Time flies, and years pass like a shuttle.
In the blink of an eye, childhood was coming to an end.
By the end of March in the 60th year of the Leaf Village, the most exceptional generation of newcomers finally approached their graduation season.
"Izayoi-kun, wake up. Today is the graduation exam."
Izayoi, who had unusually slept in today, was gently pulled back to reality by a soft female voice while still immersed in his dreams.
The owner of that voice was right beside Izayoi, yet she didn't startle him awake, a testament to the trust he had in her and the complete lack of guard he held against her.
Opening his eyes, the blurred figure of the girl gradually came into focus.
A face that had shed its childishness, now beautiful and delicate, entered Izayoi's view.
Her long, jet-black hair, which she had been growing out intentionally for the past six years, cascaded like silk down to her waist. Her skin, peeking out from her white trench coat and black fishnet undershirt, was as pale as snow.
Her Byakugan, different from others in the Hyuga Clan, shimmered with a faint purple hue, making her eyes resemble precious gemstones, clear and translucent.
Her cherry-colored lips curved slightly upward, carrying a soft smile as she leaned over, hands behind her back, looking at the just-awakened Izayoi.
After a few seconds of locking eyes with Hinata, Izayoi felt a momentary daze, as if her chubby, adorable face from the past was still fresh in his memory.
However, his gaze soon shifted downward, and a mischievous grin appeared on his face. "Hinata, have you grown again?"
"Ah…"
Hinata let out a soft gasp, suddenly realizing how inappropriate her posture was.
She quickly zipped her trench coat all the way up, her face flushing red as she turned away, her voice trembling slightly. "I-Izayoi-kun, you should go wash up. I brought you breakfast."
After saying this, the girl hurriedly left the room.
Izayoi, who was used to teasing his childhood friend, got up and stretched before heading to the private bathroom in his room to freshen up.
While brushing his teeth, Izayoi looked at his reflection in the mirror.
Six years had passed, and the once chubby-faced child with black hair and blue eyes had also shed his youthful appearance. His features were now sharp and well-defined, exuding a refined handsomeness.
His short black hair, just covering his ears, was slightly messy from having just woken up.
His blue eyes, deep like the ocean, shimmered under the light.
But in the next moment, those blue eyes—the same color as Uzumaki Naruto's but slightly deeper—suddenly turned white, just like Hinata's.
Under the light, they too shimmered with a faint purple hue.
However, the veins around Izayoi's temples did not bulge.
In the past, every time he activated his Byakugan, the veins around his temples would protrude.
But since the beginning of the year, this characteristic had disappeared.
Izayoi's eyes narrowed slightly, and then a panel that only he could see—one that even the mirror couldn't reflect—appeared before him.
[Host: Izayoi]
[Talents: Otsutsuki Bloodline (Red), Sage Eye (Red), Prince of Byakugan (Red), Six Paths Potential (Red), Kekkei Genkai: Byakugan (Gold), Chakra Control (Gold), Whirlpool Bloodline (Purple)「+」, All Attributes Constitution (Purple)「+」, Medical Genius (Blue)「+」]
[Points: 12391]
After six years at the ninja academy, Izayoi's panel had become even more impressive. In addition to his initial Otsutsuki Bloodline, he had acquired three new red Talents.
These were the Sage Eye (Red) from Uchiha Sasuke, the Prince of Byakugan (Red) which he had obtained from Hinata two years ago and which had automatically renamed itself after fusion, and finally, his own elevated Six Paths Potential (Red).
While others only had Ninja Aptitude and not even a single Talent, Izayoi possessed four red Talents, the highest level known at the time.
Even Uzumaki Naruto, the Child of Prophecy with Asura Chakra, half of the Nine-Tails, and the Uzumaki Bloodline, was far inferior to him.
However, upon closer inspection of this panel, one would notice that it had been nearly five full years since Izayoi fused with the Sage Eye (Red).
Yet, his Talent column still hadn't unlocked the Kekkei Genkai · Sharingan (Purple), nor did he possess the Uchiha Bloodline (Purple).
The reason, naturally, was because of the Kekkei Genkai: Byakugan (Gold).
At the end of June in the 58th year of the Leaf Village, Izayoi received a belated birthday gift and finally obtained a red Talent from Hinata.
After fusion, the name of the Talent changed, and over the next two years, the amount of Chakra within Izayoi's body underwent a transformation almost every month.
He didn't know how astonishing the Chakra of a Sage Body could be, but Izayoi was absolutely certain that if Uzumaki Naruto didn't have half of the Nine-Tails and wasn't malnourished, his Sage Body's Chakra would still be far inferior to his own.
The vast, ocean-like amount of Chakra naturally included Yin Release Chakra.
If Izayoi's Yin Release Chakra were to be quantified, it had long since reached the level required to awaken the Sharingan, or even evolve it into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Yet, he had not awakened the Sharingan.
The Yin Release Chakra secreted from his brain was entirely absorbed by the Byakugan, unable to gather in his eyeballs and give rise to a new Eye Technique.
However, the Byakugan that absorbed this Yin Release Chakra had quietly upgraded from purple to gold in the 59th year of the Leaf Village.
Since fusing with the Prince of Byakugan (Red), the range of Izayoi's Byakugan's telescopic vision had also undergone periodic changes.
Now, the range of his Byakugan's telescopic vision had reached an astonishing eighty kilometers.
Moreover, it was a 360-degree all-around telescopic and penetrating vision, a range even more terrifying than the Uzumaki Clan's Mind's Eye of the Kagura.
Without a doubt, Izayoi's Sensing Technique had become the strongest of this era.
It had been almost a year since the Byakugan's upgrade.
"Soon..."
Izayoi rinsed his mouth and spat out the foam, dried his mouth with a handkerchief, and then couldn't help but touch the corner of his right eye. Looking at the faintly purple Byakugan in the mirror, he murmured, "I have a feeling that the first fetal movement will arrive soon."
Currently, Izayoi's configuration was undoubtedly far superior to that of Toneri Otsutsuki.
By the age of nineteen, the other's potential had already been realized, and the Otsutsuki Bloodline, like the Sage Body, had been developed to a very high level.
It was precisely because of this that he was able to awaken the Ultimate Eye Technique: Tenseigan in just a few days.
But now, neither Izayoi nor Toneri Otsutsuki has fully realized their potential.
Even if they were to transplant Hinata or Hanabi's Byakugan, they wouldn't be able to evolve it into the Tenseigan in just a few days, as seen in the movie.
However, if both Byakugan were transplanted simultaneously, Izayoi's speed in awakening the Tenseigan would undoubtedly far surpass that of Toneri Otsutsuki.
The Sage Eye (Red) is Izayoi's confidence.
As the Prince who possesses both the Sage Eye and the Byakugan, Izayoi is essentially running on two acceleration boosts.
At the age of twelve, he has the potential to awaken the Ultimate Eye Technique.
This is even more outrageous than Uchiha Itachi awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan at the age of eleven.
(End of Chapter)