Chapter 55 - 47 Byakugan Upgrade

You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my Patreon and I've also activated a (date-to-date) subscription model on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395\\ Three days slipped by quickly and the Hyūga Clan's ritual commenced. As the ceremony concluded, a fresh batch of Hyūga branch members were branded with the Caged Bird Seal, including Hyūga Xixi. Hyūga Hiashi and Hyūga Hizashi both visited Jiang Xi afterward. To their surprise, Hyūga Xixi showed no unusual reaction. Her composure remained undisturbed, much to their relief. However, neither Hiashi nor Hizashi realized that the Hyūga Xixi within the clan was no longer the original. It was merely a clone under Jiang Xi's control, devoid of its own consciousness. Thanks to Jiang Xi's advanced biological knowledge, Orochimaru's research had surged forward. What should have been a distant achievement in the Boruto era – cloning technology – had already been perfected. Of course, this remained a secret shared only between Orochimaru and Jiang Xi. During this period, Jiang Xi trained alongside Orochimaru at his base. There was no denying Orochimaru's brilliance – he truly deserved the title "Legendary Sannin." While the Sannin might not be the most powerful in the Ninja World, even now stronger shinobi exist but their teaching abilities were undeniably exceptional. This was evident in the rapid growth of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura under their tutelage in the original story. Although Naruto and Sasuke were exceptional cases – likely destined for greatness regardless of their mentors – Sakura's journey was different. Without Tsunade's guidance, it's unlikely she would have attained Kage-level strength by the age of sixteen. This alone testified to the Sannin's unparalleled teaching prowess. The same held true for Orochimaru. In just a year of training, Jiang Xi felt a significant increase in her strength. By the Ninja World's standards, she was roughly at the level of a Chunin – and not just an ordinary chunin, but an elite one. However, what excited Jiang Xi more than her enhanced strength was Orochimaru's rapid progress in his Byakugan research. Since the war had not yet concluded, Orochimaru had acquired a considerable number of Hyūga Clan cells. Even though the Caged Bird Seal made direct Byakugan acquisition difficult, Orochimaru's expertise in biotechnology meant that obtaining the necessary cells was sufficient. In just over a year, Orochimaru had cultivated dozens of Byakugan pairs. In a dark underground chamber, Orochimaru stood before a tank where two Byakugan pairs were undergoing a fusion process. His eyes gleamed with excitement. "What a marvelous Kekkei Genkai. Fusing them is truly possible!" He muttered to himself, his gaze filled with unprecedented enthusiasm. He was so engrossed in this experiment that he had abandoned all other research. Beside him, Jiang Xi's bright eyes also gleamed with excitement. Orochimaru's progress was highly beneficial to her. Her thoughts drifted to what her brother had told her before his departure. "Brother was right after all!" Jiang Xi whispered inwardly. "Xixi, assist me in retrieving the Byakugan from Tank No. 2," Orochimaru said, his voice filled with excitement. "Yes!" Jiang Xi nodded and quickly moved towards Tank No. 2. Soon, she retrieved a fresh pair of Byakugan. Orochimaru immediately resumed his work. At this moment, Orochimaru's eyes reflected only an obsessive fascination with the Byakugan. Initially, he believed he had pushed his Byakugan research to its limits. Yet now, he realized there was still much more to explore. This newfound obsession even caused him to shift his attention away from the Hashirama cells. Deep within the underground chamber, the experiment continued. Jiang Xi balanced her training with assisting Orochimaru in his research. The progress on the Byakugan was remarkably smooth. Numerous Byakugan pairs were fused together, and gradually, a pair of brilliantly clear Byakugan began to take form in the chamber. Despite being just a pair of eyes, they seemed to contain an extraordinarily pure form of chakra. This pair of eyes was the result of fusing over five hundred Byakugan, including Jiang Xi's own pair. The fusion could have continued, but considering Jiang Xi's physical limitations and what she could bear, they stopped at what was deemed the optimal level. Now, Jiang Xi lay on the operating table, ready for the transplant. Orochimaru swiftly began the procedure. For him, transplanting eyes was a minor surgery, and he completed it with ease. Moments later, Orochimaru activated the Mystical Palm Technique. Jiang Xi felt a massive surge of chakra flow from her eyes and spread throughout her body. Her chakra, previously at the level of an Elite Chunin, skyrocketed in an instant. In the blink of an eye, she surpassed the Elite Chunin level, reaching the Jōnin level, and her power continued to rise rapidly. It wasn't clear how much time passed before the overwhelming chakra finally calmed down. Slowly, Jiang Xi opened her eyes. At that moment, she experienced an unprecedented clarity of the world around her. There was also a faint, inexplicable sensation – something mysterious, though not very pronounced. "How does it feel? Even I have never seen a Byakugan as pure as this," Orochimaru said with a smile. "My chakra seems to have increased by about tenfold. Additionally, I sense a thin membrane... It feels as though the Byakugan's purity isn't at its peak yet," Jiang Xi remarked after a brief moment of contemplation. "Tenfold, huh?" Orochimaru mused. "That is truly an astonishing power." "As for the purity, there's no need to rush. You've only just begun. A Byakugan this powerful would be beyond your capacity to handle right now," Orochimaru said with a lighthearted chuckle. Jiang Xi nodded slightly. But at that moment, her expression suddenly changed, her brows furrowing slightly. Orochimaru seemed to sense it too and turned his gaze toward the distance. "Xixi, it seems your clone has died," Orochimaru said with a grin. Just as Orochimaru finished speaking – "Main mission one completed." "World synchronization in progress." "Main mission two initiated." "Would you like to activate it now?" A mechanical voice echoed, and in the next moment, lines of golden characters appeared before Jiang Xi, a scene visible only to her. Around her, time and space seemed to freeze. Orochimaru's expression was locked in place, frozen in time. "Completed?" Jiang Xi was momentarily stunned. She had never expected that the main mission would be completed immediately upon her clone's death. "Activate!" Despite her brief pause, Jiang Xi quickly decided to proceed with the next step. "World synchronization resumed." "Matching complete!" "Main mission two: Successfully survive until the Chunin Exams in Konoha, Six Years later." "Mission Success Reward: Earn an additional login." "Mission Failure Penalty: Death." New characters began to form, marking the start of the next main mission. (End of this chapter)