·Unlike Naruto, who went from an overpowered prodigy to the dead last due to the Nine-Tailed Chakra's interference, Izanami, having inherited the Ōtsutsuki bloodline, not only possessed extraordinary potential but also exceptionally solid fundamentals.
The Hyuga Clan's Byakugan granted them the unique ability to see chakra flowing through meridians, giving them a natural advantage in chakra control training. Upon awakening the Byakugan, Izanami also unlocked the Chakra Control talent entry. Even before officially enrolling, he had already mastered walking on water and climbing trees—skills most academy students struggled with. In addition to the basic Three Body Technique, he had already grasped B-rank ninjutsu like the Shadow Clone Technique, and learned basic escape techniques left behind by his parents.
Much like Uchiha Itachi, Izanami already had the strength to graduate from the Ninja Academy before even setting foot inside. Naturally, during the entrance exam, he secured first place with ease and was assigned to Class 1-A, the same class as Shino.
Upon arriving at the classroom, many students were already seated. Izanami scanned the room, his gaze settling on a particular girl. She noticed him as well, a look of pleasant surprise appearing on her face. With a slight smirk tugging at his lips, Izanami walked directly toward her.
The classroom desks were long and built to seat three students. The girl sat in the middle, with both seats beside her unoccupied.
"Yo, we meet again."
Izanami sat next to her and chuckled lightly. "As expected from the girl who dared to run away from home, even the entrance exam was no challenge for you."
"I-Izanami-kun…"
The girl lowered her head shyly and fiddled with her fingers, but her heart bubbled with joy. She had guessed correctly—the "Izanami" listed in the entrance ranking was indeed the boy who helped her all those years ago.
"We'll be deskmates from now on. Please take care of me, Hyuga—no, Hinata-san," Izanami said, smiling as he gently spoke her name, causing the girl's cheeks and ears to flush bright red.
Hinata hesitantly turned toward him, but the moment their eyes met, she quickly averted her gaze, replying softly, "P-please take care of me, Izanami-kun."
What she didn't notice, however, was the subtle intensity in Izanami's eyes as he looked at her.
Floating around Hinata, Izanami saw five glowing orbs of varying colors.
The most radiant and conspicuous one was a deep crimson:[Byakugan Princess (Red)][Bloodline Limit · Byakugan (Purple)][Jonin Aptitude (Blue)][Ōtsutsuki Bloodline (Blue)][Chakra Control (Blue)]The red-level Byakugan Princess entry was the primary reason Izanami approached Hinata. He had deliberately waited outside on the snowy night of Hyuga Hizashi's funeral for her to run away, using that opportunity to earn her favor.
The moment Izanami saw this rare red entry, he made a pivotal decision: to intercept Uzumaki Naruto—the Child of Destiny—and Ōtsutsuki Toneri, a tragic pawn.
Just like the reincarnations of Asura and Indra, only by fusing both sides of their heritage can they awaken the Rinnegan. Toneri and Hinata, by obtaining each other's power, held the potential to awaken the Reincarnation Eye.
Their bloodlines and Byakugan purity had regressed to their pinnacle states, making them ideal candidates.
In the original timeline, Hinata only needed Toneri's chakra to dramatically change her fate. However, obtaining that power was as difficult as reaching the heavens. As merely the Byakugan Princess with a blue-level Ōtsutsuki bloodline, her growth ceiling was limited—at best, an Elite Jonin.
But that was the past. Hinata's destiny was now changing.
Izanami, who possessed the Ōtsutsuki Bloodline (Red), held chakra that might help Hinata break free from her fate.
And in return, Hinata's red talent entry could grant him the power to awaken the Reincarnation Eye.
They were simply a match made by destiny.
After that brief interaction, Izanami didn't speak to her again. It was, after all, only their second meeting.
Six-year-old Hinata had already begun training in the Gentle Fist. However, she likely couldn't best Hyuga Neji. Over time, she would gradually disappoint her father, Hyuga Hiashi, leading to her becoming increasingly introverted.
Three years ago, despite being shy, Hinata had dared to look Izanami directly in the eye. Now, her confidence had clearly eroded.
Fortunately, Hanabi had yet to rise, and Hiashi hadn't entirely given up on Hinata—he hadn't abandoned his eldest daughter to focus solely on his second.
Just a bit of encouragement—just enough to boost Hinata's confidence—might alter the path she was on.
However, getting that opportunity wasn't easy.
Hinata, the Hyuga clan's heiress, rarely left home. When she did, she was accompanied by guards in green flak jackets. Being alone with her was nearly impossible.
He needed a plan.
Izanami rested his chin on one hand, gently tapping the desk with his index finger in thought. Meanwhile, Hinata peeked at him from the corner of her eye. Seeing him deep in thought, admiration bubbled within her once again.
Yes, Hinata admired Izanami.
Compared to him, she could barely escape her house without getting lost. He, on the other hand, roamed the snowy night alone, spoke with the poise of an adult, and aced the entrance exam with ease.
If she could be like him, perhaps her father wouldn't be so disappointed.
Besides her cousin Neji, Izanami was the only peer she'd ever met. Even after three years, she hadn't forgotten this black-haired, blue-eyed boy with the baby face.
Hinata longed for a friend. She really wanted to speak to Izanami again.
But… she just couldn't.
She was too timid. Too weak!
Unaware of her inner turmoil, Izanami's thoughts were already elsewhere.
Because he had spotted his next targets—Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke.
Just like Hinata, multiple glowing entries floated around them—each carrying red-level talents.
Uzumaki Naruto's entries:[Sage's Body (Red)][Super Kage Aptitude (Gold)][Uzumaki Bloodline (Purple)][Ōtsutsuki Bloodline (Blue)]Curiously, Izanami didn't see any entries labeled "Asura" or "Nine-Tailed," but the Sage's Body and Uzumaki Bloodline were on par with the purest Ōtsutsuki lineage. This indicated that Naruto's Sage's Body wasn't of the Senju or standard Uzumaki type. Instead, it resembled the divine physique of Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo or Asura himself.
Additionally, he carried the cheat-code of possessing half the Nine-Tailed Beast's chakra.
By contrast, Uchiha Sasuke's talents seemed slightly inferior:[Sage's Eye (Red)][Kage-level Aptitude (Purple)][Uchiha Bloodline (Purple)][Ōtsutsuki Bloodline (Blue)]An unevolved Byakugan Princess was unimpressive.
Likewise, an unawakened Sage's Eye was not threatening. Without the eyes of Uchiha Itachi or activation of Indra's chakra, Sasuke's path would lead only to eventual blindness, capping his growth at the Kage-level.
Only by awakening the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan or fully activating the Sage's Eye through Indra's chakra could he evolve further—gaining nearly limitless ocular prowess and reaching the Super Kage level.
This dynamic mirrored that of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama. Just like how Madara, despite years of effort, always fell behind Hashirama, Sasuke would one day be surpassed effortlessly by Naruto.
Even if Naruto was weak now, the moment he began to unleash his potential, he would rocket past Sasuke—just as he had done during their years at the Ninja Academy and again during Shippuden.
Such was the difference in talent… and the unfairness of fate's gifts.
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