Chapter 7

In his heart, Hyuga Kagami had already come to terms with the reality.

From the conversation between Mitsui Nakaichi and Anko just now, he roughly deduced that the so-called 'special mission' assigned to Kota and Anko was likely a secret meeting with a spy the village had planted in the Sand Village.

But for such a covert mission, why would the village send two Chunin who were still under evaluation?

Logically, it didn't make sense.

So, Anko's instincts were correct. This so-called 'special mission' was a trap. It was likely that the village had truly abandoned them—those who had once been under Orochimaru. Perhaps they were planning to systematically eliminate them through seemingly reasonable means.

"Was it Danzo? The Third Hokage? Or maybe the Fourth Hokage?"

The first suspect that came to Hyuga Kagami's mind was Danzo. Orochimaru's sudden defection was full of suspicious circumstances, and Hyuga Kagami found it difficult to determine what role Danzo played in it. But one thing was certain—Danzo was the biggest beneficiary of Orochimaru's betrayal. If one were to follow the principle of "who benefits the most," then Danzo was highly likely to be the mastermind behind Orochimaru's premature defection.

If that were the case, it was entirely plausible that Danzo and Orochimaru had completely severed ties. That would explain why Danzo would want to eliminate Orochimaru's former subordinates who refused to join his Root organization.

The Third Hokage was also a possible suspect. He was the type of leader who, in the name of so-called stability, was capable of making some truly baffling and foolish decisions. His past actions, such as allowing White Fang to commit suicide, and in the future, pressuring the Hyuga Clan to sacrifice Hiashi's twin brother Hizashi to appease the Cloud Village, as well as allowing Naruto, the son of the Fourth Hokage, to grow up ostracized and hated by the entire village—these were all examples of his misguided leadership.

As for the Fourth Hokage, Hyuga Kagami believed he was unlikely to be involved.

It wasn't because he blindly trusted the Fourth Hokage's character, but rather because Minato, having come from a civilian background, lacked the political support of a strong clan, and the Third Hokage had not yet relinquished full control. Therefore, the Fourth Hokage probably didn't have the political power to execute such a large-scale purge.

Moreover, with his youth, Minato had no reason to rush into eliminating dissidents within the village.

Regardless of who was orchestrating this purge, one thing was clear—Hyuga Kagami had become a target. Danger loomed over him and could strike at any moment.

As time passed, a week after Anko's ambush, Hyuga Kagami finally overcame the adaptation period of the Tenseigan.

The dizziness and pain had completely disappeared, replaced by a significant enhancement in his vision.

The Tenseigan retained some of the Byakugan's abilities, but in terms of fine perception, it far surpassed the Byakugan.

Even in casual observation, Hyuga Kagami could now determine an opponent's next move by analyzing the flow of chakra within their body and the subtle contractions of their muscles.

Apart from enhanced perception, the most significant change was his chakra reserves.

Conservatively estimated, Hyuga Kagami believed his chakra reserves had increased by 40 to 50 times compared to before he injected the genetic fluid. He now had more chakra than an average Jonin.

Additionally, he sensed that his body had awakened other abilities, but since he was stationed at the outpost and constantly monitored by Mitsui Nakaichi, he had no opportunity to explore them.

Suppressing his excitement, Hyuga Kagami finally got his chance a few days later when he was assigned to patrol alone.

"Hah!"

With a light exclamation, the distant yellow sand surged toward Hyuga Kagami's outstretched right hand, like a flood bursting through a dam.

With a mere thought, the rushing sand was suddenly repelled as if it had encountered a powerful storm, scattering in all directions!

Watching the vast sand respond to his will, coming and going as he commanded, Hyuga Kagami stood alone in the remote desert, a slight smile forming on his lips.

This technique combined the principles of Pain's Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push) and Bansho Ten'in (Universal Pull)—essentially manipulating repulsive and attractive forces. From his fragmented memories of his past life, Hyuga Kagami recalled that Toneri Otsutsuki had used a similar ability on the moon.

"Since this is an ability of the Tenseigan, I'll call it 'Rinzan Ruyi' (Revolving Heaven's Will)!"

After testing it a few more times, the initial thrill wore off, and Hyuga Kagami gradually noticed a major drawback—his Rinzan Ruyi had an effective range of only about 15 meters. The farther the distance, the weaker the effect.

Breathing heavily, he furrowed his brow in contemplation.

Most C-rank and above offensive jutsu had an effective range of at least 20 meters, with some reaching 50 meters. Even expert weapon throwers could launch kunai and shuriken beyond 20 meters with lethal accuracy.

This meant that if an enemy kept their distance, his Rinzan Ruyi would be useful only for defense and minor disruptions.

Setting aside the range limitation for the moment, Hyuga Kagami made another troubling discovery—his chakra reserves, which he had been so thrilled about, were depleting rapidly.

Initially, he had been ecstatic about his chakra increasing 40 to 50 times. However, after using Rinzan Ruyi multiple times in succession, he was shocked to find that he was already running low on chakra.

Only now did he realize that his initial excitement had clouded his judgment.

His chakra reserves had indeed increased dramatically, but because his original reserves were at the level of a standard Genin, they had merely risen to that of an average Jonin. This was far from being able to spam jutsu at will, and it was laughable compared to Toneri Otsutsuki, who could treat the moon as his personal plaything.

Hyuga Kagami had always used Toneri Otsutsuki as his reference point, but reality had just delivered him a harsh slap.

"Why is this happening?"

"Where did I go wrong?"

"Could it be that my method of evolving the Tenseigan was flawed?"

One question after another flooded Hyuga Kagami's mind.

Caught between confusion, anxiety, and even a hint of fear, he struggled with his thoughts for a long time before finally regaining his composure. When he adjusted his perspective, everything suddenly became clear.

From his past-life memories, he recalled that Toneri Otsutsuki was the only known wielder of the Tenseigan. Subconsciously, Hyuga Kagami had assumed that merely possessing the Tenseigan would grant him Toneri's level of power.

But upon deeper reflection, bloodline abilities varied from person to person.

Even among those with the Byakugan, many Hyuga Clan members were far stronger than their peers. Similarly, within the Uchiha Clan, most members were weak compared to Madara Uchiha.

Toneri was a genius, the last heir of the Otsutsuki lineage on the moon, inheriting all the knowledge and training passed down by Hamura Otsutsuki. Even before awakening the Tenseigan, he was already at Kage level!

So, it was natural for him to reach a super-Kage level upon awakening the Tenseigan.

Meanwhile, Hyuga Kagami had started at Genin level. Expecting to match Toneri's strength immediately was nothing short of unrealistic.

With this realization, he attempted to replicate some of Toneri's Tenseigan techniques but found himself unable to enter the Tenseigan Chakra Mode. As for slicing the moon or using Truth-Seeking Orbs—those abilities were completely out of reach.

"Hmm… Does entering Tenseigan Chakra Mode require hand seals?"