Chapter 5

In Hyuga Kagami's memory, the Otsutsuki Toneri on the moon had a rather long adaptation period when evolving his Tenseigan.

It was precisely for this reason that Hyuga Kagami had delayed initiating his own Tenseigan project.

But now, the situation had changed. Though he couldn't accurately guess what the village was planning, there was one thing he was certain of—danger was approaching.

Seizing the opportunity during a solo patrol, Hyuga Kagami arrived at a secluded desert area he had selected long ago.

Using his Byakugan, he scanned his surroundings for a while. After confirming that there was no one around, he quickly formed a hand seal and summoned the one-eyed viper that Orochimaru had left behind to monitor him.

Poof...

With a burst of smoke dispersing, the lazy one-eyed viper slithered toward Hyuga Kagami and spat out a scroll from its mouth.

Indeed, the scroll containing the genetic fluid had always been kept by this one-eyed viper.

This was a necessary measure. By keeping the scroll inside the viper's belly, Hyuga Kagami could retrieve the precious genetic fluid at any time using the summoning technique.

As for whether Orochimaru would intercept it, there was little to worry about.

Long ago, Hyuga Kagami had started storing all sorts of random experimental materials inside the viper's stomach. Orochimaru had secretly checked a few times and, after discovering they were all worthless, gradually lost interest in monitoring it.

Moreover, Orochimaru had only recently defected from the village and was likely still entangled with Jiraiya. It was unlikely he had any spare attention for Hyuga Kagami.

Holding the scroll that contained the sealed genetic fluid, Hyuga Kagami's expression turned serious.

Genetic evolution carried too many uncertainties. The genetic fluid in his hands could be the key to altering his fate—or it could be a deadly poison that would end his life.

Without live experiments, there was no data to rely on. At this moment, Hyuga Kagami couldn't even estimate the probability of success. But he had no time left. He had to take this gamble. Whether he could take control of his own destiny, whether he could live with dignity, whether he could escape the helplessness of being ordered around—everything depended on this vial of genetic fluid.

Without hesitating for long, Hyuga Kagami steeled himself and injected the genetic fluid into his body.

"Ah...!"

Almost instantly, he let out a painful cry.

Pain!

Bone-chilling pain!

Excruciating pain!

Having been a ninja for so long, Hyuga Kagami thought his pain tolerance was already high. He believed that no amount of suffering could shake him. But at this moment, he realized pain could reach unimaginable heights.

Slowly, he felt his chakra beginning to collapse.

"No, this isn't good!"

The situation was slipping out of his control. He quickly used his remaining chakra to forcibly cancel the summoning technique, sending the one-eyed viper away.

Almost immediately after the viper disappeared, all of his chakra completely disintegrated. Then, his body seemed to be breaking down as well. He felt his flesh beginning to dissolve.

"Why is this happening!?"

With intense unwillingness in his heart, Hyuga Kagami's vision went dark, and he lost consciousness in the desert.

—

He didn't know how much time had passed before he slowly opened his eyes. He found himself inside a watchtower post.

Beside him, Captain Mitsui Nakai stared at him coldly and demanded, "What exactly happened? Why were you passed out in the desert?"

Hyuga Kagami's mind was still somewhat foggy, so he casually brushed it off, "I... I don't know why..."

Mitsui Nakai frowned. "Did you get attacked? By who? The Sand Shinobi?"

Hyuga Kagami shook his head. "No one attacked me. My body had some issues... I... I think I got sick!"

Ninjas could get sick too. In the shinobi world, this was completely normal. Bloodline limit users, in particular, could suffer from rare genetic diseases—Kimimaro and Itachi were prime examples. So, although Mitsui Nakai remained somewhat suspicious, he saw Hyuga Kagami's weak state and decided not to press further.

Once Mitsui Nakai left, Hyuga Kagami finally examined his body carefully.

The intense reaction after injecting the genetic fluid had far exceeded his expectations. This gave him a whole new understanding of the dangers involved in activating the special genetic sequences within him.

"I survived...!"

Taking a deep breath, Hyuga Kagami couldn't help but feel lingering fear.

Although he didn't have precise data, based on his personal experience, he believed that surviving the activation and reassembly of a special genetic sequence was an extremely low-probability event. He had felt his body on the verge of collapse multiple times during the activation process. The sensation was akin to being torn apart into countless pieces and then reassembled—utterly horrifying.

At the same time, this experience made Hyuga Kagami realize how much of an amateur he was when it came to genetics.

Calming his mind, he began analyzing the effects of the genetic fluid based on his personal experience.

His near-complete bodily collapse was undoubtedly due to the activation of his special genetic sequences. In other words, however many inactive special genetic sequences he had before, his body had to undergo that many activation and reassembly processes. Since he had been missing 16 sequences, he had endured 16 rounds of genetic activation and reassembly in the desert.

Each activation and reassembly had been a brush with death. In total, Hyuga Kagami had faced death 16 times in a row.

The fact that he was still alive—it was sheer luck!

Now that all 33 of his special genetic sequences had been fully activated, he could clearly feel that his body was completely different from before. Moreover, this transformation was still ongoing. The most immediate change was his chakra—it was growing endlessly, as if there was no limit to it.

Getting out of bed, Hyuga Kagami slowly walked over to a mirror.

Lifting his goggles, he saw that his once pale pupils had become slightly translucent, shimmering like they contained entire star constellations.

"So beautiful...!"

Even he couldn't help but be mesmerized.

Just as he leaned in to examine them more closely, a sudden wave of dizziness overtook him. At the same time, a sharp pain shot through his eyes!

After a long while, the dizziness and pain gradually subsided.

Steadying himself against the wall, Hyuga Kagami realized that during this adaptation period, he couldn't use his eyes at all. Even the simplest observation was forbidden. Understanding this, he promptly closed his eyes and put his goggles back on.

Lying back down, Hyuga Kagami began contemplating.

His Tenseigan was now evolving. Whatever the future might hold, for now, he was weaker than before. This was no time for celebration—he needed to figure out a way to get through this difficult adaptation period...