The Art of Counter-Peeping

Ever since she had Ito Makoto teach Sakura how to refine chakra, Mika would leave Ito Makoto in the care of Haruno Mebuki every day before heading to work.

Haruno Mebuki was more than happy to have a playmate for Sakura; after all, looking after one child or two made little difference.

Ito Makoto himself, however, was far from pleased. Although he was only three years old, his soul remained that of an adult, and spending his days with a toddler was incredibly dull—even if she was the future heroine of the Hokage.

Fortunately, the current Sakura was not yet the "Sakura-bro" of the future; she was merely a quiet little girl with no violent tendencies, working hard every day on chakra refinement in preparation for the Ninja Academy.

He only needed to answer a few questions to get through the day. The rest of the time, he could practice his ninjutsu and continue his cell activation training.

He harbored many secrets. Having just broken away from the Uchiha Clan, he was unsure if the Anbu or the Uchiha Clan were monitoring him, so he kept all his secrets buried, not daring to use them—not even at home.

The Uchiha Clan's contract dictated that once a Sharingan was awakened, one had to return to the clan. Having just escaped that quagmire, Ito Makoto had no intention of going back. Between the Third Hokage, who spent his days peeping through a crystal ball, Danzo, who coveted the Uchiha Clan, and the Konoha Anbu patrolling everywhere, there was almost no safe place for him in the village.

Whether at home or outside, Ito Makoto felt extremely uneasy, terrified that he might accidentally reveal his Rinnegan during a nap.

This left him constantly on edge, feeling as though someone was always watching him, which kept his nerves frayed.

While he could hide his Sharingan and Rinnegan for short periods, his skills would inevitably rust if he went too long without using them.

Just as a strong person's muscles would slacken without exercise, the Sharingan and Rinnegan would not necessarily degenerate, but their growth would certainly be delayed if left dormant.

This worried Ito Makoto deeply. He wasn't a "cheat" character; in the original story, Naruto was twelve when he graduated and still struggled with chakra refinement, yet four years later, he was fighting Six Paths Madara, having vaulted straight to Six Paths Level from a genin.

He had no confidence that he could reach Six Paths Level in four years, even with his innate Rinnegan. The only thing he could do was make the most of the twelve years between now and the Fourth Shinobi World War, training hard to master the ability to protect himself and his loved ones.

Because of this, he had to find a way to evade surveillance and train his abilities.

I need a counter-surveillance ninjutsu, something that can at least sense if someone is watching me, Ito Makoto thought.

However, this seemed incredibly difficult. With his knowledge of the original story, he knew quite a bit about ninjutsu, and the only things that could achieve this were sensory ninjutsu.

But sensory ninjutsu could only detect the location of people with chakra in their bodies. If the Third Hokage were using his crystal ball, a sensory technique might reveal the Third Hokage's location, but it wouldn't confirm if the man was actually watching him. Only a technique capable of detecting a gaze might perceive the Third Hokage's surveillance.

Searching his memories, he found no ninjutsu that met his requirements, not even Naruto's Sense of Good and Evil.

However, this world was reality, not a manga. When it came to understanding the real world, he was far inferior to his mother, who had lived here for over twenty years. He still needed her help.

"Counter-surveillance ninjutsu? A technique to detect gazes? Yes, there is one!"

That evening, when Ito Makoto posed the question to his mother, Mika gave him a surprisingly encouraging answer.

"Every woman in the Hyuga Clan masters a type of ninjutsu that can sense gazes directed at them, allowing them to identify who is watching. I have a friend who knows this technique; I've heard her mention it before."

"Can I learn this technique?" Ito Makoto asked.

"I'm not sure. I'll take you to visit her tomorrow. I still haven't thanked her for helping me keep my wages safe last time, so this is the perfect opportunity."

The next evening, Ito Mika bought some gifts and took Ito Makoto to the Hyuga Clan compound.

Unlike the Uchiha Clan, the Hyuga Clan's compound was located closer to the village center. The entire estate was layered; the outer buildings were modest, while the central structures were more exquisite. The outer buildings wrapped around the core like a protective guard.

