Leaf Year 50, February 27th.Early Morning, 3:12 AM.
Lying flat atop Konoha's Hokage Monument, Hyuga Yu began his first in-depth research into Sage Mode.
Although his journey to Mount Myōboku had caused him to stray into the realm of "Insight," resulting in the loss of his Hashirama cells and leaving his body severely damaged...
On the other hand, it had allowed Hyuga Yu to gain far more. He had been able to perfectly complete his sensory training for natural energy, discovering a form of Sage Mode far more powerful than those of Mount Myōboku or Ryūchi Cave.
Unlike ordinary Sage Modes, which focused on enhancing one's own jutsu or strengthening control over the environment, the core of this Sage Mode was not about extracting or utilizing the ultimate blend of "Sage Jutsu chakra" for combat.
In fact, so-called Sage Jutsu chakra was merely an insignificant byproduct under this form of Sage Mode.
Its core lay in one thing: conversion.
To put it more bluntly, it lay in the various extraordinary powers granted to the body during the process of absorbing and converting natural energy.
These included, but were not limited to: [Healing], [Infinite Chakra], [Vitality Amplification], and [Ninjutsu Amplification]...
So, how specifically should it be done?
At this moment, Hyuga Yu already had a direction in mind. Completely different from ordinary Sage Mode, which relied on absorbing and fusing Sage Jutsu chakra, the key to this Sage Mode was not forcefully plundering natural energy for oneself, but rather... integrating oneself more closely with nature.
It was like perfectly fusing oneself with the nature of the environment one stood in, becoming a proxy for nature and the will of this realm's natural energy.
In this state, any attack from Hyuga Yu's enemies was equivalent to attacking all the natural energy fused with him within the attack range—they would be fighting against the "entire world" he perceived.
The stronger the force of this confrontation, the larger and more terrifying the tide of natural energy manifesting and striking back with him as the center would be.
To be even more precise, natural energy was like a great river. Hyuga Yu needed to use his own body as an anchor to carve out a tributary along this great river, designing and constructing a channel for the tributary of the river to pass through his body, and connecting the head and tail of this channel back to the main river itself. The training in this process was to continuously widen this tributary, causing the channel through which natural energy flowed to grow larger and larger. Ultimately, he would replace the original main route of natural energy flow with himself, transforming the tributary into the main stream, and turning a small ditch into rivers and oceans—his body constantly flowing with a terrifying volume of natural energy at all times!
Every single cell in his body would spontaneously ingest and exhale massive amounts of natural energy at every moment, spontaneously converting it into immense vitality to maintain its own liveliness!
Just like... Hashirama cells.
At this moment, after analyzing this unique Sage Mode, Hyuga Yu suddenly realized how the "Hashirama cell original" possessed such terrifying activity that defied the survival logic of normal cells!
When viewed from this perspective, the research and development direction for Hashirama cells pursued by everyone—including Orochimaru, the Foundation, the future Kabuto Yakushi, and Tsunade—contained a fundamental, grave fallacy. The development direction for Hashirama cells was never meant to be a way to obtain vitality far surpassing ordinary people, but rather a completely different direction: by analyzing the mechanics of the Hashirama cell original within this Sage Jutsu, bionically synthesizing... a second path that could allow a shinobi to step outside the chakra system!
Of course, although this research direction was quite promising, near thirst could not be quenched by far-off water.
At present, Hyuga Yu could only note this down for the time being. He calmed his mind, closed his eyes, and concentrated his attention on his body and the natural energy he could perceive.
Soon, Hyuga Yu entered the "stillness" state once more. In this pitch-black night where one could not see their own hand in front of their face, atop Konoha's Hokage Monument, he fused into one with the surrounding rocks and stones. His entire person seemed like a calibrated astronomical telescope, pointing straight toward the endless dark night, star-filled sky, nature, and quiet village outside his body.
Gradually, he began to make contact with various faint geomagnetic signals, infrasound waves, extremely low-frequency electromagnetic waves, and other natural rhythm signals that had been obscured by his own internal noise and environmental interference. From these various pieces of information that ordinary people could neither hear nor see, a completely different depiction of the world was composed before Hyuga Yu's eyes!
High in the sky, dark clouds tumbled like spilt ink, rolling continuously.
Beneath the heavens, Konoha lay silent, the hearts of the people shifting.
Undercurrents flowed through Konoha, as various arrangements targeting the Hyūga Clan were covertly set up under Hyuga Yu's push.
Time passed quickly, second by second, minute by minute.
The darkness of night faded, and a pale fish-belly white revealed itself along the horizon.
The dense, somber layer of clouds over Konoha silently dispersed under the influence of a special frequency signal emanating from atop the Hokage Monument.
Today was a clear, sunny day.
While Hyuga Yu was continuously exploring and cultivating his Sage Mode, on the other side, within the Hyūga Clan compound, inside Hyuga Hizashi's residence—
Morning, 8:15 AM.
