Researching the Byakugan

October 13, Year 53 of Konoha

Hyuga Kei had just returned to Konoha when he heard the news about the Hyuga clan. It had already been Konoha's headline news for days.

Unable to withstand the external pressure, the Hyuga clan had accepted the proposal to postpone the Caged Bird mark for Branch House members until the age of nine.

Upon hearing the news, everyone looked toward Hyuga Kei. As his companions, they could sense that Hyuga Kei and the Hokage were behind this timing.

A series of incidents detrimental to the Hyuga clan had erupted one after another. There had to be someone orchestrating it from behind the scenes.

Hyuga Kei said, "What are you looking at me for? Come on, let's hand in the mission at the Anbu. Then we'll go get barbecue. My treat."

Ameyuri hooked an arm around Hyuga Kei's shoulders. "Hahaha, great! Let's see how I eat you broke."

"With that appetite of yours, it'll take another lifetime!"

After returning to the Anbu, they handed over the mission, wrote a mission report, and submitted it together to Captain Ushiro. Then, they were granted a week of leave.

That was enough time for Hyuga Kei to prepare for next month's opportunity to switch the seals during the inspection.

This was where the benefits of being one of the Hokage's trusted aides became apparent. Naturally, tasks like that would be assigned to trusted people like Kakashi's Team.

Having achieved a short-term goal, Hyuga Kei was in an exceptionally relaxed mood. When he went to the Akimichi Clan's Barbecue Restaurant with his friends, they played wildly all afternoon.

As evening approached, Hyuga Kei staggered along the road toward the Hyuga compound, only then using chakra to metabolize all the alcohol.

As soon as he entered the Hyuga compound, Hyuga Kei received plenty of cold looks from the Hyuga clansmen. The more outstanding Hyuga Kei became, the more humiliating it was to those pure-blooded Hyuga.

Why should a mongrel receive such favor from the Hokage and become an Anbu?

Hyuga Kei inwardly curled his lip. These people's good days were only just beginning. Once news of the Hyuga Anbu's deaths returned, the Hokage's faction would truly begin suppressing the Hyuga.

The moment he entered, he saw his uncle-in-law Hizashi teaching Neji the Gentle Fist. Upon seeing Hyuga Kei return, little Neji happily moved to greet him.

But then he remembered that Hyuga Kei had not returned in a long time, so he pretended not to see him and focused on training. Yet his constantly wandering gaze had already betrayed him.

Seeing Hyuga Kei return, Hizashi nodded. "Neji, keep practicing. I need to discuss something with Kei."

"Yes, Father."

Hyuga Kei and Hizashi entered the room and sat facing each other. Hyuga Kei poured tea for them both.

"This was all your doing?" Hizashi had long suspected as much, but he still hoped Hyuga Kei would say it himself.

"I did it."

"Thank you." Hizashi gave a slight bow.

Hyuga Kei hurriedly bowed as well. "There's no need for this. Neji is my younger brother too, and before my aunt passed away, she entrusted me with taking good care of him. Naturally, I must do my utmost."

"I still have to thank you. The Sealing Scroll is beneath the bed in the room where you used to live. It has all been aged according to your requirements."

Hyuga Kei rose to head to his former room.

"No matter what you're planning to do, be careful."

"Understood."

As soon as Hyuga Kei stepped out of the room, he saw little Neji waiting eagerly outside.

Hyuga Kei crouched down and took out the gift he had prepared long ago. "Little Neji, here."

Neji walked over curiously, took the gift box, and opened it. Inside lay two pairs of wrist guards.

Hyuga Kei picked them up and put them on Neji. "These wrist guards can protect your wrists while you train."

"Thank you, Brother."

Hyuga Kei taught Neji many more training techniques and stayed beside him as he practiced.

It was not until late at night that Hyuga Kei returned to the apartment he rented outside, carrying the forged Sealing Scroll. The main reason he had chosen this place was the basement beneath the apartment, which made it convenient for him to research ninjutsu there daily.

