The catalyst that drove Obito Uchiha into the darkness was witnessing Rin Nohara being run through by Kakashi Hatake's hand.
That severe trauma, coupled with the massive mental shock of awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, meant that during this period, Obito Uchiha had, in every practical sense, gone insane.
Theoretically, as long as one could prevent Rin Nohara from heading to the Eastern Front—thereby stopping Kirigakure from capturing her and sealing the Three-Tails inside her—one could prevent the entire subsequent chain of events at the source.
However, Hyūga Yu didn't hold much hope for this.
Rin Nohara's strange mobilization, Kakashi Hatake's inexplicable transfer from the Iwagakure front to the Eastern Front, and the fact that Minato Namikaze had become incredibly busy just as the Third Shinobi World War was nearing a ceasefire—so busy that he couldn't even arrive on the scene immediately after his disciple had been turned into a Jinchūriki...
Every single one of these details reeked of an unspeakable, eerie coordination.
To involve himself recklessly would likely result in being targeted by the mastermind behind it all: the elderly Madara Uchiha.
Although Hyūga Yu's current strength had reached the threshold of a Kage, there were levels even among Kage. Not to mention, at this time, Madara Uchiha had already touched the power of the Six Paths, stepping into... well, a "half-step Six Paths Great Perfection" realm.
Therefore, Yu could only adopt the mindset of "giving it a shot just in case," intending to try and whisk Rin Nohara away if the opportunity arose while he was passing through.
At the moment, Yu's priority was still to keep his head down and continue his development, growing ever stronger.
Regarding his increase in strength, after several rounds of Yang Release experiments and the accidental creation of Tenseigan chakra, Yu had gradually found a new direction. Now, having returned to the sealed steel room, Yu slowly raised his palms. He narrowed his eyes as the veins around his sockets bulged.
"Byakugan, activate!"
His vision expanded into a transparent, grayish-white world. The chakra within his body surged, flowing through the meridians in his hands and manifesting as a sphere of cyan chakra between his palms.
To the naked eye, the moment this chakra appeared, the surrounding air began to warp. Using the cyan chakra as the epicenter, a very faint gravitational wave was generated.
Before he had successfully created Tenseigan chakra back in Kirigakure, Yu had obtained a form of "Attraction and Repulsion" power. This ability appeared based on the quality of his cyan chakra and allowed for simple manipulation, occurring after he triggered the Caged Bird Seal for the second time.
Initially, Yu thought this was merely an inherent property of the cyan chakra itself. He had been at a loss regarding the further development of this trait, its formation principles, or even how to apply it in actual combat. However, in the Yang Release laboratory, through various controlled experiments and data monitoring—and after the accidental creation of "true Tenseigan chakra" possessing the power of Yang Release—Yu had formed a new hypothesis.
At this moment, he stared intently at the cyan chakra in his palm, dividing it into two masses of unequal volume. He then used the larger mass to attempt to "decompose" the smaller one.
Theoretically, the properties of these two masses of cyan chakra were identical. Even if one was larger than the other, they should not be able to decompose each other since their composition was the same.
Yet, an abnormal scene soon unfolded. When the larger mass of cyan chakra descended upon the smaller mass, the inherent repulsive force caused a bizarre fluctuation within the smaller sphere.
The surrounding air rushed toward the larger mass of cyan chakra in an instant. For a split second, the air seemed to "fold," and even light suffered a microscopic distortion under the influence of the gravitational waves produced by the larger mass.
Then, within the incredibly detailed microscopic vision of the Byakugan, Yu saw the smaller mass of cyan chakra trembling violently. Strands of tiny, atomic-level units—similar to the "Wind Style: Chakra Scalpel"—were being expelled. These "units" formed a force in the surroundings, creating a breeze that Yu could physically feel.
An incredible phenomenon had occurred!
Cyan chakra had successfully decomposed cyan chakra.
It sounded like a tongue-twister, but fundamentally, it made Yu realize a crucial fact—
His cyan chakra was not pure.
Now, Yu held two masses of cyan chakra. The larger mass remained as it was, possessing the faint "Attraction and Repulsion" property. Meanwhile, the smaller mass—after having some "breeze" squeezed out of its interior—had transformed into the "pale cyan" chakra. This was the same chakra that had surged from the Caged Bird Seal and fused with his body the first time he had swapped in Hyūga Genko's Byakugan to deceive the seal.
This pale cyan chakra did not possess the properties of attraction or repulsion; it was simply of a higher quality than standard Byakugan chakra.
Yu decided to temporarily name this fundamental pale cyan chakra:
Caged Bird Chakra.