Deep within the quiet room of Hyuga Hizashi's residence, sitting cross-legged on a cushion, Hyuga Hizashi suddenly trembled. A bizarre look of joy appeared on his face, which had its eyes closed.
The muscles on his face twitched strangely, causing his lips to grin wider and higher, nearly tearing up to his earlobes. "Heng-heng-heng-he-he-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha~!"
"The swelling sensation in my eyes... has vanished!"
"This is the true power of Tennin!"
Hyuga Hizashi opened his eyes abruptly and could not wait to grab a small mirror placed off to the side, shining it toward his face.
In the mirror, within Hyuga Hizashi's open eye sockets, a pair of extraordinarily gorgeous purple Byakugan were revealed.
They were still pristine white overall, but extending from the position of the pupils was a peculiar purple "eight-pointed star" pattern. Inside the pattern were concentric rings of eight-pointed stars extending inward toward the depths of the pupils, as if having no end.
Soon, Hyuga Hizashi saw the abnormally writhing muscles on his face once more, along with his bizarre smile that pulled up almost to his ears.
He knitted his brows slightly, but subconsciously comforted himself, "Mm... it should just be the side effects of the final embryonic movement. After all, forcibly transplanting four purple Byakugan into my eye sockets means facial muscle damage is well within a reasonable scope..."
Right at that moment—Knock, knock, knock!
A series of knocks sounded outside the quiet room. Hyuga Hizashi snapped his head up, veins bulging around his eyes. His gaze pierced straight through the wooden door, spotting the elder of the Branch House standing outside—Hyuga Tokushi.
At this moment, Hyuga Tokushi leaned close to the door frame, bowing as he inquired, "Hizashi-sama, the time has come. The heads of various families attending the ceremony have already begun to enter. How much longer will you need on your end?"
"Phew..." Hearing this, Hyuga Hizashi let out a long breath, his brow relaxing slightly as a twisted smile squeezed onto his face once more. "Has it finally arrived..."
"Very well. From this day forth, let the entirety of Konoha know—"
"The Hyūga Clan has only one Tennin!"
Hyuga Hizashi's gaze turned cold. He slowly rose to his feet as a dense wave of powerful purple chakra naturally burst forth from his body's surface. This substance-like purple chakra coiled around his body and suddenly expanded outward!
BOOM!!
With just a single tremor of chakra, the entire residence shook violently!
Outside the door, Hyuga Tokushi immediately felt a terrifying, ominous aura that sent chills down his spine. Subconsciously leaping back into the courtyard, he turned his head the next second only to see eight purple chakra tentacles—sharp as blades—suddenly thrust out through all four walls of the quiet room, looping around and slicing together!
The entire solidly built residence collapsed with a roar under this single slice!
Among the ruins where thick smoke billowed, a figure wrapped in eight tentacle-like strands of purple chakra straightened his spine, emerging with a cold, ruthless expression.
That was none other than Hyuga Hizashi, who had obtained the power of the purple Byakugan!
"Hizashi...-sama!?"
Hyuga Tokushi's face lit up with joy, his spirits lifting as he stared at the scene in disbelief, before looking at the immensely powerful Hyuga Hizashi at the center of the ruins. "Is it really you?"
Hyuga Hizashi gave a faint mm, but his gaze subconsciously shifted toward Hyuga Tokushi's white pupils, which were filled with surprise and delight. Bizarrely, a faint throbbing arose in Hyuga Hizashi's heart, giving him an urge to gouge out Hyuga Tokushi's Byakugan and devour them into his stomach...
Driven by this subtle psychology, his feet moved. Before Hyuga Tokushi could even react, he suddenly launched forward, appearing right in front of Hyuga Tokushi, his palm involuntarily rising—
"Hizashi...-sama, what... what are you doing?"
Hyuga Tokushi looked at Hyuga Hizashi, who had suddenly appeared before him, with a hint of confusion. A flash of terror involuntarily swept through his eyes as his body trembled like a frightened small animal. He subconsciously took a step back, thinking Hyuga Hizashi was unable to control himself and was going to hit someone again just like before.
Hyuga Tokushi's startled cry instantly snapped Hyuga Hizashi back to his senses. The palm reaching toward Hyuga Tokushi's eye sockets paused, shifting to pat Hyuga Tokushi on the shoulder instead. Patt!
Hyuga Hizashi's expression shifted, his face turning into a warm smile as he said, "Tokushi... it's really been tough on you during this period. You've had to manage the affairs of the Branch House while also taking care of my wife and Neji in her belly."
"N-No, it hasn't been tough."
Hyuga Tokushi breathed a sigh of relief, then carefully looked at Hyuga Hizashi. After confirming he was truly normal and not going crazy, he let out a sigh of relief. Following that, his lips twitched slightly as he looked back at the ruins of the residence destroyed by Hyuga Hizashi. Lowering his voice, he asked carefully, "Hizashi-sama... well, it's just that our cash flow is quite tight. Spreading those unfavorable rumors about Tennin previously already cost a fortune. Why... why did you have to destroy your own house?"
