The Byakugan's First Awakening

Green chakra burst from Neji Hyuga's body. It was pure and full of vitality. Neji froze, and for the first time, his eyes...

"Throbbed!"

Neji's pupils contracted. The missing corner of his vision had been restored, and an ability known as Absorption had appeared in his mind.

He looked at his hands, then reached toward Hiashi Hyuga. Hiashi felt his chakra draining away. He froze, looked at Neji, and grabbed his hand!

The sensation of his chakra being absorbed immediately vanished. Hiashi stared at Neji in shock!

"How did you do that?" It was the first time Hiashi had ever seen such a technique.

Neji shook his head. He had no idea either. Meanwhile, Uchiha Izuna had quietly activated his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and watched the whole thing.

"Was that the Byakugan's first awakening? Interesting." Uchiha Izuna smiled.

"The Byakugan's first awakening? Izuna, are you saying...!"

"Our Hyuga Clan's Byakugan can evolve too! That's right! That's it!!! Our ancestor, Hyuga Tenin, was on equal footing with the First and Uchiha Madara back then. It must have been because of this!" Hiashi was so excited he could barely speak.

Uchiha Izuna understood him. Everyone knew that the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan was considered equal to the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan, yet in actual combat, it wasn't as useful as the Sharingan.

People kept quiet because of the Hyuga Clan's status, but there was still plenty of gossip behind closed doors.

Now, Neji's Byakugan had experienced its first awakening, and the ability he'd gained had shown Hiashi that the Byakugan had another path to grow stronger.

"Your guess is right, Clan Head Hiashi. The Byakugan can awaken three times, and each awakening grants a special ability. After the third awakening, you can even use techniques like Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion and Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion."

"They say the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion can split the moon in two!" Uchiha Izuna chuckled.

Hiashi shuddered. His first reaction to Uchiha Izuna's words was excitement, but then he realized what they might mean and stepped in front of Neji, taking a fighting stance.

Uchiha Izuna understood. He shook his head with a smile. "It's true that a genius like this is rare in the Hyuga Clan, but don't forget: a true strongman wouldn't lay a hand on a child."

"Besides, I'm only ten. Do you think I won't grow stronger in the future?" Uchiha Izuna smiled.

Hearing this, Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui understood too. Hiashi was worried they might target his clan's genius.

But his concern was understandable. Neji was a precious treasure to the clan.

At Uchiha Izuna's words, Hiashi frowned and didn't answer right away. Hinata spoke up instead. "Father, I don't think Izuna would hurt Neji."

"After all, Izuna was the one who pleaded for Neji to be freed from the Caged Bird!" Hinata leaned her head against Uchiha Izuna's shoulder and blinked her big eyes at Neji and Hiashi.

Hiashi froze, then came to his senses and bowed to Uchiha Izuna. "I'm sorry, Izuna. Please forgive my rudeness just now!"

"Don't worry about it. After all, he's the only genius who could secure the Hyuga Clan's peace for the next sixty years! If I were you, I'd have done the same." Uchiha Izuna glanced at him, then went back to teasing Hinata.

Hinata blushed, but didn't pull away.

Neji suddenly walked over to Uchiha Izuna's bed. Then he dropped to both knees with a thump and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Izuna. If it weren't for you, I might never have discovered my talent, not even on my deathbed."

"I might even have resented my uncle, my father, and..." His gaze fell on little Hinata in Uchiha Izuna's arms, his eyes filled with deep remorse and guilt.

"In short, I, Neji Hyuga, swear that from now on, I'll follow your lead, Big Brother Izuna!" Neji raised his hand and swore to the heavens.

Uchiha Izuna's expression softened. "Get up, Neji. I thought from the start that you were a genius who shouldn't be trapped by the Caged Bird."

"You're an eagle. You should be freed from your cage to spread your wings and soar, not kept as a caged bird, a canary."

Uchiha Izuna's words brought tears to Neji's eyes. Uchiha Izuna was the one who had recognized his talent! He was the one who understood him!

Neji looked at Uchiha Izuna and Hinata in his arms, silently resolving to protect them both—Izuna and his little sister—for the rest of his life.

Uchiha Izuna set little Hinata down, then helped Neji to his feet. "From now on, work hard at your training. Don't slack off. I'll be checking your progress every month."

"Oh, right. Now that your Byakugan has undergone its first awakening, try absorbing more chakra to widen your chakra pathways."

"Then you'll be able to use any ninjutsu you want! The process will be painful, though. Can you handle it?"

Uchiha Izuna looked at Neji. Neji smiled through his tears and nodded. "I can! Of course I can. I'm not afraid of hardship."

"Good, good. I'll need you to join me in conquering the world someday!" Uchiha Izuna patted his arm.

"It's getting late. Get ready for bed!" Uchiha Izuna smiled, then set little Hinata on the floor. "Little Hinata, you should head home too!"

He rubbed Hinata's head. She pouted and murmured, "Okay."

Hiashi watched Uchiha Izuna with mixed feelings. He had a powerful personal charm; in just a few words, he'd won both Hiashi's daughter and Neji over completely.

In a way, Uchiha Izuna gave people the feeling that they could do anything without worry, because if something went wrong, he'd take responsibility.

And since his daughter seemed to like Uchiha Izuna, Hiashi had a strange thought: what if the two families formed a marriage alliance...

He shook his head hard. It was far too soon. Hinata was only five! She was still a child. Her admiration for a boy might fade after a while!

But watching Hinata look back every few steps nearly broke Hiashi's heart!

After the door closed,

Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi came over to him. "Izuna, are you really comfortable letting a genius like that grow up in the Hyuga Clan?"

Uchiha Itachi said nothing, but his eyes stayed fixed on Neji. He couldn't understand why his younger brother hadn't eliminated the threat.

With the three of them working together, killing Hiashi, Neji, and Hinata without anyone noticing would have been no problem at all.

"Politics isn't about fighting and killing. It's about human relationships, about having fewer enemies and more friends. Suspicion and violence are the most primitive methods."

"They may work, but they'll also make people think you can't tolerate others. Then no one will come over to your side. Is that what you want?"

"Ultimately, we Uchiha are part of Konoha. We can't limit our focus to the Uchiha Clan; we have to look at the whole village." Uchiha Izuna smiled.

He knew these words were rather profound, but he was the only one who needed to understand the reasoning. There was no need for everyone else to get it.