"This power..."
"What is happening at the Hyuga estate?"
Dinner had just concluded. Minato Namikaze was in Naruto's room, helping the boy with his Academy homework. Although Naruto had inherited his father's talent, he struggled with the dry, theoretical side of the curriculum and often required a patient hand to guide him through.
Suddenly, a strange and majestic surge of chakra erupted from the direction of the Hyuga compound. The sheer pressure of it made Minato's heart sink as he instinctively began to calculate the source.
It wasn't Shinichi's. Minato was intimately familiar with Shinichi's energy, and while this new signature felt related, it was fundamentally different—alien and far more oppressive. He couldn't think of anyone else in the Hyuga clan capable of producing such a phenomenon.
Click.
The door opened softly. Kushina, still wearing her apron, stepped into the room. She glanced at Naruto, who was scribbling furiously at his desk, then looked at Minato with a silent, meaningful gaze.
"Minato," she whispered.
She didn't need to say more. Their years of shared life allowed Minato to understand her immediately. She, too, had felt that ripple in the atmosphere.
"Don't worry, it's likely fine," Minato reassured her. "Once Naruto finishes his work, why don't we take a walk? It's been a while since we visited the Hyugas, and since Shinichi is back, it's the perfect time for a social call."
Naruto's ears perked up. The prospect of escaping his books for a visit to the Hyuga house made his pen move twice as fast. Though Naruto was far more disciplined under his parents' care, he was still a child at heart—full of energy and a desperate loathing for theoretical lectures. If it weren't for his fierce rivalry with Sasuke, he would have abandoned his desk long ago.
Kushina nodded. She had been worried about her friend, Hanako, for some time. To her, Hanako wasn't just the wife of the Hyuga head; she was family. Furthermore, Shinichi was her disciple, and Hinata was a frequent guest at their home. The bond between the Hokage's family and the Hyuga clan was far deeper than mere political alliance; they were comrades who shared both glory and grief.
"I'll finish the dishes then. Naruto, hurry up," Kushina urged before closing the door.
As Minato and Kushina sensed the flare, other masters within Konoha were similarly alerted.
The young Toneri could not yet contain his burgeoning power. The "fetal movements" of the Tenseigan's evolution were violent and loud. In a village of elite shinobi, Toneri's chakra was like a second sun rising in the middle of the night—impossible to ignore.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the master of the Uchiha, and the sensory experts of the Yamanaka clan—all turned their eyes toward the Hyuga district. Yet, despite their curiosity, none possessed the status to demand answers from the Great Hyuga Clan. Only the Hokage had the right to walk through those gates tonight.
Inside the Hyuga Estate
The surgery was complete. The eye that had been replaced was sealed in a specialized container and placed upon the ancestral altar, protected by a barrier of Shinichi's design.
Toneri was currently resting. A transplant of this magnitude was not a "plug-and-play" affair like Kakashi's Sharingan. His left eye was undergoing a profound metamorphosis, shifting his very chakra nature. Shinichi estimated it would take at least a week for the evolution to stabilize. Until then, Toneri was to remain in bed, his eyes bandaged, allowing the transformation to take root in the quiet of sleep.
Shinichi returned to his own room, which was only a few meters away. Sensing Shinichi's presence through the wall, a wave of security washed over Toneri, and he drifted into a peaceful slumber.
It was still early, so Shinichi sat by his lamp, flipping through ancient travelogues and historical records of famous shinobi. He was searching for clues—remnants of ruins or lost legends. Though his memories of his previous life were fading at the edges, he constantly reviewed the most critical information to ensure he never lost his way.
Now that he had the Tenseigan, his next objective was the power of the Ten-Tails.
But he didn't want the one split by the Sage of the Six Paths into nine beasts. No, his target was the other Ten-Tails—the one brought to Earth by Otsutsuki Isshiki, currently sealed in a pocket dimension.
Power... That was the only currency that mattered. With the Tenseigan, he could become the Jinchuriki of that Ten-Tails without being consumed by its will. Only then would he truly stand above the Otsutsuki, free from the shadow of their threat.
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
"Shinichi, are you in there?" Hiashi's voice came from the hallway. "The Fourth Hokage has arrived. Come with me to receive him. He is likely here because..."
Shinichi opened the door before his father could finish. "It's fine, Father. We can be completely honest with the Fourth. He is someone we can trust implicitly."
Hiashi hesitated, then nodded. Unlike Shinichi, Hiashi still viewed the Hokage through a lens of political caution. To him, the Hokage was an outsider, regardless of their alliance. But to Shinichi, Minato's family were his own. It was a gap in perspective that would perhaps take Hiashi another decade to close.
The Pavilion
By the time they reached the gardens, Hanako had already led the visitors to a pavilion for tea. It was a casual setting, more like a gathering of old friends than a state meeting.
Minato and Naruto sat to the side, looking somewhat out of place amidst the rapid-fire conversation between Hanako and Kushina. When the men arrived, Minato stood with a warm smile.
"Hiashi, Shinichi. I hope our sudden visit isn't too much of a disturbance."
"Nonsense," Hiashi replied with practiced grace. "You are always welcome. My apologies for the delay; clan business required my immediate attention."
Hiashi knew why Minato was here. Following Shinichi's lead, he didn't wait to be asked. "Something urgent did happen, but it has been resolved. I believe Shinichi mentioned the child he brought back from 'that place'?"
He pointed toward the moon hanging in the night sky.
"The boy possesses extraordinary potential. He is currently undergoing a process to awaken a Bloodline Limit similar to Shinichi's. The clan is simply assisting him in developing his lineage."
Minato was a brilliant man. He caught the nuances of Hiashi's words—the clan was "assisting" him—and realized he shouldn't pry further into the specifics of the surgery. Every clan had its secrets. The fact that Hiashi had admitted this much was a sign of immense respect.
"A bloodline like Shinichi's..." Minato mused inwardly, a faint smile on his face. "The Hyuga are becoming truly formidable."
While the parents talked shop and the women discussed the children's lives at the Academy, Naruto sat in the pavilion, feeling restless. His eyes kept drifting toward Shinichi. He had heard countless stories about this legendary elder brother of Hinata's, but because Shinichi was rarely in the village, Naruto had few chances to see him.
"His eyes are so beautiful," Naruto thought, mesmerized. "They're different from Hinata's..."
Sensing the boy's gaze, Shinichi chuckled. He stood up and turned to Minato and Kushina. "Naruto looks bored to death. Why don't I take him to find Hinata and show him around the grounds?"
Minato and Kushina gave their blessing. Shinichi beckoned Naruto over. Naruto snapped out of his daze, realizing he had been staring. He stood up and bowed slightly. "Sorry! I didn't mean to stare, it's just..."
Shinichi patted his head. "Don't worry about it. Come on, Hinata should be training in the dojo. I'll take you to her."
Naruto nodded eagerly. The natural warmth radiating from Shinichi eased his nerves. To Naruto, anyone so close to Hinata was practically family.
While the Hyuga estate was bathed in the warmth of hospitality, a rift opened in the dark woods just outside the village, hidden in the leaves.
Yomotsu Hirasaka!
The Portal of the Underworld shimmered with a pale, eerie light. A moment later, a tall, fair-skinned man floated out of the rift and landed silently on the grass.
His hair was long and white, and two distinct horns protruded from his forehead. His handsome, angular face remained impassive as his Byakugan narrowed, fixing on the distant silhouette of Konoha.
"Otsutsuki..."
A cold, low chuckle escaped his lips, echoing through the silent trees. "Hehehe... how interesting."
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