Hearing this, Hyuga Hizashi's face instantly froze. Then, upon hearing the word "Tennin" in Hyuga Tokushi's statement, he immediately thought of the "other Tennin" existing within the Hyūga Clan, causing his expression to darken abruptly once more. "Tokushi..."
"I'm here, Hizashi-sama!"
Completely ignoring the first half of Hyuga Tokushi's words, Hyuga Hizashi spoke coldly, "From now on, call me Tennin-sama!"
"The Hyūga Clan has, and will only ever have, one Tennin..."
"And that is me!"
Hyuga Tokushi raised his head, looking at Hyuga Hizashi's pair of purple Byakugan, which flashed with a streak of violent irritation. His heart skipped a beat. "Yes, Hizashi... Tennin-sama!"
Hyuga Hizashi then asked indifferently, "How are things over at the venue?"
"The venue for the Tennin contest has been set up right in the plaza at the center of the Hyūga Clan compound. In your name, I have already sent invitation letters to all the major clans in Konoha, including Clan Leader Hiashi."
"Humph. When does it start?"
"According to clan rules, you need to challenge the six elders in sequence, followed by the Clan Leader. Doing so will earn you the title of 'Hyūga Tennin.' However, because of the existence of that Ten... Hyuga Yu, you still need to defeat him."
"We have already sent him an invitation letter, but... we cannot confirm whether he will come."
Hearing this, Hyuga Hizashi furrowed his brows and let out a cold snort. "Too tedious."
Hyuga Tokushi froze. "Wh... what?"
Hyuga Hizashi let out a cold laugh, sneering loudly, "I have had enough of these red-tape formalities!"
"Go tell Hyuga Hiashi to let all the trash from the Main House come at me together!"
"I want to fight ten of them!"
"As for Hyuga Yu..." Hyuga Hizashi's brows knitted slightly as he recalled the cyan chakra he had seen inside Hyuga Yu's body through his Byakugan when they met a few months ago.
Although in his memory that power was extremely weak—not even a tenth or twentieth of his current power—he instinctively felt a faint palpitation toward that force. It was as if... it were some kind of natural enemy, a power higher in grade than the purple Byakugan chakra currently inside his body.
After a moment's thought, Hyuga Hizashi considered the force Hyuga Yu represented behind him at present, and indifferently set a plan, stating, "Let Hyuga Yu come. The kid did help me once after all, allowing me to smoothly promote the return of the Hyūga Tennin system."
"I'll give him a way out and simply fight him one-on-one!"
"Besides, given that kid's current status in Konoha, it might not be impossible for him to be utilized by me—and by the Hyūga Clan—in the future!"
"Yes, Tennin-sama!"
Hearing this, Hyuga Tokushi immediately nodded in compliance. He then took another glance at Hyuga Hizashi, feeling his heart pounding wildly. Instinctively feeling as though Hyuga Hizashi were some extremely dangerous entity, he immediately took his leave cautiously, "Then, Tennin-sama, I shall go arrange these matters."
"Go."
Hyuga Hizashi gave a faint nod.
Soon, Hyuga Tokushi left in a hurry, leaving only Hyuga Hizashi standing before the ruins of the residence he had destroyed.
Hyuga Hizashi stood in place, pondering for a moment. He originally intended to set off for the venue of the Tennin contest, but through some strange twist of fate, he turned back around. Moving his body, he instantly appeared amidst the ruins of the residence he had destroyed. Bending down slightly, he picked up a purple-covered storage scroll from between the debris.
Stored inside the storage scroll were numerous Byakugan that Hyuga Hizashi had stolen from the ancestral shrine of the Hyūga Main House.
Originally, this was a backup prepared in case the fusion of the purple Byakugan failed. Now that Hyuga Hizashi had completed the fusion of the purple Byakugan, he no longer needed this item and ought to have sent it back to the Main House's ancestral shrine for safe keeping...
However, standing in the middle of the ruins, Hyuga Hizashi stared at the scroll in his hand for a long, long time...
A bizarre glint suddenly flashed across his eyes. He could not help but grin, revealing a strange, drooling smile like a wild beast that had lost its reason upon spotting "food." "Oh well. Keeping it by my side isn't a bad thing either. If someone else uses this item and threatens my position as Hyūga Tennin... that wouldn't be good."
As if comforting himself, Hyuga Hizashi did not notice in the slightest that his control over his own facial expressions was growing increasingly unhinged, nor did he realize that the logic behind his behavior had suffered a severe deviation.
He merely found a barely plausible "excuse" for himself before stuffing the scroll into the scroll holster at his waist.
Then, Hyuga Hizashi turned his head, stepping forward toward the venue of the Tennin contest with a calm face. Yet at that moment, a subtle, barely perceptible frenzy—an urgent, excited, and utterly mad expression—flashed across his pair of purple Byakugan!
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