The Tenseigan's unique ability remained a secret, so no one realized it.
After the four individuals opened their minds to Satori Hyūga, their consciousness and willpower were silently taken over by him.
The four high-ranking monks of the Temple of Fire all pledged their loyalty.
Still, as promised, Satori Hyūga helped them cultivate and become Sage Clan's Talents.
In this way, he hadn't broken any agreement.
Looking at the four kneeling before him, Satori released an immense aura from the giant Buddha statue. A faint smirk appeared on his lips, his jet-black eyes were deep and mysterious.
"With these four, the Temple of Fire will be practically under my control."
"The two most powerful factions in the Land of Fire now have people working for me. Even a forced overthrow of the Daimyo seems entirely possible."
Satori mused with a smile, dangerous ambitions swirling in his mind.
To someone like Hyūga Satori, the elite and seemingly untouchable Daimyo was nothing more than a matter of when—and if—he would fall.
Having placed this hidden piece now in play, Satori set out again, heading toward Konoha.
His main base was there, and now that he had obtained the Rinnegan, he could finally begin studying it.
Six Paths of Pain—Hyūga Satori found them particularly intriguing.
Land of Rain.
Madara Uchiha arrived with Black Zetsu at the Akatsuki's former hideout. Finding the place completely deserted, his expression darkened.
Madara's gaze grew heavy, his tone icy cold.
"The Akatsuki have vanished, and Nagato is missing. Something is very wrong here."
"Black Zetsu, mobilize every White Zetsu. Search everywhere—even underground if necessary. Find them no matter what."
"And don't let that Mysterious Stranger escape either."
Just thinking about how someone had stolen the body meant to house his eyes—and taken the Rinnegan itself—only fueled Madara's rage.
Who dared steal from him?
The Rinnegan was an eye he had achieved after enduring countless trials and unimaginable suffering.
Losing the Rinnegan was bad enough—but what made it worse was that the Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan could no longer proceed.
Decades of preparation couldn't be undone by this setback.
Upon hearing Madara's orders, Black Zetsu immediately began arranging everything.
Among those present, Black Zetsu felt an even greater urgency than Madara did.
"Cursed thief! Stealing the Rinnegan—you'll pay for this!"
"Great Mother, please wait a little longer—I will surely free you from the moon."
In an instant, swarms of White Zetsu spread across the ninja world, scattering in all directions in search of the Akatsuki and their trail.
Meanwhile, Hyūga Satori—who had already incurred Madara Uchiha's wrath—slipped back into Konoha silently.
After being gone for over half a month, few noticed his return.
This was mainly due to the great mystery surrounding the Main House of the Hyūga Clan; few outsiders had any insight into its inner workings, so most remained unaware.
Only a select few who were closely connected to Satori knew—such as Grandpa Hyūga Sounmei, his secretary Hyūga Yui, Orochimaru, and above all, the Hyūga Clan Leader himself, Hyūga Ten'yō, who stayed closely informed about all internal clan matters.
As soon as Hyūga Satori returned to the Hyūga Clan, Hyūga Ten'yō received immediate word of it.
Upon learning that Satori's eyes had changed—ink-black like ink—Ten'yō's expression darkened instantly.
"The Byakugan has changed?"
Sitting on a tatami mat, Ten'yō murmured to himself as he listened to his subordinate's report.
Since ancient times, the Byakugan of the Hyūga Clan had always been pale and piercing. There was no reason for them to change color.
This caused Ten'yō to think deeply.
As clan leader, Ten'yō had eyes everywhere throughout the family. He already knew that Satori was conducting some kind of experiment.
Putting these pieces together visibly alarmed him.
A terrifying possibility flashed through Ten'yō's mind, causing him to leap to his feet instantly.
He barked toward the doorway, "Someone! Summon all the elders at once!"
After saying this, as if suddenly recalling something else, he added, "Wait! Bring Satori Hyūga here as well."
His face darkened, his expression shifting rapidly.
The Byakugan changing—this was virtually impossible.
Why say "virtually"? Because there remained that slim possibility.
Within the lineage of the Hyūga clan leaders, a secret had been passed down through generations concerning the evolution of the Byakugan and its relation to the Otsutsuki Clan—their distant but intertwined kin.
He had only read about this in the clan's secret scrolls; he'd never actually encountered the Otsutsuki Clan himself.
The sudden calling of a clan meeting sent shockwaves through the entire clan.
It had been quite a long time since the last family gathering.
Thanks to Satori's assistance, the Hyūga Clan's business ventures had expanded significantly. Many members had been stationed elsewhere, making attendance increasingly burdensome.
Life outside the compound was too wonderful, while inside remained gloomy and lifeless. The meetings were bound by rigid hierarchies and suffocating etiquette.
"Oh? The clan leader wants to hold a meeting?"
Having just returned home, Satori quickly learned of the upcoming meeting.
This forced him to temporarily halt his physical testing and leave the lab for the assembly.
Seeing Satori prepare to leave, Orochimaru, wearing a white lab coat, licked his lips, annoyance flashing across his eyes.
"These ninja clans are such a hassle. Meetings every three days and major gatherings every five. It's just a waste of time."
"I'd rather spend that time training or researching ninjutsu."
Of course, he said this out of frustration.
Facing an evolved Byakugan, Orochimaru burned with curiosity and the urge to research.
He had been itching with anticipation, watching Satori's test with keen interest, only to be interrupted unexpectedly.
Satori shrugged and mused aloud, "Perhaps it really is because of these eyes. They called a meeting the moment I got back."
His certainty stemmed from the fact that he hadn't tried to conceal it from others.
He was in the most traditional wing of the Hyūga Clan—secrets wouldn't easily escape the compound. Only family members and a few trusted associates would know.
Seeing Orochimaru's frustration, Satori handed him a glass Petri dish.
"Professor Orochimaru, here's another little gift for you. Feel free to study it—but don't break it."
Orochimaru took it casually and, upon hearing those words, looked down at the glass petri dish.
In that instant, his eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Satori Hyūga, his heart skipping a couple of beats.
"The Rinnegan?"
"Did you actually get it? This is the legendary eye of the Sage of Six Paths."
Wait—no, there's already someone with the Rinnegan in the Land of Rain. Jiraiya once took in an apprentice—a boy named Nagato—who had the Rinnegan.
He eyed Satori suspiciously and asked, "Satori, you didn't actually kill Jiraiya's disciple Nagato and take it from him, did you?"
Back when Jiraiya chose his student, Orochimaru himself had been right there watching, so he remembered everything clearly.
At that time, he had only just begun developing an interest in researching ninjutsu; he hadn't begun his many human experiments yet, so stealing the Rinnegan had never crossed his mind.
Now, actually holding the Rinnegan in his hands sent a wave of surprise and delight through him.
But still, he feared that this might be the eye Satori had taken after killing Nagato.
After all, he hadn't gone rogue yet—he still valued his relationship with Jiraiya.
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