How to Use the Byakugan

After thinking it over, Akashi finally found Shingetsu.

The two arranged to meet alone at the research institute.

Hyuga Shingetsu lay quietly on the white examination table. She hadn't said a word, but her heart was racing. A metal detector slid past her, its tip flashing bright yellow as it beeped.

Today, Shingetsu wore a chainmail shirt, with a mesh top that clung tightly to her figure and showed off her assets.

Akashi couldn't help taking a few extra glances.

After all, who didn't like things a little tighter?

A string of data was neatly arranged on the computer screen.

The waveforms moved in a steady rhythm.

Wearing a white lab coat, Akashi operated the computer with practiced ease and casually asked, "Have you finished reading the medical ninjutsu manuscripts I gave you last time?"

"I've read them. There are some parts I still don't understand."

"Since they were a gift from Doctor Shinnō, it's only natural that they're difficult. You should ask an experienced medical ninja for help."

"But..."

Shingetsu hesitated. "If I ask someone about medical ninjutsu, won't they laugh at me?"

Although she had taken Akashi's advice and started studying medical ninjutsu, she still held some prejudice against it.

This was a world where strength determined status. Medical ninjas were valuable and respected, but they often weren't strong fighters. In the eyes of prestigious clans like the Hyuga, they could only be considered "supporting players."

Hyuga Shingetsu had been raised to strive for genius-level achievement. Naturally, she'd absorbed her elders' views and looked down on medical ninjas.

Of course, Tsunade was an exception.

Akashi had gone to so much trouble to get the manuscripts from Shinnō for her. He didn't want her to give up halfway.

"Looks like you still don't understand the proper way to use the Byakugan. Let me teach you."

"You're going to teach me?"

Shingetsu looked as if she'd just heard a joke.

The Byakugan belonged to the Hyuga Clan. And a Uchiha was going to teach her how to use it?

"I'm serious." Akashi stressed the point. "The first use is medical ninjutsu. With its ability to see through things, you can easily do things ordinary medical ninjas can't. As long as you're strong enough, you can even use a Chakra Scalpel to defeat your enemies. Who would laugh at you then?"

"Even so..."

Shingetsu frowned, still unsure.

Just then, Akashi pressed a button. "All right, you can get up now."

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

"I just gave you a basic checkup to lay the groundwork for future research. I didn't find any major problems, but I did learn a few things. For example, here—"

She followed Akashi's finger to a diagram of a human body.

It lacked chakra flow and visible pathways, but otherwise looked much like an image seen through the Byakugan. The analysis was purely scientific, but seeing her own body alongside someone else still felt strange.

"There..."

"Isn't there a blind spot in the Byakugan behind the second vertebra?"

Shingetsu nodded.

Because of the Caged Bird Seal, the Branch House's Byakugan had a fatal flaw: its supposedly absolute, 360-degree field of vision had a one-degree blind spot, right between the shoulder blades.

There was, in fact, a technique that could compensate for this flaw.

The "Eight Trigrams Palms: Heavenly Spin," known as the ultimate defense.

Akashi smiled. "Your clan has a technique called Rotation. If you learned it, could you make up for the flaw?"

Shingetsu nodded, then shook her head. "You sure know a lot. Unfortunately, Rotation is a secret technique, and the Branch House can't learn it. The Main House, whose Byakugan has no flaws, keeps it firmly under its control."

"I can help work it out."

"First the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, now Rotation. I'm starting to think you're joking."

Shingetsu was growing more skeptical by the minute.

Akashi didn't explain further. He took off the lab coat and put on his flak jacket. "Come on. Let's go to our usual spot."

Their usual spot was the hill behind the Ninja Academy.

They knew it well.

When they reached the broad meadow, Akashi took out a hand crossbow.

Shingetsu studied it with a frown before asking curiously, "What's that?"

"A crossbow. I made it specifically for your Byakugan. The bowstring and bolts are made of materials that conduct chakra. You can also load the quiver with a stack of Explosive Tags and attach them to the bolts. Once one hits, the explosion will be hard to withstand."

Akashi held it up and demonstrated a couple of times.

From his description, it sounded impressive, and the weapon didn't seem too troublesome to carry.

Still, Shingetsu was puzzled. "I thought you were going to work out Rotation..."

"Don't rush. First, let's talk about the Byakugan's second use: the long-range intimidation its far-sight provides!"

Akashi handed her the hand crossbow. "The Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist Style is excellent in close combat, but it's hard to use against enemies at a distance. If you get pinned down and worn out, you can easily end up on the defensive."

"We can use shuriken and kunai."

"Try it, and you'll see the difference."

Akashi insisted that practical experience was the best teacher.

Shingetsu raised the hand crossbow doubtfully and set a bolt in place. An Explosive Tag was tightly wrapped around its tip. She activated her Byakugan, the veins around her eyes bulging as she took in everything within a kilometer. She could clearly see every movement of the birds and beasts.

She locked onto her target and fired in an instant!

Whoosh!

The bolt whistled through the air, followed by a bang. Flames shot up, and thick smoke billowed.

If it hit an enemy and exploded, they'd be dead for sure.

Shingetsu stared in disbelief. "This..."

"I originally wanted to equip you with firearms, but considering what ninjas are used to, a hand crossbow seemed more convenient. It cost me several hundred thousand ryō to make."

"You've saved a lot of money."

"That's not the point," Akashi stressed. "The key is that only the Byakugan can bring out its full power!"

Shingetsu pondered this. After seeing the demonstration, she had to admit that Akashi had a point.

"Also, don't you think the Hyuga Clan's ninjutsu is too limited?"

"Limited?"

"You should at least specialize in one or two of the five basic nature transformations. Otherwise, you're wasting your chakra natures, and you don't have any effective large-scale attacks."

Akashi felt it was a real shame. He couldn't tell whether it was family tradition or some rigid rule.

The Byakugan should be incredibly powerful when combined with other ninjutsu.

He could only advise Shingetsu to broaden her horizons and stop obsessing over the little corner of the world occupied by her clan.

Many powerful clans in Konoha, like the Kurama Clan and the Aburame Clan, had secret techniques passed down through their families, but they weren't opposed to learning other skills.

Shingetsu was deeply inspired.

But wait, it was our clan's Nintaijutsu. How did he know so much about it?

It was kind of annoying!

Akashi continued, "The third use is combining the Byakugan's observational ability with Gentle Fist Style. Techniques like Rotation are a good example—and I've worked it out."

"You really did?"

"I wouldn't gain anything by lying to you," Akashi said. "But there's something I might need your help with. You'll agree, right?"

Shingetsu raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

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