Water rushed down in a steady cascade.
The temperature in the shower room climbed steadily, and fine beads of steam clung to the tiles, swelling round and full. When Hyūga Kumokawa stepped out, his figure blurred in the misty haze.
"…"
He stopped at the sink and stared into the mirror at his own face.
His features were sharp and well-defined—a broad forehead, a straight nose, and gentle brows that gave him the look of a thoroughly decent person.
In both his past life and this one, he had always worn this face. If his photo ever ended up on a wanted poster, the first thing anyone would think was that it belonged to some kind of honor student award.
Only now, this familiar face carried something extra.
Hyūga Kumokawa brushed his damp black hair back, revealing his forehead. His calm gaze swept across the ugly, glaring Caged Bird Seal.
Caged Bird… Caged Bird…
He closed his eyes and focused. A moment later his eyelids fluttered open.
The reflection in the mirror was someone else entirely. The harmless, gentle aura had vanished. Half his face lay in shadow, carving deep, imposing lines into his profile.
The pure white of his eyes melted away like fresh snow under sunlight, revealing pale blue pupils that shimmered with star-like flecks of light. They were breathtakingly beautiful yet radiated a profound, intimidating presence.
No one would mistake him for that "failure" anymore. Few would even dare meet his gaze. The spear-like pressure radiating from him hung in the air like a needle poised right before their eyes.
Even the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead had faded noticeably.
[Bloodline: Ōtsutsuki Clan (5% → 5.5%)]
[Kekkei Genkai: Tenseigan – First Stage (10% → 12%)]
"Is this the power of the Tenseigan?"
Sensing the untapped strength deep within his eyes, Hyūga Kumokawa raised a hand to touch them, wondering inwardly, "Is this some kind of transitional form between the Byakugan and the Tenseigan?"
Ōtsutsuki Toneri had evolved the Byakugan into the Tenseigan after passing through several fetal movements…
From his memories of the original story, the Tenseigan was a supreme power that rivaled the Rinnegan.
There appeared to be only two ways to obtain it.
The first was to combine Ōtsutsuki Toneri's chakra with the pure Byakugan of the Hyūga clan.
The second was to fuse a large number of Ōtsutsuki Byakugan and evolve them into the Tenseigan.
In his case, he possessed a pure bloodline comparable to Toneri's—not the exact "chakra" Toneri had spoken of. Hyūga Kumokawa wasn't sure whether the two were the same.
In the canon story, only Ōtsutsuki Hamura and Ōtsutsuki Toneri had ever possessed the Tenseigan. Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and the rest of the clan had never displayed it, and even Hamura had never fully revealed its abilities.
As Hamura's legitimate descendant, Toneri had undergone who knew how many fetal movements, and it remained unclear whether those carried any danger.
If the Rinnegan was the orthodox ability the Ōtsutsuki clan gained by consuming the God Tree's fruit, then the Tenseigan seemed to be a mutated form of the Byakugan—one that traded the Rinnegan's versatility for overwhelming raw power…
"Roar! Kumokawa! Time to get up!"
Might Guy's energetic voice boomed. "The morning training bugle has sounded! Youth won't wait for anyone who lingers in bed!"
Hyūga Kumokawa's thoughts snapped back. He ran a hand through his hair, then slowly and deliberately worked his facial muscles until the harmless, gentle smile returned to his face.
"Coming, coming."
As he answered, he changed into a white outfit and fastened Konoha's forehead protector around his head.
Although the Hyūga clansmen called the original owner of this body a failure, it was simply because he had reached thirteen without awakening his Byakugan.
His timid, fearful personality hadn't helped either. The first time he saw a battlefield, he had burst into tears on the spot, shaming the family in everyone's eyes.
Even so, he was still stronger than most civilian-born shinobi. He had graduated as a genin alongside Might Guy, the notorious "dead last."
Now, however, Might Guy had already advanced to chūnin while he remained a genin.
He pushed open the door and saw Might Guy hanging from the pull-up bar. The man truly never stayed idle for a second.
Thud!
The moment Kumokawa stepped out fully dressed, Might Guy flexed his muscles and dropped down, releasing the heavy weights on his legs with a loud clang.
"Oh! Is this the soul of Konoha blazing with the fires of youth?!" Guy studied Kumokawa's physique, eyes burning with fiery passion. "I never imagined that in just the few months I was away on a mission, you'd already be burning this hot!"
Those weights were equal to what Guy normally trained with across his entire body.
"You flatter me, senior. Thank you for teaching me the Eight Gates."
Facing the wild enthusiast's praise, Hyūga Kumokawa simply smiled politely.
The Eight Gates were indeed powerful, but their amplification depended on the user's own physical conditioning. Kakashi could open the first gate, yet he still couldn't match Might Guy in his normal state without using them.
Guy had trained his body relentlessly since childhood under his father's guidance. That amount of weight was nothing more than his everyday load.
"I never thought a Hyūga clansman would come to me to learn the Eight Gates and Strong Fist. That resolve to break from tradition, that courage to challenge your limits!" Might Guy suddenly teared up and thrust both thumbs up enthusiastically.
His emotions flared up quickly and faded just as fast. He glanced deeper into the clan grounds, where the usually solemn Hyūga estate still showed splashes of bright color.
"What's all this about?" Guy asked curiously.
"The Main House's eldest daughter, Hyūga Hinata, is about to celebrate her third birthday," Kumokawa replied with a smile.
"Huh?" Guy blinked. "Do they always make this big a deal out of her birthdays?"
"Of course not." Kumokawa shook his head, a meaningful glint in his eyes. "For children of the Main House, the third birthday carries special significance."
When any Main House child turned three, a group of Branch House children would be branded with the Caged Bird Seal.
The most outstanding among those Branch children would then have the chance to become personal guards for the Main House heir.
As the clan head's eldest daughter and the sole future successor, Hinata's third birthday was naturally an event the entire Hyūga clan took very seriously.
Shinobi from other Konoha clans and even nobles from the Land of Fire would come to offer their congratulations.
"Unfortunately, it also means things won't stay peaceful around here for a while," Kumokawa thought with dark amusement.
Now that Hinata was three years old, it meant Kumogakure would soon arrive in Konoha to sign the armistice treaty—and plan to kidnap her in the process.
This period would also be the perfect window for him to carry out his own plans.
Lost in thought, the two walked shoulder to shoulder out of the residence, chatting and laughing in easy camaraderie the whole way.
Until they neared the main gate of the Hyūga clan grounds…
"Stop right there."
A cold voice cut in from the side, making both of them halt instinctively.
Hyūga Kumokawa narrowed his eyes and turned toward the sound. He saw a face twisted with clear disgust.
"Hyūga Kumokawa."
The Hyūga clansman on duty stood beside the gate and demanded icily, "Today is Lady Aoi's supplementary training day. As her attendant, why aren't you serving by her side? Where do you think you're going?"
***
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