The next day's dawn, filtering through the stained-glass windows of the Daimyo Mansion, cast colorful light and shadow on the long corridor.
Hiashi and Hizashi walked side by side down the palace corridor, their footsteps echoing in the empty hall.
Hiashi's fingers caressed the clan crest beneath his sleeve, his heart beating a little faster than usual.
Yesterday, on the training ground, Neji's Caged Bird Cursed Seal had suddenly disappeared, and it lingered in his mind. As the Hyuga Main Family head, he should have been terrified by the seal's disappearance, but for some reason, an indescribable anticipation stirred within him.
Hizashi followed closely, his gaze cautiously sweeping his surroundings.
Thinking of Neji's transformation yesterday, complex emotions surged in his heart.
The two hurried through the Daimyo Mansion corridor, their hearts filled with unease.
In the reception room, Shun stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the Ninja World map hanging on the wall.
His eyes were like torches, and he turned to signal. "Sit. You must be very curious about the changes that have happened to Neji."
Hiashi chose a chair and sat down, maintaining the dignified posture of a thousand-year-old clan.
"Your Excellency, Neji's eyes and that Caged Bird Cursed Seal..."
Shun slowly paced, the morning light streaming in from behind him, gilding his silhouette.
"This goes back over a thousand years. The Rabbit Goddess gave birth to two sons. The first son, Otsutsuki Hagoromo, who is the legendary Sage of Six Paths and the second son, Otsutsuki Hamura, who is your ancestor."
Hiashi looked up in shock, the chair beneath him swaying slightly. "Your Excellency, do you mean..."
Shun waved his hand for silence and said, "Hagoromo had two children. The first, Indra, is the Uchiha clan's ancestor, and the second, Asura, is the Senju clan's ancestor."
Hizashi couldn't help but exclaim, "I'm afraid the entire Ninja World wouldn't have guessed that the Uchiha and Senju clan, who have been mortal enemies for a thousand years, are actually relatives."
Shun smiled faintly. "To some extent, the Uchiha and Hyuga are also relatives. Our Uchiha's Sharingan can constantly evolve, and your Hyuga's Byakugan naturally can too."
Hiashi put down his teacup, his hands unconsciously clenching. His voice trembled with excitement. "Your Excellency, how does the Byakugan evolve?"
Shun's expression turned serious as he said, "Hundreds of years ago, a genius emerged from your branch family and evolved the Tenseigan from the Byakugan, defeating your Main Family ancestor. After the Main Family ancestor was expelled, he changed his surname to Hyuga and invented the Caged Bird Cursed Seal. Some clan members who had not awakened the Byakugan were expelled and developed into the Kaguya clan and the Taketori clan. This is the lost history of your Hyuga clan."
Hizashi unconsciously touched the seal on his forehead, his fingertips trembling slightly. "So this is the origin of the Caged Bird Cursed Seal, to control the growth of the branch family and prevent the branch family from again producing eyes that could threaten the Main Family?"
Hiashi pondered for a moment, then respectfully asked, "Your Excellency, are you suggesting that the evolution of the Byakugan is related to the Kaguya clan or the Taketori clan?"
Shun took out two exquisite reagents from his sleeve and placed them on the rosewood table. The reagents gleamed with a strange luster in the morning light. One was silvery-white, and the other was emerald green.
"These are two types of gene optimizers. First, the Kaguya Gene Optimizer, which can complete the missing genes of the Hyuga clan. Second, the Hashirama Gene Optimizer, which will greatly increase Chakra after use, but the Byakugan may undergo unknown changes."
Hizashi cautiously asked, "Your Excellency, what do you mean by unknown changes?"
Shun's gaze deepened as he explained, "Because it's a genetic-level change, it has a significant impact on descendants. Descendants may have enhanced Byakugan talent, or it may degenerate into ordinary eyes. Of course, there's also a certain probability of evolving the Sharingan or other dojutsu. These are all unknown changes that genetic recombination can bring."
Hiashi and Hizashi exchanged glances, both falling silent.
Hiashi gazed at the two reagents, an intense struggle within him. As the Main Family head, he bore the responsibility of protecting the purity of the Hyuga bloodline. But Neji's change had already proven that the Byakugan had greater potential.
After a long time, he took a deep breath, his fingertips pausing slightly before touching the reagent, and finally, he firmly took the silvery-white Kaguya Gene Optimizer.
Excitement flickered in Hiashi's eyes as he said, "I choose the Kaguya Gene Optimizer. The Hyuga bloodline should return to its origin."
Seeing his older brother make his choice, Hizashi picked up the Hashirama reagent and said, "I choose the Hashirama Gene Optimizer. With more Chakra, I can better protect the Main Family."
Shun nodded slightly, signaling the medical ninja nearby to step forward, and the two reagents were precisely injected into their veins. The injection process was quite simple, but the effects were immediate.
Hiashi grunted, holding onto the coffee table. Although his Byakugan had not changed, he could feel that it was automatically absorbing Chakra, seemingly accumulating energy for a transformation.
The world in his eyes now appeared clearer than ever before, and his vision extended further. He could even sense extremely subtle energy fluctuations.
Hiashi said excitedly, "It's as if a veil that obscured for a thousand years has been lifted. Is this the true form of the Byakugan?"
Next to him, Hizashi was also undergoing earth-shattering changes within his body. He endured the intense pain, not uttering a sound.
A moment later, the Chakra within him surged like a tide, his Chakra volume increasing by more than double.
Shun activated his Eternal Mangekyo and used Divine Eye to observe their changes.
Hiashi's Chakra quality improved somewhat, his physical strength increased, and his Chakra volume was also slowly growing.
Hizashi's original Chakra volume was only 800, but now it had increased to over 2600.
Seeing this, Shun nodded with satisfaction. "This is just the beginning. As the effects of the gene optimizers fully manifest, you will discover even more changes. You should exercise more, your strength should improve further."
Hiashi bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Your Excellency, for granting the Hyuga new life. From today on, the Hyuga clan pledges eternal loyalty to Your Excellency."
Hizashi also bowed, his eyes full of gratitude. "Your Excellency's grace of recreation, the Hyuga will never forget."
Shun helped them both up. "The true meaning of power lies in constantly breaking shackles, not in being bound. This is just the beginning."
...
As night fell, Hiashi stood alone before the Hyuga ancestral shrine.
He activated his Byakugan, gazing at the portrait of Hamura in the center of the shrine.
He murmured to himself, "Ancestor, we have finally found our lost path."