Kitazawa froze for several seconds, waiting for the flood of information from the system to finish pouring into his mind before slowly coming back to his senses.
No wonder the Byakugan was considered one of the legendary dōjutsu that fueled the conflicts between the Five Great Shinobi Villages. For an ordinary ninja, its enhancement was nothing short of immense.
If his previous strength had already been close to a jōnin's level, now he could just barely call himself a true jōnin.
And if he combined it with Gentle Fist… then he would be a legitimate jōnin, through and through.
Without delay, Kitazawa rushed to a training ground on the outskirts of Konoha.
It was already after work hours, so the place was empty.
He pulled out a mirror and stared at his reflection. His eyes were still their usual dark black.
"This time the system is actually being smart," Kitazawa murmured with satisfaction.
When a Sharingan is activated, its tomoe marks appear; when deactivated, it looks like a normal eye.
But only members of the Uchiha clan can actually switch it off.
Hatake Kakashi, for instance, was perpetually drained largely because he couldn't deactivate his Sharingan.
The Byakugan, though, was different. Whether active or dormant, the Hyūga's eyes were always an unmistakable milky white. There was no hiding it.
Fortunately, Kitazawa had his "plug-in."
His Byakugan would only appear when activated. When deactivated, his eyes looked completely normal.
Kitazawa whispered in his mind: Activate.
Instantly, the veins around his temples bulged.
In the very next moment, his entire vision transformed dramatically.
It was as though his world had shifted from grainy 360p resolution to crystal-clear 4K ultra HD, and not only that, but with a 360-degree panoramic view, as if he had truly grown eyes on the back of his head.
"Marvelous," Kitazawa breathed.
He turned, examining the world from every angle, and realized how terrifying the Byakugan really was.
No wonder Hyūga clan members, so long as they weren't talentless, could so easily rise to jōnin level.
He turned to look at a tree nearby.
With a single thought, the tree seemed to vanish from his vision, replaced instead with everything behind it.
Then he shifted his gaze to his own hand.
The pathways of his meridians, tenketsu points, bones, and even the flow of chakra, he could see them with perfect clarity.
The Byakugan had three main functions: insight, x-ray vision, and telescopic vision.
He had now tested insight and x-ray. Only telescopic vision remained.
He lifted his head, gazing into the distance.
His sight stretched outward, absorbing every detail along the way.
Eventually, it stopped, three kilometers away.
And unlike the Sharingan's tunnel vision, the Byakugan's field encompassed a full radius of three kilometers, not just a straight line.
And this wasn't even the limit. With training, the range could extend even further.
Kitazawa deactivated the Byakugan and exhaled deeply.
His test results showed his Byakugan was already at the level of an average Hyūga jōnin.
Moreover, the system had provided him with all the theoretical knowledge related to it.
Through practice and refinement, he could improve it further.
Of course, achieving the legendary Tenseigan was out of the question.
Still, even the "basic" Byakugan was powerful enough.
Kitazawa could feel his strength surging dramatically.
He calmed himself and headed home.
On the way, several times he almost activated the Byakugan again, but stopped.
The origin of his eyes was something he could never explain. If discovered, it would bring him nothing but trouble.
Besides, seasoned jōnin could sometimes feel when their chakra was being probed. Better to stay cautious.
The next morning.
When buying breakfast, Kitazawa casually picked up a pair of sunglasses as well.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Hinata greeted him with a bright smile when she spotted him.
"Did you tell your father about your appetite?" Kitazawa asked, recalling her last task.
The system's requirement had been twofold: first, to feed her well; second, for her to willingly reveal her secret.
The first part, he could manage. The second, well, that had always been tied to Hyūga Hiashi.
"How… how do you know?" Hinata blinked, her voice full of surprise.
"I guessed."
Kitazawa tapped her forehead lightly with his finger. "Congratulations."
"Th-thank you…" Hinata lowered her gaze, cheeks flushing. "It was only because Kitazawa-sensei gave me the courage."
Her voice was so soft it was almost a whisper.
"I didn't do anything," Kitazawa shook his head. "Hinata, you were already brave on your own."
Hinata froze at his words, eyes widening slightly.
"How's your water-walking practice going?" Kitazawa shifted the subject.
"I can already walk all the way across the lake."
"Not bad. That means you've completed the exercise." Kitazawa smiled faintly. "What training do you want to do next?"
"Eh?" Hinata looked at him blankly for a moment. "I'll do whatever Kitazawa-sensei arranges."
"Then tell me this, what's your current wish?"
Kitazawa leaned in a little, wording it differently.
He wasn't just asking idly, he wanted to trigger another task.
"M-my wish?"
Hinata tilted her head thoughtfully. "I want… to awaken my Byakugan sooner."
At that moment, four glowing lines of text appeared before Kitazawa's eyes. His smile deepened.
He was starting to figure out the system's pattern for creating missions.
[System Prompt]
Your deskmate Hinata Hyūga seeks your help.
Current Task: Help Hinata Hyūga awaken her Byakugan.
Reward: Eight Trigrams · Mountain-Crushing Strike.
Accept?
Kitazawa, of course, accepted.
The Eight Trigrams · Mountain-Crushing Strike was a Gentle Fist technique similar to monstrous strength, a single blow so forceful it could shatter stone.
"Alright then," Kitazawa smiled. "For this afternoon's practical lesson, I'll switch your training."
"What kind of training?" Hinata asked curiously.
"That's a secret," Kitazawa lifted a finger and placed it gently in front of her lips. "But promise me, you can't tell anyone. Not even your father."
"…Mm." Hinata's face turned red as she nodded softly.
That afternoon, Class 1-A began their respective special training according to yesterday's schedule.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Sakura asked curiously, "why does Hinata get different training?"
She herself was gifted in chakra control.
Though slower to start, she had caught up, and now she, Hinata, and Ino were training water-walking together.
Progress-wise, the three of them were about equal, so Sakura couldn't help but wonder.
"We're competing against Class 2-A in four categories," Kitazawa explained. "And for chakra control, my best bets are you and Ino."
"Really?" Sakura's eyes widened in surprise.
"Of course." Kitazawa paused before continuing, "So your water-walking training will need to be adjusted."
"What kind of adjustment?" Sakura asked warily.
"While you walk on the water, Ino will pelt you with wooden kunai for interference," Kitazawa said with a grin. "And then you'll switch roles."
"…Kitazawa-sensei, are you a demon?" Sakura gaped.
"To keep things fair, I'll add one more rule," Kitazawa said thoughtfully. "Whoever gets hit the most has double homework."
"You really are a demon!" Sakura said blankly.
"Sorry, Sakura!" Ino rolled up her sleeves with determination. "Homework and all that… you can handle it!"
Kitazawa smiled faintly.
Three sentences, and I've got them turning against each other.