"By the way, Rin, how did you get here?"
"The Uchiha clan generally can't easily enter the Hyuga territory, right?"
Hyuga Satoru asked curiously.
He had been staying in his room recently, plotting the future, and hadn't paid much attention to the outside world.
Uchiha Rin's face turned red, and she looked a bit embarrassed as she lowered her head slightly, stammering.
"I-I came to visit politely, and your clan leader saw me and then invited me to your residence..."
"Politely? Visiting?"
Hyuga Satoru gave Uchiha Rin a peculiar look, feeling a bit helpless.
"You didn't fight your way in, did you?"
"No! No!" Uchiha Rin hurriedly denied, "I-I was actually very polite."
"Alright, I get it."
Hyuga Satoru sighed.
"It doesn't matter much. The Hyuga clan is going to change soon anyway, so don't worry about what those old folks think."
"Change?"
Uchiha Rin looked at Hyuga Satoru in astonishment.
"Yes, what do you think I've been preparing for all this time?"
Hyuga Satoru habitually rolled his eyes at her.
All the conditions were set, and it was time for reform.
He had already extended his electromagnetic senses and confirmed that there were no monitoring ninjas around, so he didn't mind revealing his plans to Uchiha Rin.
"But you, despite my clansmen being quite useless, you managed to deal with so many of them at once. It seems your strength has increased significantly!"
"Yes." Uchiha Rin nodded, "Because of these eyes, I feel like all my abilities have improved a lot."
"Mangekyou Sharingan, huh..."
Hyuga Satoru couldn't help but sigh.
"Rin, what abilities do your eyes have? Of course, if it's inconvenient to tell, that's fine too."
"There's nothing inconvenient about it. I was planning to tell you anyway."
Despite the elders in her clan advising her not to reveal the abilities of her Mangekyou Sharingan to anyone, Uchiha Rin smiled and explained, trusting Hyuga Satoru completely.
"My dojutsu is called Heavenly Guardian. It's an auxiliary-type technique. My left eye can mark a target's time scale, and my right eye can return the target to the marked time scale."
Hiss!
Hyuga Satoru took a deep breath.
A time-related dojutsu!
And it's a rare time-reversal ability!
"Can this ability only affect you, or can it affect others as well?"
Hyuga Satoru quickly asked.
"Others can be affected too, but it only works on living things, not on other objects."
Uchiha Rin looked at Hyuga Satoru shyly.
At that time, all she could think about was going back to the moment before Hyuga Satoru died to protect him no matter what.
Her eyes felt like they were splitting apart with pain, and then she awakened this dojutsu.
Hyuga Satoru's expression grew complex.
Heavenly Guardian, a bridge in Japanese mythology that connects with the gods and prays for protection, combined with the time-reversal dojutsu, it wasn't hard to imagine Uchiha Rin's mindset when she awakened her Mangekyou Sharingan.
The Mangekyou, these cursed eyes, bound Uchiha Rin and Hyuga Satoru together through fate.
From her description, Hyuga Satoru roughly understood the ability of the Heavenly Guardian.
It could affect both herself and other ninjas. After marking a target with the left eye, the right eye could use its power to return the target to the marked time scale.
This reversal seemed to refer to the state.
So, if he was on the verge of death and Uchiha Rin had marked him when he was healthy, she could return him to his state at the time of the mark.
Life force, chakra, mental energy, even abilities...
All would return to the state they were in at the marked time.
Hyuga Satoru suddenly thought, if he marked himself before entering Tyrant Mode and used the ability when the mode was about to end, wouldn't that allow for infinite Tyrant Mode?
Similarly, it could enable infinite Eight Gates!
This was truly the ultimate dojutsu!
Hyuga Satoru took a deep breath, feeling a bit shaken.
This dojutsu was terrifying. Though it was auxiliary, if used correctly, it could produce incredibly powerful effects.
If they later transplanted Hashirama cells into Rin...
She would almost have unlimited dojutsu power.
They might even play some fancy tricks.
Like being a seven-time winner in one night?
Hyuga Satoru chuckled to himself.
"Satoru, what are you thinking about?"
Uchiha Rin looked at Hyuga Satoru's silly smile, puzzled.
"Oh, nothing." Hyuga Satoru wiped the corner of his mouth, "Rin, you'd better not use this dojutsu casually."
"The power of the Mangekyou isn't limitless. If you overuse it, your body won't be able to handle it."
"Yes."
Uchiha Rin responded softly.
The clan elders had also warned her not to use the Mangekyou's abilities unless absolutely necessary.
Though she didn't understand why Hyuga Satoru knew so much about the Mangekyou, she didn't question it and chose to trust him completely.
"Satoru, what are you planning to do next?"
Uchiha Rin asked, worried.
Since the rumours outside were false, and Hyuga Satoru had told her what he had been preparing for...
It was clear that Hyuga Satoru was about to do something big!
Hyuga Satoru suddenly chuckled, his gaze shifting to the sky through the window.
He watched a flock of birds flying by.
"It's time for change..."
...
Hyuga Clan Territory.
Main House.
The usual oppressive atmosphere was gone, replaced by a strong sense of joy.
Today was the day of the Hyuga clan leader's succession.
The previous clan leader, Hyuga Suigetsu, was stepping down, and his eldest son, Hyuga Hiashi, was taking over as the new clan leader.
Due to the orderly nature of the Hyuga clan, even on the day of the new clan leader's ascension, there was no grand celebration.
Only a few high-ranking branch members were eligible to attend the succession ceremony in addition to the main branch members.
Sitting among the branch members, Hyuga Hizashi looked bitterly at Hyuga Hiashi, who was enjoying the limelight.
Though they were brothers, their paths diverged drastically after being divided into the main and branch families.
He couldn't help but think of Hyuga Satoru.
He sighed inwardly.
What a pity, such a talented individual...
His bitterness deepened.
He had secretly supported Hyuga Satoru multiple times, recognizing his monstrous talent, hoping that one day, he would bring new vitality to the clan.
Who could have expected...
The elder members at the head of the hall glanced at the kneeling branch members, showing slight dissatisfaction.
"Hyuga Satoru didn't even attend the clan leader's succession ceremony?"
"Hmph! Does he still think he's a genius?"
"Even the Hokage has given up on him. Doesn't he understand his position?"
Discontented murmurs echoed among the elders.
Hyuga Satoru's impressive feats during the Third Ninja War had once stifled them. Only after hearing that he was crippled did they relax.
Now, Hyuga Satoru was just a bargaining chip in their dealings with the Hokage faction.
With the Caged Bird Seal, there was no fear of him causing any trouble.
Hearing the elders, the branch members' faces grew tense. Many had idolized Hyuga Satoru when his reputation was at its peak.
Who would have thought...
They sighed quietly.
"Suigetsu, begin."
An elder with a revered status spoke.
Hyuga Suigetsu nodded and looked at Hyuga Hiashi, who was ready. His gaze swept over the kneeling clan members.
His deep voice echoed in the hall.
"Today, I step down as the head of the Hyuga clan. Hyuga Hiashi will succeed me as the new clan leader."
"I object!"
Before he could finish, a sudden shout interrupted him.
His face turned grim. This was the Hyuga clan leader's succession ceremony. Who dared to cause trouble?
At the same time, the elders and kneeling branch members looked at the figure striding in.
"Hyuga Satoru? What do you want?"