Inside the Hyuga compound.
Hyuga Ten’nin had prepared two precious gifts to be delivered to the Senju and Uchiha clans for the children’s one-month celebration.
If the Hyuga were considered a prestigious noble clan of Konoha—a first-rate family—then the Senju and Uchiha stood at the absolute pinnacle, leading by a margin that left everyone else in the dust.
Within Konoha’s Three Departments and Six Ministries, the Senju controlled the Chancellery and the Justice Department, while the Uchiha held the Hokage position and the Civil Affairs Department.
Though the Hyuga had secured the Department of State Affairs, Ten’nin knew full well that what the Senju and Uchiha had given, they could just as easily take back.
The Hyuga did not have the power to negotiate with them on equal footing.
Ten’nin was training in his courtyard as he did every day.
His Gentle Fist had been honed to perfection.
Without exaggeration, he was the greatest prodigy the Hyuga clan had ever produced—the strongest of all clan heads throughout history.
His strength had surpassed the level of ordinary jonin.
The Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, the Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms, Rotation, Vacuum Palm—every single technique was executed with flawless mastery.
But the legendary battle between the Hokage and Lord Hashirama had dealt him a devastating blow.
So this was what shinobi could achieve—even the mere aftershocks of their battle had reshaped mountains and rivers, leveling forests for dozens of li around.
That level of power was beyond his reach.
He could not compare to the Hokage or Lord Hashirama.
But Hyuga Ten’nin had always believed himself to be no less capable than the likes of Tobirama Senju or Uchiha Izuna.
As the head of the Hyuga clan, he had his pride.
That pride had been shattered into pieces.
And then came the battle between Uchiha Izuna and Tobirama Senju—which also exceeded his expectations.
He and Tobirama were indeed evenly matched.
If he had been the one to fight Tobirama that day, they most likely would have fought to a draw, neither able to overcome the other.
But against the mountain-like Susanoo of Uchiha Izuna, what could his Eight Trigrams Palms, chakra point strikes, or Rotation do?
They would barely be enough to tickle that giant.
And on top of that, there was still Uchiha Hikaru.
Ten’nin did not know about the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
All he knew was that whatever the Hokage and Uchiha Izuna could accomplish with their Mangekyo, Hikaru could accomplish as well.
The man known as the “miracle of Konoha” had defeated Tobirama Senju—his true depth of power was unfathomable.
The Rinnegan, the Sharingan, and the Byakugan were known as the Three Great Dojutsu.
Ten’nin had always believed the Byakugan was in no way inferior to the Sharingan.
But reality told a different story—the gap between them was like a chasm.
Against a standard Sharingan, the Byakugan could hold its own. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
But once the Sharingan evolved into the Mangekyo, the Byakugan became a joke.
Ten’nin had also questioned this: if the Byakugan was only at this level, why was it counted among the Three Great Dojutsu?
Where did that reputation come from?
Could it be that in ancient times, the Byakugan had possessed some hidden evolutionary form that had since been lost?
Lately, Ten’nin had been poring over ancient clan texts, searching for any record of a possible evolution for the Byakugan—perhaps something like a “Mangekyo Byakugan.” Unfortunately, the clan records contained no such information.
Now the Senju and Uchiha both had new generations.
Senju Jūsō and Uchiha Izumiori would most likely inherit their fathers’ exceptional genes and continue the glory of their respective clans in Konoha.
But his own son, Hyuga Nichiyō, had not displayed any particularly outstanding talent.
He could not even surpass his father, let alone measure up to the next generation of the Senju and Uchiha.
At this rate, the Hyuga would not be able to hold onto the position of Chancellor of the Department of State Affairs.
His wife, Hyuga Nayuki, was now pregnant again.
Hyuga Ten’nin had decided—he would make a decision that went against the ancestors.
While Ten’nin was consumed by worry, Uchiha Hikaru had been spending his time quite productively.
He had been diligently studying the Earth Style: Light-Weight Rock Technique, training to precisely control Earth-natured chakra.
Using Light-Weight Rock on himself, Hikaru could feel his body becoming lighter—but he had not yet managed to actually fly.
The technique was highly difficult to learn.
In the original story, only the successive Tsuchikage, along with Kitsuchi and Akatsuchi, had ever mastered it.
Even the artist Deidara relied on his clay for flight.
This technique could alter the gravity of oneself and objects, much like the Gravity-Gravity Fruit in the world of One Piece.
In the original story, Ōnoki had used gravity-accelerated strikes to shatter the Second Mizukage’s summon, the giant clam, and even Madara’s Susanoo.
But Hikaru felt such uses were far too crude—why use fists when shuriken could do the job?
Just as Uchiha Sasuke, after learning Chidori from Kakashi, did not stop there but developed Chidori Stream, Chidori Sharp Spear, Chidori Senbon, and Kirin, Hikaru sought to innovate as well.
He took out a shuriken.
“Earth Style: Light-Weight Rock Technique.”
The shuriken’s weight instantly decreased.
He hurled it with all his strength.
The shuriken flew much faster than usual, cutting a nearly invisible straight line through the air.
The target in the distance was pierced clean through.
Greater speed.
More power.
Extended range.
“Earth Style: Heavy-Weight Rock Technique.”
At the moment of release, he applied Heavy-Weight Rock to the shuriken.
BOOM—
The wooden target was not pierced—it exploded entirely.
Wood splinters scattered everywhere.
Slower speed.
Shorter range.
Reduced accuracy.
But that was only on flat ground.
What about from the air?
He only needed to aim, then apply Heavy-Weight Rock at the right moment, and the shuriken would instantly transform into a gravity cannon.
Soon, the full-month celebrations for Senju Jūsō and Uchiha Izumiori were held simultaneously.
Mito Uzumaki and Ameori Uzumaki were close friends—they had grown up together, married into Konoha together, and become mothers at the same time.
Rather than hosting grand celebrations in their respective clan compounds, the two families chose to hold a simple gathering at the Konoha White House, inviting officials from various Konoha departments.
This simple celebration brought together all of Konoha’s most powerful factions.
The clan heads of every major Konoha family attended, some bringing their designated successors along.
Hyuga Ten’nin brought his son Hyuga Nichiyō.
The clan heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio were present.
Minister of Medicine Aburame Shihei, Minister of Ceremonies Sarutobi Sasuke with his son Sarutobi Hiruzen, Minister of Works Shimura Yuno with Shimura Danzo, Minister of Justice Senju Momoma—even the Daimyo of the Land of Fire sent gifts from the capital.
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu also attended with their fathers.
The previous month, Hikaru had taken them on as disciples as well, significantly elevating the standing of both the Mitokado and Utatane clans in Konoha.
The Sarutobi, Shimura, Mitokado, and Utatane clans had all been minor families before, struggling together in poverty.
They had been content being poor together—but then suddenly one of them got rich, and the others could not help feeling bitter about it.
Ever since Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo had become Hikaru’s disciples, the Sarutobi and Shimura clans had risen to become top-tier families in Konoha.
The Mitokado and Utatane clans had long sought political backing, but they had knocked on every door to no avail.
They had initially wanted to approach Tobirama Senju, hoping he would take their children as disciples.
But the Konoha New Year’s Gala incident had dealt a heavy blow to Tobirama’s reputation.
With Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo acting as intermediaries, Hikaru had agreed to accept Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu as his disciples.
Thus, the four core high-ranking figures of Konoha from the original story—Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu—had all been branded with the Uchiha seal.