Homecoming

Jiraiya and Hinata were still quite recognizable, and the two ninja guarding Hidden Leaf Village's gates recognized them.

Judging by how excited they were, Hinata wondered if they were Jiraiya's fans.

"Hey, why have Lady Hinata's eyes changed?"

"How would I know? Don't pry into things that don't concern you."

Even after entering Hidden Leaf Village's gates, Hinata could still hear the two of them talking.

They walked through the village streets, heading toward the Hokage Building.

Jiraiya glanced at Hinata and found her staring straight ahead. But knowing that Hinata possessed an all-encompassing field of vision, he could not be sure where she was actually looking.

"I understand the details."

The Third Hokage looked at Hinata's eyes, then avoided meeting her gaze directly.

He had once thought being stared at by the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan was already stressful. Now, it seemed the Tenseigan exerted even greater pressure. It felt as though he were being seen through completely.

And... the Tenseigan. He wondered how it compared to the Mangekyō Sharingan...

"Hinata, go home first. Your father is waiting for you."

Even before looking through the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan, the Hyuga family had already learned that their Young Miss had returned the instant Hinata entered Hidden Leaf Village.

Just as the Third Hokage had said, her father was now waiting for her to leave the Hokage Building and return home.

"Then, Sensei, I'll head back first."

After Hinata left, the Third Hokage looked at Jiraiya. "You're not leaving again this time, are you?"

"I'm not."

Jiraiya waved a hand grandly. No matter what, he was not leaving this time.

The Third Hokage smiled. "Then go get some rest first. I'll assign you work afterward. You should know that Hidden Leaf Village is very busy right now."

"Fine, then."

After leaving the Hokage's office, just as she was about to leave the Hokage Building, Hinata ran into a ninja.

What caught Hinata's attention was the dense, strange energy surrounding him.

Combined with the nervous look on his face, she wondered, Did something happen?

Hinata watched him disappear around the end of the corridor, but did not dwell on it.

To be honest, ninja like him—rushing anxiously to the Hokage Building with tense expressions—had appeared almost every month without fail over the past few years.

And the news they brought back was usually bad news...

On the way back home, Hinata's azure Tenseigan drew countless gazes.

Ordinary civilians were fine. They simply thought her eyes were beautiful and wanted to look a little longer.

But veteran ninja who had been ninja for many years would instinctively avert their eyes after taking a single look at Hinata's.

Because those azure eyes gave them the feeling that every secret in their bodies had been laid bare.

After returning to the Hyuga Clan Compound, those stares not only did not lessen, but every Hyuga clansman saw Hinata's eyes.

They could not help discussing what had happened to Young Miss Hinata's eyes.

But no matter what, none of them had the courage to ask her in person.

"What happened to your eyes?"

Hyuga Hiashi was greatly shocked when he saw Hinata's eyes, fearing that something had gone wrong with them.

"About that..."

Hinata told her father the excuse she had prepared, then demonstrated a little to let him witness the Tenseigan's power.

"This is wonderful!"

"Hinata, come with me."

Hyuga Hiashi hurriedly brought Hinata into a room and notified the elders.

Before long, the elders arrived.

They were also deeply shocked upon seeing Hinata's eyes, and they too worried that something had gone wrong with them.

When they heard that Hinata's eyes had evolved into the Tenseigan, they were even more astonished.

Hinata also cooperatively displayed Tenseigan Mode.

Seeing her entire body wrapped in sky-blue energy and floating at least twenty centimeters above the ground, they were so shocked their jaws nearly dropped.

Hyuga Hiashi looked at the stunned elders, feeling immensely pleased, though at the same time, he felt a faint sense of defeat.

In terms of strength, his eight-year-old daughter had left him behind by an unimaginable distance.

"Ahem. Hinata, we've seen your Tenseigan, but we still need to verify its power."

"That's right. The Tenseigan has never appeared before; we must confirm its strength."

"Yes, exactly."

These eyes might not be any weaker than the Uchiha Clan's Mangekyō Sharingan!

Then Hyuga Hiashi and the others brought Hinata to an empty training ground.

And the one sparring with Hinata was still her father, Hyuga Hiashi.

After all, aside from Hinata, Hyuga Hiashi was the strongest member of the Hyuga family.

Hinata looked at her father, who had assumed the opening stance of the Gentle Fist, then at the elders in the distance, all glaring with their Byakugan.

She really wanted to say, Come at me together.

But she gave up on the idea. She should leave her father a little dignity.

"Hinata, be careful."

After warning Hinata, Hyuga Hiashi struck a palm toward her abdomen.

He was so fast that he crossed the ten-meter distance between them in an instant.

But his palm was directly blocked by the layer of blue energy covering Hinata's body.

Hyuga Hiashi felt as though he had struck incomparably soft cotton. The instant he touched that layer of energy, the force of his palm seemed to be neutralized.

And after touching that layer of energy, he understood that his current strength was incapable of breaking through this energy cloak.

He understood, but the elders on the other side did not.

"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"

Hyuga Hiashi leaped back to where he had been standing before, then launched four consecutive palm strikes through the air at Hinata.

Hyuga Hiashi using the Vacuum Palm surprised the elders somewhat.

He had even used the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm. Was that really necessary?

But what shocked them even more came next. They clearly saw all four Vacuum Palms land on Hinata, yet it was as if stones had sunk into the sea, leaving no trace at all.

It was as though those four Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palms were no more than someone fanning her with their hand.

Though that was indeed the truth...

Hyuga Hiashi's eye twitched. The gap... was it really this vast?

Watching the astonished elders, Hinata thought, This isn't over yet.

She condensed a Truth-Seeking Orb and transformed it into a longsword shining with golden light.

The sword tip hung vertically downward, pointing straight at the ground. Then she exerted a little force with her hand and raised the sword until its tip pointed upward.

The golden longsword traced the outline of a semicircle through the air.

Hyuga Hiashi stared intently at the golden longsword in Hinata's hand, his expression incomparably grave.

Even merely staring at the golden longsword in Hinata's hand gave his eyes a faint stabbing pain. The elders beside him felt the same.

But to Hyuga Hiashi's surprise, Hinata merely raised the golden longsword before putting it away.

"You're not going to attack?"

As if answering Hyuga Hiashi's question, the entire courtyard began to tremble, as though an earthquake had struck.