A Sage's Pursuit of Power

The eyes Hiashi had sent to Aoba were from the main family, something almost unimaginable for the Hyūga Clan.

Aoba, however, didn't hesitate to use them. With his research on the Sharingan at a standstill, shifting focus to the Byakugan was only natural.

Unfortunately, due to his current inability to see, much of the research had to be conducted by his laboratory assistants.

The Byakugan was fundamentally different from the Sharingan.

The Sharingan possessed numerous abilities, including enhanced dynamic vision, improved genjutsu, genjutsu deflection, and unique powers granted by the Mangekyō Sharingan.

All of these relied on the user's chakra and the unique ocular energy of the Sharingan.

The Byakugan, on the other hand, had only one core ability: enhanced vision.

This enhancement was comprehensive, encompassing dynamic and static vision as well as x-ray-like abilities. Together, these formed the Byakugan's characteristic effects.

Unlike the Sharingan, the Byakugan's effects were more biological in nature.

According to the lab's research, the Byakugan's abilities stemmed primarily from its unique biological structure.

This explained why nearly all members of the Hyūga Clan could awaken the Byakugan. As long as their bloodline remained intact, every Hyūga clan member possessed this unique physiological structure, and the Byakugan's activation naturally occurred as they matured.

This was also why the Byakugan's abilities rarely involved references to ocular energy, it wasn't powered by it.

However, the lack of dependence on ocular energy didn't mean it lacked such energy altogether. Lab studies showed that the Byakugan contained a unique form of chakra, presumably its ocular energy.

But this ocular energy existed in a dormant state. It was deeply concealed and couldn't be influenced, even when noticed.

When Aoba attempted to stimulate the Byakugan's ocular energy with chakra, it primarily triggered biological changes in the eye, such as activating the Byakugan. It had virtually no effect on the dormant chakra within.

The Hyūga Clan wasn't unaware of this. Hiashi himself admitted that the clan had attempted to advance the Byakugan in the past.

All attempts had failed. The ocular energy within the Byakugan seemed to be an incomplete evolutionary feature with no practical effect.

Aoba didn't believe he could surpass the Hyūga Clan's decades of research in a short time, so he shifted his focus to the biological aspects of the Byakugan.

The structure of the Byakugan was incredibly complex, more so than the Sharingan. While it didn't entirely rely on chakra, a certain amount was still required to activate its transformations.

The Sharingan's activation relied on mental stimulation, and advancing to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan required some form of genetic completion.

This led Aoba to wonder if the Byakugan had a similar mechanism.

The work wasn't simple. It took the lab an entire month to analyze the Byakugan.

The final conclusion? Yes, the Byakugan was indeed incomplete and required some form of enhancement.

Aoba speculated that a fully enhanced Byakugan would become the Tenseigan seen in the story.

Unfortunately, the process for enhancing the Byakugan remained unknown.

Hiashi was highly interested in this research and frequently visited the lab to inquire about progress.

"We once tried fusing Byakugan, but it didn't work. Different Byakugan reject each other strongly, making fusion impossible. To avoid wasting Byakugan, the clan abandoned such experiments long ago."

Hiashi's words effectively closed the door on the fusion route. However, Aoba wasn't ready to give up. He knew something the Hyūga Clan didn't:

The existence of the giant Tenseigan on the moon. That colossal eye was created by fusing Byakugan.

How the fusion was achieved was never detailed in the story, but Aoba had a hypothesis. Just as advancing the Mangekyō Sharingan required a specific bloodline condition, fusing the Mangekyō of close relatives, the Byakugan's advancement might also involve unique restrictions.

Finding and overcoming these restrictions was the key to unlocking the Byakugan's potential.

Aoba's extended hours in the lab soon drew dissatisfaction, especially from Tsunade and Yumi.

Tsunade, in particular, was upset.

Whenever Aoba was in the lab, there was no one to help her with official duties. Even her once-loyal Shizune had started openly skipping nights at home, spending all her time with Kakashi.

Having experienced the joy and subsequent loss of her great-grandfather Hashirama, Tsunade was deeply frustrated with Aoba's behavior. She stormed into the lab and dragged him out herself.

"…You're the Hokage. You should be mindful of your image." Aoba could only sigh in exasperation when dealing with Tsunade.

Tsunade was nothing like Yumi, who was soft and gentle. Her personality was bold and assertive, with no regard for how others perceived her actions.

"Oh, so you do know I'm the Hokage. Then who was it last time who insisted I wear the Hokage robe while..."

Before she could finish, Aoba cut her off. He was utterly defeated by this shameless woman, whose mouth could say just about anything.

After half a day of back-and-forth, which nearly destroyed half the lab, he finally managed to "convince" the Hokage to calm down.

The two of them lay on a bed in the rest area, talking.

This scene was rare for the pair. Normally, Tsunade treated Aoba more like a tool, chasing him away immediately after any private moments.

But this time was different. Aoba could sense that beneath Tsunade's outwardly brash demeanor, there was something different in her heart.

"Aoba, is it really impossible for Great-Grandfather to come back?"

"I can't say for sure. But I need to warn you, not to get your hopes up too high."

"Why did it come to this? Even someone as powerful as Great-Grandfather couldn't resist?"

"This isn't a matter of strength. Or rather, Hashirama's strength itself involves significant external intervention."

Tsunade fell silent for a moment before rising to lean on Aoba.

"Help me, Aoba."

"Didn't I just help you?"

"Shut up. That's not what I mean. I need to become stronger, strong enough to face the crisis you've mentioned when it finally comes."

"Listen, I can..."

"Aoba Kamikawa, listen carefully. I am the Hokage. I am Konoha's protector. If the day comes when the crisis truly arrives, you should be standing behind me."

"...Alright. What do you want to do?"

"I want to upgrade my Strength of a Hundred Seal. As it is now, even when fully unleashed, it can't keep up with your level of power. So, I need to redevelop and perfect it into something stronger."

"No problem. You can use all the sealing technique data and resources in the lab."

"Good. Now get out of my lab. I'm going to start working."

"...But this is my lab."

"It's mine now."

"Tsunade..."

"I'm the Hokage!"

Bang!!!

Check out the patreon and get 50 chapters in advance -> SaintXI

Currently on Chapter 307 - A New Path