The temperature in the shower room kept rising, and fine steam clung to the tiles as round droplets. When Ryuji stepped out, his figure became blurred behind the mist. The warm air followed him into the washroom as he slowed to a stop.
He stood before the mirror and looked at his own face in silence. The lines were clear, the forehead open, the nose straight, and the brows gentle, the kind of face people trusted at first glance. In both his past life and this one, he had always looked the same.
Even if this face were printed on a wanted notice, most people would mistake it for a certificate photo of an obedient student. Only now, something extra existed on this familiar face. Ryuji brushed his wet black hair back to reveal his forehead, his calm gaze passing over the ugly and glaring Curse Mark.
Caged Bird, Caged Bird.
He closed his eyes and steadied his breath, then slowly opened them again. The person in the mirror was different, and the harmless gentleness had faded as half his face sank into shadow under the light. The whites of his eyes seemed to melt away, replaced by pale blue pupils that held points of light, beautiful to look at yet carrying a quiet pressure.
No one would call him a "waste" now, and few would want to meet his eyes. Looking at him felt like facing the tip of a needle held close. Even the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead seemed much lighter than before.
[Bloodline: Otsutsuki Clan (5% to 5.5%)]
Bloodline Inheritance: Tenseigan · Stage One (10% to 12%)
"So this is the power of Tenseigan?" He raised a hand to touch his eyes, sensing the undeveloped strength deep within. He thought quietly that this felt like a transition, something between Byakugan and Tenseigan.
Toneri Otsutsuki had allowed Byakugan to transform into Tenseigan, and in between there seemed to be several so called "movements before birth."
From his memories of the original story, Tenseigan was a top level power that could stand beside Rinnegan. To obtain it, there appeared to be only two paths.
The first was to combine Toneri Otsutsuki's Chakra with the pure Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan. The second was to merge a large amount of Otsutsuki Clan's Byakugan and evolve it into Tenseigan. What he possessed was a bloodline purity comparable to Toneri Otsutsuki, not the "Chakra" that Toneri Otsutsuki spoke of, and he was not sure whether the two were the same.
In the original story, only Hamura Otsutsuki and Toneri Otsutsuki had ever possessed Tenseigan. Kaguya Otsutsuki and the other members of the Otsutsuki Clan had never shown it, and even Hamura had not truly displayed its abilities. As the orthodox descendant of Hamura Otsutsuki, Toneri Otsutsuki had gone through many of those "movements," and it was unclear whether they carried any danger.
If Rinnegan was the orthodox power gained after the Otsutsuki Clan consumed the Divine Tree's fruit, then Tenseigan seemed to be a mutation of Byakugan. It traded versatility for raw strength.
"Ryuji, get up, get up!"
Might Guy's passionate voice rang out, calling that the horn of morning training had already sounded. Youth would not wait for those who stayed in bed. Ryuji's thoughts were cut short, and he combed his hair with his fingers before slowly working his facial muscles until that harmless, gentle smile returned.
"I'm coming."
He replied as he changed into white clothes and tied the Konoha forehead protector across his brow.
Among the Hyuga Clan clansmen, the original owner of this body had been called a waste only because he was already past thirteen and still could not awaken Byakugan. His timid nature did not help, and he had even cried the first time he saw a battlefield, which others took as shame to the clan.
Even so, he was still better off than most civilian born shinobi and had graduated together with Might Guy as a Genin. Now, however, Might Guy was already a chunin, while he remained a Genin. Pushing open the door, he saw Might Guy hanging from the horizontal bar, unable to stay idle even for a moment.
Bang.
When Ryuji stepped out fully dressed, Might Guy dropped down, stretching his muscles as he removed the heavy weights from his legs with a loud thud. He looked over Ryuji with blazing eyes and praised the spirit of Konoha in full bloom. He said he had only been away on missions for a few months, yet Ryuji had already trained to this extent.
Those weights alone were equal to the load he normally carried during full body training. "You flatter me, senior, and I should thank you for being willing to teach me the Eight Gates." Faced with praise from this energetic beast, Ryuji only smiled politely.
The Eight Gates were indeed powerful, but they depended on the user's physical strength. Even Kakashi could open the First Gate, yet he still could not match Might Guy in his normal state. Might Guy had trained his body since childhood under his father, so this amount of weight was just his daily burden.
"I never expected someone from the Hyuga Clan to come to me to learn the Eight Gates and Strong Fist," Might Guy said as tears suddenly welled up and he raised both thumbs.
He spoke of breaking convention and having the courage to challenge limits. The emotion passed quickly, and he turned to look deeper into the clan grounds, where traces of bright decoration remained over the usual solemn scene.
"What's going on over there?" Might Guy asked with curiosity. "The third birthday of the main family's eldest daughter, Hinata Hyuga, is coming up," Ryuji said with a smile. Might Guy froze for a moment and asked if they always made such a big deal of birthdays.
"Of course not." Ryuji shook his head, meaning clear in his eyes, and said that a third birthday held special meaning for children of the main family. Whenever such a birthday arrived, a group of branch family children would be branded with the [Caged Bird] curse mark. Among them, the most outstanding few would have the chance to become close guards to the main family child.
As the eldest daughter of the clan head's line and the sole future successor, Hinata's third birthday was naturally taken seriously by the Hyuga Clan. Other ninja clans of Konoha and some nobles from the Land of Fire would come to offer congratulations. To Ryuji, this also meant that the coming period was certain to be unstable.
If Hinata was already three, then Kumogakure would soon come to Konoha to sign a ceasefire agreement and plan to abduct her. This period would also be the perfect chance for Ryuji to set his own schemes in motion. With these thoughts, the two walked out side by side, talking and laughing in an easy mood.
That mood lasted only until they neared the gates of the Hyuga compound. A cold voice stopped them, and both paused without thinking. Ryuji narrowed his eyes and turned toward the sound, meeting a face full of disgust.
"Ryuji."
The Hyuga clansman on guard by the gate questioned him coldly, asking where he thought he was going. Today was Lady Aoi's additional training day, and as her attendant, he should have been at her side instead of leaving.