"The surgery was a success. You are now..."
In the Swordsmith Village of the Land of Iron, Uchiha Nagi led Kimimaro out of the operating room. They went to a small grove outside to bask in the sun.
Nagi cleared his throat. "Your Byakugan are still in an adjustment period. You could take off the bandages now, but it's best to keep them out of the light until they've fully settled."
"How does your body feel now?"
Kimimaro paused, sensing the changes within himself, then answered hesitantly. "The Byakugan... they seem to be having a subtle reaction with my body. My bloodline disease... it isn't as painful as before. The stinging sensation in my cells is gone..."
Nagi nodded. "Good. That's good. Inject one dose of Agent No. 1 every day. Agent No. 2 is too potent for you right now; it would be a burden on your body. Agent No. 1 is milder and more suitable for your current condition."
The so-called "Agent No. 1" was White Zetsu cells, neutralized using Genya's own cells, which allowed for injection without side effects.
"Agent No. 2," on the other hand, was Hashirama cells. Even after neutralization to prevent the user from turning into a tree, the cells were still incredibly potent. It was a case of being too weak to handle the cure; Kimimaro's body was so frail that using it would have an adverse effect.
To prevent spies or outsiders from overhearing, they referred to the treatments only as Agent No. 1 and Agent No. 2.
"Sensei..." Kimimaro hesitated before voicing the question that weighed on his mind. "Why would the Hyuga clan's Byakugan have an effect on my bloodline disease? I thought all bloodline diseases in the shinobi world were incurable..."
"You want to know?" Nagi smiled. "It's not exactly a secret I need to keep from you. But this isn't the place to talk about it. Let's go up and talk in the sky."
[Magnet Style]
Iron sand flew out, forming a platform at their feet that lifted both Nagi and Kimimaro slowly into the air.
After ascending several hundred meters, Uchiha Nagi began to explain.
"The ninjutsu of this world, legend says, all originated from the Sage of Six Paths. You've heard of him, right?" Nagi began.
"Yes. I've read about him in historical texts. It's said the Sage of Six Paths possessed the Rinnegan," Kimimaro nodded.
"It all actually starts with a pair of brothers. Their names were Hamura and Hagoromo..."
Nagi started to share some of what he knew with Kimimaro. Unburdened by his disease, Kimimaro's strength was already approaching Kage-level; he was a man who could take on the Fourth Kazekage single-handedly.
The physical defense of his Shikotsumyaku was just that absurd. And now, with a pair of pure Byakugan, Nagi was certain that Kimimaro had met the initial conditions to evolve even further.
He was still just a teenager. In the future, his power could rival that of the god-tiered Naruto and Sasuke. After all, he too was a descendant of the Otsutsuki...
Nagi had already decided on the next leader of the Swordsmith Village: Kimimaro.
"The elder brother left behind two bloodlines, one called Uchiha and the other Senju. His twin brother also left behind his own bloodlines..."
Hearing this, Kimimaro began to understand. "The younger brother's two descendants... are the Hyuga and the Kaguya clans?"
Nagi smiled and nodded. "That's right. That's why your supposedly incurable bloodline disease had such a unique genetic reaction to the Byakugan transplant. From a biological standpoint, you were completing your missing genetic code. It's a form of atavism, a reversion to your ancestral state."
"Naturally, your condition improved..."
"I see..." Kimimaro was lost in thought. He then asked, "Then, Sensei, the brother of the Sage of Six Paths... did he also awaken the Rinnegan? The Byakugan and the Sharingan seem so different."
"Of course they're different. The younger brother's lineage awakens the Tenseigan. The name is different, and the abilities are largely different as well. But what is certain is that its power can rival the Rinnegan. Once you've recovered, you can slowly explore it and increase your strength. Maybe in a few years, you'll be able to awaken the Tenseigan yourself."
"As for the Byakugan and Sharingan... there's a reason the Byakugan seems so weak. It's because the Byakugan has a much lower rate of rejection than the Sharingan. That's why everyone wants to hunt down a Hyuga and take their eyes for themselves. To prevent this, the Hyuga clan created the Caged Bird Seal to protect the Byakugan."
"And here's the irony: while the Caged Bird Seal protected the Byakugan from outsiders, it also stunted the growth of the Hyuga clan's strength. And the main family, who are free from the seal's restraints, have been protected so well that they rarely see battle, preventing them from gaining the practical and emotional stimuli needed to grow stronger. They've gradually become useless..."
