At this moment, high atop the Hokage Rock above Konohagakure, seated on the stone head of First Hokage Hashirama Senju, sat Hyūga Yū. He remained motionless like an ancient meditating monk, his entire being seemingly merging seamlessly into the surrounding environment. From afar, anyone who wasn't paying close attention would easily overlook him, mistaking him for a ordinary boulder.
The petrified half of his body was cracking open at a slow speed visible to the naked eye. Flakes of stone dust drifted down continuously, exposing the tough muscle and skin beneath.
In this miraculous state, Yū's senses expanded continuously, stretching outward to reach every corner of the Leaf Village below. Even with his eyes closed, under the omniscient perspective granted by the Tenseigan vessel, Yū's field of vision encompassed everything within a twenty-kilometer radius.
Not even the events unfolding far off in the Hyūga Clan compound escaped his perception.
Yū's gaze swept over Hyūga Hizashi—who had now transformed into a monster in the center of the arena stage—but it merely paused for a brief second before casually shifting away. Hizashi's issue did not actually lie with Hizashi himself. Though he still appeared to retain a sliver of rationality right now, he had in fact been entirely influenced by the purple Byakugan, instinctively triggering the fusion process of the massive Tenseigan.
Furthermore, Hizashi's current transformation was merely the beginning.
Just as Yū had previously deduced, this process was already irreversible. Under Yū's hyper-sensory perception, the pair of purple Byakugan in Hizashi's eyes had already anchored and linked to every single Byakugan within the entire perimeter of Konoha through a specialized chakra frequency unique to the Hyūga Clan!
Like a massive purple cobweb, intricate and interconnected, it spread outward with the Hyūga Clan compound as its core, extending to every corner of Konoha where a Byakugan or a Hyūga clan member resided.
It connected each Byakugan in sequence based on the quantity and strength of their chakra, treating them as "prey." By continuously absorbing the weak into the strong, it made itself increasingly complete and powerful. Ultimately, all the frequency terminals pointed toward Hyūga Yū, who sat cross-legged atop the Hokage Rock.
The Tenseigan vessel within Yū's eyes was its final prey!
Even if Yū were to step in and kill Hizashi right now, it would only accelerate the process. A single move would affect the whole structure, causing the incomplete giant purple Tenseigan to abandon all caution. Bypassing the natural order of evolution, it would go completely berserk and manifest prematurely, inflicting far greater destruction upon both Konoha and the Hyūga Clan.
Understanding this, Yū's gaze shifted slightly, sweeping across a corner of the arena. Spotting a familiar figure there, he let out a quiet sigh of relief and ceased paying attention to the commotion at the venue. He switched his focus back to the overall omniscient view. Within this view, Yū's senses continuously expanded and spread along the natural energy he could feel.
Over the past six hours, Yū had injected himself with the Senjutsu catalyst enzyme obtained from Orochimaru, drastically expanding his perceptual capabilities.
At present, seventy percent of his greyish-white overhead perspective had gained vivid color. This meant Yū could now perceive and manipulate all natural energy within a fourteen-kilometer radius.
Of course, this could not compare to the terrifying perception Uzumaki Naruto would later exhibit when assisted by Nine-Tails to absorb the natural energy of the entire planet's surface at once. However, the new application of Sage Mode that Yū had comprehended was fundamentally different from Naruto's brute-force approach to Senjutsu.
Even if I expand the perceptual range of natural energy further, the amount of natural energy that can be absorbed and manipulated within a given unit of time and space remains limited—unless I'm in a place with dense concentrations of natural energy like the Three Great Sage Regions.
This current range is already enough to bring about a transformation in my Sage Mode.
The focus of this Sage Mode is not to gain supernatural power to manipulate elements, but rather, through this method of becoming one with nature, to allow the flow of natural energy through my body to push it to the absolute peak of human physiological and cognitive function.
Having summarized the characteristics and cultivation method of this Sage Mode, Yū calmly kept his eyes on the expanding range of hyper-sensory perception granted to him by natural energy. When his hyper-sensory range expanded to three kilometers, natural energy surged through his body like a roaring river, pushing his capacity for self-perception to the absolute limit.
At this stage, his internal perception was clear as a mirror!
Without relying on the Tenseigan vessel, Yū could perceive minute changes in his own physiological state in real time—the sliding of every muscle fiber, the secretion of every hormone, the mobilization of every immune cell, the fluctuations of organ function, and even the levels of neurotransmitters...
When his hyper-sensory range expanded to ten kilometers, this internal perception broke through its threshold. Yū began to perceive far more with himself as the center:
Magnetic navigation, thermal radiation imaging, infrasonic and ultrasonic hearing, microscopic touch...
