The reason Hua Jingfeng was able to awaken Shadow Release was, of course, because of Ketsuna; last night, he bestowed upon her a small portion of the Youying Source power that resided within him...
Therefore, when Hua Jingfeng awakened Shadow Release, Ketsuna, who possessed the same source, knew immediately and was happy about it, which is why Ketsuna smiled in front of Mingxi...
***
Hokage Office.
On Sarutobi Hiruzen's desk were three file folders, each bearing the names Hyuga Yuzuru, Uchiha Mingxi, and Hua Jingfeng, and stamped with 'Confidential'.
"Seal these three's files as top priority; anyone wishing to view them must request my permission!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen said to the Anbu in front of his desk.
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
The Anbu took the three file folders from the desk and then left the Hokage Office.
"The new saplings of Konoha are even sturdier than I imagined..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled. Ever since he took over the position of Hokage from his teacher Tobirama, he had dedicated himself to the village, exhausting his efforts to restore it to the glorious era of the First Hokage. However, the era of the Ninja God was, after all, a thing of the past and could not be replicated!
Fortunately, Konoha's new generation of geniuses kept appearing one after another. First, there was Ketsuna of the Hyuga and Mingxi of the Uchiha, and now Hua Jingfeng, who awakened Shadow Release...
Naturally, Ketsuna and the other two were not the only geniuses in the Ninja Academy; there were also promising new generations in various ninja clans, large and small, such as Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Aburame, and Inuzuka.
This is why Konoha has always been strong. As long as these 'saplings' of Konoha grow successfully, even without the Ninja God, it will still be the 'leading big brother' among the Five Great Shinobi Countries!
Where the leaves of Konoha dance, the fire burns eternal...
***
After school, the Academy Students returned home one by one, including Hua Jingfeng, who had been unconscious in Otani Yuto's office.
Hua Jingfeng lay alone on a two-meter-wide, three-meter-long bed. Soft moonlight streamed in through the open window, then settled on Hua Jingfeng like a swallow returning to its nest.
Hua Jingfeng's face was bathed in the soft moonlight. She seemed to feel the cool sensation of the moonlight on her face, like soaking in a flowing mountain stream on a hot summer day...
"Is this the power Lord Ketsuna bestowed upon me?"
A pitch-black shadow appeared at Hua Jingfeng's will, slowly coalescing into a human form by the bed. It was a hollow face with no features, yet Hua Jingfeng knew 'it' was watching her.
"From today on, I will teach you how to use this power..."
Suddenly, the 'shadow person' conveyed this message to Hua Jingfeng, and the latter looked unsurprised, as if she had long been prepared.
"Okay, Lord Youying..."
Hua Jingfeng sat up from the bed and gave the 'shadow person' a sweet smile. Her cute little fangs and charming dimples were then exposed in the soft, cool moonlight...
***
Evening.
Uchiha Clan grounds, training field.
A small figure was frantically unleashing taijutsu, and the wooden dummy in front of her showed severe damage as a result...
"Mingxi, it's time to rest!"
At the edge of the training field, an elder dressed in Uchiha attire spoke.
"Grandpa, I can still keep going!"
Mingxi said, continuing to strike the wooden dummy in front of her with sharp taijutsu, as if she wasn't hitting a wooden dummy, but that hateful Hyuga, Ketsuna!
"Sometimes, proper relaxation can actually make you cultivate faster. Your body hasn't fully developed yet, and extreme training is not good."
The elder admonished her in the tone of an experienced person, which finally made Mingxi stop and obediently walk to his side.
"Have some water."
The elder watched Mingxi approach, then skillfully handed her a bottle of water.
"Thank you, Grandpa."
Mingxi showed a sweet and adorable smile. Only in front of the elder would she reveal her true self, without having to maintain the Uchiha's honor under the gaze of others...
"I heard there's a Hyuga boy in your class named Ketsuna. Can you tell me about him?"
The elder spoke softly, asking.
"Grandpa, why are you asking about him? That old-fashioned guy, just thinking about him makes my teeth itch!"
Mingxi spoke angrily, her mood immediately becoming irritated whenever Ketsuna's appearance came to mind.
"I heard he's called the 'Strongest Hyuga Genius.' I wonder who's stronger, him or my granddaughter..."
The elder spoke curiously, seemingly unaware of the battle between Mingxi and Ketsuna last night.
"I..."
Mingxi immediately stammered. Faced with the questioning of her closest kin, she didn't want to disappoint her grandfather, especially since her grandfather was an 'old-era remnant' who constantly spoke of Uchiha's honor...
Shoon Uchiha was her grandfather's name. He was an old man from the late Warring States period who witnessed the founding of Konoha firsthand. He harbored great resentment towards the Senju Clan, believing that the Uchiha Clan should have a place in the position of Hokage!
And Shoon Uchiha, who didn't even care about the Senju Clan, naturally wouldn't care about the Hyuga Clan. If Mingxi told her grandfather that she was completely defeated by Ketsuna...
"That Hyuga boy seems to have awakened an evolved form of the Byakugan, something called the Tenseigan. In terms of ocular power, it's far superior to our Uchiha Clan's Tomoe Sharingan..."
Shoon Uchiha stroked Mingxi's head, his scarlet eyes shining brightly in the dim light. A playful smile appeared on his wrinkled face, seemingly very interested in the Tenseigan in Ketsuna's eye sockets.
"Tenseigan?"
Mingxi tilted her head, full of confusion. She knew nothing about the Tenseigan, and she had never seen Ketsuna's eyes differ from those of other Hyuga. Weren't they all Byakugan?
"Yes, it's like how our Sharingan can evolve from one-tomoe to Three-Tomoe. Hyuga Ketsuna possesses the evolved Byakugan; those eyes should be the Hyuga Clan's most precious treasure..."
Shoon Uchiha gently explained to Mingxi, helping her understand why Hyuga Ketsuna was called the 'Strongest Hyuga Genius.' It was all thanks to those 'Tenseigan' eyes, which were distinctly different from the Byakugan.
"Then doesn't that mean his ocular power can now compare to the Three-Tomoe Sharingan's ocular power? Or even stronger?"
Mingxi suddenly realized, her face filled with anger and unwillingness.
"No wonder I could never beat him! It was because of this!"
Mingxi naturally believed her grandfather's words without a doubt.
The number of tomoe in a Sharingan represents the difference in ocular power and indirectly the division of strength. Generally, a Uchiha clansman with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan would normally possess Jonin-level strength, but Shoon Uchiha said that Ketsuna's Tenseigan's ocular power was far superior to the Uchiha Clan's Tomoe Sharingan. Doesn't that mean Ketsuna already has Jonin-level strength? And even if not as strong as a Jonin, he would at least possess Chunin-level strength...