As Orochimaru finished describing the birth process of this pair of purple Byakugan, a cold shiver ran down Hyuga Yu's spine. His mind immediately flashed to a closely related historical event—
The giant purple Tenseigan used by the Otsutsuki branch house on the moon to annihilate the main house.
That tragedy unfolded after an elderly Madara Uchiha awakened the Rinnegan on his deathbed and forcibly summoned the Gedo Mazo—which had been sealed on the moon—back into the shinobi world.
The theft of the Gedo Mazo acted as a trigger, leading the Otsutsuki branch house on the moon to conclude that the shinobi world created by the Sage of Six Paths was a failure, thereby launching a genocidal war against their own main house.
During that war, the ultimate weapon they deployed was none other than a giant purple Tenseigan.
This purple Tenseigan was an orb-like stone marked with the Otsutsuki clan crest, created when members of the moon's branch house sacrificed the Byakugan of their entire population, fusing countless individual eyes into a single entity.
Strictly speaking, the Tenseigan manifested in three colors: the giant purple Tenseigan used by the moon's branch house to wipe out the main house; the giant yellow Tenseigan preserved at the core of the moon within the Otsutsuki Temple; and finally, the royal blue Tenseigan that Toneri Otsutsuki successfully awakened after seizing Hanabi Hyuga's Byakugan and blending it with his own unique chakra.
Previously, Hyuga Yu had assumed that the giant purple Tenseigan used to eradicate the Otsutsuki main house was the exact same one preserved in the temple during the events of The Last.
However, with his expanding understanding of the Tenseigan, coupled with the pair of purple Byakugan physically resting before him, Hyuga Yu realized that the giant purple Tenseigan and the giant yellow Tenseigan were likely entirely separate entities.
According to the intelligence Hyuga Yu had gathered, the Otsutsuki clan on the moon had begun their research into the Tenseigan a millennium ago, around the time they left the Caged Bird curse mark behind for the Hyuga clan. The madness that plagued generations of the clan's legendary "Tennin" was also inextricably linked to the influence of the giant Tenseigan.
Deducing from this premise, giant Tenseigan had been manufactured long before the era of established shinobi villages.
Furthermore, the giant yellow Tenseigan in the temple—which Naruto and Hinata would later team up to shatter—was absolutely not a mere stone; it was a mass assembly of countless living Byakugan.
If that was the case, what exactly was the deal with that giant purple Tenseigan stone manufactured by the Otsutsuki branch house to destroy their main house?
Now, the answer to that riddle seemed to present itself. Hyuga Yu let his gaze linger briefly on the pair of purple Byakugan set upon the low table before shifting his focus to Orochimaru. He knit his brows and asked, "A Byakugan... consuming other Byakugan?"
"Correct."
Hyuga Yu pursued the matter with a grim expression. "How many did it have to consume to look like this?"
Orochimaru shrugged, answering candidly, "Twelve pairs in total."
Hearing this, Hyuga Yu recalled the investigative dossier Danzo had handed him regarding Hyuga Sodo. That report had specifically mentioned the theft of Byakugan from within the main house's ancestral shrine. Connecting the dots, Hyuga Yu's brows furrowed tightly as a clear theory formed in his mind. He looked toward Orochimaru and asked solemnly, "You stole these Byakugan from inside the Hyuga main house shrine?"
Orochimaru let out a raspy laugh, casually admitting it. "Hehe, indeed."
"Ever since you faked your death in the Nameless Forest and Hizashi Hyuga declared at your funeral that he would challenge the main house to become the next 'Hyuga Tennin,' I found the situation rather amusing. So, I kept a casual eye on the internal dynamics of the Hyuga clan."
"That was when I noticed Hizashi Hyuga making a few covert moves, and I simply helped myself to a piece of the pie..." At this point, Orochimaru paused, offering Hyuga Yu a meaningful warning. "However, looking at it from this angle, those two brothers—Hizashi Hyuga and Hiashi Hyuga—might very well be plotting something disadvantageous against you."
Hyuga Yu's eyes flickered slightly, and he gave a calm nod. "Thank you for the warning."
At that, Orochimaru fixed a ghostly gaze on Hyuga Yu, asking with a slight smirk, "So, Tennin, are you satisfied with this gift?"