When his hyper-sensory range expanded to fifteen kilometers, Yū felt a loud BOOM explode in his mind. On top of his ability to multitask across seven mental threads, his thought-processing speed multiplied once again. His brain became like a multi-threaded supercomputer, with the capacity to process information spiking exponentially. A portion of his spare brainpower was even automatically allocated to activate Ten Directions—a dōjutsu he rarely used before—as a backup thread in his field of vision.
Right now, Yū could feel that once his hyper-sensory range broke through the twenty-kilometer mark, his body would undergo its first qualitative transformation!
Soon... very soon...
Yū chanted silently in his heart and completely sank his mind, immersing himself entirely in perceiving and mobilizing natural energy. On his forehead, the faint outline of a sun-shaped mark glowing with a pale-gold light slowly began to form.
Meanwhile, at the center of the Hyūga Clan compound, the tournament venue was in complete chaos. Wrapped in purple chakra with only his face exposed, Hyūga Hizashi stood in the middle of a pile of bodies composed of four Main House elders and fourteen severed Main House members. His face was flushed red, and he couldn't help taking a deep breath, letting out a deeply satisfied, euphoric smile. The sheer delight of breaking out of his cage and regaining his freedom nearly made him lose himself.
In the stands, witnessing such a bloody scene threw the venue into utter panic. The Third Shinobi World War had not ended too long ago, so the shinobi in attendance were accustomed to the gruesome realities of war and did not panic excessively. However, nearly two thousand ordinary Hyūga clan members—non-shinobi who had lived peaceful lives in Konoha—were also present.
Seeing this scene, their entire worldview practically collapsed!
The Main House was the core of the Hyūga, the born nobility who had been superior since birth, viewing the Branch House as mere servants. The death of a single Main House member was a monumental event capable of turning the Hyūga upside down!
Yet in just a few short months, the Main House had lost three members in succession: Hyūga Genko, Hyūga Mao, and the former Great Elder Hyūga Sōdō, who was basically sentenced to death.
And today, right in front of all the major factions of Konoha, Hizashi had slaughtered eighteen of them in one single stroke!
The Main House only had twenty-four members in total, and now twenty-one of them were dead!
The only ones remaining were the Clan Head Hyūga Hiashi, Elder Hyūga Sōkō, and Hyūga Shin, who had recently joined the Main House but still retained the Caged Bird Seal!
Thinking of the consequences brought by this scene, a cold chill gripped the hearts of the gathered Branch House members, followed by a profound sense of bewilderment. "The Main House has been almost entirely wiped out... leaving only the main lineage of the Clan Head!"
"The Hyūga... the world is changing!"
"Without the Main House, what are we supposed to do in the future? Who do we listen to?"
"Will the clan still hand out subsidies? If not, how are we going to survive? How do we maintain our lives in the core district of Konoha without the clan's help? I'm not a ninja, and I don't know how to do business. With my current income, I can't even afford rent!"
The Hyūga Branch members whispered anxiously to one another, and the entire venue was instantly drowned out by a wave of noisy chatter.
At that moment, another change occurred on stage—
After killing the fourteen Main House members and devouring five hundred pairs of Byakugan, Hizashi only allowed himself a moment of intoxication before his expression turned dark. He snapped his head up, his cold, unhinged gaze sweeping sinisterly across the surrounding arena. He did not feel his actions were overly extreme; instead, a voice belonging to "himself" inexplicably rose in his mind, telling him:
Change always requires bloodshed. Hyūga Hizashi, you did nothing wrong!
Immediately after, that same voice guided Hizashi's thoughts further: The Main House is gone... next, if I want to become Tennin, I must defeat Clan Head Hyūga Hiashi, and... I must defeat Hyūga Yū.
He looked down at the surrounding corpses of the Main House members, then activated his Byakugan to scan the venue. In the end, he failed to find Hiashi's figure anywhere in the crowd. "Tch~ Hyūga Hiashi... he probably isn't coming."
"With his personality, he definitely intended to hide behind the scenes and let these useless fools deal with me."
Much like Uchiha Obito sparing Hatake Kakashi during his descent into darkness, whether it was the last remnant of conscience in his heart or the other voice falling into a brief silence, Hizashi instinctively passed over his twin brother Hiashi. "In that case..."
At this thought, Hizashi suddenly raised his head, looked around, and barked sharply at the spectator stands: "Hyūga Yū—"
"COME OUT!"
"You fraudulently claimed the title of Tennin, yet you don't even dare to fight me?!"
