The Waterfall's Secret
The sky was clear, the breeze gentle. A thunderous waterfall crashed into the pool below, its mist refracting sunlight into a prism of colors.
Drawn by the cool spray, a glossy black crow circled overhead before diving toward the water—only to freeze mid-flight.
Buzz.
The air warped.
The waterfall, the pool, even the trees—split cleanly in half.
Splat.
The crow fell, severed head from body, its beady eyes neatly bisected.
Hikari (Yang Clone) stepped aside, avoiding the blood. Arms crossed, she watched her true self lift a palm from atop the boulder, her expression unreadable.
Embedded in that palm—a three-tomoe Sharingan, spinning like a crimson top.
The crow's twitching corpse convulsed, its life force wrung out like a rag. A translucent membrane of ocular chakra formed, mimicking a Hashirama cell, squeezing pure green vitality from the tainted remains.
"This 'impurity'…" The true Hikari clenched her fist, dispersing the black sludge left behind. "It's a biological failsafe. A barrier against cross-species corruption."
Her "Key" seal rotated.
One of three metaphysical gates cracked open, absorbing the purified energy.
"Hah…" She exhaled, savoring the replenishment.
"So our Byakugan… is flawed?" The Yang Clone eyed her, suspicious. "Or are you just high on life?"
"Not flawed." Hikari's gray-white eyes gleamed. "Different."
The Truth of the Ōtsutsuki
"It's not a Byakugan. Not a Tenseigan either."
She tapped her temple. "Remember what Kurama said?"
The Yang Clone recited: "'The Byakugan is the origin of all intangible power. The Shikotsumyaku is the end of all tangible form. Hagoromo and Hamura's natures were opposites—'"
"Exactly." Hikari flexed her Sharingan-embedded palm. *"All Ōtsutsuki start with pure Byakugan. Only by consuming Chakra Fruit do they evolve Rinnegan—each with unique abilities."*
Her voice dropped. "The Byakugan isn't just an eye. It's a seed. The Ōtsutsuki keep it because it's the catalyst for infinite evolutions."
The Yang Clone's breath hitched.
Kaguya's Rinne-Sharingan.
Isshiki's Dōjutsu.
Momoshiki's Golden Byakugan.
All grown from the same root.
"Our 'gray eyes'…" Hikari's face split—two new sockets tearing open beneath her originals. Red eyes wriggled up her arms, nestling into the gaps.
Four pupils stared.
"'Flesh Manipulation'… was never the Shikotsumyaku's power."
The Yang Clone gasped. "It's the dōjutsu?!"
Their signature ability—born from the eyes, not the bones.
"A prototype," Hikari corrected. "The true power is still… gestating."
"How long?"
"Three to five years."
"Ugh! I'll be gone by then!" The Yang Clone groaned.
The Third Hokage Arrives
"Shh."
Leaves rustled.
Hikari's gray irises flared, piercing the forest.
A monolithic chakra source approached—a shadow moving faster than the wind.
Black bodysuit.
Flak jacket.
The monkey-like agility of a man past his prime but still deadly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The Yang Clone tensed. *"I'm in Root gear—!"*
"Too late."
The God of Shinobi landed on a branch, his gaze heavy.
"Sensei." Hikari smiled. "Long time no see."
read more inpat***
belamy20