"Degenerated?" Neji repeated hoarsely, as if struck hard in the chest.
The Byakugan—long regarded by the Hyūga Clan as their pride and symbol of strength—its original form…
"What was that original eye called?" Neji's voice trembled without his realizing it as he urgently pressed for an answer.
The secret of his clan's true origin and ultimate power lay before him.
The Sage of Six Paths spoke three words.
They crashed like thunder within the cavern—and through the Heavenly Veil, they shook the entire shinobi world.
"The Tenseigan."
"The Tenseigan…" Neji murmured. The name seemed to carry a strange resonance, faintly echoing something deep within his bloodline.
"Is it powerful?" This time Sasuke could not help but ask.
He instinctively regarded any power that might surpass the Sharingan—or even the Rinnegan—with caution and attention.
The Sage of Six Paths gave a solemn nod.
"In terms of balance, creation, and mastery over the power of all creation, the Rinnegan stands at the pinnacle."
He paused, his gaze seeming to cross time itself—toward the brilliant eyes that had once mirrored his own Rinnegan, yet ultimately walked a different path.
"But the Tenseigan… represents ultimate destruction and absolute control."
"Destruction… and control?" Sasuke and Neji both drew sharp breaths, utterly stunned.
According to the Sage's description, the Rinnegan was a supreme, all-encompassing dōjutsu.
The Tenseigan, however, had pushed "offensive destruction" and "energy manipulation" to an extreme—its might in certain aspects even surpassing the Rinnegan.
This completely overturned the shinobi world's understanding of ocular powers.
For ages, the Rinnegan had existed only in legend, regarded as the ultimate dōjutsu.
And now, the Sage himself acknowledged another eye—one that stood alongside it, perhaps even exceeding it in sheer destructive capability.
Outside the Heavenly Veil
The shinobi world erupted.
"The Tenseigan?! The true form of the Hyūga's Byakugan?!"
"Ultimate destruction and control?! Even stronger than the Rinnegan in attack power?!"
"So the Hyūga Clan's potential is this terrifying?! The Byakugan is just a degraded version?! How powerful must the real Tenseigan be?!"
"No wonder the Sage said Neji could be the key! If Neji awakens the Tenseigan… I can't even imagine it!"
"The Hyūga are about to rise again! No—return to their progenitor's glory!"
"This fight just became god-tier! Rinnegan Naruto versus Rinnegan Sasuke plus Tenseigan Neji?!"
Konoha — Hyūga Clan Compound
Silence reigned—then thunderous uproar.
"The Tenseigan! It's the Tenseigan!" an elderly clan elder wept openly, trembling with excitement. "So the Hyūga truly possess power rivaling the Sage's own eyes!"
"The Byakugan… merely a degeneration…" Many clan members touched their pale eyes, emotions surging—loss, yes, but far more excitement and yearning. "Can we… attain that power as well?"
"Neji! It's Neji! He was chosen by the Sage of Six Paths!" The younger generation could hardly contain themselves. "Neji will definitely awaken the Tenseigan!"
"Silence!" Hiashi Hyūga suppressed the storm raging within him, maintaining the authority of the clan head—though even his voice trembled faintly. "Watch. Observe how the Sage guides Neji. This is the opportunity our clan has awaited for a thousand years!"
Every Hyūga's gaze burned intensely, fixed upon Neji within the Heavenly Veil.
As for the other villages—their emotions were complicated.
Konoha already had a monster like Naruto, a prodigy with limitless potential like Sasuke, and now the Hyūga had unearthed mythic power from their bloodline as well…
Was this even fair?
Within the Heavenly Veil
The cavern's air seemed frozen, save for the Sage's gentle yet immeasurably authoritative voice.
"What must I do?" Neji broke the silence. There was no hesitation, no retreat. The calm restraint that once defined his gaze had been replaced by resolute fire. "I will stop Naruto."
The Sage of Six Paths smiled approvingly.
"Good. A portion of my brother's power remains with me."
He slowly raised his right hand. A strange radiance began gathering in his palm.
"With this power, I can guide and accelerate the awakening of the Tenseigan dormant within your bloodline."
Then he raised his left hand.
Another light formed in that palm—entirely different.
It was warm, brimming with life.
"And Sasuke, I shall grant you my power. The Rinnegan awakened through it will transcend ordinary Rinnegan."
As his words fell, the Sage gently pushed both hands forward.
The cool, brilliant light of his brother's power shot forth as a streak, instantly entering Neji's forehead.
The vast and profound light of the Sage's own origin power flowed like a warm torrent into Sasuke's body.
"The future of the shinobi world…" the Sage's figure began to blur and fade, his voice growing distant, "…now rests in your hands."
With a flash of light, the mythic progenitor vanished as silently as he had arrived.
Only two young men remained in the cavern—bodies surging with overwhelming power, undergoing drastic transformation.
Sasuke
He groaned and dropped to one knee, clutching his left eye tightly.
An indescribable force surged through him—colliding, raging, and finally merging by sheer will.
Agony accompanied the explosive rise in power, forcing him to grit his teeth.
From between his fingers, intense purple light spilled out.
It grew brighter and brighter, as though something within his eye were breaking free from a cocoon.
At last, he let out a low roar, tearing his hand away and lifting his head.
His left eye had transformed.
Gone was the intricate pattern of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
In its place were concentric purple ripples—
The Rinnegan.
Yet it was unlike the Rinnegan Naruto had displayed within the Heavenly Veil.
Upon the purple ripple-patterned base, six black tomoe were clearly embedded.
Those tomoe radiated an aura more ancient, more mysterious—and perhaps more dangerous.
This was a unique Rinnegan born from the direct infusion of the Sage of Six Paths' original power—
The six-tomoe Rinnegan.
The ocular power nearly overflowed. Sasuke could distinctly feel his vision, perception, and even his understanding of chakra—and space itself—leap into an entirely new dimension.
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