Chapter 35

Oddly enough, the Hyuga Clan's three elders were even more anxious than Uchiha Yi.

Ever since learning that the Byakugan could evolve further into the Tenseigan, those old men had been worked up every day, wishing Hinata could awaken it tomorrow.

It was not for themselves—the old fossils valued the clan more than their own lives. For the family, they were willing to give up anything. In a way, the way such great clans raised their people was rather tragic.

But Uchiha Yi did not care about any of that.

He had already gotten what he wanted. That was enough.

After hearing from her father that she was to become engaged to Uchiha Yi, Hinata was so embarrassed that she did not dare face anyone for several days.

The news quickly spread throughout Konoha.

Both the Third Hokage and Tsunade were delighted by the arrangement.

This meant Uchiha Yi had truly put down roots in Konoha. Even for Hinata's sake alone, if anything happened to Konoha, he would not stand idly by.

Ever since the day he revealed his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, everything around him had changed.

At the end of the day, strength was the only real truth.

If he had not been strong enough, things would probably have turned out very differently today.

Uchiha Yi understood that better than anyone.

At Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto's eyes widened as he held a clump of noodles suspended in midair with his chopsticks. "Hey, Yi, are you really getting engaged to Hinata?"

Uchiha Yi nodded without explaining further. "But how old are you two? Isn't this way too early?" Naruto looked utterly baffled.

Uchiha Yi could not be bothered to answer. He could hardly say, Sorry, buddy. I'm taking your future wife first.

Beside him, Shikamaru lazily leaned back in his chair with a slice of roast pork between his teeth. "You've really lost your mind, jumping into the fire pit this early."

"Mm, getting engaged isn't nearly as interesting as eating barbecue." Choji buried his head in his ramen and mumbled casually.

Uchiha Yi felt that sitting with this bunch had been a mistake.

Unfortunately, there was one troublesome matter he could not avoid.

The engagement had been finalized, but the Hyuga Clan had laid down a condition—there would be no wedding until Hinata awakened the Tenseigan.

The Great Elder had even privately hinted that if Hinata could awaken it now, they could get married immediately. Age did not matter at all; during the Warring States Period, there had been plenty of people becoming parents at thirteen.

The problem was that Uchiha Yi was not yet completely confident that he could help Hinata awaken her eyes.

Thinking back on Toneri Otsutsuki's method in the movie—he had used Hanabi's Byakugan along with his own chakra to trigger the Tenseigan.

So the key was still the power of the Otsutsuki Clan?

Uchiha Yi pondered as he walked home.

If he directly swallowed that giant Tenseigan, could he use it to awaken Hinata's eyes?

Just as he muttered to himself, a familiar yet unfamiliar notification suddenly exploded in his mind.

Ding-dong!

"Friendly reminder: Host's plan is feasible. Absorbing the Otsutsuki Clan's giant Tenseigan will be enough for Hyuga Hinata to awaken the true Tenseigan."

Uchiha Yi stopped short and nearly lost his balance. "** , System, did you come back from the dead?"

This thing had been silent for far too long. Usually, he could not wake it no matter how much he called.

As Uchiha Yi strolled back, he continued calculating in his mind.

The problem was that he still was not completely sure he could awaken Hinata's Byakugan. "Going by Toneri Otsutsuki's method in the movie, he used Hanabi's Byakugan together with his own chakra to create the Tenseigan."

"So Otsutsuki Clan bloodline still has to be involved?"

He slowed his steps, his mind racing. "If I swallow that huge Tenseigan directly, could Hinata benefit from it and awaken the Tenseigan right away?"

As he muttered to himself, a sound suddenly rang out in his mind.

Ding!

The System notification exploded without warning. "Host, there is nothing wrong with that idea. If you absorb the Otsutsuki Clan's giant Tenseigan, Hyuga Hinata can indeed awaken the Tenseigan."

"** , System, you're alive?"

Uchiha Yi jumped in surprise.

This thing had not made a sound in a long time.

Usually, he could shout himself hoarse and it would not even bother responding.

If he had not still been able to bring up the System interface, he would have thought he had been abandoned.

System: "..."

"Host, do not target me. I ignored you before in order to conserve energy. Unnecessary waste should be avoided whenever possible."

"Waste?"

"Yes. Bringing your soul across when you transmigrated drained most of my power."

"Uh... then what about now?"

"Now that you have grown stronger, I have recovered quite a bit as well."

"Recovered? So you can unlock new functions?"

Uchiha Yi's eyes lit up.

But he immediately realized he had been overthinking it. "Let me tell you again, I am the Ultimate Sharingan System. There are no items to exchange and no skills to buy. At most, I can help you randomly embed a skill."

Fine, I should not have gotten my hopes up.

With a sigh, he returned to the main topic. "System, you're saying that if Hinata absorbs that giant Otsutsuki Tenseigan, she can awaken the Tenseigan?"

"She can. But the more likely outcome is that she will explode into pieces one hundred percent of the time."

I...

"Therefore, Host, I suggest you take another route."

"Another route? What route?"

"Quickly raise the level of your Extreme Sharingan."

"You mean after it evolves into the Rinnegan at level six, it'll gain some additional function?"

