Chapter 3: The Byakugan

Though Akira was a Chunin, he worked alone, without any team members. He used to have three teammates—new Genin who had just graduated from the academy. But war showed no mercy. Even the grandson of Senju Hashirama had fallen, what chance did fresh academy graduates stand?

All three of his teammates perished in a large-scale battle. Although Akira was from the powerful Uchiha clan and had a strong skillset, he couldn't constantly watch over his team in the chaos of war. After their deaths, the village stopped assigning him new Genin. During these harsh times, fresh academy graduates were scarce, so there was no option to replace his fallen team members.

Akira had no complaints. Being alone suited him just fine, it meant he didn't have to worry about protecting others during his missions. He could rest or act as he pleased without anyone reporting on him or spreading rumors behind his back.

Like now—Akira had left the Konoha camp, taking his time, hardly invested in this mission. In truth, he never took orders from Konoha's higher-ups too seriously. If it wasn't too dangerous, he'd do the job, but if it required risking his life, he'd simply leave it. As an Uchiha, he didn't need Konoha's mission rewards that badly. After all, it wasn't as though Konoha's leaders would ever allow the Uchiha access to the jutsu in the Scroll of Seals. There was no point in going overboard.

So, he was wandering along the Fire Country's border, somewhat idly. Maybe he'd used up his luck when he intercepted Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan, or maybe it was just Murphy's Law kicking in again. While lazily pretending to track Kirigakure shinobi, Akira suddenly looked up into the depths of the dark forest. The shadows shifted, and two masked figures in Kirigakure ANBU uniforms appeared in an instant.

Akira immediately focused on the one with long, bluish-gray hair—exactly the color of the Kirigakure Jōnin who obtained the Byakugan in the original story.

"Another Konoha brat here to die! How tiresome!" grumbled one masked Kirigakure shinobi.

The one called Ao scanned Akira and said in a low voice,

"Tsuki, don't underestimate him. He's an Uchiha. If they sent him alone, it means he's no ordinary kid."

"I get it. We'll wrap this up quickly, we can't let him stall us too long, or Konoha's top fighters might show up," replied Tsuki, his gaze locking onto Akira.

"Water Release: Water Blade Technique!"

With impressive speed, Tsuki completed the hand seals. Using the Body Flicker Technique, he appeared right in front of Akira, swinging the water blade to cut him down.

A sharp sound rang out.

Under his mask, Tsuki's face twisted into a grin—until he felt an indescribable pain in his neck.

"Gah…" Clutching his throat, Tsuki staggered and collapsed, darkness engulfing him as a calm voice reached his fading consciousness:

"Who told you to look me in the eyes? As Kirigakure ANBU, you should know better than to meet an Uchiha's gaze."

"B-but… he hadn't even activated his Sharingan…" Tsuki's confusion melted into oblivion.

Akira remained cool as he stepped back, keeping a watchful eye on Ao. Lightning chakra crackled along his skin in subtle sparks, ready to strike the moment Ao made a move.

Behind his mask, Ao's eyes widened in shock. His comrade had succumbed silently to the Uchiha's genjutsu, compelled to plunge his own neck into Akira's blade in a suicidal frenzy. Ao shuddered, if he had rushed in first, he'd likely have met the same fate.

"This kid… he's young, but his power is no joke. He didn't even need the Sharingan to take out Jōnin-level Tsuki…" Ao thought, already contemplating his escape. Even though he was fatigued from being trapped behind enemy lines, he hadn't expected his partner to be eliminated so quickly.

"What are you waiting for?"

In the next moment, a cold voice sounded right by Ao's ear, freezing him in place. A streak of blue lightning blazed forward, too fast to react.

"Lightning Style: Palm Strike!"

He barely glimpsed the brilliant, electrified hand headed straight for his heart.

Boom!

The dark forest echoed with a thunderous explosion as blinding electric arcs erupted, engulfing Ao. His scream shattered the silence, then faded to stillness.

When faced one-on-one with a Sharingan user, retreat was the only safe option—a lesson Sunagakure had learned through countless casualties. If Ao had fled immediately after Tsuki's death, he might have had a slim chance to escape. Staying was a fatal mistake against powerful Uchiha.

After rifling through Ao's belongings, Akira found a scroll with the character for "seal" written on it. The seal wasn't difficult to unlock, possessing the Sharingan, he knew exactly how to break it. As the seal unraveled, he found a container filled with a faintly green liquid, and inside floated a Byakugan.

A smile played at the corners of Akira's mouth as he gazed at the eye. "Perfect. This Byakugan is mine."

He had no intention of returning it to the Hyūga clan. If he hadn't come across it, that would have been that—but now that he had it, there was no reason to give it back. The Byakugan's potential was on par with the Sharingan. The Tenseigan was said to rival the Rinnegan in power.

While the Sharingan could evolve to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and eventually awaken the Rinnegan through the fusion of Indra and Asura's chakra, the Byakugan could similarly evolve into the Tenseigan by merging with Ōtsutsuki chakra. Compared to the complex path to the Rinnegan, the Tenseigan's evolution seemed more direct and powerful in combat.

Securing the Byakugan, Akira tidied up the battlefield, ensuring there were no traces left behind. For now, no one would know he possessed the eye, which meant he could afford to let this mission drag on a bit longer.

But his luck didn't hold out for long. Just an hour after he'd begun idling along the Fire Country's border, a bright flare erupted in the forest a few hundred meters ahead, lighting up the sky.