Sometimes, Hyuga Yu didn't quite understand why people thought he was joking whenever he spoke his mind.
Take right now, for instance—
Yu said he would wipe out all who refused to submit in a month's time.
Yet Yahiko just took it as a joke.
Yahiko was absolutely convinced that as the mastermind behind the collapse of the Hidden Mist and Konoha's "Heavenly Ninja," Hyuga Yu must have already laid out a detailed plan before acting, and was simply unwilling to disclose the Leaf's specific strategy for the Land of Rain.
In truth, however, Yu hadn't done anything of the sort regarding this matter.
Just as he said, he was quietly focusing on mastering a single jutsu: Tenseigan Chakra Mode: Form Three.
Of course, despite the name, Yu possessed neither the Tenseigan nor true Tenseigan chakra. This mode was merely the ultimate form of power he could currently reach, achieved through the deep intertwining of Yin, Yang, and Wind natures with the Caged Bird seal's chakra.
To put it another way, it was a state that infinitely approached the complete Tenseigan Chakra Mode, sustained by his Yang and Wind natures, both of which were on the verge of completing their shape and nature transformation training.
By utilizing the excessive shape transformation of Yang Release to drive its foundational nature transformation, he was forcibly stimulating the latent Otsutsuki bloodline within the Hyūga clan to undergo a mutation.
Put simply, Hyuga Yu was attempting to trigger atavism.
Obtaining the Tenseigan required two conditions:
First, a pure Byakugan.
Second, the Otsutsuki bloodline.
However, after deep exploration into the mechanics of Tenseigan chakra, Yu discovered that these two conditions were merely triggers, not the essence. The deeper reason for the Tenseigan's manifestation lay in the Kekkei Genkai itself.
The Tenseigan was the ultimate evolved state of the Byakugan's Kekkei Genkai, and what facilitated this evolution was the unique Otsutsuki clan Kekkei Genkai inherited through their lineage—the Otsutsuki bloodline.
In layman's terms, the Byakugan was the foundation, the core component of the engine.
The Otsutsuki bloodline was the vessel that drove the Byakugan to further sublime, acting as the remaining engine parts built around that core. The "special chakra" born from the combination of the Otsutsuki bloodline and the Byakugan was the diesel injected into the engine.
When the three combined, they propelled the basic Byakugan to manifest in various forms.
For instance, the Sharingan, Jougan, Rinnegan, Black Eye, and the red, blue, and gold Rinnegan, as well as the unique variations of the Byakugan seen in various Otsutsuki members—such as Kinshiki's phasing, Kaguya's coercion and mind-reading, and Momoshiki's precognition.
Of course, the Hyūga clan also possessed the Otsutsuki bloodline, and this power manifested in them as well, though only as the most basic physical enhancement.
Therefore, theoretically speaking, the Byakugan was not the Hyūga clan's true Kekkei Genkai; it was merely a specialized organ passed down through lineage.
The true Kekkei Genkai of the Hyūga clan was the unique ability born from the combination of the Byakugan and their bloodline: the ability to freely expel chakra from any tenketsu in their body. This was a powerful advantage that no other clan or ninja in the shinobi world possessed.
For example, Ao of the Hidden Mist, who had a transplanted Byakugan, could pull off various tricks with the eye just like a Hyūga, but from birth to death, he never displayed this exceptional, micro-level chakra control.
Deducing from this theory with a god's-eye view, Yu quickly realized that the path the Hyūga clan had been walking all along was completely backward.
The Byakugan had remained the same from the very beginning—it was the source where all evolution started. Fiddling around at the source for ages and trying to alter various parameters, such as the clan's revered training regimens focused on making the Byakugan see higher and further, was an exercise in futility from the start.
What the Hyūga clan should have been developing was this extraordinary chakra control—this microscopic mastery that allowed them to precisely expel chakra from any tenketsu across their entire body. By doing so, they could continuously trace back to the power at the source of their lineage, thereby guiding the Byakugan onto a further path of evolution.
From the day he was born into this world, Yu had been trying to forge this exact path.
For the first thirteen years, he achieved nothing.
In the fourteenth year, Yu was on the verge of reaching the absolute pinnacle of the shinobi world.
Finally, on this very day—February 4, Leaf Year 50—the moment arrived.
Stimulated by the Yang Release nature transformation within his body, his frantically proliferating cells seemed to touch a certain critical threshold. Based on his theory, Yu had already assembled the Byakugan as the engine's core. He had mastered the method to generate the "special chakra" born from the fusion of the Otsutsuki bloodline and the Byakugan—the combination of the Caged Bird chakra and his own nature transformations—providing ample fuel for the engine.
Now, through "Eighteenth-Hand Hashirama Cells" and "Yang Release: Organic Reincarnation," he had plundered enough opportunities and nutrients to further sublime the faint Otsutsuki bloodline originally possessed by the Hyūga clan.
Yu's only remaining question was: What kind of power would his Kekkei Genkai obtain?