"I see. So there's a story like that behind it..."
Kimimaro's mind was reeling. After listening for so long, he finally understood. He was the scion of a noble and powerful clan...
Nagi smiled and patted Kimimaro's shoulder. "If your symptoms don't return after the adjustment period, then I will authorize you to focus on developing your kekkei genkai. Oh, and you can also take a look at the Scroll of Seals when you have time. See what you can learn. Many of the forbidden jutsu in there are quite good."
"Alright, that's enough chatting for now. Spend more time trying to master the Transparent World. Don't let the Byakugan cloud your vision; the Transparent World is the ultimate state of perception. When I'm not around, you can ask Yukihime for guidance. I'm going to check on Genya now..."
"Yes, Sensei."
Nagi slowly lowered the iron sand platform, leaving Kimimaro alone with his thoughts.
[Damn it, what are they talking about? I can't hear a thing from up there!]
From the earth below, a jet-black figure slowly emerged. It was Black Zetsu.
Ever since White Zetsu had been caught by Nagi's Transparent World, Black Zetsu had been forced to take over the surveillance of the Swordsmith Village himself. Only his concealment abilities could evade Uchiha Nagi's notice.
Even Hamura and Hagoromo had been unable to detect Black Zetsu's presence, let alone Nagi and Nagato. But Black Zetsu had a weakness: once they took to the sky, he couldn't eavesdrop.
[Do they know the secret of the Byakugan and the Kaguya clan? No, it must be a coincidence. Uchiha Nagi is a scientist. He probably just stumbled upon it after stealing the Byakugan...]
Uchiha Nagi arrived at the Swordsmith Village's Training Ground No. 3. The area was already covered in a lush forest of towering, ancient trees.
Genya was wiping sweat from his brow, practicing his Wood Style. After Nagi had stolen the Scroll of Seals, he had given Genya all the Wood Style jutsu recorded within it.
Nagi had learned them as well, but for him, with his Susanoo, Wood Style was merely the icing on the cake. The core of Wood Style was a literal ton of chakra, and unfortunately, while he had a lot of chakra, it wasn't quite at the "tonnage" level yet.
Genya, on the other hand, was specializing in Wood Style, which Nagi greatly encouraged. He was different from others. Genya's constitution was based on demon-eating cells; he could directly digest them. Every time he consumed Hashirama's cells, his chakra reserves increased massively.
However, the rate of increase had been slowing down recently. So today, Nagi had brought him something different.
"This is a serum cloned from the cells of that guy who was flying in the sky the other day. See if it helps you," Nagi said, handing Genya a vial of Otsutsuki Urashiki's cell tissue.
"Yes, Sensei." Genya took it and was about to drink it, but Nagi stopped him.
"Not so fast. Let's have a spar first. You should be able to handle the Wood Golem now, right?"
"Yes! I've been practicing and have started to get the hang of it these past few days," Genya said excitedly.
Before, all his Wood Style techniques had been copied from Yamato by Nagi or figured out and taught to him by Nagi himself. They were incomplete. Now, he was learning directly from the Scroll of Seals, giving him a much more comprehensive understanding, including the Wood Style's equivalent of a Susanoo: the Wood Golem.
As for the technique above the Wood Golem, the Thousand-Armed Great Buddha... you couldn't control that without a literal mountain of chakra.
"Alright, let's give it a try." Nagi closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his Mangekyo Sharingan was blazing. Chakra erupted from his body, instantly forming a hundred-meter-tall Gundam.
Genya, excited, clapped his hands together. The wood on the ground began to grow, and after a cloud of smoke, a Wood Golem as massive as the Susanoo appeared in the training ground.
BOOM!
BOOM!
The two giants began to brawl in the training ground. Their fight attracted the attention of some of the other students, who ran over to watch. Seeing their Kage sparring with Genya, one of the first-generation students of the Swordsmith Village school, they erupted in excitement.
"Go, Genya-senpai!"
"You can do it, Genya!"
"Damn it, he's already this strong? He can spar with Lord Sword Kage..."
The young men and women watched Genya in the training ground with a mixture of jealousy and envy. To be able to control such a massive golem was no longer at the jonin level. It was, without a doubt, Kage-level.
Amaru and Uzumaki Karin, who had just finished recovering from their injuries, were also watching.
