Naruto: The Sage Body of Konoha

"Hiashi, what's wrong?"

Heiyan came over and squatted beside Hiashi.

"I don't know why, but my eyes have been hurting inexplicably lately."

Hiashi gasped for breath, his face drenched in cold sweat.

"When did this symptom start?" Heiyan asked with a frown.

"It... started after I trained in the Eight Gates." Hiashi tried to recall, answering hesitantly.

Ah, so that's it.

Upon hearing this, Heiyan's mind stirred. He told Hiashi, "Don't worry—it might even be a good thing."

Then he helped Hiashi up. Although confused, Hiashi nodded trustingly and slowly began to relax.

Could it be that Hiashi Hyuga's Byakugan was beginning to evolve?

This thought suddenly struck Heiyan.

It seemed that practicing the Eight Gates technique had unlocked Hiashi's physical potential, thereby activating the Byakugan bloodline limit within him, possibly triggering some kind of atavism or mutation?

Of course, maybe Heiyan was overthinking.

In any case, it was still too early to make a conclusion. Still, Heiyan believed whatever change was happening to Hiashi's Byakugan wouldn't be a bad thing.

After this small incident, the three resumed their journey.

...

Night fell.

A cool breeze drifted through the night, and the sky sparkled with stars.

Deep in the mountains, Heiyan's team found a cave to spend the night.

At the cave entrance, a campfire blazed. Fugaku Uchiha sat alone by the flames, gazing at the starry sky. After a long silence, he sighed.

Recently, seeing his rival Hiashi Hyuga visibly growing stronger day by day, a sense of crisis had begun to stir inside him.

What troubled Fugaku more was the possibility that Hiashi's Byakugan seemed ready to evolve.

It was only then that Fugaku realized a crucial truth.

Both the Sharingan and Byakugan were dojutsu bloodline limits. If the Uchiha's Sharingan could evolve into the Mangekyo Sharingan, then why couldn't the Hyuga's Byakugan develop into an even higher form?

The thought left Fugaku anxious.

Despite constantly trying to awaken the Mangekyo, he had made no progress so far—as if he'd hit a wall with no way around it.

Just then,

Footsteps echoed from behind the cave entrance.

"What are you troubled about?" Heiyan approached and sat beside Fugaku shoulder to shoulder.

Fugaku hesitated at first, but eventually answered truthfully:

"It's... about the Mangekyo Sharingan."

"Oh?"

After thinking for a moment, Heiyan spoke, "Fugaku-kun, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a few questions—please answer honestly. It might help us figure out the conditions needed for awakening the Mangekyo."

"...Okay." After a brief pause, Fugaku nodded.

However, Heiyan's very first question caught him off guard.

"Do you have someone you really care about?" Heiyan asked directly.

Why ask something like this all of a sudden...

Fugaku's face slightly reddened. After a while, he shook his head. "No."

Is that right…

Heiyan paused for a moment. Mikoto Uchiha—who would one day become Fugaku's wife—was just seven years old now and still attending the Ninja Academy. He couldn't help but wonder how these two could ever end up together when they were practically twice each other's age.

"Then… how close are you with your parents?" Heiyan asked again.

"Probably… just like regular kids and their parents," Fugaku replied cautiously after a brief pause.

So it is.

Heiyan recalled Sasuke Uchiha from the original storyline—his parents were already dead before he awakened his single tomoe Sharingan. It seemed that using a blood ritual involving one's own parents to stimulate Sharingan evolution didn't work all that well.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Heiyan continued asking.

The complex dynamics between *otouto* and *niisan*—the deep rivalries and tangled affections between younger and older brothers—if those were missing, then not only would obtaining the [Mangekyou Sharingan] be impossible, but the [Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan] would be even more unattainable.

"I'm an only child."

While answering, Fugaku became increasingly puzzled. Heiyan's series of questions—from personal emotional issues to family relationships—had practically turned into an interrogation, leaving him confused about why Heiyan was doing this.

"One last question. Do you have any good friends or companions?" At this point, Heiyan delivered his final inquiry.

In the world of ninja, there existed a bond deeper than familial ties, romantic love, or sibling affection—that was the bond between comrades.

After all, ninja constantly faced danger during battles and missions. Only the comrades beside them could truly be relied upon.

