LIGHTNOVELONLINE 3. Conversation about The Byakugan
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As the previous thoughts circulated in his mind, Hikari's expression suddenly changed. A sharp pain pulsed across his eyes, causing his youthful face to contort into a big frown.
Simultaneously the veins around his eyes receded as the piercing gaze of the dojutsu faded away. His eyes returned to their normal white appearance, characteristic of the Hyuga clan.
Quickly observing the change in Hikari, Takumi responded with a reassuring tone, "Don't worry, Hikari-kun. You've just awakened your Byakugan, and at such a young age, without any kind of training to control these eyes, it's normal that you've overexerted them quickly."
"You should be able to activate the Byakugan again after some rest. Probably later today or tomorrow morning after you take a sleep. The discomfort you're feeling now will also fade in a few minutes or half an hour at the longest, so you don't need to worry about that, just hold on and try to acclimate for similar situations in the future. After all, in our clan, it happens a lot.", Takumi continued informing him, alluding to situations of their dojutsu potential overuse.
"Also, the more you activate it in the future, the better you will instinctively get at efficiently controlling it, as well as using it for longer durations, even without any outside guidance.",
"But, going to the failure is never good. You should use those eyes in the future as much as possible to improve them, however, you should never go to complete overexertion and failure like today. There are better methods and protocols for strengthening them...",
Takumi continued speaking for quite a while, after seeing Hikari was silent and eagerly listening to his explanations. It was obvious that he started hinting at something like training him again.
Takumi patiently dispelled all of Hikari's concerns in a simple way without withholding any information. Something that reassured Hikari quite well and led him to respond similarly.
"I understand, Takumi-sensei, thank you for all the clarification... And... If your offer is still valid, this junior would like to ask for you to guide me to the right way of using these eyes in the right way, amongst other similar things, in the future as well...", Hikaru unnaturally voiced.
Hikari finally responded after carefully listening in silence for a while to all that valuable information. He decided that it was best to be direct at this time to connect all the possible sudden changes in his personality to this exact incident that brought him into this coma.
His voice carried a note of gratitude and slight determination, though a slight frown still lingered on his face due to the previous matter. This confirmed Takumi's accurate guess about the discomfort that remained even after Hikari had deactivated his Byakugan now.
Not only that, Hikari felt like his eyes were already seeing multiple sights of the Elder inside the room due to the temporary loss of vision caused by his first official use of his Byakugan.
After hearing Hikari's response, Takumi, who had maintained his usual stern and composed demeanor, softened his tone further, indicating another shift in his attitude towards the young Hyuga, "Of course, the offer stands..', He said, his voice carrying a slight satisfaction.
"I've mentioned before that as soon as you're ready to begin, we can start your official training, covering various areas you might be interested in related to our clan's expertise.",
"Our job as elders is to help grow and support new talents in the Main Branch and the Hyuga clan, just like you. Waking up your Byakugan so young is very important, and it would be a big waste for our clan if we didn't help someone with your abilities reach their full potential.
"If we don't help someone like you, then who should we help? So, I'll be the one to officially teach you in the future, Hikari-kun, nice to know you again. You can ask me anything now."
"Then please, I would like you to tell me more most important information about the Byakugan dojutsu that I awakened, in general, Sensei, that you think would be the most valuable to me both now and overall for my future development...", Hikari immediately replied.
He recognized that at this moment, it was more beneficial for him to soak up as much knowledge as possible rather than pretend to understand a topic about which he knew very little.
After all, he was now living in the reality of this world, far removed from the confines of a comic book.
The Naruto series from his previous life might have provided only about 10% of the crucial information about this world in general.
That was only surface-level knowledge at the end of the day, not only about Byakugan, but everything in general. