In his memory, when Otsutsuki Toneri on the moon evolved his eyes into the Tenseigan, there seemed to be a significant adaptation period.
Because of this, Hyuga Kyo had been hesitant to activate his Tenseigan plan. But the current situation was different. Although he couldn’t predict what the village was planning, he knew one thing for sure: danger was approaching.
Taking advantage of an opportunity for solo patrol, Hyuga Kyo arrived at a remote desert location he had previously chosen.
After scanning the area with his Byakugan to ensure no one was around, he immediately formed a hand seal and summoned the one-eyed viper Orochimaru had left to monitor him.
With a puff of smoke, the one-eyed viper lazily slithered towards Hyuga Kyo and spat out a scroll.
That’s right, the scroll containing the gene solution had always been kept by this one-eyed viper.
This was a necessary measure because only by storing it in the viper’s stomach could Hyuga Kyo retrieve the precious gene solution anytime, anywhere, via summoning jutsu.
There was little concern about whether Orochimaru might intercept it.
Long ago, Hyuga Kyo had started storing various random experimental materials in the viper’s stomach. Orochimaru had checked a few times and found nothing valuable, so he gradually stopped paying attention.
Moreover, Orochimaru had just defected recently and was likely still entangled with Jiraiya, leaving him with no time to worry about Hyuga Kyo.
After retrieving the gene solution sealed in the scroll, Hyuga Kyo’s expression turned serious.
The evolution at the genetic level carried many uncertainties. The gene solution could either be the key to changing his fate or a deadly poison.
Without live trials, there was no data, so Hyuga Kyo couldn’t even estimate the success rate. But he had no time left and could only gamble on this. His future ability to control his fate, live with dignity, and free himself from a life of subservience all depended on this gene solution.
Without much hesitation, Hyuga Kyo steeled himself and injected the gene solution into his body.
“Ah…”
Almost immediately, Hyuga Kyo screamed in pain.
Pain!
Excruciating pain!
Agonising pain!
Having been a ninja for so long, Hyuga Kyo thought his pain tolerance was high and that pain couldn’t shake him. But at this moment, he realised pain could reach such an unbearable level.
Slowly, he felt his chakra dissipating.
“This is bad!”
The situation had spiralled out of control. He quickly used the remaining chakra to forcibly unsummon the one-eyed viper.
Almost simultaneously with the viper’s departure, Hyuga Kyo’s limited chakra wholly dissipated. Next, his body seemed to start breaking down. He felt as if his flesh was melting.
“Why is this happening!?”
In intense frustration, Hyuga Kyo’s vision darkened, and he fainted in the desert.
He didn’t know how much time had passed before he slowly opened his eyes to find himself inside the outpost.
Captain Mitsui Nakaji was staring at him coldly and asked, “What happened? Why did you collapse in the desert?”
Hyuga Kyo’s mind was still foggy, so he responded vaguely, “I… I don’t know why…”
Mitsui Nakaji frowned, “Were you attacked? By whom? Was it the Sand ninjas?”
Hyuga Kyo shook his head, “No one attacked me. My body… something’s wrong with my body. I think… I think I’m sick!”
Ninjas get sick, too; it’s a common occurrence in the ninja world. Bloodline ninjas can even suffer from various unique hereditary diseases, as seen with Kimimaro and Itachi. Despite his suspicion, Mitsui Nakaji saw Hyuga Kyo’s weakened state and stopped questioning him.
After Mitsui Nakaji left, Hyuga Kyo began carefully examining his body.
The intense reaction to the gene injection far exceeded his expectations, giving him a new understanding of the dangers of activating the unique gene sequences.
“In the end, I survived!”
Breathing a sigh of relief, Hyuga Kyo couldn’t help but feel a lingering fear.
Although he didn’t know the exact data, based on his experience, surviving the activation and recombination of the particular gene sequences was a rare event. He had clearly felt his body nearing collapse during the process, like being torn apart and reassembled, which was utterly despairing.
This also made him realise that he was still an amateur in genetic research.
After calming himself, Hyuga Kyo analysed the effects of the gene solution based on his experience.
The near-collapse of his body was undoubtedly a reaction to the activation of the particular gene sequences. In other words, the body undergoes as many activation and recombination processes as there are inactive sequences. Hyuga Kyo lacked 16 sequences, so he experienced 16 cycles of activation and recombination in the desert.
Each activation and recombination was a brush with death, and Hyuga Kyo had walked through death’s door 16 times.
Surviving was sheer luck!
With all 33 particular gene sequences activated, Hyuga Kyo felt a complete transformation in his body. This change was ongoing, most noticeably in his ever-increasing chakra.
Getting out of bed, Hyuga Kyo walked to the dressing mirror.
Removing his goggles, he found that his once pale eyes now seemed somewhat transparent, as if containing stars shimmering with a peculiar light.
“How beautiful!”
Even Hyuga Kyo himself was mesmerised.
As he leaned in to see more clearly, a strong wave of dizziness and intense pain suddenly hit his eyes!
After a while, the dizziness and pain gradually subsided.
Slowly getting up, Hyuga Kyo understood that during the adaptation period, he couldn’t use his eyes, not even for simple observations. He closed his eyes and put his goggles back on.
Lying back on the bed, Hyuga Kyo began to ponder.
The Tenseigan was currently evolving. While its future potential was vast, in the short term, he was weaker than before. Now was not the time for celebration; he needed to find a way to survive this problematic adaptation period…
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