"Damn it! If only the Zero-Tails had some intelligence, maybe I could summon a 'Gundam' too..." Amaru clenched her fist in frustration. Her Tailed Beast was artificial; she couldn't make it grow to a massive size like Killer Bee or Gaara could.
"Hey, Karin, say something, you dork."
"Oh, oh, were you talking to me?" Uzumaki Karin watched intently. "Genya's strong, I guess, but his face is ruined. He's not my type. I like Sensei's type..."
As she spoke, a memory surfaced. In the Forest of Death, she had been separated from her comrades during a fight. Karin, who had always slacked off during training, found herself in danger.
A ridiculously handsome boy had come to her rescue like a hero saving a damsel in distress. It was Sasuke. And Uzumaki Karin, in the throes of adolescent puppy love, was instantly captivated by the handsome face of Sasuke...
Amaru rolled her eyes at Karin. This lovesick girl, all she ever thinks about is boys...
In the Land of Rain, a special meeting was being held.
Ten figures had gathered to discuss a recent development that had begun after the Chunin Exams.
"According to the intel from White Zetsu, in addition to the One-Tails, Shukaku, another Tailed Beast has been captured by a mysterious person. It was the Seven-Tails..."
"It seems this person, like us, is intent on collecting the Tailed Beasts. And according to the reports, not only can they fly, but they also have the same eyes as Pain."
"What? The Rinnegan?"
"Unbelievable. The same eyes as Leader Pain?"
"Whoa!" Deidara, who loved nothing more than a good bit of chaos, shouted out. "Could he be Leader Pain's relative? Maybe his brother?"
All eyes slowly turned to the spiky-haired man at the head of the group. In his faint purple eyes were concentric rings. This was the leader of the Akatsuki, Pain.
"Enough idle chatter. Since this person wants to collect the Tailed Beasts, whatever their purpose, as long as we have one, they will have to come to us," Pain said, turning to Itachi and Kisame.
"Itachi, Kisame, you two will go to Konoha. See if you can capture the Nine-Tails..."
"Deidara, Sasori, you will go to the Land of Earth. Roshi of the Four-Tails is traveling alone, not in Iwagakure. And Deidara, you grew up in the Land of Earth, so you're more familiar with the area. You two will capture the Four-Tails. Any problems?"
"No problem! Leave it to me, Leader Pain! I've been experimenting with my new art recently, combining cannons with my clay. Hehe, that Uchiha Nagi has his 'Artillery—Performance of a Hundred Machines.' I'll have 'Deidara's Art of Artillery: Flying Bird Bombardment'..."
He trailed off as he saw Sasori staring coldly at him from the side, then rubbed his head sheepishly. "My man Sasori, I didn't mean anything by it."
Pain then considered that Konoha was the largest of the great shinobi nations, with tens of thousands of ninja. He turned back to Itachi and Kisame. "Kisame, Itachi, if you can't capture the Nine-Tails, go to the Village Hidden by the Mist and capture the Three-Tails first. Kisame, you're from the Mist; you're more familiar with it."
"As long as we can capture one or two Tailed Beasts before our opponent does, they will eventually have to come to us. Then we can just take all the beasts from them at once..."
"Kakuzu, Hidan, you will go and capture the Six-Tails..."
The Six-Tails was wandering, its jinchuriki a user of bubble-style ninjutsu. But for the Immortal Duo, he was no threat at all.
As for why he wasn't sending them to the Land of Lightning, it was because the Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails were together, and two perfect jinchuriki would be difficult to capture.
Besides, the journey was long.
After the meeting dispersed, Konan asked Pain with a worried expression, "Nagato, if our opponent also possesses the Rinnegan, could it be that..."
The emaciated Nagato shook his head firmly. "Even if he has the Rinnegan, he's no match for me. Don't forget the intel from White Zetsu. He was caught in a sneak attack by Uchiha Nagi and lost an arm and a leg."
Nagato's meaning was clear: a Rinnegan user who couldn't even defeat Uchiha Nagi was no comparison to him. And Uchiha Nagi didn't even have an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
Konan sighed. "Even so, anyone with the Rinnegan should not be underestimated. I'll prepare some paper bombs, just in case..."
"At a critical moment, my paper ninjutsu combined with the Six Paths of Pain should be more than enough to defeat him."
Konan wasn't just worried about this sudden Rinnegan-wielding enemy. She was also worried about the imposter Madara who used space-time ninjutsu. She wondered if he was connected to this.