◉◉◉◉◉
Something was mesmerizing about his eyes.
The radiant blue of the Tenseigan shimmered with unmatched brilliance, drawing anyone who gazed into it into silence.
Izumi found herself lost in them, captivated by each blink. Her heart skipped with every glance.
Before she could gather her thoughts, Neji was already standing in front of her, eyes curious and voice gentle.
"Hey, Izumi," he said. "You've been staring. Are they that pretty?"
"Ah—!"
Snapped out of her trance, Izumi's cheeks flushed crimson. She stammered shyly, "They're beautiful... honestly breathtaking."
Neji smiled warmly, reaching out to lift her chin, their eyes meeting again.
Somehow, her Sharingan had activated its three tomoe spinning slowly in each eye.
"Your eyes are beautiful too," he whispered. "I can't wait to see your Mangekyō. I bet they'll be stunning."
Izumi stiffened and quickly shook her head.
"No... I don't want that power. Not if it means losing someone important to me. I don't want to awaken it through pain."
Neji gently ran his fingers through her hair, his smile still calm. "You won't have to. I'll help you evolve without the pain."
Traditionally, the Sharingan evolved through trauma grief so profound that it triggered a unique chakra reaction in the brain and ocular nerves. The eyes reflected the heart.
But to Neji, it was still chakra. Complex chakra, but chakra nonetheless. Controllable. Modifiable.
Izumi understood that. She had followed him long enough to know. But the pain others had suffered for their evolution haunted her still.
The Sharingan had always been called a cursed power. Its strength fed on sorrow. That was part of why Tobirama Senju had feared the Uchiha.
But Neji said again:
"You don't have to worry anymore."
"…Okay," she replied, softly smiling.
With Izumi calm, Neji glanced around the slightly disheveled lab. His chakra surged, and a flick of his hand tidied everything with unseen force.
"Let's go," he said. "I need to test this power properly."
"Right!"
The two left the Tenseigan chamber and headed to the training arena.
---
Underground Training Grounds
The reinforced training hall had been rebuilt countless times. Now, the walls were made with [Shock Shell] structures an advanced chakra-absorption design far more durable than any previous version.
Neji stood at the center and pulled a mirror from his gear pouch.
He blinked, surprised.
A strand of hair floated in front of his face pure white.
"…So I really changed," he muttered. "Guess I should be glad I didn't grow horns."
He smirked at his own joke. But it was real: his DNA had fully shifted toward the Ōtsutsuki lineage. The hair was just a symptom.
His new look would certainly surprise his friends maybe even alarm his sisters.
He pushed the thought aside and closed his eyes.
His mind connected to the chakra system interface only he could see.
---
Level 45 Skills:
Chakra Beast – Thunder Fang Tiger
Forms a chakra beast in the shape of a lightning-charged tiger. Pounces and detonates. Raw power.
Chakra Beast – Storm Dragon Surge
A chakra-formed dragon that surges toward the enemy. Delayed detonation or remote-triggered blast.
One hit hard and fast. The other sustained damage over time.
And then came the real transformation.
---
Level 50: Awakening
Passive – Essence of Chakra
Unlocks the full potential of the user's chakra network. Enhances chakra perception and increases compatibility with advanced jutsu.
Chakra Beast – Judgement Tiger
An upgraded Thunder Tiger, cloaked in divine lightning. Controlled explosion or sustained pressure.
Thousand Lotus Bloom
Five chakra buds take form around the user. Each blooms when fully charged, unleashing devastating force.
He sighed.
He wished he'd inherited the female version's passive Petal Dance Guard, which could block a fatal blow once. Still, what he had was more than enough.
At this point, his Chakra Power had begun functioning like Sage Mode. Raw and refined.
Even without the Tenseigan, he could go toe-to-toe with almost any shinobi alive.
The Uchiha had their giant spectral warriors.
He had tigers made of divine lightning.
"Let the world decide which one's cooler," he muttered, amused.
His past life had ended before he could explore this power. Now, he was free to push as far as it could go.
Everything in the world flowed through chakra, nature, and life. He could sense it all.
His awakened passive allowed him to perceive chakra movement like a second heartbeat. Though he couldn't yet manipulate the environment's energy, that might change at his second awakening.
But internally?
His chakra was his to command, absolutely.
He held out his palm. A ball of concentrated chakra formed a stable, dense, and efficient. Minimal drain. Something that would've drained him rapidly before.
He compressed it transmuting it into a [Charged Chakra Cannon].
He hesitated, glancing at the wall.
"…Will it hold?"
He released only part of the cannon's full force.
A comet of chakra flew like a meteorite.
BOOM.
It struck the wall and vanished into it.
No explosion. No scorch.
The wall swallowed it whole.
"Warning: Impact force nearing maximum threshold," the system announced.
Neji twitched.
"Of course. Jinxed it the moment I praised it."
He canceled his other techniques. Instead, he gave a command:
"Redirect stored pressure. Fire it at me."
The chamber responded. From the wall, a cannon emerged, charged with the energy it had absorbed.
Neji stood still, eyes glowing.
"Let's see what I can do now."
BOOM.
The cannon fired. A shockwave of concentrated chakra blasted through the air.
Neji opened his eyes.
Blue like crystal.
Misty white particles swirling within.
He didn't flinch.
A repulsive force burst from his body an invisible shield that slammed into the incoming blast.
Time seemed to freeze.
The shockwave stopped, suspended in midair.
Then—
CRACK!
The cannon that fired it crumpled and flattened like foil under pressure. The shockwave had reversed, folding in on itself.
Neji narrowed his eyes.
"So this… is repulsion."
"Now I understand Pain's power."
"But more importantly… I can counter it."
He looked toward the surface.
"It's time to move."
It's time to change everything.
◉◉◉◉◉
~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◉◉◉◉◉
For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access Patreon normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!