Evolution of the Byakugan, the Ultimate Secret of the Byakugan... and the Hyuga Clan!

Evolution of the Byakugan, the Byakugan... the Hyuga Clan's Ultimate Secret!

Konoha and Kumogakure were about to hold their second peace talks.

Many ninja clans throughout the ninja world, as well as the hidden villages of every nation, were paying close attention to this matter.

The higher-ups of Sunagakure, the Hidden Stone Village, Kirigakure, and other ninja villages in particular were all hoping that the second Kumo-Konoha Peace Talks would fail. That way, Konoha and Kumogakure might continue fighting until both sides were badly weakened.

Then, it would be their chance to profit from the chaos.

Of course, while everyone in the ninja world focused on the Kumo-Konoha peace talks, Hinata and Roman lived peacefully and harmoniously in the Hyuga Estate, resonating with each other's souls as they waited for the Tenseigan Awakening period to pass.

As time passed bit by bit, the ocular power in Roman's eyes—temporarily blinded and wrapped in black cloth—grew stronger by the day, while a trace of deep azure gradually surfaced within them.

That was the color of the Tenseigan, the mark of the Sage of Six Paths...

At the same time, during these days, Hinata had spoiled Roman into the habit of having clothes put on for him and meals fed to him. He did not even go to the bathroom alone anymore.

He was comfortable beyond measure.

Besides that, another major event had taken place. After recovering from his injuries, that old man Hyuga Hiashi discovered that Roman had gone blind. He had once come to see Hinata with a kindly smile, asking whether she wanted him to assign someone to look after Roman.

"No."

Roman rejected it without hesitation.

For Roman, the only reason he could live freely and peacefully during his days without sight was because Hinata—his other self—was by his side, caring for him personally and attentively.

Leave Hinata, leave his other self, and let someone else take care of him? Until his blinded state during the Awakening period ended, his life would no longer be under his control... Hyuga Hiashi might not kill him, but he would very likely find ways to make things difficult for him.

After all, no matter what, Roman was the blond who had stolen that old man Hyuga's precious daughter. Roman himself understood that perfectly well.

So he could not accept anyone else caring for him, much less accept being separated from Hinata.

"No."

At that moment, Hinata also spoke up and rejected Hyuga Hiashi's suggestion.

For Hinata, being with Roman every day made her very happy. Even the days she spent taking care of him made her just as happy, and she willingly embraced them.

After all, every day she spent with Roman extended the duration of their Soul Resonance by another day. Her Byakugan's ocular power would grow further, and her chakra would increase even more.

Likewise, whenever they were together, Hinata could sense everything within Roman's body through their resonance... That doubled feeling made her lose herself in it, making it increasingly impossible for her to let go.

"..."

Seeing both his daughter and Roman reject his offer to assign servants to care for him, Hyuga Hiashi fell silent. A complicated expression appeared on his middle-aged face.

Even though Roman was blind, Hinata still remained at his side, never abandoning him, never giving up on him... This was no longer a passing crush... Could Hinata, at such a young age, really understand what love was?

And had she already fallen in love with Roman?!

After pondering for a long time, Hyuga Hiashi shook his head and cast away those distracting thoughts. "Hinata, since you're willing to look after Roman, you may continue doing so... But you need to tell me the truth about something."

?

Hinata looked up in confusion as she fed Roman.

Hyuga Hiashi took a deep breath and questioned, "Was the reason Roman was able to defeat Neji because he used the curse mark power Orochimaru implanted in his body?"

Hinata tilted her head, looking even more confused. "The curse mark power implanted by Orochimaru?"

"That's right. And the problem with Roman's eyes this time should also be a side effect of the curse mark, shouldn't it?"

"Father, who told you that?"

Hinata realized something. The confusion vanished from her face, replaced by a serious expression.

"You needn't concern yourself with that. Just tell me whether all this was caused by the curse mark. You also used Orochimaru's curse mark power before—will you go blind in the future as well?"

Hearing this, Hinata lowered her head and fell silent for a while.

After all, she could not exactly tell him that before long, she too would go blind once like Roman. However, she would not be permanently blinded. Instead, her ocular power would undergo a transformation as her Byakugan entered the Tenseigan Awakening period.

Finally, more than ten seconds later, Hinata spoke again.

"Father, you're worrying over nothing."

Hyuga Hiashi looked at Hinata's still healthy Byakugan. After sensing the immense ocular power within those eyes, he let out a long breath and said seriously, "In any case, it's good that your vision is fine now. You must never use Orochimaru's power again in the future. The eyes are the Hyuga Clan's most important power—their importance is no less than the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan."

After saying that, Hyuga Hiashi did not waste any more words. He stood up and left the room.

As the room's door closed, a troubled frown appeared on Hinata's adorable face, as though she had a headache.

Roman sensed every bit of those emotions. He could not help raising a hand and touching the spot where Hinata's head was in his memory.

"Hinata, don't worry.

"Once your Byakugan's ocular power reaches its peak and undergoes the next transformation during the Tenseigan Awakening period, temporarily robbing you of your sight... by then, I'll surely have already completed the Tenseigan Awakening period. I might even be able to enter Tenseigan Chakra Mode!

"When that time comes, we can naturally speak frankly with that old man Hyuga and tell him that Byakugan blindness isn't a bad thing. On the contrary, it's a wonderful thing!

"It concerns the evolution of the Byakugan—the Byakugan... and the Hyuga Clan's ultimate secret!"

Hinata was briefly taken aback by those words, and her tightly furrowed brows relaxed. A faint smile appeared on her little face as she said, "True. Once you complete the three fetal stirrings and your eyes fully recover from blindness, they'll become the Tenseigan! Then you'll be able to use Tenseigan Chakra Mode and naturally master those Bloodline Web, Six Paths Level techniques. You could be considered the number one Six Paths Level expert. A being standing at the pinnacle of the ninja world! In that case, you'll naturally be able to tell my father some truths about the Byakugan..."

Having said that, Hinata was initially delighted, but she quickly seemed to think of something else. "But there's still one question. Whose mind is so twisted that they linked your loss of vision to the side effects of Orochimaru's cursed seal, then told my father about that speculation?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, it should be Danzo."

"Danzo?!"

After being briefly stunned, Hinata seemed to recall something. "That's true... During the day, my Byakugan saw someone with powerful chakra—the person I'd once encountered in the Forest of Death—enter the Hyuga Estate and speak with my father for a while. Perhaps that was Danzo..."

"No, I mean that in Konoha, whether the pot belongs to Danzo or not, you can't go wrong throwing it at Danzo. After all, he's Konoha's Pot Kage, the Scapegoat of This World." Roman added after saying that, "But you said that during the day, you saw a powerful stranger with chakra come to the Hyuga Clan. That person really might have been Danzo!"

"..."

Speechless, Hinata turned to look out the window. Seeming to realize something from the light outside, she changed the subject. "The seven days are almost up. Tonight, we'll enter the Chaos Temple once again."