Hearing those words, Hyuga Yu fully understood Orochimaru's intent. As the man said, by deliberately allowing Hyuga Sodo to cause a massive scene at the venue, he had indirectly exposed a hidden plot orchestrated by the Hyuga main house, forcing the factions lurking beneath the surface to show their hand.
Had Orochimaru not enabled it, Hyuga Sodo would never have found the opportunity to infiltrate the venue. He would have simply launched a covert assassination against Hyuga Yu after the celebration concluded, which would have changed the entire nature of the situation.
Judging solely by the final outcome, Orochimaru had actually done Hyuga Yu a favor. Now, he was directly providing Hyuga Yu with his research breakthroughs on the Byakugan and critical intelligence regarding the Hyuga clan.
It was undoubtedly a massive gift—but it was predicated on the assumption that Hyuga Yu could survive an assassination attempt by a main house Grand Elder armed with the Caged Bird.
Thinking of this, Hyuga Yu frowned slightly as he looked at Orochimaru. He knew full well that Orochimaru wouldn't go through such elaborate lengths without wanting something in return. Lifting his head, he met the man's gaze. "Then what is your motive for doing all this?"
"Or rather, what exactly do you want to get from me?"
Orochimaru narrowed his elongated golden pupils. Instead of rushing to declare that he wanted Hyuga Yu's backing to become the Hokage, he reached beneath the table, pulled out a thick document, and slid it across the surface toward Hyuga Yu.
Hyuga Yu picked up the file and scanned it, discovering it was an investigative report concerning a company in the Land of Lightning called the "Moki Precision Bio-Mechanical Equipment Manufacturing Company."
However, the moment he flipped the document open and absorbed the actual findings and conclusions outlined within...
Hyuga Yu's gaze abruptly snapped sharp. "The biological and medical technology of the shinobi world... is iterating at an explosive pace?"
"And the direction of this iteration is information technology."
"Relying on this theoretical framework—which has iterated at least three times over—the Land of Lightning... is integrating the most cutting-edge biological, informational, and neural technologies available today. They are actively developing some ultimate device for the compression, storage, and rebooting of biological information and consciousness?"
Seeing that Hyuga Yu had practically finished reading the dossier, Orochimaru chimed in at the perfect moment. "Tennin, with your level of professional expertise, you should be fully capable of understanding what kind of massive technological revolution the birth of such a theory will trigger!"
"Right now,"
"In a corner entirely unknown to you and me, the shinobi world is brewing a wave of transformation potent enough to shake the earth."
He narrowed his eyes slightly, smiling at Hyuga Yu. "And at such a critical juncture, a massive asset capable of dictating the direction of the world happens to be gripped firmly in our hands."
"So..."
Hyuga Yu pulled his gaze away from the word "Moki" stamped in the company name on the file. After a brief moment of internal deliberation, he instantly deduced what Orochimaru truly desired. "So, you want me to back you to become the Fourth Hokage?"
"Hehe..." Orochimaru chuckled hoarsely, speaking in a low, gravelly tone, "Strictly speaking in terms of status, I am the most qualified candidate to inherit that seat, am I not?"
"Furthermore, I understand the objectives shared by you and Shimura Danzo. Once I ascend to that position, all I require is to utilize Konoha's resources to aid me in finalizing the development of my forbidden jutsu."
"If we can agree to that—"
At this point, Orochimaru paused, adopting an incredibly alluring, persuasive tone as he addressed Hyuga Yu: "What does it matter if I hand Konoha over to you entirely after that?"
"The Fifth Hokage, Hyuga Yu!"
Hyuga Yu didn't outright agree to Orochimaru's proposal; naturally, he didn't explicitly voice a rejection either. To Orochimaru, it appeared as though Hyuga Yu was weighing the pros and cons. In reality, the absolute instant Hyuga Yu spotted the word "Moki" on the report—coupled with the document's unabashed objective pointing directly toward the research and creation of something like a "Karma"—he immediately understood everything.
The wave of transformation Orochimaru spoke of was being whipped up by the "Kara" organization, established by Ishiki Otsutsuki, the second Otsutsuki who had remained concealed in the depths of the shinobi world for a millennium.
Kawaki—the ideal vessel—hadn't even been born yet. Theoretically, Kara had absolutely no reason to step out into the light just yet. Yet their sudden emergence, combined with their urgent push to mature the technology required to transfer the "Karma," allowed Hyuga Yu to instantly realize that this was a butterfly effect triggered by his own actions.
