[Fusion Points: 8,120 (Cumulative: 11,600)]
Byakuya hadn't checked his Fusion Points in quite a while. Only now did he open the status to look.
He found that his accumulated points had reached over 8,000. Setting aside everything else, he had more than enough to raise his Fusion Progress to Lv5—meaning he could obtain the Rinnegan.
[Ding! The host has used 5,000 Fusion Points. Fusion Progress +5,000. Current Fusion Progress: Lv5 (0/10,000)]
[New abilities (including upgrades): Rinnegan, Mangekyo Sharingan: Kamui, Hashirama Cells Lv5, Taijutsu Lv5, Wood Style: Multiple Wood Clone Technique, Chibaku Tensei, Tengai Shinsei, Limbo: Border Jail...]
Byakuya's eyes immediately evolved from the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan to the Rinnegan. But he had also gained a Mangekyo Sharingan—specifically, Kakashi's left Kamui eye.
Because Uchiha Madara had once taken Kakashi's left Kamui eye, Byakuya could now use Kamui as well, though limited to the left eye's abilities.
In truth, there was no fundamental difference between the left and right Kamui eyes. Both could open a space-time portal, both could transfer the user, and both allowed free passage in and out of the Kamui dimension.
The main difference was that the left eye's Kamui could be activated remotely, while the right eye couldn't be used at range but could make the user intangible.
Gaining the power of Mangekyo Kamui was quite useful for Byakuya—it meant he could teleport anywhere instantly, an extremely convenient ability.
This also meant that of Byakuya's two Rinnegan eyes, the left one could freely switch between the Rinnegan and Mangekyo Kamui—much more convenient than having to physically swap eyes.
Otherwise, under normal circumstances, he'd have to remove his Rinnegan first and then insert the Mangekyo Kamui eye, which was quite troublesome by comparison.
[Fusion Points: 3,120 (Cumulative: 11,600)]
Seeing that he still had just over 3,000 Fusion Points remaining, and that reaching Lv6 would require nearly 7,000 more, Byakuya thought to himself that it would still take some time and effort...
Lv5 was the Rinnegan stage, so Lv6 would likely be the Rinne Sharingan.
In other words, he was just one step away from activating the Infinite Tsukuyomi—though that one step required nearly 7,000 Fusion Points.
But for Byakuya, it was merely a matter of time.
"Your eyes just changed again. That color doesn't look like it has anything to do with kakugan anymore, does it?"
Eto spoke up from across the table.
Byakuya and Eto were currently sitting in a corner of the coffee shop. They had just been chatting over coffee when Byakuya's eyes suddenly transformed, immediately catching Eto's attention.
"Mm."
Byakuya openly revealed his Rinnegan again. "My eyes can evolve. This is what they look like after evolution—technically, they've evolved several times now."
Telling Eto about this didn't matter. As long as he didn't directly reveal the system's existence, there was no harm.
Byakuya's eyes had become a grayish-purple color, no longer bearing the pattern of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. Instead, they displayed concentric circles—the "ripple eyes."
"Somehow, those eyes look even more unsettling than normal kakugan."
Eto remarked. "Come to think of it, you've been deceiving me from the very beginning, haven't you? Do your eyes actually have anything to do with kakugan? I've never heard of kakugan being able to evolve, let alone multiple times..."
"Mm, my eyes have nothing to do with kakugan."
Byakuya said calmly. "But if I hadn't said that initially, I wouldn't have been able to earn your initial trust."
"Whatever. Whether they're related to kakugan doesn't really matter to me. And even if I were curious about what your eyes actually are, you probably wouldn't tell me anyway."
Eto said casually.
"After all, everyone has secrets they don't want others to know."
Byakuya smiled.
"Let's put that aside for now. Come with me to Shoeisha."
With that, Eto stood up.
"What for?"
Byakuya asked.
"You'll find out when we get there. I have secrets I don't want you to know in advance either."
Eto said with a smile.
"..."
After a brief pause, Byakuya nodded. "Then let's go."
"Let's move out!"
Eto seemed full of enthusiasm, even hooking her arm through Byakuya's.
Her reaction gave Byakuya an ominous feeling—this woman was probably about to stir up trouble again...
...
Byakuya followed Eto to the building where Shoeisha was located.
Shoeisha was a publishing company—specifically, the publisher that Eto had signed with as an author.
Eto led Byakuya directly to Shoeisha's editorial department.
"Takatsuki-sensei, why did you suddenly come by today? And this gentleman is...?"
The person before Byakuya and Eto was Eto's editor, Shiono Shunji.
Since Shiono usually went to Eto's place to collect manuscripts, Eto rarely visited Shoeisha herself, making her sudden appearance quite surprising.
At that moment, he also noticed Byakuya standing beside Eto—arm in arm with her, looking quite intimate.
"I'm in a relationship now. This is my boyfriend."
Eto declared directly.
These bold words left both Byakuya and Shiono Shunji stunned.
"Wait, aren't you supposed to be Takatsuki-sensei's boyfriend? Why do you look so shocked too?"
Shiono Shunji couldn't help but comment.
"..."
Byakuya was about to say something, but Eto's other hand firmly pinched his side, seemingly warning him not to speak.
Though he couldn't quite understand Eto's bewildering behavior, he forced himself to hold back and remained silent.
"It's because I only just officially confessed my feelings to him, so he's probably surprised."
Eto smoothly explained on Byakuya's behalf.
"Oh, I see..."
Shiono Shunji nodded, his expression somewhat complicated as he said, "This is rather sudden, but we won't interfere with your personal life, Takatsuki-sensei. However..."
...
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