Bloodline Regression?

Lying in his hospital bed, Hyuga Satoru leaned against his pillow and stared blankly at the white ceiling.

Orochimaru's Cell Activation secret technique was highly effective, and its training method wasn't complicated. Even from his hospital bed, he could temper his cells through the flow of Chakra.

After only two days, Hyuga Satoru already felt as though his body was about to fully recover.

Compared to the sensation of his body nearly overflowing with energy, the emptiness in his heart was what truly left him lost.

Aburame Shibi's voice still seemed to echo in his mind.

"The Hokage has considered your current abilities. In order to maximize your growth, he has specially promoted you to chunin. You may now accept A-rank and lower missions on your own."

"Actually, the Hokage initially planned to promote you directly to Special Jonin. But considering that such a large promotion all at once would draw too much attention from other villages, he had no choice but to abandon that plan for your safety."

"As for Rin, she'll be returning to her clan for training. Anko has become Orochimaru's disciple, and as for me... I'll probably be returning to the Anbu."

"Team 3... will probably be disbanded like this."

Although he had long known this day would come, its arrival still caught him off guard.

But on second thought, given his current abilities, ordinary team missions could no longer help him improve. Perhaps that was why the Hokage had specially promoted him to chunin.

In a sense, it was a good thing.

What he lacked most right now was experience. Carrying out missions alone would allow him to rapidly make up for that deficiency. That might have been the Hokage's intention as well.

Just then, the door opened with a click.

Uchiha Rin walked in and set a basket of fruit on the cabinet beside his bed.

"Wu, you look much better."

"Do I?"

Uchiha Rin sat on the edge of the bed, picked up an apple, and began peeling it with a fruit knife.

For some reason, the room suddenly fell silent, leaving only the soft rustling of apple peel being sliced away.

"Um... Wu, I might not be able to visit you tomorrow."

Uchiha Rin was the first to break the silence, her expression complicated.

"Is something wrong?" Hyuga Satoru asked.

"Yeah. The clan has arranged special training for me. Since the Clan Head personally stepped in, I have no way to refuse. I'm afraid we'll have to be apart for a while."

"The Clan Head personally stepped in?"

Hyuga Satoru showed a hint of surprise. Generally speaking, in a major clan like the Uchiha, the Clan Head rarely involved himself with ordinary clan members.

"Yeah." Uchiha Rin nodded with a complicated expression. "I awakened Two Tomoe."

Two Tomoe? Hyuga Satoru drew a quiet breath. No wonder. Uchiha Rin had awakened Two Tomoe before even turning eleven. Even in the Uchiha Clan's history since Konoha was founded, she counted as an exceptionally rare genius.

When she had only one tomoe, the Uchiha Clan could still turn a blind eye. But less than a year later, she had awakened Two Tomoe. With talent like that... it was no wonder even the Clan Head had stepped in.

But...

Hyuga Satoru looked at Uchiha Rin curiously and asked, "Rin, when did you awaken Two Tomoe?"

To his surprise, as soon as he finished speaking, Uchiha Rin's cheeks flushed slightly. She turned her head away a little and said impatiently, "Why are you asking so much? It was a while ago. I encountered danger, and it awakened."

Uchiha Rin's gaze drifted uncontrollably toward the window, her memories seeming to return to that day.

In the torrential rain, a soaked Anko trembled as she carried Hyuga Satoru, whose fate was unknown, slowly toward her. With every step, she left a bright red trail of blood in the rainwater.

She didn't know what had happened, but at the time, it felt as if her eyes were about to split apart. When she opened them again, she already had Two Tomoe.

But how could she ever mention such things to Wu...

After Uchiha Rin left, Hyuga Satoru adjusted his mood and closed his eyes once more to continue cultivating the Cell Activation technique.

It had to be said that Cell Activation was an exceptionally marvelous secret technique, the essence of Orochimaru's human body research during the first half of his life.

It tempered the body's cells repeatedly in batches. With each tempering, the cells' vitality greatly increased, significantly enhancing the user's Taijutsu and Chakra-refining abilities.

After cultivating Cell Activation, his Chakra had faintly crossed into the threshold of Jonin level.

As for the cellular damage caused by forcibly squeezing out Chakra in Tyrant Mode, it had already completely disappeared by the second day of cultivation.

Exhaling a breath of stale air, Hyuga Satoru opened his eyes and couldn't help sighing in admiration.

"Cell Activation truly deserves to be called a secret technique Orochimaru spent three years developing. Without an extremely deep understanding of the human body, no one could have conceived of such a wondrous method of tempering cells."

Among Orochimaru's many secret techniques, Cell Activation was considered a foundation. Both the Orochimaru Substitution Technique and Living Corpse Reincarnation required Cell Activation to enhance the body's abilities.

"It seems Wu-kun is quite fond of the secret technique I developed."

A hoarse voice carrying a trace of amusement sounded out, making Hyuga Satoru's brows furrow slightly.

"Lord Orochimaru, don't you know to knock before entering?"

"Given Wu-kun's sensory abilities, I imagine it would have been impossible for you not to know I was coming."

Hyuga Satoru's brows relaxed slightly. Coiled around his right forearm beneath his sleeve was a silver snake—the Executioner's Blade in its Magnetofluid form.

With a single thought from him, it would transform into a razor-sharp weapon.

Therefore, he wasn't worried about Orochimaru trying anything.

"Lord Orochimaru, what brings you here so suddenly?" Hyuga Satoru asked calmly.

Orochimaru smiled. "The results of the experiment on the cell sample I took from Wu-kun have come out. Since the results are quite interesting, I decided to come share them with Wu-kun."

"What are the results?"

Hyuga Satoru's expression grew more serious.

Orochimaru didn't keep him in suspense and spoke directly. "Wu-kun's cells are very strange. Judging by the experiment, they seem to be advancing toward some higher-level form, but..."

After a pause, Orochimaru suddenly changed the subject and smiled. "Wu-kun's Byakugan range should be considerably greater than that of ordinary clan members, correct?"

"Yes." Hyuga Satoru nodded. There was no need to hide that.

"But what does that have to do with the experimental results?"

"Hmm... how should I put it? Wu-kun's physical evolution resembles a form of bloodline regression. Therefore, the purity of your Byakugan will also continuously increase throughout this process."

Bloodline regression???

Hyuga Satoru drew a deep breath.

Orochimaru might not know the origin of the Hyuga Clan's bloodline, but he knew very well: Kaguya Otsutsuki!

Could he evolve into an Otsutsuki in the future?