c1: The Family Genius
"Holy shit!"
Sitting in the courtyard in front of the traditional wooden door of the Hyūga estate, Ri Xiangchen couldn't stop cursing inwardly.
"Why hasn't this system done anything yet? It threw me into the unforgiving world of Naruto, gave me nothing but silence, and vanished without a trace?"
Ri Xiangchen couldn't help but complain this system was beyond unreliable!
Back in China, Ri Xiangchen had been living a decent life. He didn't know what strange phenomenon caused it poison, dimensional collapse, rebirth trope but the moment he opened his eyes, he found himself in the Naruto universe… and he was a newborn!
Then, one day, the system finally chimed. At first, Ri Xiangchen was thrilled but the joy vanished quickly when he realized it had only appeared momentarily… and then went silent again.
"System update, system update," it always said. For three years, that was the excuse. Always updating, always offline.
Still, not all was lost the system had at least given him a starting gift: the bloodline of the Ōtsutsuki clan, that divine lineage descending from Kaguya Ōtsutsuki herself. His body had undergone specialized refinement to handle it.
Thanks to this genetic enhancement, Ri Xiangchen awakened the Byakugan, the signature dōjutsu of the Hyūga clan. But more importantly, due to the purity of the Ōtsutsuki bloodline, he possessed the potential to awaken the Tenseigan a legendary eye that only manifested when a pure Hyūga transplanted Ōtsutsuki chakra.
In short: he was broken from the start. Totally overpowered.
A walking cheat code.
With that power and the system's guidance even intermittent his innate talent skyrocketed. Even if the system ghosted him half the time, Ri Xiangchen was no longer helpless. He had enough strength to develop on his own.
Sure, it might take a while to conquer the ninja world. But with skills and power, survival wasn't an issue anymore.
He held up a mirror and examined his eyes those shimmering, starry blue irises that hinted at the embryonic Tenseigan. Ri Xiangchen grinned at the mirror. That baby face was dangerously cute. How could the elder sisters of the clan not melt at the sight of it?
"With a face like this, even if I end up begging on the street, I'll never go hungry," he said, grinning narcissistically.
"But man… this eye is awesome, and yet totally useless right now. If I used it, I'd probably split the moon and myself in half." He traced his fingers along his eyelids, frustrated.
The Tenseigan required an enormous amount of chakra on par with or beyond a tailed beast's. Ri Xiangchen simply couldn't sustain it as a child.
He could force its activation Nagato used a similar approach when he wielded the Rinnegan, sacrificing his own life force to wield godlike power but the cost was enormous. Ri Xiangchen didn't want to end up like Nagato, bound to a machine, his body a skeletal shell.
It was wiser to wait. Given his Ōtsutsuki DNA and a body modified like a Sage of the Six Paths, chakra capacity would eventually come. Slowly but surely, he'd grow to rival even Senju Hashirama.
There was no rush. The Second Shinobi World War hadn't even begun. Time was on his side.
Just then—
"Ri Xiangchen, you bastard! Your blood's not pure! See this?" A brat roughly the same age ran over, pointing proudly at the cursed Caged Bird Seal etched on his forehead. "The elders say I'm a true Hyūga genius! Only purebloods like me get this!"
Ri Xiangchen blinked, stunned at the boy's misplaced pride. Did this idiot not realize what that seal actually was?
He didn't even bother responding. That cursed seal wasn't a badge of honor it was a prison key. Once it was branded, the branch family member lost all autonomy. It could destroy their mind or kill them in an instant if the main family deemed it necessary.
"Don't smile like an idiot and go cool your head somewhere," Ri Xiangchen muttered, unwilling to waste time arguing with a brainwashed child.
"You're just jealous!" the boy shouted. "You don't have the seal because you're not good enough! That's why you talk nonsense! You can't eat grapes and say they're sour!"
Ri Xiangchen stared at him like he'd just eaten a bug.
"There really are people who count money after being sold…" he thought.
The Hyūga clan's indoctrination was that deep. They'd conditioned the branch family to celebrate the very thing that shackled them. That cursed seal, the Caged Bird, was an elegant cruelty controlling the Byakugan after death, preserving secrets, and ensuring submission.
