Is the Byakugan Truly Inferior to the Sharingan?

"Lady Tsunade, how could I possibly know what Lord Orochimaru is thinking?"

Hyuga Hane said helplessly, "Perhaps he simply wants to protect his comrades; after all, he is the supreme commander of the Mist Village battlefield."

"Protect his comrades? Orochimaru?"

For some reason, Tsunade felt like laughing, yet she couldn't bring herself to do so.

If not for the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars, Orochimaru would likely have become Hokage, right?

An outstanding Hokage who truly valued his comrades.

But as for the current Orochimaru, Tsunade could no longer understand him.

War, truly...

Tsunade waved her hand in a dispirited manner, "You may go."

What Orochimaru wanted to do, what did that have to do with her?

Let the old man deal with his own headaches.

She was merely a frail kunoichi suffering from hemophobia; what did the turmoil of Konoha have to do with her!

"Even Tsunade has been called back to help; it seems there are results to look forward to."

On the street, Hyuga Hane looked back toward the direction of the laboratory, lost in thought.

Having transmigrated into the Hyuga branch family, the biggest problem was the Caged Bird, but the Caged Bird could not actually kill him.

During his first trade with Orochimaru, he had exchanged the secrets of the Senju and Uchiha for his guidance and the Spirit Transformation Technique!

For a soul that did not belong to this shinobi world, did the body he possessed truly belong to him?

The previous results of the Impure World Reincarnation had verified that it did not, and he had already formed this hypothesis back when he first acquired the Spirit Transformation Technique.

Because when using the Spirit Transformation Technique, he could perceive the existence of the Pure Land, and could even travel there directly.

However, he had an intuition that once he entered the Pure Land, it would be difficult to return, so he had not attempted it.

This also meant that for him, a soul who had arrived in this world, life and death were no longer tied to the body, but determined by the survival of the soul; the physical body was merely a vessel.

The Caged Bird could not kill his soul, so its threat to him was limited.

However, obtaining his current strength had not been easy, and Hyuga Hane did not have the habit of wiping his slate clean; since he had already taken action, he naturally had to secure tangible results.

Hyuga Hane shifted his gaze toward a female ninja walking toward the laboratory.

Hyuga Miyuki.

--The branch family member who had said the Caged Bird looked unsightly that day.

Since there has been some progress in the research on the Byakugan, you shall be the one to test it for me, and add more fuel to the current situation.

"Lady Tsunade, how is the progress on the Caged Bird research?"

Walking into the laboratory, Hyuga Miyuki's cute cheeks bore a clear expression of nervousness.

"The progress is gratifying." Tsunade glanced at the young girl's fine features, her tone calm, "In another month, your branch family will be branded with a brand-new Caged Bird."

Hyuga Miyuki's expression stiffened.

"...Is that so."

As expected, nothing had changed.

Returning home, Hyuga Miyuki collapsed onto her bed in exhaustion, her heart filled with torment.

Must she really go on like this, like her father and mother, dedicating everything to the main family?

Thinking of her parents, who had been forced onto the battlefield and died because of the selfishness of a main family ninja, Hyuga Miyuki clenched her fists.

If the main family ninja hadn't needed to go to the front lines, they, serving as guards, would never have been on the battlefield.

If not for the main family, they wouldn't have been ambushed by the Mist Village...

Dedication to the main family...

"No! Absolutely not!"

She climbed off the bed and went to her desk.

She held up two fingers of her right hand in front of her eyes.

"Release!"

A small barrier was dispelled by her, and the desk drawer slid open.

Hyuga Miyuki looked at the scroll inside, her raised hand frozen in mid-air.

She gritted her teeth, "Whatever his goal may be, I need power right now!"

Having convinced herself, she grabbed the scroll and began to study it carefully.

This scroll had appeared in her room not long ago.

She didn't know who had done it, nor did she know if it was a trap.

But, as a member of the branch family, even though both her parents were Jonin, she had no right to access the advanced training methods of the Gentle Fist.

If one wishes to possess the power to resist, one must take it up.

The first part of the scroll recorded various Gentle Fist techniques, including Rotation, Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, and so on.

However, Hyuga Miyuki quickly skipped past these and looked toward the end.

"The Byakugan and the Sharingan are the same type of Kekkei Genkai. The latter's awakening and evolution are linked to Yin Release chakra, but what about the former?"

"There exists a disparity in the ocular power of different Hyuga ninja's Byakugan, which is directly reflected in the range of their vision."

"Research reveals that this is also related to Yin Release chakra. It is just that this gap is minuscule; the detection limit of a standard Hyuga Byakugan seems to be one kilometer, and Yin Release chakra can only increase that range by a few meters."

"The Byakugan is clearly different from the Sharingan. This Kekkei Genkai is extremely stable; if one wishes to force it to evolve, simply increasing Yin Release chakra will not suffice."

"However, because of this stability, the rejection rate of the Byakugan is terrifyingly low, and anyone can transplant it. Its ocular power is also very stable; any Byakugan can perfectly absorb the ocular power possessed by other Byakugan."

"Then, if a pair of Byakugan were to absorb the ocular power of every Byakugan in the Hyuga clan, what would it eventually become?"

"The evolution of the Sharingan can greatly enhance chakra and can even evolve into the legendary Mangekyo—the power that allowed that Asura of the ninja world to traverse the lands."

"As one of the three great ocular techniques of the ninja world, is the Byakugan truly inferior to the Sharingan?"

The final part of the scroll read like a record of an experiment, and she was the test subject chosen by the mastermind to continue it.

Yet, Hyuga Miyuki did not want to refuse.

The other party had given her two choices.

First, cultivate the Gentle Fist step by step and eventually become a Jonin of the Hyuga clan.

Second, inherit the research and continue the experiment.

The former would allow her to live well within the Hyuga, becoming a high-ranking "slave," but it would not allow her to take revenge!

After her parents died, she had to hide her hatred deep within her heart, never revealing it in front of others.

Because she lacked the strength for vengeance.

Whether it was the Main Branch members who caused her parents' deaths and were likely still alive, or the Mist Village Jonin who had killed them, she, a mere Chunin, possessed no power to exact revenge.

Not to mention retaliating against the Hyuga Main Branch, the source of all these tragedies...

Hyuga Miyuki stared intently at the line in the scroll, "Is the Byakugan truly inferior to the Sharingan?", and whispered in her heart.

I shall be the one to verify this for you!

On the other side, Hyuga Hane, having activated his Byakugan, revealed a faint smile.

It is about to begin.