the forest, stirring up a few dried leaves.
The two brothers walked side by side under the moonlight, and Hiashi let out a soft sigh before tucking the scroll into his robe.
"...Once the first round of exams is over, I will immediately convene the clan elders."
Deep within the different dimension, the World Tree.
A colossal tree transcending the concept of time and space, its roots buried deep in the crevices of dimensions, its branches piercing the boundaries between soul and matter.
Its trunk emitted a gentle yet boundless radiance, light flowing like a winding galaxy, illuminating the space around it.
At this moment, Shiroishi slowly opened his eyes, the energy conduits around his body detaching one by one, the emitted light gradually fading.
He stepped out from the main trunk of the World Tree, his footsteps echoing in this different dimension,
as if each step tread upon the veins of time.
[Synchronization complete. Data loading.]
As his consciousness returned, the apex of the entire World Tree!
That dreamlike sea of energy!
Began to ripple.
Spheres of light emerged from among the leaves, hovering in mid-air.
Nine beams of light, each distinct, yet resonating with one another.
His pupils gradually shifted to silver-white, intricate patterns appearing at their centers.
[Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, Mikoto Uchiha, Fugaku Uchiha, Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, Choza Akimichi, Hiashi Hyuga, Hizashi Hyuga... Chakra import complete!]
With each name spoken, a sphere of light trembled slightly, emitting unique Chakra resonance waves.
He extended his hand, the Chakra in his palm resonating with the main trunk of the World Tree.
Instantly, the roots of the entire tree began to glow,
light veins spreading like blood vessels, reaching every branch and leaf.
Following this was the reflux of nine streams of energy.
The Chakra from those spheres of light was slowly absorbed, merging into the tree's body.
The World Tree trembled faintly, as if recording these nine individuals.
[Minato Namikaze, exceptionally strong spatial perception.]
[Kushina Uzumaki, extremely vibrant life waves, stable bloodline self-recovery properties.]
[Mikoto Uchiha...]
[...]
The data of the nine individuals was meticulously loaded within.
Engraved into the light patterns of the World Tree.
Shiroishi's eyes shone with intense ocular power.
His spiritual energy was now fully integrated with the tree's body,
manipulating the energy veins through ocular power, rearranging and combining the cell samples and Chakra waveforms of the nine individuals.
In reality, the information records within the World Tree.
[Cell recording... complete.]
[Carrier circuit synchronization rate: 97.8%.]
"These nine are the new original samples."
"Their growth, emotions, battles, and wills will all become fuel for the World Tree's evolution."
He reached out and gently touched the core.
A silver halo spread out, illuminating the entire space.
Having completed all this, Shiroishi stepped out of the World Tree.
The second round of the Hidden Leaf Village's exam should be waiting for the hatching of the twelve individuals.
During this time, his main focus would be to quickly complete the evolution of Ivysaur with Nagato.
But just then, Konan approached: "Shiroishi, Yahiko seems to want to see you."
Seeing Shiroishi's strange expression, Konan explained, "It seems he's made some discovery during his training, so he wants to ask you how to resolve it."
After resolving their differences with Yahiko, Yahiko had come to accept Shiroishi's approach.
Since he focused purely on combat, he only needed to consider everything related to battle.
That was Yahiko's way of thinking.
Simple and straightforward.
So during this training session with Charizard, Yahiko noticed that Charizard seemed to have even more potential power waiting to be unlocked within its body.
That's why he sought out Shiroishi to consult about this issue.
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