After a moment of silence, Hyuga Hiashi spoke, "Although it is a secret of the Hyuga Clan, since Mr. Asuma wishes to know... the origin of our Hyuga Clan is actually closely related to the Sage of Six Paths."
"It comes from the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother, Ōtsutsuki Hamura!"
"It's just that our ancestor Ōtsutsuki Hamura is not well-known in the Ninja World, so there are few records."
Sarutobi Asuma nodded.
The Ōtsutsuki on the moon were called the Guardian Clan, tasked with watching over the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
Or serving as a reserve force.
The Hyuga Clan, or Hamura's support for his elder brother, the Sage of Six Paths, had left behind this lineage.
Of course, none of that was important now.
What was important was that the development of the Hyuga's Byakugan was somewhat lacking compared to the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan.
While it was true that possessing the Mangekyo was rare even within the Uchiha Clan.
But even the Sharingan with Three Tomoe had gradually developed powerful forbidden ninjutsu like Izanagi and Izanami.
As for the Hyuga's Byakugan, let alone comparing it to Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's Byakugan, they likely couldn't even compare to their ancestor, Ōtsutsuki Hamura.
The Ōtsutsuki clan on the moon had even created the Tenseigan, although they had taken a wrong path.
The Tenseigan was on par with the Rinnegan.
And the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan truly couldn't compare to the Mangekyo.
"Then, Clan Head Hiashi, do you know if there are any other Hyuga bloodlines outside of Konoha?"
Sarutobi Asuma asked.
Hyuga Hiashi immediately gave a definitive negative: "Absolutely not!"
"Our clan's Caged Bird is precisely to prevent the Byakugan from flowing out."
Clearly, Hyuga Hiashi was unaware of the existence of the Ōtsutsuki clan on the moon.
Sarutobi Asuma nodded and said, "Although the Caged Bird restricts the Hyuga Clan, it has also protected them."
"However, in reality, besides you, there is another clan that possesses the Byakugan, and that is the Ōtsutsuki Clan!"
Hyuga Hiashi showed a look of shock: "What?"
"They live on the moon!"
Sarutobi Asuma briefly explained, leaving Hyuga Hiashi speechless for a long time.
The amount of information was immense!
Especially the fact that the branch family of the Ōtsutsuki on the moon had gathered their Byakugan to form the Tenseigan and wiped out the main family sent chills down his spine, soaking his clothes with sweat.
In the past, he had also deeply resented the Caged Bird, but as clan head, he had no choice but to put aside personal feelings and impartially enforce the clan's rules.
His brother, with whom he had shared deep childhood affection, had now drifted far apart, even harboring murderous intent towards Hinata.
The hatred of the branch family towards the main family had already been sown.
Hizashi Hyuga, and the exceptionally talented Neji...
But now, Hyuga Hiashi began to feel fortunate for the Caged Bird system.
So, what was the true purpose of the ancestors who created this technique? Was it to prevent the Byakugan from flowing out, or to prevent the Hyuga Clan from suffering the same fate as the Ōtsutsuki clan on the moon?
Hyuga Hiashi did not know.
Looking at the shaken Hyuga Hiashi, Sarutobi Asuma said, "The Hyuga Clan's development of the Byakugan is very insufficient, and of course, I'm not talking about the Tenseigan."
"The branch family of the Ōtsutsuki on the moon has taken an evil path; it is not advisable."
"However, according to some information I've obtained, the abilities of the Byakugan are not limited to perception."
Hyuga Hiashi regained his composure and bowed, "Mr. Asuma, you've seen my inferiority; we younger generations have disgraced our ancestors!"
Sarutobi Asuma shook his head and smiled, "You haven't received the complete heritage, so I can't blame you."
"I accept the matter of taking on disciples, let it be Neji!"
"He possesses a strong drive to change his own destiny."
"As for Hinata..."
Sarutobi Asuma turned to look at the four little ones in the nearby woods.
The small, timid Hinata seemed a bit out of place.
"Let her stay here too!"
"Kurenai and the others might like this child!"
Sarutobi Asuma smiled.
Hyuga Hiashi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, "Mr. Asuma, thank you!"
Sarutobi Asuma withdrew his gaze and smiled, reminding him, "Clan Head Hiashi, the potential of the Byakugan is not limited to this. Yin Style and Yang Release could both potentially promote their enhancement!"
