The more he understood the truth of this world, the more absurd it seemed.
Even the Mangekyo Sharingan could completely crush the Byakugan, to say nothing of the Rinnegan.
As the legendary Sage's Eyes, the Rinnegan had shown unimaginable terror from the moment it first appeared. Even Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, was no match for it.
In a normal battle, Jiraiya could be said to have used everything he had. He was unquestionably powerful.
Yet in front of Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, he was not an opponent at all. It had seemed as if he had chances to counterattack, but in truth, those were nothing more than illusions. The most he managed to do was investigate some intelligence about the Rinnegan and send it back to Konoha, and even that had to be encrypted with a code.
The gap was too huge.
Complete and utter domination.
The first time Hyuga Neji learned about Super Kage Level, it was the shock brought to him by the Rinnegan.
Among the Three Great Dojutsu in this world, the Rinnegan corresponded to Super Kage Level. The Mangekyo Sharingan within the Sharingan corresponded to Kage Level. And the remaining Byakugan was nothing at all.
But he also became aware of another problem. Why was there no sign of him in those future fragments? It was strange. He did not believe he would have no scenes at all, yet that was exactly what had appeared before him.
Could it be that he died in the future?
Hyuga Neji thought of an even more terrifying possibility. It was not impossible. He was a ninja, after all. Dying on the battlefield was perfectly normal.
But it also proved something else. He really was just mediocre, with no way to break through his limits.
"So I really am only mediocre after all?"
Hyuga Neji's state of mind twisted painfully. On one hand, he felt he was a genius. On the other, he felt he was a bird trapped in a cage, unable to break free of his prison for the rest of his life.
He was unwilling, yet he had no way out. All he could do was mock himself for overestimating his own ability.
He stared at the diary from morning until night, his heart filled with helplessness.
Hyuga Neji had originally suspected whether this thing was real. But he did not believe he was so weak that someone could use Genjutsu to affect him this deeply with ease.
Suddenly, just as he had finally decided to put the diary down, the diary updated.
[I really didn't expect Keiko to actually be Hyuga Neji's older cousin. Thinking about it that way, Hyuga Neji really is a pity. Among the Twelve Rookies, he was the only one who died early. He should have had a bright future ahead of him.
Even if he was from the Hyuga Branch House and was limited by something like the Caged Bird Seal, at the very least, becoming a famous Elite Jonin of Konoha should not have been a problem. He had that kind of talent.
Or rather, he actually had the talent to become a Kage Level expert. It's just that the Hyuga Clan's own Ninjutsu is too mediocre. They don't have a stable method of breaking through to Kage Level, so even if he had that talent, there was no way for him to take another step forward.
But judging from the potential of the Byakugan itself, it should have a second stage capable of rivaling the Mangekyo Sharingan. Maybe the Hyuga Clan's bloodline has simply degenerated. Compared with the original Otsutsuki bloodline, it should have degenerated quite a lot.]
After learning during the day that Hyuga Keiko was actually Hyuga Neji's older cousin, even Kaede Kitahara had to marvel at the coincidence. As for the only member of the Twelve Rookies who died in the original work, he still felt it was a shame.
Guy's team obviously carried a strong Chinese style. Whether it was Guy and Rock Lee, whose character designs clearly referenced Bruce Lee, Tenten, who perfectly fit the Japanese stereotype of a Chinese-style girl with a qipao and hair buns, or the Gentle Fist and Tenketsu used by the Hyuga Clan, all of it carried obvious elements of Chinese martial arts fantasy.
Like many people, Kaede Kitahara originally had more favorable feelings toward this team.
So regarding Hyuga Neji's death, he more or less had a lingering regret.
That was how the line that spread later came about. A Hokage's son was still a Hokage, and the scapegoat's son was still a scapegoat.
Especially since, according to the original setting, Otsutsuki Kaguya's eyes were also Byakugan. Various Otsutsuki also had the Byakugan as their foundation, and they were all extremely powerful.
That showed the Byakugan clearly had a higher-level form. It was not as if it had to become the Sharingan or mutate into the Rinnegan in order to grow stronger.
And the Tenseigan that Otsutsuki Hamura mutated into was also an extremely powerful form.
It was just different from the clear evolution path of Otsutsuki Hagoromo's line, which went from One Tomoe Sharingan, to Two Tomoe Sharingan, to Three Tomoe Sharingan, to Mangekyo Sharingan, to Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and finally to Rinnegan.
The evolution after the Byakugan was completely unclear.
Aside from Otsutsuki Hamura, the only feasible case of evolving to the Tenseigan was Otsutsuki Toneri. It was obvious how much was missing in between.
"So I really did die."
Hyuga Neji sighed. This lined up with his earlier private guess. Sure enough, he had died in a previous battle.
He just felt unwilling. Why was he the only one who died?
Although he still did not know what the so-called Konoha 12 actually referred to, he still felt unwilling.
It came down to three words. Why the hell?
Especially when Kaede Kitahara mentioned that he very likely possessed the talent to break through to Kage Level, only to be limited by the Hyuga Clan's own Ninjutsu system.
Originally, Hyuga Neji had not thought there was anything wrong with the Hyuga Clan's system. With his current strength, he was still far from cultivating the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist to its limit, so he had no right to doubt it. Yet after seeing the world-destroying Ninjutsu recorded in Kaede Kitahara's diary, he truly felt that the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist was very average.
But Kaede Kitahara's mention that the Byakugan actually had a second stage immediately gave him fresh hope. Once the Byakugan awakened, it was generally comparable to the Sharingan. The only difference lay in the level of ocular power, which could probably correspond to the tomoe of the Sharingan, just without being as obvious.
But above that, there had been no equivalent.
If the Byakugan had a second stage, then everything would be completely different.
Perhaps he still had a greater possibility ahead of him. If the Byakugan could have a second stage, then after breaking through, would it not also be possible to reach Kage Level?
But then, by instinct, he touched his forehead, which was wrapped in bandages. Beneath them was the mark of the Caged Bird Seal.
"Can someone mediocre like me really break through that birdcage?"
Hyuga Neji wanted to break through, but he did not dare believe he had that ability at all.
"What does he mean, the Hyuga Clan's bloodline degenerated?"
Tsunade, who had just finished bathing, picked up the diary and saw its contents. The bathrobe she wore could not hide her full curves, and the view beneath the robe appeared faintly with each movement.