Jigen—or rather, Ishiki Otsutsuki—had located a new candidate to serve as a vessel.
Though he had no idea who this new candidate actually was, once Jigen successfully matured the Karma technology and finalized the transfer of the "Karma," Ishiki Otsutsuki—who possessed the power to utterly thrash Sage-Fox Naruto and Rinnegan Sasuke using "Shinjutsu" on par with Six Paths power—would achieve a complete resurrection. That would be equivalent to the birth of a Six Paths-level powerhouse.
Moreover, his ultimate objective was to plant a second Divine Tree, draining the shinobi world of its natural energy and reducing the planet to a desolate, dead star.
This stood in fundamental opposition to Hyuga Yu's own stance. Not to mention, Hyuga Yu had yet to cross into the Six Paths tier himself, leaving him utterly outmatched by an opponent of that caliber.
Consequently, before he had even fully processed the subsequent conditions Orochimaru listed to benefit himself and Shimura Danzo, Hyuga Yu had already mentally stamped a massive rejection over Orochimaru's entire plan.
To put it simply, Orochimaru's plan was to use the authority of the Hokage, alongside the immense assets and wealth Konoha could mobilize, to assist the Kara organization in perfecting the "Karma" transfer technology. Simultaneously, Orochimaru intended to use this era of technological iteration to perfect his own immortality jutsu.
Sure, Orochimaru's personal technique might succeed. Perhaps he really would attain a true immortal body thousands of years ahead of schedule, matching his capabilities in the Boruto era.
But doing this was no different from pushing the entire shinobi world into an abyss!
If the very planet itself was wiped out, what damn use was a single immortal body to Orochimaru?
Furthermore, the total asset pool of the shinobi world was finite. Every portion Orochimaru funneled to enrich an enemy was a portion cut from Hyuga Yu's own research budget. With that kind of money available, Hyuga Yu would much rather invest all of it into his own research.
How could he possibly let Orochimaru and Ishiki Otsutsuki profit off him?
Therefore, facing Orochimaru's persuasion, Hyuga Yu spent the entire time nodding along, murmuring "mm-hmm," furrowing his brows in deep thought, acting as though he had reached a grand epiphany, letting his eyes light up with feigned excitement, putting on an expression of utter shock, and showing hints of profound inner turmoil. He maintained a perfect facade that practically screamed he couldn't wait to pull out his wallet and fund Orochimaru on the spot—yet he didn't let a single concrete promise slip from his lips.
Ultimately, carrying out a masterclass performance of peak professionalism, Hyuga Yu engaged in a deep discussion with Orochimaru regarding his technical theories. He even offered several optimization solutions from a medical ninja's perspective to address various flaws in the immortality jutsu. This left Orochimaru beaming with delight, looking at Hyuga Yu as if he had found an honest, cooperative version of Tsunade. By the time their talk concluded, Orochimaru's attitude had turned remarkably warm. He enthusiastically escorted Hyuga Yu to the door, even going so far as to print out a special manuscript detailing his forbidden jutsu theories and shoving it into Hyuga Yu's hands.
"Yu-kun, make absolutely sure to read this manuscript thoroughly."
"If you have any new breakthroughs, be sure to contact me immediately~"
"No problem, Orochimaru. If there's any progress, I'll definitely let you know."
Clutching the documents and the purple Byakugan cultivated by Orochimaru, Hyuga Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped out of the office. He gestured to Kakashi, who was standing guard by the door with a thoroughly dumbfounded expression after witnessing the two act like best brothers, and headed straight for the top level of the Foundation base—Shimura Danzo's office.
Along the way, recalling the sheer hostility between the two before they entered the room versus their starkly different behavior afterward, Kakashi Hatake stared at the photocopied sheets in Hyuga Yu's hand—which were covered in all sorts of obscure, incomprehensible chemical formulas—and couldn't help but ask, "Lord Tennin, this is..."
"Oh." Hyuga Yu glanced down at the papers. "Just useless garbage."
Once they had walked far enough to be completely out of Orochimaru's line of sight, he simply channeled a Fire Style jutsu, incinerating the manuscript Orochimaru had given him into ashes and casually tossing the remnants into a trash can along the corridor.
Kakashi Hatake: "..."