"Yes, thank you for your reminder!"
Hyuga Hiashi said gratefully.
In fact, Hizashi Hyuga had already discovered this when he was training with Sarutobi Asuma.
However, the Hyuga Clan had never had a tradition of researching Chakra Nature Transformation, so they lacked any progress in this area.
Compared to the Uchiha Clan, improving the Byakugan was much more difficult.
Sarutobi Asuma stopped at the right moment.
Just like before with the Uchiha Clan, without any results, the persuasion wouldn't be strong enough.
Take your time.
Leaving Neji and Hinata behind, Hyuga Hiashi said his goodbyes and departed.
Not long after, Yūhi Kurenai returned from a mission. Seeing two children there, she couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Whose children are those?"
"From the Hyuga Clan."
Sarutobi Asuma looked at Hinata and asked, "Kurenai, are you interested in taking on disciples?"
"Huh?"
"Me, take disciples?"
"The Hyuga Clan?"
Yūhi Kurenai chuckled, then shook her head, "I wouldn't be a good match for the Byakugan, would I!"
The Byakugan naturally had high resistance to Genjutsu, and it seemed she wouldn't have much to teach.
Sarutobi Asuma smiled, "That's not necessarily true!"
"A powerful Byakugan can directly read minds and control enemies to become puppets."
"Also, the Byakugan's perception is an excellent ocular jutsu for assisting Medical Ninjutsu!"
Yūhi Kurenai rested her chin on her hand, looking at the shy Hinata, "Is that so..."
"It does seem quite good."
"But I've never taught a disciple before."
Sarutobi Asuma put his arm around Yūhi Kurenai's waist and smiled, "You'll be a Jonin leading a team sooner or later, so it's good to get some practice beforehand."
"Alright then!"
Yūhi Kurenai nodded in agreement.
The next day.
Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga brought generous gifts for becoming disciples. Sarutobi Asuma and Yūhi Kurenai officially accepted Hyuga Neji and Hyuga Hinata as their students, respectively.
Thus, Sarutobi Asuma's official disciples were Uchiha Shisui, Shimura Dan, Karin, and Hyuga Neji.
Come to think of it, none of them had a simple background!
It could be said they all came from ninja clans.
After some thought, Sarutobi Asuma found Namikaze Minato and asked him to select one or two promising individuals from the common folk for him.
Namikaze Minato was naturally happy to oblige.
Sarutobi Asuma's skill in teaching was already renowned throughout Konoha; he surpassed his predecessors and was unmatched.
However, even with an additional disciple, it didn't add any burden to Sarutobi Asuma.
For Neji and the others, the most important thing now was the fundamentals.
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, spring arrived.
A message came back from the clone Kakuzu, stating that they were ready to formally make a move against the Fourth Mizukage.
Sarutobi Asuma thought about it but decided not to go and watch the show.
He had more important things to do.
On this day.
Sarutobi Asuma once again arrived at the desolate island overseas used for testing ninjutsu.
However, this time he wasn't there to test a new technique.
Standing in the center of the island, Sarutobi Asuma clasped his hands together.
Sage Art - *God-Tree Realm Birth*!
Rumble!
A giant Sage Tree erupted behind him, soaring into the sky.
Its roots spread out like dragons, covering the island, and towering trees rapidly grew from these roots.
Beneath the ground, the Sage Tree's roots continued to spread and delve into the seabed, eventually covering the entire island.
Sarutobi Asuma had no intention of plundering the Ninja World's earth for natural energy.
Or rather, he didn't want to drain it dry.
Or perhaps, his *God-Tree Realm Birth* was ultimately different from the Ōtsutsuki clan's God Tree and the Ten-Tails.
"Sustainable development is the real deal!"
With the Sage Tree planted and beginning to absorb solar energy, seawater, and the Earth's magnetic field to convert into Sage Power, Sarutobi Asuma chuckled lightly.
Planting trees was more important than watching Uchiha Obito and the others deal with the Fourth Mizukage!
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's God Tree was formidable, but there was only one of them!
While his Sage Tree, when not in combat, only served to gather, absorb, and convert Sage Power, he could plant it anywhere as long as he had enough Chakra.
The goal was set: sow seeds across the globe!
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