A Theory About Combining the Byakugan and Sharingan

Sasuke looked at Neji. "Are you serious? We're inside the village. I don't know how strong you've become, but you'd better think about the consequences. If the ninjas who swarm in hold you up, you're dead. And if the Hyuga Clan's ninjas get there right away, you won't stand a chance."

Neji remained calm. "Of course I'm serious. I've thought through the consequences. At worst, I'll become a rogue ninja afterward."

Sasuke fell silent for a moment. "Is there a range limit on the Hyuga Main Family's Caged Bird Seal?"

"Of course." Neji nodded. "There's no Ninjutsu that works regardless of distance."

Sasuke nodded in understanding. "Then when do you plan to make your move?"

"I haven't figured out the pattern of the Root guards' patrols yet. I'll wait a few more days. I just came to let you know," Neji said.

Sasuke gave him a long look, then said solemnly, "If things go wrong, don't push it. Given your situation, you could always wait a few years. Maybe your Tenseigan will awaken by then."

Neji laughed. "I know my limits. I'm not like you—one little increase in strength and your ego swells like a balloon."

Sasuke snorted. "Speaking of which, why are you going to Root to steal something? What could be worth that kind of risk? Do you have to take it from Root? Can't you find it elsewhere?"

Neji shook his head. "If I could find it elsewhere, I wouldn't be targeting Root. I need Sealing Jutsu powerful enough to seal a Tailed Beast!"

"Sealing Jutsu that can seal a Tailed Beast!?" Sasuke stared at him. "You're after a Tailed Beast?"

"But what do you need a Tailed Beast for?" Sasuke couldn't understand it.

Neji pointed to his eyes. "These eyes are absorbing my Chakra. The amount they take keeps increasing over time."

"That can happen?" Sasuke instinctively activated his Sharingan and began to examine him.

The Sharingan couldn't see through things, but it could perceive Chakra. As long as Chakra was flowing, the Sharingan could see it.

That was also how it copied Ninjutsu.

"Just as I thought..." After watching for a while, Sasuke murmured, "Some of your Chakra disappears after it enters your eyes and flows back out."

Through his Sharingan, Sasuke saw Neji's Chakra connecting the meridians and acupoints throughout his body. Whenever it passed through his eyes and flowed out again, some of it was gone.

He looked at Neji. "If this keeps up, sooner or later you won't be able to sustain those eyes."

Neji nodded. "Now you see."

Sasuke nodded. "In that case, you really do need a massive source of Chakra. Otherwise, those eyes will drain you dry."

"The Tenseigan isn't supposed to be so easy to awaken. We took a shortcut back then." Neji sighed.

Sasuke nodded silently. After learning about the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, he'd begun to suspect as much. The Rinnegan was probably meant to awaken only after obtaining the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, not at their current stage.

Seeing Neji suffer a problem like this made him somewhat worried too.

"Are you sure Cat Granny can't get you Sealing Jutsu powerful enough to seal a Tailed Beast?" Sasuke still didn't want to give up on the idea.

Neji shook his head. "Sealing Jutsu is different from ordinary Ninjutsu. Generally, the higher its rank, the stronger its sealing power. Its rank reflects both how hard it is to learn and how powerful it is. The Sealing Jutsu available outside are too weak to be of any use."

"How can you be sure Root has one strong enough?" Sasuke asked.

Neji kept a straight face as he made up a lie. "With my Byakugan, I saw a ninja skilled in Sealing Jutsu place an extremely powerful seal on Danzo."

He could hardly say he wasn't sure Root had what he needed. In his current situation, all Neji could do was take a gamble.

"Too bad your Byakugan can't copy Ninjutsu. That would save you the trouble," Sasuke said regretfully.

Sasuke also believed that a seal placed on the man who commanded Root had to be exceptionally powerful.

Neji teased him. "Why don't you lend me one of your Sharingan? Then I might be able to copy Ninjutsu from a distance."

"Don't even think about it." Sasuke immediately grew wary.

"I'm joking," Neji said.

But now that he'd brought it up, Neji really was curious what would happen if the Sharingan and Byakugan worked together.

The Byakugan could see through anything within the range of its Eye Power. The Sharingan, meanwhile, could perceive and copy techniques, and its dynamic vision surpassed even the Byakugan's.

Neji wondered whether combining the Byakugan with the Sharingan really would let someone copy Ninjutsu from a distance.

If it did, the possibilities were delightful. He could sit at home while Ninjutsu came to him.

If Kakashi had a Byakugan too, could he use Kamui from an enormous distance? The thought left Neji itching to find out.

I'll see if I get a chance to try it someday, Neji thought.

"You're not seriously thinking of swapping in a Sharingan, are you?" Sasuke took two steps back when he saw Neji lost in thought.

Neji found his reaction amusing. "I'm not interested in your eyes. I'd want a Mangekyō Sharingan at the very least."

An ordinary Sharingan was of no use to Neji anymore. Only a Mangekyō Sharingan with a special ocular ability would catch his interest.

And that ability couldn't be Amaterasu or Tsukuyomi. Even a dog would shake its head at those two.

They sounded powerful in theory, but performed miserably in a real fight. Kamui was leagues above them.

"Tch!" Sasuke scoffed. "A Mangekyō Sharingan? You make them sound like weeds growing by the roadside. You think you can just get one because you want one?"

If I had more than two eye sockets, I'd show you a thing or two, Neji thought.

"You never know," Neji said, his expression turning a little odd.

"Heh." Sasuke had picked up plenty of things from Neji, and that dry little laugh was one of them.

Sasuke looked at him. "Uchiha Itachi told me that even if I awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, there would only be three people in the world with those legendary eyes."

"So right now, only two people have them. Thinking back, the other Mangekyō Sharingan holder must have been Uchiha Itachi's accomplice that night."

Sasuke folded his arms. "Tell me, how are you going to take their eyes? Don't tell me you think you're stronger than they are."