Chapter 7: Beyond the Seal
Understanding the problem was half the battle. For Reitō, the path forward was agonizingly clear: he had to forcibly open the six critical chakra release points and clear the connecting meridians for the Body Replacement Technique.
The days that followed were a symphony of pain and focus. Using his internal vision and his burgeoning will to dominate his own biology, he guided his meager chakra like a scalpel, not around the blockages, but through them. It was a process of agonizingly slow erosion and violent, minute breakthroughs. Finally, after enduring waves of nauseating discomfort and sharp, localized pain, he felt the last of the six points clear with a sensation like a taut wire snapping.
He took a deep breath, formed the familiar ram-serpent-boar sequence with his hands, and focused.
Bam!
In a puff of displaced air, he vanished from his spot and reappeared a precise ten meters away. Success.
The speed of his progress left Hizashi, who had returned to check on him, momentarily speechless. In his experience, the hardest part of ninjutsu for any beginner was the delicate, intuitive control of internal chakra flow. Yet this boy, with no prior foundation, had seemingly mastered that core skill in a mere three days. Hizashi stared, his mind reeling. Is this truly the clan's 'tail feather'?
What Hizashi couldn't know was that for Reitō, the "hardest" part—precise internal chakra manipulation—was, thanks to his inner sight, the easiest. It was the physical reconstruction of his own pathways that had been the true trial.
After a long moment, Hizashi broke into a wide, genuine smile. "Outstanding, Reitō! With this, you are guaranteed a place in the Ninja Academy!"
"Thank you, Hizashi-san," Reitō replied, bowing slightly. "I could not have done it without your guidance."
In the days that followed, Reitō drilled the Body Replacement Technique relentlessly, moving from simple success to ingrained muscle memory. During this deep immersion, a revolutionary realization struck him.
The hand seals were just a guide—a physical mnemonic to direct the chakra along a specific, pre-programmed pathway. A set of instructions for the body.
If the hand seals are just a control mechanism for a fixed chakra sequence… then with the absolute control granted by my inner vision, could I not bypass them entirely?
The thought was heresy, but it burned with logic. He didn't form any seals. Instead, standing perfectly still, he turned his focus inward. With the clarity of a master architect reviewing blueprints, he willed his chakra to flow. He directed it down the now-cleared meridians, not in response to a seal's command, but by his own direct mental order, filling the four release points in his feet exactly as the technique demanded.
Bam!
He vanished and reappeared again. Flawlessly. Silently. Without a single gesture.
For a full minute, Reitō stood frozen, then a disbelieving laugh escaped him. He was right. He had performed a C-rank ninjutsu completely seal-less.
To his knowledge, only certain bloodline limits allowed for such a thing, or the most elite jōnin who could reduce complex sequences to a single-handed gesture. What he had just done was on another level entirely. It was pure, willful manifestation.
In that moment, the staggering potential of his inner vision truly unfolded before him. "When my chakra reserves grow," he whispered to the empty training ground, "not just C-ranks. Any technique. Instant, seal-less release. This… this will be my ultimate hidden card."
A fierce joy surged through him. This ability might be something beyond the Byakugan—his unique key to survival and power in this world.
After a full week of grueling practice, he could execute the Body Replacement with instinctual ease. "My current chakra level allows for six consecutive uses at full effort," he calculated, a flicker of regret passing through him. "With more time to build my reserves, I could do more. But time is up. The assessment is tomorrow."
Just then, he noticed something odd. The minor cuts and abrasions from his relentless training—a shallow scrape on his arm from a misjudged landing earlier that day—were already fading, the skin nearly smooth. The natural healing rate seemed… accelerated.
Curious, he made a deliberate, small cut on his forearm. Focusing his internal vision on the site, he willed a gentle flow of chakra to wash over the wound, not to attack, but to nurture. He watched, fascinated, as the blood clotted with unnatural speed, the edges of the cut drawing together, new skin cells proliferating under his directed gaze. Within minutes, only a faint pink line remained.
He understood. His inner vision didn't just grant control; it allowed him to optimize his body's natural processes, to accelerate cellular regeneration by directing energy and attention with surgical precision. It was a rudimentary, self-directed form of medical ninjutsu, not unlike the principles Lady Tsunade would later master.
The implications were profound. Not just a weapon, but a tool for endurance and survival.
The Next Day – Konoha Ninja Academy
The academy courtyard was a riot of noise and color, packed with anxious children and proud, chattering parents. The air buzzed with anticipation and nervous energy.
Reitō moved through the crowd, a study of calm focus amidst the chaos. He wore simple, clean clothes, his forehead protector worn bandanna-style to cover the Caged Bird seal—a common, unremarked-upon practice among branch family children in public.
Just ahead, he saw a familiar, rotund shape and a lazy-haired companion being chivvied along by an exasperated adult. "The assessment is starting! Akimichi! Nara! Hurry up, or you'll be left with the last slots!"
The world of shinobi, with all its future legends and tragedies, was opening its gates. And Hyūga Reitō, the boy with the flawed eyes that saw too deeply within, was ready to step through.