Someday, when this loudmouthed brat realized what it really meant… would he cry?
Ri Xiangchen smirked.
He kind of hoped he would.
Seeing the slight smirk forming at the corners of Ri Xiangchen's lips, Hyūga Teppan's anger surged like an uncontrolled flame. He shouted furiously, "Who are you looking down on? If you have a problem, why don't we settle it right here?"
Ri Xiangchen hadn't expected such a sudden outburst, but he quickly put on a gentle smile and replied, "How could I possibly look down on you? I envy you from the bottom of my heart."
As he spoke, Ri Xiangchen feigned an expression of genuine admiration. Teppan's mood shifted instantly. His inflated ego soaked in the praise, and he slapped his chest proudly. "Whoever bullies you in the future I'll protect you. I'm your big brother now!"
Ri Xiangchen inwardly sneered but outwardly maintained a grateful look. Finally, he had shaken off this brainwashed idiot.
"If not for the Tenseigan," Ri Xiangchen thought secretly, "I'd be branded with the Caged Bird Seal by now."
He couldn't help feeling pleased. In the Hyūga clan's eyes, he appeared to have no value, no potential, and no standing just another branch family child not worth attention. No one suspected he harbored a dōjutsu evolution they considered a myth.
But Ri Xiangchen knew better. If the existence of his Tenseigan were discovered, he'd need more than a sharp tongue to survive.
Danzo Shimura was still lurking in the shadows of Konoha, building Root, obsessed with controlling powerful kekkei genkai. If he ever caught wind of Ri Xiangchen's power, the consequences would be catastrophic.
And beyond Konoha, in the deep darkness of the ninja world, was Black Zetsu a manipulator who twisted fate for a thousand years, orchestrated wars, and even betrayed Uchiha Madara. Ri Xiangchen couldn't know whether Ōtsutsuki Hamura's Tenseigan had already drawn Black Zetsu's attention. But in a world where even ancient chakra ghosts could bend history, it was best to assume someone was always watching.
Even if Black Zetsu seemed powerless at first glance, he ultimately hijacked the revival of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. His methods were insidious and immeasurable.
Ri Xiangchen understood clearly: he may have an early advantage, but he was still just a child in a brutal world. One mistake, and he'd be crushed.
If the secret of the Tenseigan were to spread, the Hyūga clan would be the first to react. They would see the evolved Byakugan as their rightful inheritance and they wouldn't hesitate to imprison or dissect him to control it.
Before transmigrating, he had been a grown man in the modern world, with experience and patience. Now, even as a three-year-old, he retained his adult mind. Compared to the humiliation and petty conflicts of his old workplace, dealing with the Hyūga clan's politics was almost relaxing.
After zoning out for a moment, Ri Xiangchen stood and strolled away, his thoughts drifting to the Hokage Rock carved into the mountains at the back of Konoha.
As he walked the streets of the village, a steady flow of villagers greeted him warmly.
Though he was largely ignored and unrecognized within the Hyūga clan, Ri Xiangchen's cherubic appearance made him well-liked among the general public. His adorable demeanor won hearts easily.
He didn't act aloof or arrogant. Instead, he responded to every greeting with sincerity, bowing politely and smiling brightly.
Eventually, he reached the training grounds hidden behind the forested foothills. Though only three years old, and still unable to properly mold chakra let alone use any chakra control techniques Ri Xiangchen knew he couldn't waste time.
He was already blessed with the Ōtsutsuki body, which gave him enhanced regeneration and stamina. Even if he lacked chakra now, his physical body alone could be trained.
So he began.
Push-ups, sprints, stretching whatever his small frame could handle. His goal wasn't flashy jutsu or instant power-ups, but consistency and growth.
Even without chakra, he could still rely on the inherent recovery traits of the Ōtsutsuki lineage. That regeneration wouldn't last forever if left stagnant, so he chose to awaken it through effort.
After all, even the Tenseigan with all its divine potential was useless if squandered through inaction.
Power, no matter how godlike, fades if you stand still.