Among the Uchiha clan, when someone's closest friend faced life-threatening danger or even death, awakening the [Mangekyou Sharingan] was most likely to occur.

This happened to Shisui Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, and Kakashi alike.

"…No." Fugaku hesitated slightly before responding.

As the most outstanding genius of the Uchiha Clan, he had stood out since childhood. Coupled with his mature demeanor beyond his age, it was difficult for him to build equal relationships with peers and develop deep friendships.

That had all changed recently.

Since meeting Heiyan.

From that moonlit night when he soared like a dragon under the moonlight, through the battle at the Valley of the End, to now completing missions together… without realizing it, Heiyan had changed in Fugaku's heart—from being a powerful opponent, to becoming a goal to chase after, and finally… a trustworthy comrade.

Still, Fugaku understood clearly—it was all one-sided thinking on his part.

Heiyan might not even acknowledge him, nor necessarily regard him as a friend.

Thinking about this caused Fugaku's eyes to darken slightly.

Heiyan, with his sharp perception, noticed Fugaku's subtle facial change and saw through the latter's longing for friendship.

So, he patted Fugaku's shoulder and smiled while saying:

"If that's the case, then consider both me and Hiashi your friends."

"Heiyan-jun…"

Hearing this, Fugaku felt unexpectedly delighted. He stammered, his emotions choking his words despite everything he wanted to say.

"Good night."

Yet Heiyan merely waved smilingly at him before rising and walking away gracefully, leaving Fugaku standing there with a warm feeling inside.

The next day.

The Heiyan team no longer wanted to keep entangled with various bounty hunter groups, so the three of them wore black cloaks, concealed their tracks along the way, and finally arrived by noon at a coastal town on the Fire Country border.

Upon reaching the dock, they did not board a ship. Instead, under Heiyan's guidance, they arrived at a remote corner by the seaside.

[Summoning Jutsu!]

With practiced hands, Heiyan weaved through the familiar seals—then in a puff of mist, the Stealth Frog Guagua appeared beside him.

"I'm counting on you," Heiyan said, crouching down to ruffle its head.

"Kero."

With a gentle croak, Guagua opened its wide mouth and swallowed Heiyan and his two companions into its internal space.

Then, hopping away, it dove into the ocean with a splash.

In this way, they slipped silently toward the islands of Uzu Country.

Through such means, Team Heiyan had practically shaken off all bounty hunters trailing them—except for...

Black Zetsu and Kakuzu.

Not long after the team departed, these two figures appeared at the seaside dock.

"So their destination this time is Uzu Country, huh?" Black Zetsu mused, gazing across the boundless ocean ahead. "Could they be heading there for the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"

Needless to say, nothing that happened in the world of shinobi—especially within Leaf Village—could escape his notice.

And the reason he was able to track Heiyan's group was quite simple:

During multiple encounters with Fugaku Uchiha, he had subtly placed a chakra-based tracking mark on him without detection.

He never would've guessed those two targets of his would end up in the same team.

Kakuzu's green eyes swiveled inside their bloodshot sockets, radiating an eerie chill. "Sir, may I deal with Heiyan first? There shouldn't be any problem with that, right?"

"Not yet," Black Zetsu replied, shaking his head to stop Kakuzu. "Don't act too hastily."

"Why not?"

"Do you still remember the task I gave you?" Black Zetsu fixed Kakuzu with a steady gaze. "I told you to find someone dear to Fugaku Uchiha. Surely you haven't forgotten that, have you?"

"What do you mean?" Kakuzu asked, puzzled.

"Let those three brats build some bonds," Black Zetsu explained slowly. "Perhaps they'll even grow into friends. Then, when my plan reaches its timing, you strike at an appropriate moment—with Fugaku watching helplessly as we kill both Heiyan and Hiashi Hyuga. This way, we eliminate that nuisance Heiyan while simultaneously provoking Fugaku into awakening his eyes. Isn't it a perfect two-in-one strategy?"

A dark grin spread across Black Zetsu's face as he laid out his cunning plan.

"Impressive as always, sir," Kakuzu nodded in agreement, outwardly approving of the plan while inwardly growing even more cautious of his companion.

"Fine then, let's tail those kids and see where this path takes us once we reach Uzugakure."

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