However, Ryusei wasn't foolish enough to believe Kanae could awaken the Tenseigan like this, or that he could also mirror it somehow.
The Tenseigan required something beyond even the most perfect Byakugan; it demanded another part of Hamura's inheritance entirely.
Only someone born with Hamura's Sage Body could awaken it; otherwise, even if they obtained the purest Byakugan possible, it would fail.
Ryusei knew that simply fusing countless Byakugan together would eventually hit a ceiling.
The limitation wasn't in effort or technique, but in genetics.
Kanae's body and lineage simply didn't carry the necessary Otsutsuki genetics to support a full transition, and kept on increasing her power indefinitely; so the fusion would eventually hit diminishing returns.
The same applied to him.
Yes, Ryusei possessed a Sage Body, but it was Hagoromo's, not Hamura's.
That distinction was everything.
So, he also couldn't just steal a powerful Byakugan like Toneri did from Hinata and expect to awaken the Tenseigan by force.
The lineage didn't match. The resonance between bloodline and eye was critical.
The only path to awakening the Tenseigan, Ryusei concluded, was being as genetically close to Hamura as possible.
Toneri was the perfect example.
He didn't just possess Hinata's pure Byakugan; his own body already bordered on divine.
That ethereal white hair, the near-translucent skin, the refined chakra, it was all the mark of atavism, a rare regression to the true Otsutsuki state.
His clan's isolation on the Moon, avoiding interbreeding with other humans, for over a thousand years, had preserved Hamura's essence nearly untouched. Eventually, an anomaly like Toneri was bound to emerge.
Hashirama and Madara, by contrast, had cheated their way to divinity. They weren't born gods; they were reincarnations of Asura and Indra, inheriting the Sage's essence directly.
Toneri's case was different; his power came purely from genetics. That's why his awakening of the Tenseigan had been so instantaneous.
Ryusei also reasoned that Hinata's contribution had only bridged a minor genetic gap, just enough to supply the missing "Sage Eye" component Toneri lacked.
The true catalyst was always Toneri's own Otsutsuki blood.
And if that was true, then no amount of scientific modification could let Ryusei awaken the Tenseigan on his own.
He couldn't rewrite his bloodline. He wasn't Hamura's descendant, and his genetics couldn't be made closer through mere research.
So what was left? The answer was obvious—steal it.
He would have to take an already awakened Tenseigan directly somehow and make it his own naturally.
His body, built on Hagoromo's Sage Body physiology, could withstand and adapt to immense foreign powers.
After all, even Nagato managed to handle the Rinnegan's burden so well, as it was his own.
Also, once he refined his essence further, he was even more confident that he could accept it and wield it perfectly like his own.
Of course, that was easier said than done.
Anyone possessing the Tenseigan was automatically on the Six Paths spectrum, monstrous beings beyond ordinary comparison.
Worse, the Moon dwellers didn't just have individual eyes; they also guarded the Giant Tenseigan, the external energy vessel created from Hamura's own power as a catalyst.
Whoever possessed both of those things was bound to be stronger than Ryusei for now.
Still, he didn't see it as impossible. With time, growth, the right plans, and the right allies, it could be done.
In fact, right after his transmigration, Ryusei had already sketched out a long-term scenario for this stage—the "final summit."
His idea had been simple and cruel.
He would one day locate the Moon portal, travel there, capture a young Toneri, wipe out his clan, restrain him permanently with advanced fuinjutsu, implant him with the purest Byakugan available, and force him to awaken the Tenseigan early.
Then, once it matured, Ryusei would harvest the eyes, kill him, and claim both the personal and Giant Tenseigan as his own, to reach the top.
But when had things ever gone so smoothly?
He couldn't have predicted that Toneri's father would descend to Earth prematurely, seeking Byakugan to awaken the Tenseigan himself, and make the entire process infinitely more complicated.
Still, Ryusei smirked faintly at the thought. If that man was indeed Toneri's father, then he would surely be formidable, but nowhere near as special as his son.
Toneri had been one in a million, a genetic miracle closest to the perfect Otsutsuki among the mere "humans".
