Level 3 "Body Regeneration"

Hyuga Ritsu, holding the document personally signed by Orochimaru, left the heavily guarded frontline camp without any hindrance. Once outside the camp gate, his figure rose and fell several times before vanishing into the mountain forest to the north. He traveled through the dim, cold woods with dappled shadows for about six kilometers before stopping.

"Byakugan, activate!"

Hyuga Ritsu activated his Byakugan.

His pupils turned pure white, and veins bulged around his eyes.

A 359° field of vision presented the surrounding scenery in his mind, but he quickly controlled it to shrink to a normal size, then turned around, facing south, and extended his sight range continuously. Soon, the frontline camp appeared in his view.

The Byakugan's 360° unobstructed insight, its ability to see several kilometers into the distance, and its x-ray vision to see through the chakra pathways of the human body—all these abilities could be freely controlled and adjusted. After all, if they couldn't be controlled, using these eyes in battle would be impossible, let alone living a normal life.

However, Hyuga Ritsu's observation encountered an obstacle. The entire frontline camp was shrouded in a massive spherical barrier. His vision couldn't penetrate it, so he couldn't clearly see the situation inside the camp. But he had no intention of spying on the camp anyway; his main focus was observing the path from the camp to his current location.

Everything was normal.

No tail following him.

He then scanned the other directions, and after confirming there were no abnormalities, he continued on his way with the Byakugan still active.

Cautious, careful—

This was a habit he had honed over countless missions as a ninja, constantly walking the line between life and death.

Even though he possessed the "reincarnation benefit" that most fellow transmigrators enjoyed, his luck wasn't particularly good. It was as if the goddess responsible for drawing his number had just come back from the bathroom and forgotten to wash her hands, leaving him with a superpower called "Body Regeneration."

Its origin was "Academy City."

Its level was Level 1, a low-level ability. The specific effect was forming a membrane over ruptured blood vessels to temporarily stop bleeding, activating automatically without conscious intervention.

A cheat ability of this degree was practically useless in the world of ninjas.

Hyuga Ritsu had no capital to act like a "dragon dominating the heavens," so he had to seek stability in his actions. Fortunately, his superpower had growth potential. He had been training since the age of five, and over the past ten years, "Body Regeneration" had evolved twice.

After the first evolution, his regeneration improved to the point where minor flesh wounds healed quickly;

After the second evolution, his regeneration improved to the point where any injury that wasn't fatal or caused significant loss could heal on its own;

And this, was one of the reasons Hyuga Ritsu dared to use the Chimera Technique in an "incorrect way."

Nine years had passed since he became a disciple at the age of six, and he had contributed to the improvement of the Chimera Technique. According to their research, the greatest difficulty in performing the Chimera Technique wasn't stealing others' Kekkei Genkai, but fusing the stolen Kekkei Genkai.

Fusion was a dangerous and arduous process, placing high demands on the user's vitality.

The reason Hiruko developed a method to simultaneously steal five Kekkei Genkai wasn't to acquire more, but to use the principle of mutual generation and restraint among the five elements to minimize the risks during fusion.

With his "Body Regeneration" superpower, now at what should be Level 3 after two evolutions, Hyuga Ritsu had a higher tolerance for risk.

Additionally, another source of confidence was his chosen target: the Kaguya Clan's "Shikotsumyaku."

Both the Byakugan and Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai traced their origins back to Kaguya Otsutsuki. Unlike ninjutsu-type Kekkei Genkai like Ice Release or Lava Release, these were directly manifested in the physique, bringing more drastic and noticeable changes to the body.

According to his calculations and predictions, fusing Shikotsumyaku would inevitably cause changes in his Byakugan Kekkei Genkai, directly dismantling the foundation of the Caged Bird Seal, turning it into a castle in the air that would collapse on its own.

By the time the moon set and the stars sank, as dawn approached, Hyuga Ritsu, who had traveled all night without rest, finally stopped deep in a desolate forest filled with the scent of wild beasts. He stood before a tall dead tree, crawled into its hollow trunk, and opened a mechanism at the bottom, revealing a passage leading deep underground.

Hyuga Ritsu jumped in, running swiftly down the ninety-degree vertical rock wall before landing steadily.

It was pitch black inside, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

But this posed no obstacle to the Byakugan. From above, he had already used it to survey the "secret laboratory." Everything was normal; no accidents had occurred during the two days he and his teacher Hiruko had been away.

The "precious material" imprisoned in the lab was still alive.

Hyuga Ritsu walked through the darkness, precisely arriving at the cell holding the "precious material."

"Snap!"

A candle was lit.

The darkness within a seven-to-eight-meter radius was dispelled.

In the cell, less than ten square meters in size, a man was suspended. He wore tattered white clothes, with long black hair hanging loose and two red dots between his brows. His face was fierce. He squinted, adjusting to the candlelight, and after seven or eight seconds, opened his eyes to look at Hyuga Ritsu. In an instant, a mad expression appeared on his face, and he let out a hoarse roar, "Hyuga brat, I'll kill you!!!"

He struggled violently.

The chains binding him clattered with crisp sounds.

Hyuga Ritsu ignored the man's futile rage.

He had sealed the man's chakra flow by striking his pressure points with Gentle Fist. Without the ability to use chakra, no matter how hard he struggled, it was useless.

Instead, Hyuga Ritsu was pleased with the man's tenacious vitality.

This man was a Jonin from Kirigakure's Kaguya Clan, who had awakened the "Shikotsumyaku" Kekkei Genkai. He was exceptionally ferocious in battle, having killed many on Konoha's side on the front lines. Hyuga Ritsu and his teacher Hiruko had teamed up to lure him to a secluded spot, expended considerable effort to defeat and capture him alive, and then concealed the information without reporting it. The submitted report only stated that the man had been lured into a trap and blown to pieces by Explosive Tags.

Thus, this fellow became the private trophy of the master and disciple.

After all, Once a prisoner with a Kekkei Genkai was brought back to camp, they would be handed over to the Anbu, severing any connection to the master-disciple pair of Hyuga Ritsu and Hiruko. There would be no chance to use this person to cultivate the Chimera Technique, a Forbidden Jutsu banned by the village.

Hyuga Ritsu stepped forward, raised his right hand, and jabbed sharply at the prisoner's neck. The hoarse, abusive shouts ceased abruptly.

The precious material fell directly into unconsciousness.

Then, Hyuga Ritsu sat cross-legged on the ground before the cell door, took out the dry rations and water he carried with him, and began to eat and drink, recovering the stamina spent from a night of running. He needed to adjust to his peak state before performing the Chimera Technique.