"Ah! Sister, your eyes!" Hanabi gasped in shock as she looked at her sister. Although Hinata had finally woken up, something was off. Her once-white eyes had turned into a swirling blue, resembling a pair of starry clouds.
"Tenseigan!?" Akira couldn't help but be startled when he saw Hinata's eyes.
Hinata's eyes had evolved into the Tenseigan? Was that even possible?
"That's right!" Akira thought, suddenly recalling something.
Orochimaru had mentioned it before: during Hinata's recovery, they had used cells from both Sasuke and Naruto. The merging of Indra and Ashura's powers was going smoothly at first, producing fascinating effects.
However, much of this new power had mysteriously dissipated, and only a small portion had been able to aid in Hinata's recovery.
It was because of this that Hinata's awakening had taken so long.
Now, seeing Hinata's Tenseigan, Akira began to understand.
The merging of Indra and Ashura's powers must have been the closest thing to the Six Paths power—or rather, to the power of the Otsutsuki. This kind of energy could have triggered the evolution of the Byakugan into the Tenseigan.
Could this be why it had taken so long for Hinata to awaken?
"What's wrong with my eyes?" Hinata asked, suddenly aware of Hanabi's outburst and turning her attention to her reflection.
However, just as Hinata focused on her eyes, the blue starry clouds faded, and her eyes returned to their normal Byakugan state.
"Sister, your eyes—they were just blue!" Hanabi exclaimed, describing what she had seen.
"Akira, what happened to my eyes?" Hinata asked, looking to him for an explanation.
"Since you're awake now, let's get you checked out. We can go back to the Hyuga residence afterward," Akira said with a smile, choosing not to give her too much information for now.
Hinata nodded, understanding that her eyes had changed and that this was something her father needed to know about.
The news of Hinata's awakening quickly spread. Both Orochimaru and Tsunade rushed to the hospital to check on her condition personally.
"Very strange," Tsunade remarked after finishing her examination, a look of confusion crossing her face.
"Is there something wrong?" Akira asked, looking at Tsunade.
"Hinata's recovery is remarkable, but after she woke up, her chakra levels spiked dramatically," Tsunade explained, her confusion still evident.
"Indeed. Her chakra reserves are impressive, even by jōnin standards," Orochimaru added with a smile.
He paused for a moment before continuing, "If we look at it in terms of numbers, when she participated in the jōnin exam, her chakra levels were around 2,000. Now, it's tripled, reaching about 6,000."
Akira nodded, understanding the significance.
Using numerical values to gauge chakra levels was something he and Jiraiya had discussed when categorizing the power levels of Kage-level shinobi.
Now that all three of the Legendary Sannin were in the village, it wasn't surprising that Orochimaru had adopted the same method of measurement.
Moreover, the term "Kage-level" hadn't been common in the shinobi world until recently. It was something that had started to gain popularity within Konoha, and Akira knew it was Jiraiya who had spread the idea.
This system of categorization suited the shinobi world, and it had quickly caught on.
"Yes, Akira, I can feel it too. My chakra has increased threefold," Hinata confirmed, nodding in agreement with Orochimaru's assessment.
"Well, it seems this injury has turned out to be a blessing in disguise," Akira said, smiling as he reached out to gently pat Hinata on the head.
However, Akira was keenly aware that Hinata's chakra increase wasn't the most important development. The real significance lay in her eyes, which had seemingly begun to evolve into the Tenseigan.
For now, though, this wasn't something that needed to be widely known.
Tsunade was still surprised by Hinata's chakra spike, but ultimately, it wasn't a bad thing.
After conducting a thorough examination and finding no issues, Hinata was discharged from the hospital. Together with Akira, she returned to the Hyuga household.
Hinata's father, Hiashi Hyuga, had been eagerly awaiting his daughter's return ever since hearing the news of her awakening.
Once they arrived home, Hiashi greeted them warmly and inquired about Hinata's condition. Upon learning that her recovery had gone smoothly and that her chakra levels had even increased significantly, he was overjoyed.
"By the way, there's something different about Hinata's eyes," Akira said, steering the conversation toward Hinata's unusual eye transformation.