Once decomposed to this stage, the cyan chakra with attraction/repulsion properties and the Caged Bird Chakra finally became two substances of the same nature, and the decomposition stopped.
Seeing this, Yu's heart skipped a beat, and a solemn expression appeared on his face. "Just as I thought... In that case, my hypothesis might actually be true!"
"The Yang Release experiments proved that cyan chakra is one of the prerequisites for fusing Tenseigan chakra."
"But the reason Tenseigan chakra exhibits Yang Release properties is fundamentally because I injected the basic life-force substances required for Yang Release. However, basic life force can only maintain the 'cellular carrier' of the Tenseigan chakra; it couldn't possibly create that terrifying gravitational storm that destroyed the entire lab in an instant."
"That gravitational storm was clearly based on the properties inherent in my cyan chakra. In other words, the Tenseigan chakra that appeared in the lab didn't just have the Yang Release attribute—it also contained the 'Attraction and Repulsion' attribute from my cyan chakra."
"Or, to put it more bluntly..."
"It is Wind Release."
"Wind Release combined with Yang Release, combined with the fundamental Caged Bird Chakra, further combined with the 'Ōtsutsuki lineage' formed by the fusion of Hyūga and Kaguya bloodlines, and finally energized by the vitality of Hashirama cells... eventually, it formed the complete Tenseigan chakra!"
Yu quickly deduced all the steps required to form complete Tenseigan chakra. There were three requirements:
Caged Bird Chakra: The most basic pale cyan chakra.
Specific Chakra Natures: For example, the Wind Release and Yang Release Yu injected during the experiment.
Ōtsutsuki Bloodline: Specifically, the Hyūga clan (descendants of Hamura's eyes) + the Kaguya clan (descendants of Hamura's body).
After coming full circle, Yu finally understood how the "Attraction and Repulsion" property of his cyan chakra had appeared.
This property was a mutation resulting from his survival when the Main House activated the Caged Bird Seal. However, it wasn't a mutation of the Caged Bird Chakra itself, but rather an "alternative" evolutionary path. Deceiving the Caged Bird for the first time gave Yu the basic Caged Bird Chakra.
Resisting the Caged Bird a second time gave Yu the method to utilize that chakra: by fusing it with his own elemental attributes.
Simply put, Yu's current cyan chakra was actually a fusion of his innate "Wind Affinity" with the Caged Bird Chakra. This activated a branch of the Caged Bird Chakra's power—specifically, the "Attraction and Repulsion" abilities unlocked by the fundamental mechanical nature of Wind Release.
Looking at it this way, the Caged Bird Seal really wasn't just a tool for enslavement. It was a "supreme secret manual" left behind by their ancestor—or rather, a direct evolutionary path to the complete Tenseigan!
The ancestor truly wasn't fooling anyone. The strongest taijutsu of the Shippuden era, "Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack," was simply listed as a basic taijutsu every Hyūga should master. And the Tenseigan, the strongest eye on par with the Rinnegan? The upgrade path was literally carved into their foreheads!
It seemed the ancestor was terrified that the clansmen left in the Shinobi World would be bullied by the brutes of Hagoromo's lineage. Short of appearing in person to give hands-on guidance, he had practically stuffed all the good things into their mouths.
At this thought, Yu's expression twisted slightly. But he soon calmed down and continued to study the cyan chakra in his hand. One thing that distinguished humans from animals was their ability to use their brains.
The essence of all current technology was essentially just "throwing stones and boiling water."
If one understood the cyan chakra, the Ōtsutsuki bloodline, and even the Caged Bird Seal on Yu's forehead as a form of "water-boiling technology," then many problems became easy to grasp.
Thus, to understand the nature of the Caged Bird and cyan chakra, Yu had taken a long detour, even manually creating the finished Tenseigan chakra. In this process, had he become stronger?
No.
The Yang Release results and the complete Tenseigan chakra obtained through research were not things Yu could use right now.
However, once he compared the results to the basic problems and derived the underlying principles—Yu had mastered the future!
Having understood that the key to generating attraction and repulsion was injecting "Wind Release" into the Caged Bird Chakra, Yu began reverse-engineering the Wind Release factor within the chakra. He started to truly unlock one of the Tenseigan's signature abilities: [Silver Wheel Rebirth Blast]!
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Land of Hot Water, deep within a vast underground cavern.
Tap, tap, tap...
In the darkness, a light set of footsteps rang out. A strange, pale man, completely unclothed with green hair and eyes, casually phased through layers of walls. He reached a deeper, darker, and more cavernous space. Under the flickering light of high-hanging torches, a colossal object cast an enormous, haunting shadow. At the center of this shadow stood a white stone chair, much like a throne.
Upon it sat an aged, withered figure.