Within his body, he now possessed the lineage of Otsutsuki Hamura via the purifying Hyūga bloodline and the Byakugan (the source of all evolution), alongside the iterated cells of Hashirama Senju—the reincarnation of Asura, son of the Sage of Six Paths from the lineage of Otsutsuki Hagoromo.
In other words, the Otsutsuki bloodline Yu was about to sublime already contained the powers of both the Senju and the Hyūga.
What kind of changes would this power trigger in his Byakugan?
Would he awaken the Sharingan of the Sage of Six Paths' lineage? Or would he obtain a unique Byakugan dōjutsu like Otsutsuki Kinshiki's?
Yu did not know, but he held considerable anticipation for it.
On February 5, Yu followed Yahiko and the others to the central region of the Land of Rain's eastern border.
It was a seemingly ordinary Rain country town nestled in a valley that was easy to defend but hard to attack.
Here, Yu witnessed the true strength of Akatsuki. Over the next three days, Yahiko continuously wrote letters, sending Konan and Nagato out to deliver them. Soon, Rain ninja from various areas of the eastern border began arriving one after another. Yahiko was gathering the ninja of the Land of Rain who had once received his favors and bowed to him in respect.
With his actions, the Akatsuki organization's manpower and strength began to swell visibly.
By February 8, around six hundred Rain ninja disgruntled with Hanzo's rule over Amegakure had assembled in the town.
Ninja were not regular grunt soldiers like samurai; they were highly paid professionals. Even the lowest-ranking Genin could earn a substantial reward by executing missions. A single D-rank mission paid between 5,000 to 10,000 Ryo. Even when split among a three-man squad, the earnings from the lowest-level mission equated to what an ordinary person made working themselves to the bone for a week to half a month.
(Optimistically and roughly calculated based on a 50% Engel coefficient compared to the price of Ichiraku Ramen, the monthly income of a civilian in the Land of Fire was about 10,800 Ryo.)
During this period, taking Iwagakure—which was fighting three great nations—as an example, the standing ninja forces of the Great Shinobi Villages hovered around 10,000.
Meanwhile, small nations wedged between great powers could only maintain a ninja force about one-fifth the size of a great nation's—around 2,000 men—due to barren lands and lack of funds.
Furthermore, having been heavily devastated during the Second Shinobi World War, the total number of ninja in the Land of Rain at this time was even lower, at only about 1,600.
Excluding the non-establishment factions like the neutrals and conservatives, the forces that Hanzo—representing the Rain's establishment—could mobilize were even fewer. As a massive wave of Rain ninja defected to Yahiko, the number of men Hanzo could deploy hovered only around 600 to 700. Moreover, as Akatsuki gained momentum and its political ideology, superior to Hanzo's, spread, this number dwindled further.
At this moment, Yahiko, truly revealing the power of Akatsuki, had already surpassed Hanzo in terms of sheer numbers, becoming the faction with the largest following in the Land of Rain.
After gathering a large number of Akatsuki members, Yahiko naturally did not urge these people who trusted him to charge blindly toward Amegakure to force a showdown.
First of all, Akatsuki had gathered this large number of Rain ninja based on the philosophy of "bringing peace without relying on force and power." Expecting them to band together and assassinate Hanzo right now was clearly impossible.
Secondly, Hanzo's prestige in the Land of Rain was incredibly high—to the point where everyone loved and feared him in equal measure. Powerhouses were highly revered in this era, especially a "Demi-God of the Shinobi World" like Hanzo, who had once thrashed the ninja of great nations effortlessly. The ninja of the Land of Rain were merely disappointed with his governance, not with him as an individual. In fact, most of the time, they didn't dare voice any objections.
Truly, most Amegakure ninja didn't know what to do either; their support for Akatsuki stemmed more from a hope to find a channel for someone to speak on behalf of the common masses.
Under these circumstances, Yahiko shouldered the hopes of these Rain ninja. After assembling a substantial force and allowing Hanzo inside Amegakure to see a power that rivaled his own, Yahiko wrote a deeply sincere joint letter.
With his name at the very top, followed by the orderly signatures of over six hundred Land of Rain ninja, the letter detailed the pros and cons of the Land of Rain choosing between Iwagakure and Konoha in the current global layout. It also laid out his own governing philosophy, detailing how to transform the Land of Rain in the future, what kind of institutions to establish, how these institutions would operate, and how to address various livelihood grievances...
Finally, at the end of the letter, he earnestly requested Hanzo to participate in a peace talk one week later, stating they were still willing to revere Hanzo as the leader of Amegakure, so both sides could work together to create a brand-new Land of Rain.
On February 9, Hanzo read this letter in Amegakure, its sincerity practically bleeding through the paper.
He fell silent for a long time. Finally, under the honest and heavy gaze of Kitsuchi, he penned a reply.
In the letter, he informed Yahiko that he was willing to participate in the upcoming peace talks.
However, the venue for the talks had to be decided by Hanzo.