"A change? I don't see anything different… well, actually, the faint blue glow seems to have disappeared," Hiashi said, inspecting Hinata's eyes closely. To him, they appeared the same as any ordinary Byakugan.
"Tenseigan," Akira said calmly. "Hinata's eyes have likely started evolving into the Tenseigan."
"What? But why do they still look like normal Byakugan?" Hiashi asked, now even more intrigued by his daughter's eyes.
"I believe it's because she doesn't have enough chakra to maintain the Tenseigan form just yet," Akira theorized.
When Hinata first woke up, her eyes had glowed a deep blue, swirling with starry clouds—undoubtedly the Tenseigan. But now they had reverted back to the Byakugan.
Based on what Akira knew of Kakashi's Sharingan, he suspected this was a similar situation.
Kakashi's Sharingan had evolved into the Mangekyō Sharingan, but due to his limited chakra reserves, he had been unable to use it. For years, his Sharingan had remained in the three-tomoe state.
It wasn't until Kakashi's chakra capacity reached Kage-level that he was able to use the Mangekyō Sharingan effectively.
Akira figured Hinata's Tenseigan was likely the same.
"And when will she have enough chakra to use it?" Hiashi asked, curiosity filling his voice.
The fact that the Tenseigan had already started evolving, but couldn't be used due to insufficient chakra, was both exciting and frustrating.
After all, the Tenseigan could be a game-changer for the entire Hyuga clan!
It was like owning a luxury sports car, gifted by your parents, but being too young to get a driver's license. The car was there, ready to go, but you couldn't drive it yet. It was enough to make anyone impatient.
"Her chakra will likely need to double again, pushing her into Kage-level territory, before we see any change," Akira explained.
He didn't have as much information on the Tenseigan as he did on the Sharingan, since the Tenseigan had only been shown briefly in the movie. Still, Akira figured they'd need to wait until Hinata's chakra reached Kage-level to see any lasting changes.
"So, her chakra is already close to half of a Kage-level shinobi's?" Hiashi asked, surprise evident in his voice. "That would make Hinata one of the top-tier members of the Hyuga clan!"
Akira's comment about her needing to double her chakra to reach Kage-level had clearly impressed Hiashi, who now had a clearer understanding of his daughter's potential.
Akira and Hiashi continued discussing various topics—Byakugan, Tenseigan, and even the current state of Konoha and the shinobi world as a whole.
After a long and satisfying conversation, Akira stayed for a hearty lunch with the Hyuga family. He and Hinata spent the afternoon together, catching up and enjoying each other's company.
Finally, reluctantly, Akira left the Hyuga household.
Unfortunately, the nature of the Hyuga clan's Byakugan meant that the clan members could see almost everything, thanks to their 360-degree vision and x-ray capabilities.
Even if Akira wanted to steal a few quiet moments with Hinata, there was no telling how many Hyuga clan members would be secretly watching!
So, as much as Akira wanted to spend more time alone with Hinata, the Hyuga residence wasn't the ideal place for it.
The next day, the Hyuga household was bustling with activity.
Word of Hinata's recovery had spread throughout Konoha, and as one of the most prestigious clans, second only to the Uchiha, many visitors came to congratulate her.
Jōnin who were close to the family, clan leaders, and even messengers from the Hokage's office arrived to offer their best wishes. The Legendary Sannin themselves were also in attendance.
The turnout left many in awe. The Hyuga clan certainly lived up to its reputation!
There was even a sense among some of the guests that Hinata and Akira might as well be married already.
Of course, as Hinata's official boyfriend, Akira was there, helping to greet and entertain the numerous guests, almost like a member of the family.
After all, many of the visitors had come as much for him as for Hinata.
After an entire day of celebrating, it was only late in the evening that Akira finally had a chance to be alone with Hinata.
As the sky grew dark, he invited her to go stargazing outside the village.
Hinata blushed deeply, her cheeks turning red, but she quietly nodded her head in agreement.
Hiashi had already made it clear that he wouldn't oppose his daughter and Akira getting closer, so there was no one to stand in their way...
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Next bonus chapter if we reach 400 Powerstone
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Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 285+ at patreon.com/Emik01.