Time flew by, and childhood came to its close in a flash.
Late March, Konoha Year 60.
The most exceptional generation of Academy students was finally facing graduation.
"Wake up, Izayoi-kun. It's graduation exam day."
Izayoi had slept in unusually late. Immersed in a dream, he was pulled back to reality by a gentle female voice—someone standing right beside him, yet who hadn't startled him awake. Evidently, he trusted her so much that he didn't keep his guard up at all.
His eyes blinked open. Through the haze of drowsiness, the silhouette of a girl gradually came into focus. Her delicate face had shed the last vestiges of childishness, now looking beautifully refined. Her long, raven-black hair, grown out intentionally over the past six years, hung like silk down to her waist. The patches of fair skin exposed beyond her white coat and black mesh undershirt gleamed as pale as snow.
Unlike most members of the Hyuga clan, her white pupils were tinged with a faint lavender sheen, turning her eyes into something like flawless gems—clear and bright. Pink lips curved in a faint, welcoming smile. With her hands clasped behind her back, she leaned in toward Izayoi, who had just woken up.
He locked eyes with Hinata for a few seconds, feeling a bit dazed, as though her round, baby-fat cheeks from back then had only been yesterday. But soon his gaze shifted downward, and a teasing grin spread across his face. "Hinata…you've grown again, haven't you?"
"Eek—!"
She let out a startled cry, abruptly realizing how awkward her leaning posture was. She hurriedly zipped up her coat all the way, her cheeks reddening as she turned around. Her voice trembled slightly. "I—I brought you breakfast, so…please get ready."
With that, she hurried out of the room.
Used to teasing his childhood friend, Izayoi stood up, stretched, and headed into the en-suite bathroom for his morning routine. As he brushed his teeth, he examined his reflection in the mirror.
Six years had passed since that black-haired, blue-eyed boy with chubby cheeks. Gone was his childish roundness, replaced by sharp, sculpted features—handsome and refined. His short black hair, just long enough to cover his ears, stood a bit messy from having just woken up. Those blue eyes of his, deeper in shade than Naruto's, glimmered like the ocean under the bathroom light.
And then, in an instant, the blue irises shifted to white—just like Hinata's. Under the light, they too bore that faint purple sheen. Yet there were no bulging veins at his temples. Up until the start of this year, every time he activated the Byakugan, his temples would stand out with veins. Not anymore.
With his eyes narrowed, Izayoi summoned an interface only he could see—one that no mirror could ever reflect. It appeared before him, floating in midair:
[Host: Izayoi]
[Talent Entries: Otsutsuki Bloodline (Red), Sage Eyes (Red), Prince of the Byakugan (Red), Six Paths Aptitude (Red), Kekkei Genkai: Byakugan (Gold), Chakra Control (Gold), Uzumaki Bloodline (Purple) "+", All-Attribute Constitution (Purple) "+", Medical Genius (Blue) "+"]
[Points: 12391]
After six years at the Academy, Izayoi's profile looked more impressive than ever. Besides the original Otsutsuki Bloodline, he'd gained three new Red-tier entries: Sage Eyes (Red) from Sasuke, Prince of the Byakugan (Red) (an automatic name change after fusing a red-tier drop from Hinata two years ago), and finally Six Paths Aptitude (Red), which he'd cultivated himself.
While most of his classmates might have just a single "Ninja Aptitude" or, at worst, none at all, Izayoi now held four red-tier talents—the highest rank he currently knew of. Even Naruto, the "Child of Prophecy" carrying Asura's chakra, half of the Nine-Tails, and the Uzumaki bloodline, couldn't compare.
But a closer look at the panel showed that five whole years had passed since he'd fused Sage Eyes (Red), and yet there was no sign of Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan (Purple) or Uchiha Bloodline (Purple). Why? Because of his Kekkei Genkai: Byakugan (Gold).
Back around late June of Konoha Year 58, Izayoi received a delayed "birthday present": a red-tier drop from Hinata. After fusing it, the entry's name changed, and for nearly two years since, Izayoi's chakra volume had skyrocketed month by month. He didn't know how the raw reserves of a genuine Sage Body compared, but he was sure that if Naruto didn't have half the Nine-Tails and suffer from malnourishment, Naruto's own Sage Body chakra would still be less than his.
Such vast chakra reserves naturally included yin-release (Yin Style) chakra. If you translated Izayoi's yin chakra into numbers, it would be enough to awaken the Sharingan—and even evolve it to the Mangekyo—several times over. But none of that power materialized in his eyes. It was all being consumed by the Byakugan, preventing any new dojutsu from emerging. Yet thanks to absorbing that yin chakra, his Byakugan quietly upgraded from Purple to Gold in Konoha Year 59.
Ever since fusing Prince of the Byakugan (Red), his Byakugan's range steadily improved every so often. Nowadays, Izayoi could see a full 360 degrees across an unbelievable 80-kilometer radius. That level of all-around vision easily surpassed even the Uzumaki's Mind's Eye of the Kagura in raw scope. Undoubtedly, his sensory abilities were among the strongest of this generation.
Nearly a year had passed since his Byakugan evolved.
"Almost there…"
Rinsing out his mouth and wiping his face with a towel, Izayoi gently touched the outer corner of his right eye. Staring at the faintly purple-tinted white pupil in the mirror, he murmured, "I've got a feeling that my 'first fetal movement' is going to happen soon."
As of now, Izayoi's potential overshadowed even Toneri Otsutsuki. At age nineteen, Toneri's Otsutsuki bloodline and inherited power had peaked, letting him awaken the ultimate Tenseigan in just a few days. But at present, neither Izayoi nor Toneri had realized the full extent of their potential. Even if they transplanted Hinata or Hanabi's Byakugan right now, neither could replicate Toneri's quick Tenseigan evolution from the movie. Still, if they both had the same eye transplanted, Izayoi would definitely awaken the Tenseigan faster.
It was Sage Eyes (Red) that gave him that confidence. Possessing both "Sage Eyes" and "Prince of the Byakugan" was like running two accelerators at once. By age twelve, there was every chance he could unlock an ultimate dojutsu, which was even more mind-blowing than Itachi awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan at eleven.
~~~
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