The Use of the Byakugan

After some deliberation, Akashi finally tracked down Shingetsu.

The two met in private at the research laboratory.

On the white operating table, Hyuga Shingetsu lay quietly. Though she didn't say a word, her heart was beating rapidly. A metal scanner slid past her, its tip flashing with a bright yellow light while emitting a rhythmic "beep-beep-beep" sound.

Today, Shingetsu was wearing a chainmail undershirt; the net-like garment clung tightly to her frame, highlighting her prominent features.

Akashi couldn't help but linger with his gaze.

After all, who doesn't prefer a tighter fit?

On the computer screen, a series of data points were neatly arranged.

The waveform graph scrolled by with rhythmic consistency.

Akashi, dressed in a white lab coat, operated the computer with a professional air and asked casually, "Have you finished reading the medical ninjutsu manuscripts I gave you last time?"

"I've read them, but there are still some parts I don't quite understand."

"Since they were a gift from Doctor Shinnō, it's only natural they'd be difficult. You should try consulting a veteran medical ninja."

"But..."

Shingetsu looked troubled. "If I go to ask about medical ninjutsu, I'll probably be laughed at, won't I?"

Although she had listened to Akashi and begun exploring medical ninjutsu, she still harbored prejudices against it.

This was a world where strength dictated status. While medical ninjas were precious and respected, their combat capabilities were often lacking. In the eyes of prestigious clans like the Hyuga, they were merely considered "vassals."

Having aimed to be a genius since childhood and raised on the teachings of her elders, Hyuga Shingetsu naturally looked down upon medical ninjas.

Of course, Tsunade was the exception.

Akashi had gone to great lengths to get those manuscripts from Shinnō; he didn't want her to give up halfway.

"It seems you still haven't grasped the proper use of the Byakugan. Let me teach you."

"You're going to teach me?"

Shingetsu acted as if she had just heard a joke.

The Hyuga clan's Byakugan, and you, an Uchiha, are going to teach me?

"I'm serious," Akashi emphasized. "The first application is medical ninjutsu. By utilizing the X-ray vision function, you can easily accomplish things ordinary medical ninjas cannot. As long as you are strong enough, you can even defeat enemies using a Chakra Scalpel. Who would dare laugh at you then?"

"That may be true, but..."

Shingetsu frowned, her heart filled with hesitation.

At this moment, Akashi pressed a button. "Alright, get up."

Lying on the operating table, Shingetsu unplugged the various sensors and sat up. "Well? Did you find anything?"

"It was just a simple physical check-up to lay the foundation for future research. No major issues were found, but it wasn't without its gains. For example, here—"

Following Akashi's finger, she looked at a human model on the screen.

Except for the lack of chakra flow and meridian visualization, the effect was similar to being viewed through the Byakugan. Even though it was a legitimate scientific analysis, watching one's own body alongside someone else felt strange.

"There..."

"At the second vertebra in your back, there is a blind spot for the Byakugan, isn't there?"

Shingetsu nodded.

Because of the Caged Bird Seal, the Branch House Byakugan possessed an additional fatal flaw. The so-called 360-degree absolute field of vision had a one-degree blind spot located right between the shoulder blades.

There was actually a technique capable of addressing this flaw.

It was known as the absolute defense: Eight Trigrams Palms: Rotation.

Akashi smiled. "Your clan has a technique called Rotation. If you could learn it, wouldn't it compensate for the flaw?"

Shingetsu nodded, then shook her head. "You certainly know a lot, but unfortunately, Rotation is a secret technique. The Branch House cannot learn it; the technique is firmly held by the Main House, which lacks such flaws."

"I can help you deduce it."

"First the Sixty-Four Palms, now Rotation—I suspect you're joking with me."

Shingetsu grew increasingly skeptical.

Akashi didn't offer further explanation. He took off his lab coat and donned his ninja flak jacket. "Let's go. To our usual spot."

The "usual spot" was the forest behind the Ninja Academy.

The two were more than familiar with it.

Arriving at the wide grassy clearing, Akashi took out a hand crossbow.

Shingetsu frowned, examining it for a long time before asking curiously, "What is this?"

"A crossbow. I custom-made it for your Byakugan. The string and the bolts are made of materials that can conduct chakra. The arrow quiver can also hold a stack of Explosive Tags to attach to the fired bolts. Once they hit the target, the explosion will be impossible to withstand."

Akashi held it up and gestured with it.

Listening to the introduction, it sounded quite impressive, and this type of weapon wasn't cumbersome to carry.

However, Shingetsu was puzzled. "I thought we were going to deduce Rotation..."

"Don't be in such a rush. First, let's talk about the second application of the Byakugan: the long-range deterrence of its far-sighted vision!"

Akashi handed the Hand Crossbow to Shingetsu. "The Gentle Fist style that the Hyuga Clan excels at is indeed excellent in close-quarters combat, but it struggles to be effective against long-range enemies. If you get pinned down and worn out, it's very easy to fall into a passive position."

"We could just use shuriken and kunai, though."

"Give it a try, and you'll see the difference."

Akashi insisted that practice was the only way to true knowledge.

Shingetsu skeptically raised the Hand Crossbow and notched the bolt, an Explosive Tag tightly wrapped around its tip. She activated her Byakugan, blue veins bulging at her temples, bringing everything within a one-kilometer radius into her field of vision; she could clearly see the movements of every bird and beast.

Her line of sight locked on, and she fired instantly!

Whoosh!

A whistling sound tore through the air, followed immediately by a "bang" of an explosion, flames erupting and billowing thick smoke.

If that had struck an enemy's body, combined with the explosion, the target would have been dead without a doubt.

Shingetsu was stunned in disbelief. "This..."

"Actually, I originally wanted to equip you with modern firearms, but considering the habits of a ninja, a Hand Crossbow is more convenient. Crafting this weapon cost me several hundred thousand ryo."

"You've saved up quite a lot of money."

"That's not the point," Akashi emphasized. "The key is that only the Byakugan can unleash its maximum power!"

Shingetsu fell into deep thought. Seeing the simulated scenario on the field, she had to admit that Akashi made sense.

"Besides, don't you think the ninjutsu of the Hyuga Clan is too monotonous?"

"Monotonous?"

"For example, you should at least pick one or two of the five elemental releases to master; otherwise, you're just wasting your own chakra nature, and you lack effective large-scale area-of-effect capabilities."

Akashi felt a deep sense of regret, though he wasn't sure if it was due to clan tradition or rigid regulations.

The Byakugan paired with other ninjutsu should be incredibly powerful.

He had no choice but to guide Shingetsu, urging her to broaden her horizons and not get hung up on the narrow confines of her clan.

Many powerful clans in Konoha, such as the Kurama Clan or the Aburame Clan, possessed secret hereditary techniques, yet they didn't reject learning additional skills.

Shingetsu was deeply inspired.

But still, this is our clan's Nintaijutsu—how is he the one explaining it so logically?

It's a bit infuriating!

Akashi continued, "The third application is the combination of the observational eye and the Gentle Fist, represented by techniques like Rotation, which I have just managed to deduce."

"You really did it?"

"There's no benefit in lying to you," Akashi said. "However, there is something I might need your help with. You'll agree, won't you?"

Shingetsu raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Akashi held out his hand. "Come with me to the border."