That meant the father's awakening would take longer, and his return to Earth would be later.
Time that Ryusei could use to grow stronger. Time to prepare enough to give him a surprise.
Additionally, it wasn't as if Ryusei hadn't tried to locate the ancient Moon portal before.
He had sent several stealth-type sensory clones to scout for it a long time ago, each designed to move undetected across long distances and search for even faint traces of strange distortion. But none of them ever found anything.
He'd theorized the reason was simple: it was hidden too well. After all, even Tobirama, who could sense chakra across entire countries, had never detected it in the original timeline.
If someone like that couldn't find it, then the portal had to be shielded by seals or barriers meant to fool even the most advanced sensory types.
Ryusei concluded that only when his own power and perception evolved further, when his sensory ability reached something closer to divine precision, could he hope to locate it.
Until then, it would remain buried beyond reach.
And now that Toneri's father had already appeared on Earth, there was no point in searching anymore. Going near that portal now would just mean walking straight into big trouble.
***
Back in the present, Kanae still stood before him, eyes open and radiant with new power, the faint glow of her Byakugan pulsing in rhythm with her chakra. Then, without warning, she turned her stance and activated Rotation.
Ryusei felt the sudden expansion of her chakra field, dense, pressurized, and perfectly stable. The surrounding air howled as the force spiraled outward, and he sensed immediately that her range had grown massively.
Twenty-five meters. Even more than the Hyuga Patriarch without that mystery power-up.
He crossed his arms and watched the rotation stabilize with surprising smoothness. "Not bad," he said, his tone half-impressed, half-amused.
"That's not just chakra flow anymore. You're condensing it, like internal gravity. That's the difference between ordinary Byakugan and what you've got now. The pressure doesn't just defend—it crushes everything trying to reach you."
Kanae didn't answer right away, but the small upward curl at the corner of her lips said enough.
"Try hitting me again," Ryusei said, stepping forward with casual interest. "This time, fuse it into your next palm strike with the other things."
She nodded, sliding into her stance.
The next moment, her Rotation collapsed inward into her current "elemental" Gentle Fist, lightning-like precision mixed with the wind's slicing edge.
When she struck, Ryusei's barrier flared faintly, his skin hardening under the boiling pressure layer and micro-vibration field that surrounded him.
Even so, her hit left a visible ripple in the air.
"Good," he said, smirking. "You're starting to get the feel for it. Keep that up, and you'll surpass Renjiro in a few days. Low Kage level isn't far."
She straightened, breathing steady, though her cheeks flushed slightly. "That so?" she asked, a touch of pride hidden under her cool tone.
"Of course, but to be honest, it is not even that necessary, probably..." he teased lightly. "After all, if only I keep getting stronger, that means you are still, too. Kind of like... you're always attached to me, huh?"
Kanae's eyes flickered, the glow dimming for a heartbeat.
"Don't say it like that," she muttered, snorting softly as she turned her face away.
But the faint color on her ears betrayed her, and Ryusei caught it easily.
He chuckled, stepping closer, his tone playful.
"What, embarrassed already? That's not like you."
"Shut up," she shot back, but it came out weaker than she intended.
Even with her Byakugan, she couldn't fully perceive all the ways his physique had evolved—the endless overlapping layers of power within him, the impossible density of his chakra, the subtle micro-vibrations dancing beneath his skin. Every time she looked at him now, it felt like peering at a storm inside human form.
And yet, he had never looked down on her.
Two years ago, she had treated him as nothing, an odd, unstable teammate to be tolerated, watched, and reported on. Someone abnormal, a potential liability.
But now, that same boy, who could've despised her for it, had done the opposite.
He had accepted her without a hint of resentment and stood as the only person who had ever given her true freedom, power, and purpose.
Because of him, she had learned science, created her own fusion methods, and taken the first real steps toward breaking the cursed seal that had chained her entire life.
She wasn't fully free yet, but she was halfway there.
Her clan was in ruins, many of the Main Branch dead after the recent attack, and the few survivors too preoccupied with rebuilding to even think about enforcing the seal commands around. It no longer mattered that much.
