After chatting with Neji for a few moments, Naruto finally returned home.
With a sharp whoosh, he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique (Hiraishin no Jutsu) and instantly flashed back to his house.
The current Naruto really did resemble the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. Just like his father, once you mastered the Flying Thunder God, there was no reason to walk normally. Why waste time when you could simply teleport?
Minato and Kushina
"Hmm?"
The moment Naruto appeared in the study, Minato sensed it immediately. After all, the Hiraishin was his technique originally—he could instantly feel who had entered.
"Naruto, are you back?" Minato asked, standing from his seat as Naruto walked out of the study.
"Yeah, Dad, it's me!" Naruto said with a grin.
Kushina rushed over excitedly, grabbing Naruto's hands and looking him over from head to toe.
"Naruto, are you okay? You didn't get hurt on the moon, did you?" she asked worriedly.
Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "I'm fine. Sasuke came with me this time. If the two of us fight together, there's nothing we can't handle!"
Kushina let out a sigh of relief, smiling warmly. "That's good, that's good!"
Minato asked calmly, "How was the man on the moon?"
Naruto leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "It's been settled. There are still a few things I need to help him with, but for now, he's no threat."
Minato nodded slightly, satisfied with the answer. As long as Naruto had everything under control, he trusted him.
Kushina, however, waved her hands. "Enough about that! Naruto, you must be hungry. Let me cook something for you."
Naruto quickly shook his head. "No need, Mom. I already ate at Hinata's house. Don't worry about it!"
Kushina instantly tugged on his ear. "You brat! The first thing you do when you come back is run off to Hinata's house instead of visiting your parents? You really have some nerve!"
"Ow, ow, ow! Mom, stop! I didn't mean it!" Naruto cried in pain, trying to wiggle free.
Kushina snorted, letting go. She knew her son's heart—he loved his parents—but she still had to give him a hard time.
Minato chuckled at the scene before asking, "Naruto, did Hiashi-sama tell you about the wedding date when you visited the Hyūga clan?"
Rubbing his sore ear, Naruto nodded. "Yeah. He told me to come back and confirm it with you two first. If there are no problems, then he'll finalize it."
Minato tilted his head. "And what do you think?"
Naruto shrugged casually. "I have no problem. Whatever date you decide, I'm fine with it."
Satisfied, Minato gave a nod. "Then tomorrow or the day after, Kushina and I will head over to the Hyūga estate again to discuss with Hiashi-sama directly."
Naruto waved his hand. "No need. Hiashi already said that once I confirm with you, Hinata can just tell him."
But Minato shook his head firmly. "That won't do. I should go personally. It's proper etiquette to show respect to Hinata's father."
Naruto sighed. His father was really old-fashioned sometimes, but he couldn't argue against him. At least it showed how much Minato respected the Hyūga family.
Akatsuki Base – Orochimaru's Laboratory
After resting for a while at home, Naruto teleported again.
In the next instant, he appeared directly at the Akatsuki base where Orochimaru and Kabuto were conducting research.
"Uncle Snake, I'm here!" Naruto called out as he made his way to the laboratory.
Inside, Orochimaru was mixing solutions in test tubes, while Kabuto adjusted some documents.
Without turning around, Orochimaru greeted him, his eerie voice carrying across the room. "Ah… Naruto, you've come."
Kabuto looked up, adjusting his glasses with a faint smirk. "I heard you went on quite a long trip recently, Naruto."
Naruto grinned. "Kabuto, your intelligence network really is scary. You always know everything."
Orochimaru finally put down the test tube, removed his gloves, and faced Naruto. "You must have run into something unusual on your trip to the moon, hmm? Something you want my help with?"
Naruto scratched the back of his head, chuckling nervously. "Heh, I really can't hide anything from you, Uncle Snake. Yeah, there's something I need your advice on."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with curiosity. "Tell me."
Naruto took a deep breath. "Is it possible to copy the Byakugan?"
At that, both Orochimaru and Kabuto exchanged a sharp glance.
Finally, Orochimaru spoke with interest. "Now that is quite an intriguing question. But before I answer—why are you asking me this?"
So, Naruto explained everything. From his battle on the moon with Ōtsutsuki Toneri, Toneri's plan to steal Hanabi's eyes, and his use of the Tenseigan, which required pure Byakugan.
When Naruto finished, Kabuto whistled softly. "I never thought there really were people living on the moon."
Orochimaru gave a thin smile. "It isn't surprising. Once the legend of the Sage of Six Paths was proven true, the myths about the moon were bound to be more than just stories."
Naruto leaned forward. "So, Uncle Snake, is it possible? Can the Byakugan be copied?"
Orochimaru shook his head immediately. "Absolutely not."
Naruto blinked in surprise. "Huh? Why not?"
The Nature of Sharingan vs. Byakugan
Orochimaru's tone grew serious. "Listen carefully. I've studied the Byakugan before. After all, it is one of Konoha's great kekkei genkai. But because of the Hyūga clan's strict rule of recovering their eyes after death, acquiring samples was… troublesome. Still, during the Third Hokage's reign, I managed to examine a few corpses from fallen Hyūga shinobi."
Naruto leaned in, eager.
Orochimaru continued: "The Uchiha clan and the Hyūga clan are fundamentally different. The Sharingan is something that must be activated. A normal Uchiha's eyes look no different from an ordinary person's—until they experience strong emotional trauma. The awakening usually comes after losing a loved one or enduring deep pain. That trauma triggers the Sharingan's activation."
"From there, it evolves: one tomoe, two tomoe, three tomoe. With further stimulation, it awakens into the Mangekyō Sharingan, granting even greater power."
Naruto nodded. That much he already knew.
"But the Byakugan," Orochimaru continued, "is not like that. The Byakugan doesn't activate. It awakens."
Naruto frowned. "What's the difference?"
Orochimaru explained patiently. "When an Uchiha doesn't activate their Sharingan, their eyes are indistinguishable from normal humans. But with the Hyūga… even before awakening the Byakugan, the structure of their eyes is unique. The pale, milky-white color gives them away instantly as Hyūga. Their very eyeballs are biologically different."
That struck Naruto like lightning. He finally understood.
"So the Sharingan depends on bloodline potential and trauma to awaken, while the Byakugan is a structural mutation present from birth?"
"Exactly," Orochimaru hissed approvingly. "That is why the Sharingan can evolve—into Mangekyō, then into the Rinnegan when combined with Hashirama's cells. Its form changes depending on conditions. But the Byakugan does not change. It cannot. Its structure is fixed from the start."
Kabuto added, "That's why transplanting a Byakugan is far more difficult. Even if you manage to steal one, compatibility issues make it practically useless without being a true Hyūga."
Naruto's face darkened. He exhaled heavily. "No wonder. The Byakugan belongs to Kaguya Ōtsutsuki herself. It's her original dōjutsu. The Sharingan and Rinnegan are offshoots that came after she mingled with humanity through the Sage of Six Paths. But the Byakugan… it's too pure. Too fixed."
Orochimaru smirked. "Precisely. That purity is what makes it impossible to replicate."
Naruto scratched his head in frustration. "So the only option is to use existing Byakugan directly? That means… Hanabi's eyes."
He immediately shook his head violently. "No, no way. I'm not letting Hinata's little sister suffer just to fix Toneri. Hinata would kill me herself before that happened."
The thought alone made Naruto's stomach twist. He sighed deeply. "Damn it… what should I do now?"
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