Splash—
The temperature in the shower room gradually rose. Steam condensed into fine droplets that clung to the tiles, swelling and rounding as they gathered. When Hyūga Gin stepped out of the shower, his figure appeared hazy within the mist.
"…."
He stopped before the sink and looked into the mirror, studying his reflection.
Clean, well-defined facial lines.
A broad forehead.
A straight nose.
Gentle, refined brows.
He looked like a good person.
In both his previous life and this one, he had always worn this face. Even if a photograph of him were pasted onto a wanted notice, anyone seeing it for the first time would more likely assume it belonged on a "Model Student" certificate.
Yet—
Something had changed.
Gin swept his damp black hair back, exposing his forehead. His calm gaze passed over the ugly, glaring swastika-shaped curse mark etched there.
The Caged Bird.
Caged Bird… Caged Bird…
He closed his eyes and steadied his breathing.
Moments later, his eyelids trembled—and opened.
The person reflected in the mirror was no longer the same.
The harmless warmth faded. One side of his face sank into shadow beneath the light, casting sharp, profound contours.
The pure white in his eyes melted away like early snow under sunlight. In their place, pale blue pupils—calm as a still lake—flowed with faint, star-like points of light. They were beautiful… and oppressive.
No one would mistake him for a "failure" now.
In fact, few would even dare meet his gaze.
The invisible pressure radiating from him was like a spearhead spreading outward—meeting his eyes felt like standing beneath a needle suspended above one's brow.
Even the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead had faded noticeably.
Bloodline: Ōtsutsuki Clan (5% → 5.5%)
Kekkei Genkai: Tenseigan · Stage One (10% → 12%)
"So this is the power of the Tenseigan…"
Sensing the dormant strength deep within his eyes, Gin raised a hand and lightly touched them.
"A transitional form… from Byakugan to Tenseigan?"
When Ōtsutsuki Toneri awakened the Tenseigan, his Byakugan had undergone several stages of what he called 'gestation'.
From his memories of the original timeline, the Tenseigan was a supreme dōjutsu—one that could rival the Rinnegan.
And there were only two known ways to obtain it.
The first:
Combine Toneri's chakra with a pure Hyūga Byakugan.
The second:
Fuse and evolve a large number of Ōtsutsuki Byakugan into the Tenseigan.
What Gin possessed was a bloodline comparable to Toneri's—not Toneri's chakra itself.
Whether those two were truly the same thing… he wasn't certain.
In canon, only Ōtsutsuki Hamura and Ōtsutsuki Toneri were confirmed to possess the Tenseigan. Even Kaguya and the other Ōtsutsuki never displayed it.
And even Hamura himself never truly demonstrated its abilities.
As Hamura's legitimate descendant, Toneri had undergone countless "gestations"—and it was unclear whether that process carried risks.
If the Rinnegan was the orthodox power gained from consuming the God Tree's fruit, then the Tenseigan felt more like a mutation of the Byakugan—trading versatility for overwhelming might.
"HO! Gin! Wake up, wake up!"
A voice overflowing with enthusiasm shattered his thoughts.
"The horn of morning training has sounded! Youth does not wait for those who linger in bed!"
Gin reached up and brushed his hair back again, deliberately working his facial muscles. The gentle, harmless smile returned to his face.
"I'm coming."
He changed into white robes and fastened his Konoha forehead protector across his brow.
In the Hyūga Clan's eyes, the original owner of this body had been a failure—not because he lacked diligence, but because even after thirteen years, he had never awakened the Byakugan.
That—
And his cowardly temperament.
The first time he saw a battlefield, he had been so frightened that he burst into tears, a humiliation in the eyes of his clan.
Even so, he was still stronger than most civilian-born shinobi.
He had graduated alongside Might Guy as a genin.
The difference was—
Guy was now a chūnin.
And he remained a genin.
When Gin opened the door, he saw Guy hanging upside-down from a horizontal bar. As always, the man was incapable of being idle.
THUD!
Seeing Gin emerge, Guy released his grip and dropped down, unfastening the heavy weights strapped to his legs with a thunderous crash.
"Oh! Is this the very soul of Konoha's youthful spirit bursting into bloom?!"
Guy looked him up and down, his eyes blazing.
"I never imagined that after just a few months away on missions, you'd ignite your passion to this extent!"
The weight Gin was wearing was already comparable to Guy's usual full-body training load.
"High praise from you, senpai," Gin replied with a smile.
"And thank you—for being willing to teach me the Eight Gates."
The Eight Gates were powerful, but their amplification depended entirely on the user's physical foundation.
Even Kakashi could open the First Gate—yet he still couldn't compare to Guy's base state.
Guy had trained his body relentlessly since childhood under his father. Such weights were merely routine to him.
"I never expected a Hyūga to seek out the Eight Gates and Strong Fist!" Guy suddenly teared up, raising both thumbs.
"This courage to break tradition! This resolve to challenge one's limits!"
The emotion passed as quickly as it came.
Guy glanced toward the depths of the clan compound, where traces of colorful decorations still lingered amidst the usual austerity.
"What's going on over there?" he asked curiously.
"The Hyūga Main Family's young lady—Hyūga Hinata—is about to celebrate her third birthday," Gin replied with a smile.
"Huh?" Guy blinked. "Do they always make such a big deal of birthdays?"
"Not usually."
Gin shook his head, a hint of deeper meaning in his eyes.
"A third birthday is different for Main Family children."
Every time a Main Family child reached the age of three—
A group of Branch Family children would be branded with the Caged Bird Seal.
Among them, the most outstanding would be selected to become the Main Family child's personal attendants.
Hinata Hyūga—eldest daughter of the clan head's line—was the sole candidate to inherit the position of clan leader.
Naturally, her third birthday would be treated with utmost importance.
Other ninja clans of Konoha, and even nobles from the Land of Fire, would attend.
"Unfortunately," Gin thought with quiet mockery,
"this also means the coming days are destined to be anything but peaceful."
If Hinata was already three—
Then the Kumogakure peace talks were approaching.
And with them, the planned abduction.
This period would also be Gin's best opportunity to act.
Lost in thought, the two walked side by side, chatting easily—
Until they reached the Hyūga compound gates.
"Stop."
A cold voice rang out.
They halted instinctively.
Gin narrowed his eyes and turned toward the speaker.
Disdain was written clearly on the man's face.
"Hyūga Gin."
The clan guard stood by the gate, questioning him harshly.
"Today is Lady Aoi's special training session. As her attendant, you should be at her side. Where do you think you're going?"
(End of Chapter)