Guided by Mika, they arrived at a courtyard closer to the center.

A beautiful woman with long hair came out to greet them, followed by a child about Ito Makoto's age.

Ito Makoto had no chance to interject as Mika and the woman exchanged pleasantries before leading them into the living room.

Compared to ordinary homes, a major clan like the Hyuga felt very ancient, even retaining the custom of kneeling during guest visits. Ito Makoto detested kneeling; prolonged kneeling could lead to bowlegs, as seen in modern Japan where the rate of bowleggedness was high. Although ancient China also practiced kneeling, they used stools, which prevented such issues.

The older and larger the clan in Konoha, the more they insisted on this kneeling business. The Uchiha were like this, and so were the Hyuga. Ordinary civilian families, by contrast, had normal living rooms.

"Oh my~" the long-haired woman smiled at Mika, "I never expected Mika to bring her child to visit. It feels like a dream."

"How could it be? We've been friends and classmates since we were little," Mika replied. "I've always wanted to come see your home, but I never had the chance."

"I'm not talking about you, of course. How could that husband of yours ever let you have the chance to come here? But thankfully, you've finally gotten rid of that jerk." The woman sounded indignant. "I always felt Uchiha Kenji wasn't a good man and kept telling you to stay away from him. I never expected you to be fooled by that man's facade and marry him."

"It's all in the past. I don't want to talk about the past anymore." Mika looked a bit dejected; the past was now nothing but a wound. She forced herself to perk up and introduced them. "I haven't introduced you yet. Makoto, this is Auntie Yuko. Yuko, this is my child, Ito Makoto."

"Hello, Auntie Yuko." Ito Makoto bowed properly.

"Makoto is such a well-behaved child," Hyuga Yuko smiled, placing a hand on the shoulder of the child kneeling beside her. "This is my child, Neji Hyuga. By age, he's a year older than Makoto, so he should be Makoto's big brother."

Neji Hyuga? Was this actually the home of Hizashi Hyuga and Neji Hyuga? Ito Makoto was secretly shocked. Without realizing it, he had encountered another one of the Konoha 12 from the original story.

Ito Makoto took a quiet look at the silent boy kneeling beside Hyuga Yuko. Neji already had a white cloth wrapped around his forehead; it seemed the Caged Bird Seal had already been applied.

"Hello, Brother Neji," Ito Makoto greeted. There was no helping it; the downside of being young was having to bow and greet everyone he met.

Neji bowed in return.

"Makoto, I heard from Mika that you want to learn the ninjutsu I use to detect others' gazes?" Hyuga Yuko interjected, a mysterious smile playing on her lips.

"That's right, Auntie Yuko. I currently lack a means of counter-surveillance. If that technique isn't a secret art of the Hyuga Clan, I would very much like to learn it," Ito Makoto said firmly.

"Of course, this technique isn't a secret art, and I don't mind teaching it to you. But do you know why this technique was created in the first place?"

Ito Makoto shook his head. How could he possibly know the reason behind the creation of a ninjutsu?

Hyuga Yuko flashed a mischievous grin and began to tell the story.

"This jutsu was created by a female ancestor of the Hyuga Clan. You must understand that the Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan possesses the ability to see through objects and peer into the distance; even walls cannot block its sight."

"Before this jutsu was invented, the men of the Hyuga Clan relied on their Byakugan to peep into women's bathhouses without restraint. Eventually, the female members of the Hyuga Clan, unable to endure the harassment, invented this technique."

"Once someone is peeping, even through a wall, the user can sense the gaze and pinpoint the peeper's location. Because of this, the technique is called the Anti-Peeping Jutsu. It is a mandatory jutsu for the women of the Hyuga Clan to ensure their safety while bathing."

Holy crap, Ito Makoto was shocked. Did the men of the Hyuga Clan really play that loosely? Had it reached the point where they had to develop a counter-jutsu? Using the dignified Byakugan to peep into bathhouses—the ancestors of the Hyuga were practically insulting the very nature of this Kekkei Genkai.