Only after watching Hyuga Kei leave did a figure in the distance quickly depart.

Every Hyuga ninja knelt on one knee. "Great Elder, Hyuga Kei discussed some matters with Hizashi Hyuga. He also gave Hizashi's son two pairs of wrist guards, then returned to his own room once."

"Is that all?" The aged Hyuga Great Elder turned sideways as he listened to his subordinate's report.

"Yes."

"How would you say the relationship between Hyuga Kei, Hizashi, and his son is?"

"Very close. Hizashi's son, in particular, is extremely dependent on Hyuga Kei."

"Mm, good. Go collect your reward."

"Thank you, Great Elder!" the man said excitedly.

The Hyuga Great Elder let out a sinister chuckle. "Hehehe... The Hokage won't let me use the Caged Bird to control that mongrel, but he doesn't know that I have a better method."

After entering the apartment, Hyuga Kei carefully locked the door behind him and quietly activated his Byakugan. After scanning the surroundings and confirming that no one was watching him, he finally relaxed and entered the basement. The seals on the basement door had not been tampered with either.

The basement was fully equipped. Hyuga Kei had spent most of his salary on it, not only hiring professionals to expand its size, but also purchasing a great deal of research equipment.

Hyuga Kei took out the Sealing Scroll from his back and removed the corpses of three Hyuga Branch Family members. He dug out the Byakugan that had been destroyed by the Caged Bird and carefully placed them in saline solution.

He destroyed two of the mangled bodies, leaving only the relatively intact corpse and storing it in a freezer.

How could he destroy such a complete research specimen so easily?

During the seven days of his leave, Hyuga Kei only took brief breaks when he occasionally accompanied Neji during training. He devoted all his remaining time to researching the Byakugan and the Hyuga clan.

Thanks to his education in his previous life, he found the work fairly manageable.

Hyuga Kei had even specifically drawn some of Neji's blood to compare his genes with those of several Hyuga clansmen.

In the end, he reached a conclusion: the genes related to the Byakugan Kekkei Genkai and the Otsutsuki all originated from a single Gene Chain.

Most of that Gene Chain was dormant. After millennia of bloodline dilution, more than half of it had long since shut down.

The Hyuga clan's Byakugan was merely a small segment of that Gene Chain, a segment representing the Byakugan. The higher the DNA activity after activation, the purer the Byakugan.

When Hyuga Kei examined his own genes, he found that within the Gene Chain representing the Otsutsuki, not only was the segment representing the Byakugan active, but another segment was in a partially active state.

Hyuga Kei fell into thought. "That segment should represent the Sage Body. I really do have the Senju Bloodline, though its activity is extremely low."

"And what I need to do is use the Chimera Technique to continuously absorb the Dojutsu Power and bloodline of the Byakugan, allowing it to evolve."

The Byakugan's abilities were no worse than the Sharingan's. Kaguya Otsutsuki alone had demonstrated its functions of intimidation, Mind Control, and Thought Perception, not to mention Momoshiki Otsutsuki's Space-Time Ability in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.

There was also the Byakugan's evolved form, the Tenseigan. Once mastered, it could grant the power to contend with Naruto at the Super Kage-level after the final battle. Thinking of this, Hyuga Kei could not help feeling that his future was bright.

But the most important matter at present was still obtaining Hiruko's Chimera Technique. Once he mastered it, he would gain the ability to fuse Kekkei Genkai.

With only a few modifications, it would definitely work.

And that thing was kept inside Konoha's Sealing Room. Next month would bring the opportunity to inspect the sealed items. He had to succeed then.

Hyuga Kei had even developed a D-rank Ninjutsu for this purpose.

Ninjutsu: Substitution Technique. It could quickly exchange an item within a Sealing Scroll with another item of similar size while concealing the white mist produced during the process.

This would also increase the chances of successfully stealing the Sealing Scroll.

Moreover, Hyuga Kei had a backup plan. If no opportunity arose, he would create one himself.