Everyone knows that the Hyuga clan's Byakugan can see up to about one kilometer around the user. That range isn't the absolute limit; rather, it's what they can do by simply activating the Byakugan.
With further training, they can extend their vision even farther. Still, no matter how much they refine it, a Hyuga's Byakugan usually only covers a few kilometers to maybe over ten kilometers.
These findings come from intelligence compiled by the various factions after the Third Great Ninja War.
If Hiashi Hyuga had said it, Kurenai wouldn't have been surprised. As the head of the clan, surpassing that known limit wouldn't be strange.
But Hinata's just a kid who's barely been a Genin for over a month, and yet her Byakugan already sees up to twenty kilometers away. What is she, some kind of monster? She's totally broken the Hyuga clan's upper bound!
Izayoi noticed Kurenai's and Shino's expressions and smirked quietly. Even Hiashi himself had been shocked by Hinata's progress.
Izayoi, who possesses the Red-tier Otsutsuki Bloodline, and Hinata, the Red-tier "Princess of the Byakugan," were meant for each other.
Izayoi obtaining Hinata's trait meant it was like he'd transplanted her eyes, and thanks to the Red-tier "Sage Eyes" accelerator, he'd already completed his first Tenseigan "fetal stirring."
Since Hinata's bloodline wasn't yet "red-tier," all she needed was to absorb Izayoi's chakra to unlock more potential and raise her limits.
Starting around Konoha Year 58, both Hinata and Hanabi began their path of overturning fate.
That was when Izayoi awakened the Uzumaki bloodline's unique ability: physical healing. Every day after training, whether anyone was injured or not, Izayoi would let Hinata and Hanabi bite him to absorb his chakra.
The chakra they drew not only healed their wounds but also stimulated their potential. Hinata's Byakugan purity was the highest, so she benefited the most. She'd only just graduated and could already see even farther than Hiashi.
At this rate, once the Shippuden era starts, her Kekkei Genkai: Byakugan might upgrade from Purple-tier to Gold-tier.
"What's wrong?" Hinata asked, tilting her head cutely. She had no clue why Kurenai and Shino looked so astonished.
Kurenai shook herself out of it and said sternly, "Hinata, don't mention your maximum range to anyone else. If word gets out, a lot of people are going to target you."
A main-house Hyuga heiress with no Caged Bird Seal who can already see twenty kilometers around her? Her value—and potential threat—would skyrocket if other ninja villages found out, and Hinata would end up on the black markets' or major villages' hit lists.
"Yes," Hinata answered, not fully understanding Kurenai's reasoning but nodding seriously anyway.
"It's incredibly reassuring to have that sort of range. We'll be counting on you for the rest of the trip," Kurenai said, ruffling Hinata's hair with a smile. Shino quietly retracted his insects as well—no point in relying on their sense of smell when you have twenty kilometers of vision and x-ray perception to lean on.
They continued traveling. Every so often, Hinata would activate her Byakugan and scan the 20-kilometer area for any signs of danger.
Two more days passed. During that time, Team 8 eliminated two groups of bandits while scaring off a third.
The roads through the mountains were steep, so the travel route was basically fixed—bandits and rogue nin liked to ambush at choke points. You either detoured around them or took them out.
Most bandits wouldn't dare mess with a ninja-escorted caravan. But a few ignorant or foolhardy ones still tried their luck. The two groups that picked a fight with Team 8 got wiped out for their trouble.
It was the first time killing for Team 8, so they felt a bit uneasy, but they recovered quickly. The Academy had taught them how to break genjutsu, and at one point the teacher cast illusions on the whole class to show them brutal images. Plenty of students never got used to it, but these three had long been at the top of their year and overcame that level of fear ages ago.
That day, after walking a few more kilometers, Hinata started up her Byakugan again, scanning the usual 20-kilometer radius. Suddenly her face froze in alarm, and she blurted, "Everyone—stop immediately!"
Hearing Hinata's warning on this narrow mountain path, the caravan—forced to walk beside their horses—halted at once. Kurenai's expression grew serious. "Hinata, what's happening?"
Hinata nodded anxiously. She couldn't quite mask her shock or disbelief. "Around seventeen kilometers ahead…there are two unknown figures. Their chakra is huge…way stronger than yours, Kurenai-sensei. Much, much stronger."
She couldn't think of how else to describe them except by underselling Kurenai's power. Kurenai didn't take offense. She quickly asked, "What do they look like?"
"They're both wearing hooded cloaks and straw hats. One of them looks like a scorpion, and the other is standing on some bird, flying low as if searching for something," Hinata explained.
Kurenai's face darkened. She turned to Nishimura and the others. "Turn around right now. We're changing routes. There are S-rank missing-nin up ahead."
"Hurry up—turn around!" Nishimura shouted. He clearly knew just how dangerous S-rank rogues could be.
"Oh, so they're S-rank missing-nin…" Hinata mumbled, slightly taken aback.
Izayoi said nothing, but a faint white flower-petal pattern flickered across his blue eyes.
Penetrating mountain after mountain, his gaze locked on those two figures about seventeen kilometers away: one taller, one shorter; one in the sky, one on land. They matched Kurenai's description of S-rank criminals—and members of the Akatsuki: Sasori of the Red Sand and Deidara.
What the heck were they doing here? Looking for something, presumably. Deidara, riding his clay bird, was scanning the area. Izayoi frowned. Then he turned his focus to Sasori, concealed in the puppet "Hiruko," and suddenly had an epiphany.
If Izayoi wants to use his Tenseigan for "wireless puppet control," he first needs to know how to make puppets—and for that he needs materials and money. But…why not seize some ready-made puppets?
So, while the caravan was re-routing for a few minutes, Izayoi claimed he needed to step aside for the restroom. When he returned, what came back was actually just a powerful shadow clone. As for Izayoi's true body, he sped off at high velocity toward Sasori and Deidara.
Seeing the clone rejoin them, Hinata glanced at it. The clone gently shook its head. She feigned ignorance. She wasn't worried about Izayoi heading straight for two S-rank missing-nin, because in her Byakugan view, he was flickering forward with instantaneous leaps, sometimes flying through obstacles.
After experiencing Izayoi's gravity and repulsion powers firsthand, Hinata doubted Deidara's clay bird could stand a chance against that. If Izayoi wanted to bail out, no one could stop him.
~~~
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