"Tenseigan... sir, what is that?" Li Shang asked.
The voice shook the trembling elders, mingled with the distant sound of the wind rustling the curtains. The word seemed to hang in the air, ancient, powerful, and forbidden.
Li Shang, however, maintained a calm expression. He felt his eyes pulse with pure spiritual energy—a sensation identical to what he had experienced when breaking through the Body Refinement Realm.
'My eyes... reached the same level as my body. It's as if they evolved with me. It must be a genetic inheritance, right?'
Even without fully understanding, he perceived that what stood before everyone was not just an ocular mutation. It was something greater.
Hiashi Hyuuga remained silent, motionless before his nephew. His gaze reflected a mixture of pride and bitterness.
'Brother... you should have been the patriarch. Your son is unique.'
For an instant, the weight of guilt made him lower his gaze. But soon, the man resumed his stern demeanor, the natural authority of the leader returning.
"Everyone listen carefully."
The firm, authoritative voice echoed through the hall. None of those present dared to breathe loudly.
"This meeting never happened. Not a word about what you saw or heard today must leave this place."
Hiashi's gaze swept over the tense faces before him.
"You are dismissed. Elders... Neji, accompany me."
The group bowed in silence and left the hall. The sound of the closing doors resonated like the end of a cycle.
The path to the patriarch's house was silent. The place resembled a small palace, with dark wooden walls and internal gardens that exuded the scent of rare flowers.
Behind Hiashi, Li Shang walked with firm steps, followed by the two elders. One of them, the same one who had previously accused him of rebellion, watched him with disguised resentment.
'The Eye of Reincarnation... why would it appear in a member of the branch family?'
Greed grew within him like poison. For an instant, the old man even imagined the glory of possessing an ancestral power, the chance to be remembered as the man who returned the lost gift to the main lineage.
But as soon as Li Shang's gaze shifted slightly, the old man felt a chill. Beneath the calm of those translucent blue eyes, there was something that prevented him from acting.
Furthermore, he knew. No Hyuuga would dare to touch the eyes of a companion from the branch family. The Cursed Seal prevented it—an ancient mark that linked the eyes directly to the soul of their possessor.
If someone tried to remove them or if the bearer died, the seal would completely destroy the eyes, nullifying any attempt at theft.
It was a burden... and, ironically, a protection.
Li Shang had already understood this. From the first day he studied the seal, he realized that it was not just a symbol of submission, but a spiritual chain, a stigma engraved on the soul.
'Whoever created it did not have a soul stronger than mine. I could break this restriction with brute force if I wanted to.'
But he didn't.
'Chains can also protect. And as long as this seal exists, no one worries about me.'
Inside the private hall, Hiashi motioned for the guards to withdraw. The sound of the closing doors echoed, sealing the environment in absolute secrecy. Only four remained—Hiashi, Li Shang, and the two elders.
The patriarch then sat before a low table and, after a long silence, spoke:
"What I am about to reveal now cannot, under any circumstances, leave this place. Not even the Hokage knows the full truth."
Li Shang remained attentive.
Hiashi took a deep breath.
"A long time ago, even before the founding of the great villages, the Hyuuga Clan did not exist in the form we know it. Our ancestors came from another place—from the stars. Among them was a man named Hamura Ōtsutsuki, brother of Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths."
The words carried historical weight, as if echoing through the centuries.
"Hamura was the one who inherited the spiritual power of the eye. After the fall of the Ten-Tails, he guided part of his people away from this world and established a colony on the Moon. There, his lineage continued guarding the secrets of their heritage."
The silence in the room was absolute. Even the sunlight seemed to bow before the revelation.
"The Tenseigan," Hiashi continued, "is Hamura's supreme dōjutsu, the Eye of Reincarnation. It represents the completeness of a Hyuuga's soul and body. For millennia, we believed this power had been lost. Not even our ancestral records describe its limits."
The elders kept their heads bowed, and even their tone of voice seemed to contain reverence.
Hiashi looked at Li Shang, his expression serious.
"Now we know that Hamura's blood still runs strong in you, Neji. Therefore, the entire clan will do everything possible to help you grow stronger. This power needs to be understood and controlled, helping the clan return to its ancestral glory."
Li Shang kept his gaze fixed on the patriarch, absorbing every word.
'The Eye of Reincarnation... so that's what I awakened.'
For a moment, the shadow of a smile crossed his lips.
Hiashi, however, did not notice. He believed he saw before him the future of the clan—a worthy heir, destined to restore the glory of the Hyuuga.
But Li Shang saw something different.
'If the clan wants to nurture me with everything it has, fine. As long as they don't try to control me...'
Li Shang's gaze fell upon the Hyuuga crest carved in the center of the hall, and a slight smile crossed his lips.
'I can lead this clan to the top of this village, but that changes nothing. What I seek is beyond the mortal realm... the true path leads to the celestial realm. Everything else is insignificant.'
Hiashi, still before him, sighed with a serious expression.
"As for the seal... I'm sorry, Neji. There is no safe way to remove it. But see it as a protection. In the ninja world, everyone knows the Hyuuga seal. No dōjutsu thief would dare touch your eyes; it would be risking their own life for nothing."
Li Shang slightly tilted his head, accepting the words without contesting. Deep down, the seal no longer worried him. 'It's just a chain I chose not to break.'
The meeting ended shortly after. Upon leaving, he was informed of his new residence—a spacious house in the eastern sector of the main complex. Three bedrooms, a large living room, an equipped kitchen, and an outdoor hot spring, heated by fūinjutsu.
Initially, he thought of refusing. But, upon noticing the layers of isolation seals around the property, which blocked any external surveillance, his expression changed.
'Privacy seals... a perfect fortress.'
He accepted immediately.
That night, standing by the thermal waters, steam rising around his body, Li Shang observed the reflection of the Tenseigan shimmering in his crystalline eyes.
'Now there's no reason to hold back. Everything I show... will only be the power of my dōjutsu.'
And the celestial glow of his eyes expanded, illuminating the silent night.