After discarding the manuscript, Hyuga Yu's expression turned solemn. He raised the container holding the purple Byakugan—which had been fused from twelve pairs of eyes—and directly activated his Byakugan's microscopic vision to examine this bizarre pair of eyes.
Under the gray-and-white lens of Hyuga Yu's microscopic vision, a peculiar, grand eight-pointed star pattern distinctly manifested within the depths of the purple Byakugan.
It resembled a massive eight-pointed star containing an embedded secondary eight-pointed star, which in turn housed a tertiary eight-pointed star pattern.
What formed these intricate designs was a specialized chakra pathway system.
The eight outer corners of this pathway system glowed faintly with a purple light, while exactly half of the corners within the embedded secondary stars—four purple-gleaming tips—were illuminated.
In total, twelve corners were lit up, seemingly indicating that this pair of Byakugan had successfully consumed twelve pairs of eyes.
This minute yet undeniably real "chakra pathway system" formed inside the purple Byakugan after devouring the other eyes exhibited a highly volatile state, appearing as though it could collapse at any given moment. It was only forcibly held together by the already formed outer eight-pointed star pathways, barely managing to suppress the impending collapse. Within the twelve illuminated corners of this pathway system, a unique, purple chakra was quietly gestating.
That was undeniably the most basic form of "Caged Bird chakra."
Beholding this bizarre network within the eyes, Hyuga Yu's gaze snapped sharp. To think... it actually shares a somewhat similar logic to Yang Style: Organic Reincarnation...
The 'Byakugan consuming Byakugan' process Orochimaru spoke of isn't a literal consumption of the physical eyeballs. Rather... the Byakugan that were tainted with traces of Caged Bird chakra due to being shackled by the curse mark are spontaneously linking up with other Byakugan.
They then devour the physical energy inherent to the other eyes, which also belong to the Hyuga branch house. Ultimately, these physical energies undergo spontaneous growth, constructing a temporary chakra pathway network.
In essence, a Byakugan remains a Byakugan; my theory wasn't wrong. What caused this pair of eyes to mutate is the 'physical strength' of the Hyuga bloodline contained within the muscles of the living Byakugan. It was broken down into physical and spiritual energy, which then bonded with the remnants of the Caged Bird chakra, giving birth to this primal form of Caged Bird chakra.
Theoretically, it can consume an infinite number of other Byakugan. However, due to structural limitations, a single pair of eyes can only devour a maximum of twenty-four pairs. Unless, by using sealing jutsu or other methodologies, one aggregates a massive quantity of purple Byakugan that have each consumed twenty-four pairs, swapping out the vessel bearing the power to pool all their might together...
Furthermore, this temporarily formed pathway system will spontaneously wither away once its store of physical energy is completely depleted.
Going by this calculation, to manufacture a single giant purple Tenseigan...
Hyuga Yu mentally constructed a rudimentary spherical model of a sealing jutsu, factoring in the maximum volume of the container, its load capacity, and the distance required between each purple Byakugan to run a rough calculation.
Very quickly, a staggering figure emerged in his mind. It requires... 833 pairs of such purple Byakugan.
Which means, it takes a grand total of 20,825 pairs of Byakugan to manufacture a single giant Tenseigan like the one used by the Otsutsuki branch house!
Moreover, because it is synthesized from far too many eyes... Hyuga Yu knit his brows as an ominous premonition flared in his chest. Without hesitation, he unscrewed the container cap, extracted the pair of purple Byakugan from the glycerin, and manipulated repulsive force to completely isolate the moisture and bacteria on the surface of the eyeballs.
Then, Hyuga Yu widened his eyes, and his own pair of Byakugan spontaneously ejected from their sockets, leaving the slots vacant. Immediately after, he directly inserted Hyuga Masato's purple Byakugan—which had consumed twelve pairs of eyes—straight into his own eye sockets.
Hyuga Yu snapped his eyes open. Within his pure white eyes, a volatile, maddening purple luster instantly flashed!
In the very next fraction of a second, a surge of purple chakra generated entirely by these purple Byakugan shot straight down the optic pathways, charging frantically into Hyuga Yu's brain!
Sensing the devastating consequences this chakra would bring if it invaded the brain of an ordinary Hyuga clansman without any defensive countermeasures...
Hyuga Yu's expression underwent a drastic change!
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