A thought flashed through Uchiha Yi's mind. "Correct. As expected of this System's master—you are truly brilliant."

Brilliant?

Uchiha Yi's mouth twitched. "Cut the crap and explain it clearly."

"Once the Extreme Sharingan reaches level six, the Rinnegan it evolves into will have a special ability. At that point, Host, you will be able to subdue retainers."

"What? Retainers? Like demons?"

"Do not twist my meaning. These retainers are exclusive to the Ultimate Sharingan System. You can even bestow your own abilities upon them."

"I get it. You mean that once I make Hinata my retainer, I can give her a Tenseigan?"

"Correct answer."

"Wait, I don't even have a Byakugan. Where am I supposed to get a Tenseigan?"

Uchiha Yi suddenly realized the issue. "That is not a problem. Once Host reaches level six, you can embed three skills. At that time, embed the Byakugan as a skill, then upgrade it to evolve it into the Tenseigan."

This fucking worked too?

Uchiha Yi was completely convinced.

His thoughts immediately became more active.

This plan really could work!

It seemed the restored System was much stronger than before.

It was even starting to reveal plot details.

So what was there to wait for?

Time to level up!

The day before the engagement banquet, the System notification suddenly rang out.

Uchiha Yi's Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan had finally crossed that threshold and become the Rinnegan.

In fact, his Extreme Sharingan had already reached level five when the second stage of the Chunin Exams began. Two or three months had passed in the blink of an eye, and level six was not far away. Although going from level five to level six required a full million proficiency points, one thing after another had happened during this period, with plenty of real fights to the death. He simply had not had enough spare attention to create too many Shadow Clones to grind proficiency.

But it was not too late now. "Host, current Extreme Sharingan proficiency is full. Do you wish to level up?"

"Level up."

"Congratulations, Host. Extreme Sharingan level increased. Current level: 6. Category: Rinnegan."

The System panel appeared, listing everything clearly.

Host: Uchiha Yi

Extreme Sharingan: Level 6 (0/**)—The Extreme Sharingan possesses limitless evolutionary potential. Its current level is 6, and its form is the Rinnegan.

Retainers: None (You may currently subdue five retainers)

Skills: 5/8 (Eight available slots, five currently embedded)

Eight Gates, Fire Release, Flying Thunder God Technique, Super Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, Lightning Release

Even the level-six evaluation had changed its tone: Wow, young man! You have indeed obtained the Rinnegan, but the Rinnegan is only the beginning!

So, young man! If you want an even stronger Extreme Sharingan, hurry up and level up!

Uchiha Yi's mouth twitched as he read it.

The constant "weakling" remarks were finally gone, yet now the level-six Rinnegan was just the "beginning"?

"System, what exactly is the level-seven Extreme Sharingan? A Rinnegan with tomoe?"

"I don't know."

"What? You don't know?" Uchiha Yi was stunned. "This System is only responsible for helping Host continue to advance. As for which direction you go and what you develop into, that depends entirely on Host. One more friendly reminder: after obtaining the Rinnegan, the way you gain proficiency should change as well."

"So I can't keep grinding with Shadow Clones?"

"It is not impossible. You can still take that path. But since Host has already awakened the Rinnegan, if you continue training with Shadow Clones using the three-tomoe Sharingan, you will gain at most two or three proficiency points per day."

"Then I..."

The System's rating had jumped from "weakling" to level six.

The evaluation field read: "Young man, the Rinnegan is only the starting point. The true trump card lies ahead. Keep pushing upward—the Extreme Sharingan is the ultimate answer!"

Uchiha Yi's mouth twitched as he stared at those words.

The level-six evaluation said the Rinnegan was only the starting point?

He could not help asking, "System, what does the level-seven Extreme Sharingan even look like? Is it a Rinnegan with tomoe?"

"I don't know."

"What? You don't know?" Uchiha Yi was stunned.

The System replied blandly, "I am only responsible for helping you advance. The exact direction you take depends entirely on your own path. Also, let me remind you that once you reach the Rinnegan stage, you should change how you grind proficiency."

"So the Shadow Clone training method doesn't work anymore?"

"It still works, but the effect is pitifully weak. Now that you have the Rinnegan, if you still use Shadow Clones with the three-tomoe Sharingan to grind proficiency, you will gain at most two or three points a day."

Uchiha Yi frowned.

He had originally planned to have Shadow Clones train with the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan active, which would be much faster.

But on second thought, keeping the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan active consumed chakra.

A small number would be manageable, but if he created too many Shadow Clones at once, his meager chakra reserves simply could not sustain it.

After obtaining the Rinnegan, he could indeed feel that he had more chakra than before.

But it was only at the Kage level, nothing especially remarkable.

He had actually always found it strange. He had already awakened the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, yet his chakra was only at the elite jonin level.

The System's explanation was that the Extreme Sharingan only focused on evolving the eyes and provided little enhancement to physical qualities.

Even among Mangekyo Sharingan users, chakra reserves were not standardized.

In the end, it still depended on bloodline.

Indra, for example, had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. The Sage of Six Paths had also possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan in his early days, only evolving it into the Rinnegan later.

But though they all had Mangekyo Sharingan, those two would utterly crush anyone from later generations who awakened one.

There was no denying that.

Some gaps were innate.