Born into the Hyuga Clan with the Tenseigan

Konoha, inside the Hyuga Clan Compound!

"Is that him?"

"That's him, Hyuga Chiba!"

"I'm jealous. He's Branch Family, just like us, but he doesn't have to be marked with the Caged Bird. He doesn't have to work, train, or fight, and the clan still supports him."

"He can't help it. He literally has no eyes. He's been eyeless since birth, so the Byakugan was never an option for him. He isn't even qualified to be a shinobi."

"And not long after he was born, his parents died protecting the Clan Head during the Third Shinobi World War. If the clan hadn't taken him in, he might have..."

"Do you really think he has it good? He can't see the world around him or train. The clan only gives him enough to eat, drink, sleep, and stay clothed."

"Yeah. I heard someone from the Main Family has it in for him lately and keeps finding excuses to bully him. He only holds back because of the Clan Head."

"..."

Several members of the Hyuga Clan's Branch Family huddled together, talking in "hushed" voices.

Ahead of them, a boy of about twelve walked with a cane in hand and a white bandage over his eyes. He had delicate features, and he ignored the "whispers" he could hear perfectly clearly. His pace never faltered as he reached a house slightly smaller than those around it and gently pushed the door open.

The room was small and sparsely furnished—almost too sparsely. It held only a single bed, bedding, a small table with a mirror on it, a stool, two or three changes of clothes, and a few everyday necessities.

The boy, Hyuga Chiba, sat down on the stool with practiced ease and slowly removed the bandage from his face.

When it came off completely, it revealed a pair of pure, flawless... Byakugan!

Look closely, and a flicker of blue could be seen deep within each eye.

"Finally... It's complete!"

Looking at his nearly perfect white eyes in the mirror, Hyuga Chiba couldn't help but smile with delight.

Ever since he had been reincarnated into this world as an unborn child twelve years ago, he had been blind, born without eyes.

At first, Chiba had found it hard to accept. He had even fallen into despair.

He knew all too well that Konoha would face one disaster after another: the Konoha Crush Plan, Pain's Invasion, the Fourth Shinobi World War, and the Ōtsutsuki Arrival.

When those days came, could a blind boy like him really count on surviving every time?

Fortunately, as Chiba grew older, he discovered that his eyes seemed to be growing in.

Thrilled as he was, he had almost instinctively chosen to hide the change.

Once he noticed the occasional blue flash in his developing eyes and began to suspect what it meant, his resolve only hardened. At least until his eyes had fully formed, this would remain his deepest secret!

After so many years of waiting, his eyes had finally finished growing.

"All this time, I've relied on my incomplete Byakugan to secretly learn the Hyuga Gentle Fist and anything else that might make me stronger."

Meeting his own gaze in the mirror, Chiba could no longer contain the excitement he had kept buried for so long. He murmured, "Along the way, I also made an even more startling discovery. My stamina, Chakra, and other basic attributes have been rising rapidly as my eyes grew."

"And these eyes helped conceal those changes, at least to a degree, until the moment I emerged from my cocoon."

"But most importantly..." With a thought, Chiba's white eyes instantly turned a pure blue, and brilliant white patterns appeared at the center of his pupils. His delight only grew. "I don't just have a Pure Byakugan now. I have... the Tenseigan!"

It was the pinnacle of the Hyuga Byakugan, an eye on the same level as the Otsutsuki Clan's Rinnegan.

In one of the Naruto films, Otsutsuki Toneri, whose bloodline was pure, had obtained the Tenseigan by transplanting Hyuga Hanabi's Pure Byakugan. He had demonstrated powers including Tenseigan Chakra Mode, Gravity and Repulsion, the Mind Sphere, Tenseigan Chakra Threads, Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, and Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.

The Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, in particular, possessed the terrifying power to split the moon in two with a single strike.

To date, nothing in the Hokage World had surpassed that feat on screen!

"Too bad Toneri's Tenseigan vanished after one punch from Naruto. Was it because those eyes weren't originally his, or was there another reason?"

Chiba shook his head, then said with confidence, "But my Tenseigan is different. This power is entirely my own."

"One day, mine might even prove stronger than Toneri's, with more abilities besides."

Of course, Chiba's Tenseigan wasn't entirely without... drawbacks.

For one thing...

"I'm still too young. I don't have enough stamina or Chakra. Using the Tenseigan's powers normally shouldn't be a problem, but I probably can't maintain Tenseigan Chakra Mode for long."

"And even if I could use every one of its powers freely, would I really be able to take on members of the Otsutsuki Clan like Ōtsutsuki Kaguya or Ōtsutsuki Isshiki?"

That worried Chiba, but not too much.

He had a feeling that his Tenseigan had only reached its Initial Awakening and might continue growing without limit.

As it grew, it would drive rapid, substantial gains in his stamina, Chakra, and other attributes.

That was one of the main reasons he believed his Tenseigan would surpass Toneri's.

"Besides, the Tenseigan isn't the only power in this world that can make me stronger."

There were the Nine Tailed Beasts, for example, as well as Senjutsu, the Eight Inner Gates Formation, and the Flying Thunder God Technique!

"Looks like it's time for me to leave the Hyuga Clan—and Konoha." Chiba's Tenseigan reverted to the Byakugan, but determination settled in his gaze. "Only by leaving Konoha for a while can I grow stronger faster."

Chiba turned toward the setting sun beyond the window. "Tonight..."

Bang! The front door was kicked open. Three boys swaggered in with insolent confidence, shouting, "Hyuga Chiba, you useless freeloader! You've lived off the Hyuga Household long enough."

"So what if you're blind? You can still work, can't you?"

"At the very least, you ought to make a decent punching bag!"