The moment Hizashi spoke, the arena fell silent for a second. Everyone looked around following Hizashi's words, searching for a moment before realizing that, just as Hizashi said, Hyūga Yū—who currently held the name of "Tennin"—was nowhere to be seen.
Hyūga Yū hadn't come to the venue at all!
"Tennin... didn't actually come?!"
"Could he be afraid of Hyūga Hizashi? How... how is that possible?"
"Wait, could Hyūga Hizashi really replace Ten—Hyūga Yū, and become the true Hyūga Tennin?"
Seeing this, Hizashi let out a mocking, cold laugh. "I had someone deliver an invitation to Hyūga Yū's doorstep three days ago, and I even sent a copy to Foundation!"
"Don't any of you use not receiving it as an excuse!"
Hizashi suddenly turned his head, his cold gaze landing on a corner of the arena. Crouching there to monitor the situation were two Foundation shinobi: Terai and Yamato.
Hizashi glared at the two and demanded coldly, "Gentlemen of Foundation, where is Hyūga Yū?!"
Terai remained silent. He actually knew that Yū was currently atop the Hokage Rock, but Yū was undergoing crucial training and had no time to deal with this farce. Furthermore, as Shimura Danzō's successor, information regarding Yū fell under the classification of the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.
Even if Terai and Yamato knew, it was impossible for them to tell Hizashi.
On stage, seeing the two Foundation shinobi remain silent, Hizashi's sneer deepened. Seeing this scene, the heads of Konoha's various clans and the nobility from the Land of Fire invited to watch the proceedings couldn't help but let their imaginations run wild, beginning to reevaluate the value of associating with Hyūga Yū.
Soon, the venue was once again submerged in discussions unfavorable to Yū.
Hizashi stood on stage with his arms crossed, waiting for a full ten minutes. Then, with a cold chuckle, he declared loudly: "In that case, starting from today—"
"The power of the Hyūga Main House is reclaimed by Tennin, and there is only ONE Hyūga Tennin! And that person is—"
Just as Hizashi was about to loudly announce "ME," a crisp, decisive, and slightly mocking voice suddenly echoed from the entrance of the venue: "Hyūga Hizashi—"
"With just you, do you really think you're worthy of being Tennin?"
The voice was not loud and sounded somewhat ethereal, yet it transmitted with crystal clarity into the ears of every single person in the stadium.
The moment those words rang out, the venue fell deathly silent!
Everyone turned their heads toward the entrance. On stage, Hizashi's brow twitched violently as his cold eyes snapped in that direction. "—WHO IS IT?!"
When everyone's gaze fell upon the entrance, they saw that the doorway was currently empty. But right after that crisp voice sounded, the air in front of the gate distorted slightly. Countless pale-teal specks of light floated up like fireflies dancing across the sky, forming a halo of pale-teal light. From within that teal halo, a composed figure stepped forward. Short, dark-green hair carved a brilliant arc in the sunlight, and before the light clinking of the tool pouch at her waist could fade, her feet landed firmly on the ground. When she looked up, the gust of wind from that moment blew against everyone's breath, yet it could not disturb the stillness deep within her pale-teal eyes.
Seeing the newcomer, the crowd was shocked. Their eyes quickly shifted from her to the eye-catching figure she was dragging behind her. "She's... Hyūga Natsu?!"
"Wait, the person she's dragging... is that Hyūga Hiashi?!"
The person who appeared at the venue was indeed Hyūga Natsu. Right now, her expression was calm as she dragged Hyūga Hiashi—the Clan Head of the Hyūga Clan, who was currently half-dead—by one hand under the watchful eyes of the crowd. She walked straight onto the arena stage and stood directly opposite Hyūga Hizashi.
"Hyūga Natsu?!"
Seeing her, Hizashi's brow twitched. When his eyes landed on her pale-teal pupils, his pupils shrank violently. Is this... the same chakra as that brat Hyūga Yū's?
How... how does she have this kind of chakra?
And compared to Hyūga Yū back then, the chakra inside her is even lighter, and its rank and quality... are even higher!
Thump!
Stepping onto the central stage, Natsu kicked aside the corpse of a Main House member, tossing the half-dead Hiashi onto the platform. She raised her eyes and casually glanced at Hizashi. "According to the rules of the Tennin competition, I defeated Main House Elder Hyūga Sōkō and Clan Head Hyūga Hiashi before you did. Therefore—"
"Now, I am the Hyūga Tennin."
Natsu stared quietly at Hizashi, her gaze sweeping over the countless Byakugan covering his body. A glint of coldness flashed in her beautiful eyes as she sneered coldly, "Hyūga Hizashi, YOU are the challenger!"
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