And yet, to her, it still meant everything. Because only when that mark lost its power completely, only when she was truly free, would she finally be able to sleep in peace.
Kanae touched her forehead lightly, feeling the faint trace of the cursed mark beneath her messy bangs.
Soon, it would truly mean nothing.
The stronger her eyes became, the less control it could exert over herself in the future.
Just a few more fusions, and she'd be untouchable.
Even if the mark remained, it would no longer be a symbol of servitude, but of triumph.
A scar turned into a crown. And it was all because of the man standing in front of her.
Ryusei caught that softness in her expression, the faint, unguarded peace that rarely appeared on her face. He couldn't help himself.
With a grin, he blurred forward, and before Kanae could react, she found herself pressed against him, his arms wrapping around her.
"See? You're getting way too sentimental," he teased lightly, his voice low near her ear.
She let out a small, ceremonial protest, her palms resting against his chest as if to push him away, but she didn't. The warmth spreading through her chest told her it was completely right.
For once, she didn't feel the need to resist or hide behind her usual cold mask in the slightest.
"Don't get used to this," she muttered weakly.
"Too late," he replied with a smirk, not letting go just yet.
A moment later, he finally pulled back, eyes narrowing slightly in thought.
"You know," he said, his tone shifting from teasing to curious, "now that your eyes have evolved, your spiritual power and baseline yin affinity should've grown stronger too. You might not realize it yet, but your chakra balance has shifted, and potential has increased again. What if you learned to use that?"
Kanae blinked, tilting her head. "How?"
"Simple," Ryusei said, his grin returning faintly. "You've already fused yang into your gentle fist, both for healing and harming. But what if you added yin too, channeled it into your strikes and techniques? Turn it into something like 'gen-taijutsu'. Physical hits that would eventually scramble the nervous system directly through yin-based interference. They wouldn't just damage the body, they'd disrupt the mind."
Her eyes widened slightly. "You really think that's possible?"
"With you?" he said casually, hands sliding into his pockets. "Of course. If anyone can, it's the girl who rewired her own eyes."
Kanae looked down for a moment, suppressing a small smile. "You always say things like that," she said quietly.
"Because you keep proving me right."
Her heart skipped a beat at that, and for a brief moment, she forgot the chill of the air or the shadows of their hideout.
Standing there with him, it felt like the rest of the world had gone quiet.
She straightened, collecting herself again. "Then I'll try it," she said. "You'll just have to watch me again."
Ryusei grinned. "Gladly. Though fair warning, you might have to stop me from hugging you again if it works too well."
She rolled her eyes, but the faint color on her cheeks gave her away.
"Idiot," she said under her breath.
But this time, the word sounded less like annoyance and more like affection.
Before they finally separated, their talk drifted back to what she'd actually gained.
Kanae described the changes in her vision in detail, and Ryusei listened closely, analyzing each word.
Her range had expanded significantly, her microscopic sight sharper than ever, capable of detecting chakra patterns and cellular details with startling precision.
Even her fine-scale perception, what she jokingly called her "micro-microscopic" view, had improved, which would make their research and lab work faster than ever.
She could now track multiple signatures simultaneously, across all directions, even on a city-wide scale. Her spatial awareness had become something close to omnidirectional.
Ryusei's grin widened as he listened. "So, every level of your vision got a direct upgrade. And you can sustain it without strain."
"Exactly," Kanae said, nodding, her tone almost proud. "No blurring, no chakra backlash, nothing. I can use everything freely, to the same extent as my original Byakugan before."
He nodded, impressed. "And that settles it. My theory was right. Byakugan's evolution doesn't destroy itself like the Sharingan's. It's pure stability, refinement without collapse. The stronger it gets, the steadier it becomes."
Kanae smirked faintly. "So basically, my eyes are superior."
Ryusei chuckled, meeting her gaze. "You're just figuring that out now?"
She shook her head, a quiet laugh escaping her.
For a rare moment, there was no tension between them, just shared understanding and pride.
It was strange, she thought, how natural this felt now. Working together. Talking like this.