But could it be because of this jutsu that Reversed Hinata in the Infinite Tsukuyomi was able to discover Reversed Neji's peeping so quickly? That seemed highly likely.

Watching the shocked Ito Makoto, Hyuga Yuko smiled with an ambiguous expression, "Little Makoto, you want to learn this jutsu at such a young age—could it be that you've encountered the same problem, being peeped at by little girls?"

Ito Makoto shook his head desperately. He did not want to fall into Aunt Yuko's gossip mill at such a young age.

"Alright, Yuko, stop teasing little Makoto. Since it can be taught to outsiders, just pass the jutsu on to him." Seeing her son being bullied, Mika spoke up to intervene.

Restrained by Mika, Yuko stopped joking around and began to teach Ito Makoto the Anti-Peeping Jutsu in earnest.

The principle of this jutsu is quite simple: it involves releasing chakra from all over the body to form a thin membrane of chakra on the skin's surface.

Since chakra is a product of the fusion of spiritual and physical energy, it is highly sensitive to the spirit contained within a gaze, allowing the user to perceive the line of sight and, through specific analysis of that gaze, calculate its source.

However, actually performing the jutsu is extremely difficult. The Hyuga Clan's mastery of chakra points is far beyond what others can achieve; they can release chakra from all 361 chakra points, making the formation of a chakra membrane as easy as eating or drinking for them. For an ordinary person, however, achieving this is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

"Little Makoto, although the principle of this jutsu is simple, the operational difficulty is very high. It took me three days to master it back then. Even though you aren't from the Hyuga Clan, as long as you practice more and spend enough time, you will be able to do it."

Hyuga Yuko did not expect Ito Makoto to learn it all at once. She demonstrated it once herself and then pointed out the chakra points for releasing the energy to Ito Makoto one by one.

With Hyuga Yuko's help, Ito Makoto quickly mastered the jutsu, and in the process, he also mastered the precise locations of his own 361 chakra points. Although his Rinnegan could see the meridian system, he had been unable to see the individual points. This perfectly filled in his shortcoming.

Circulating his chakra, Ito Makoto began to attempt the jutsu, and a pale blue light gradually emanated from his body.

"This is... a chakra membrane?" Seeing the blue light covering his entire body, Hyuga Yuko was shocked. This was one of the signs of a successful jutsu. How could a three-year-old child who was not from the Hyuga Clan master this technique so quickly?

Neji, who was sitting nearby, was also dumbfounded. Ever since his mother began explaining it, he had been trying to master the technique, but he still hadn't grasped the essentials. Yet, this guy in front of him had mastered it so quickly. He was the genius his father always spoke of, and he was a member of the Hyuga Clan—how could he lose so easily to an ordinary outsider child?

Mika looked at the shocked mother and son and revealed a pleased smile.

This was it, this was it; finally, she wasn't the only one experiencing this kid's monstrous nature. As the mother of this little guy, she had been beaten down to the point of total defeat before, and now, finally, there were others being beaten down along with her.

The release of the chakra membrane made Ito Makoto feel as if he had gained an extra sense; intangible spiritual energy felt like raindrops hitting his chakra membrane. Even with his eyes closed, Ito Makoto could clearly feel the gazes of his mother, Aunt Yuko, and Neji Hyuga.

He retracted his chakra. The pale blue light vanished, and Ito Makoto opened his eyes.

"Aunt Yuko, I have mastered this jutsu. Thank you very much for your guidance."

"Haha, you're welcome." Yuko laughed dryly. She felt a bit guilty accepting the thanks, as she hadn't really done much. She had only explained the jutsu once, and this little guy had mastered it on the first try.

However, little Makoto's talent was truly astonishing, and she couldn't possibly be the first to discover it. Thinking of this, she glared at the silent Mika. Seriously, saying nothing from the start—was she intentionally waiting for me to make a fool of myself? And to think she had previously boasted about how it took her three days to master it.