The old man on the stone chair had long, grayish-white hair. His face was ancient and lined with deep wrinkles. He wore a dark blue robe, and his hands were resting on a scythe that looked like it belonged to the God of Death.
If Hyūga Yu were here, he would undoubtedly recognize this man as the Asura of the Shinobi World—Madara Uchiha!
Hearing the footsteps, Madara slowly opened his eyelids, revealing a pair of crimson, cold Sharingan with three black tomoe swirling within as he looked toward the approaching White Zetsu.
"Ara~ Madara-sama, you seem to be in good spirits."
White Zetsu smiled playfully as he greeted Madara. Madara had no interest in wasting words with him; he simply spared him a glance and asked indifferently, "Is everything... prepared?"
"Are you referring to the 'grand play' that's about to begin? Hehe—it certainly took quite a bit of effort," White Zetsu chuckled, complaining slightly. "Luring away that soon-to-be Hokage, Minato Namikaze, forging the Leaf's mobilization orders, and then getting that brat's two teammates into the Land of Water... it was quite a hassle."
"However, everything is done—"
"Next, please look forward to it!"
"Hmph." Madara nodded expressionlessly and turned his head, preparing to close his eyes and resume his slumber.
His lifespan had reached its limit. He was currently only surviving by forcibly extending his life through the Gedo Mazo. His energy was limited; dealing with the collapse of Kirigakure and training that Uchiha brat over the last few days had already exhausted him. Naturally, he had no interest in chatting with a hollow creation made from "Hashirama cells."
However, at that moment—
White Zetsu suddenly spoke: "But Madara-sama, there is one very strange thing?"
Madara's brow furrowed slightly as he spoke coldly: "Speak."
"That Hyūga brat who almost ruined your plans... 'Tennin' [Celestial Ninja] Hyūga Yu, seems to be making moves again."
Hearing that name and title, Madara's brow arched slightly. His eyes seemed to flicker with memories of the past.
"Oh... 'Tennin'? What a nostalgic title..."
He soon let out a cold laugh. "Unfortunately, the last 'Tennin' died long before the founding of Konoha."
"Those currently lingering in the Leaf are nothing more than a bunch of decaying, foul-smelling, stubborn pests. Does a group of insects even deserve to be called 'Tennin'?"
However, Madara soon thought of Kirigakure, which he had just taken over—a complete mess.
The Third Mizukage, Byakuran, had died fighting two Tailed Beasts to seal the Six-Tails. The village he had worked to control had fallen back into the hands of Genji. To reclaim the Three-Tails, manipulate Kirigakure again, and leave a source of power for the Uchiha brat, Madara had been forced to make another trip to the Mist.
And the culprit behind all of this was the brat who orchestrated the Kirigakure Collapse Plan: Hyūga Yu.
"Hmph!"
At the thought, Madara snorted coldly, his lips curling into an interested, icy smile. "Though, compared to the other Hyūga... this brat from the Branch House... is at least marginally qualified to vie for that title."
Madara turned his head toward White Zetsu and asked sharply, "What happened?"
White Zetsu immediately replied, "Information just came in from Konoha's Root—that brat has gathered his troops and plans to set out tomorrow for the Land of Rain."
"It seems he is about to meet Nagato... and for some reason, he will pass through the Land of Hot Water. Based on the timing, he will likely run into the girl that the Uchiha brat cares about."
Upon hearing this, Madara frowned. Right now, his most important task was to cultivate a successor who could take his place and execute the Eye of the Moon Plan: Obito Uchiha.
To make that boy truly see the reality of this world, nothing could be allowed to go wrong with Rin Nohara. As for Hyūga Yu...
First, he participated in the Kirigakure coup, causing the village Madara secretly controlled to collapse. Now, he just happened to be involving himself in Obito Uchiha's affairs. Did this brat... somehow know something?
Recalling the various bizarre abilities of the successive "Tennin" from the Warring States period, even Madara was momentarily unsure.
After a moment of reflection, Madara looked coldly at White Zetsu and commanded: "Yesterday in the Mist, I remember there were two brats who were looting amidst the chaos... their abilities were somewhat interesting."
"White Zetsu, send them to give the Hyūga brat something to do."
Hearing this, White Zetsu's expression brightened as he smiled darkly. "Are you talking about..."
"The Leaf rogue ninja who possesses four Kekkei Genkai, Hiruko?"
"And the orphan of the Chinoike clan, En Oyashiro?"
Madara neither confirmed nor denied it. He simply closed his eyes coldly. Behind him, the massive and hideous Gedo Mazo, bound tightly by chains, cast a deep shadow. In the cavern, only a sharp, indifferent voice echoed:
"Go!"
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