On February 10, after exchanging views, both sides set the location for the peace talks at a canyon in the central part of the Land of Rain, not far from Amegakure. The date was set for a week later, on February 17.
At the same time, Hanzo requested that Konoha's Heavenly Ninja be present at the talks, claiming he wished to receive his guidance.
When Yahiko brought this "good news" to Hyuga Yu, Yu was at a makeshift training ground on the outskirts of town, carrying an eight-ton boulder while continuously exercising, brutally punishing his body to temper his physique and master the Eight Gates technique.
Seeing this familiar location, Yu said nothing. He merely patted Yahiko on the shoulder, telling him to do as he saw fit.
On this day, Yu's bodily functions began to gradually adapt and keep pace with the absurd regenerative power brought about by his Yang Release nature transformation.
The rate of cell proliferation surged even further. To prevent himself from being "healed to death" by his own body's overactive regeneration, Yu had to exert even greater effort every day to brutally break down his physique, halting all medical ninjutsu applied to himself.
His daily taijutsu training increased from ten hours to eighteen hours. Aside from eating and sleeping, every single second of Yu's time was dedicated to training.
That same day, something suddenly went wrong with Yu's eyes.
No matter what he looked at, a blurry afterimage about a meter long trailed in his field of vision.
His pupils began to burn and itch.
His pure white eyes felt as though they had been thrown into a blazing furnace. Countless blood vessels connected to his eyes coupled with his pale-green, gemstone-like heart. A massive influx of pale-green chakra flooded his eyes, dyeing Yu's pupils and irises a distinct shade of cyan.
The pathways connecting his brain to his eyes began secreting a deep cyan Yin Release chakra. This deep cyan Yin Release chakra originating from his brain connected directly with the Caged Bird cursed seal on his forehead, giving rise to a wondrous sensation. His entire body—the Twelve Principal Meridians, 309 specialized acupoints, all 361 tenketsu, countless pathways, and even the sliding trajectory of every muscle fiber—was clearly reflected in his sight. Concurrently, Yu's control over his own body reached its absolute peak.
He could freely manipulate chakra to manifest from any part of his body, and once generated, it moved perfectly according to his will. This was normal—Yu could do this in the past. The difference now was that...
Yu's mind felt as though it had split into seven parts. Every single shred of chakra generated within his body was completely and simultaneously under his control. It was as if a switch deep within his lineage had been flipped; like running seven different codes at once, Yu could manipulate chakra to perform seven entirely distinct operations at the same time—dividing his mind sevenfold.
Yu felt completely weightless, as if he had become an omnipotent "god."
However, a severe sense of anxiety quickly gripped him. It felt as though an indescribable gate had appeared within his body, bearing seven grooves—seven keyholes. If he could fill these seven grooves, he could open the gate and step into another miraculous realm.
Yet, Yu only possessed three of those seven "keys": Yin, Yang, and Wind.
No matter how Yu arranged, combined, or slotted these three nature transformations into the "voids," he could not produce the correct answer to push open the gate!
It was clearly right within his reach, yet it felt as distant as another planet!
An indescribable emptiness washed over Yu, accompanied by the stark realization of his body's limits. It was a despair born from knowing that some things were absolutely impossible to achieve...
But Yu quickly suppressed this useless emotion using the resilient willpower he had forged through thirteen years of silent, grueling training, and subconsciously attempted another approach.
He slotted his Yin and Yang nature chakras into the "voids," clapped his hands together, and pulled them apart!
Clack!
A slender, pitch-black rod dropped into his palm.
Yu blinked, staring at the black rod trailing a thin afterimage in his hand. After repeatedly confirming it, he realized that this was undeniably... the Yin-Yang Release black receiver that only Rinnegan possessors could create! The very objects Nagato used to remotely control the Six Paths of Pain in the original story.
At this moment, Yu realized that something earth-shattering had occurred—a direct path to the Six Paths level had opened before him!
All he needed to do was complete the mastery of all seven chakra natures to fill the seven switches rooted in his lineage. Then, just as easily as he had manifested this black receiver, he could create Truth-Seeking Balls out of thin air.
But...
Yu also clearly understood that this was an impossible feat.
His current "Otsutsuki bloodline," even when pushed to its absolute limits, could only support the fusion of three chakra natures—Yin, Yang, and Wind—with the Caged Bird chakra.
This didn't mean Yu was restricted to only possessing three chakra natures; a ninja's innate chakra natures could be expanded through later training.
Rather, it meant that Yu's absolute limit was that he was only entitled to a maximum of three "keys."
Even if he spent eons grinding to complete the nature and shape transformations of the remaining four elements, he could still only select three out of the seven attributes to fuse with the Caged Bird chakra. While he could gain power far surpassing ordinary ninja and acquire various unique abilities this way, he would never be able to achieve the final evolution.
Yu discovered with a hint of despair—
The ceiling of his body seemed to be completely locked by something...
And that something was called a Kekkei Genkai.
————
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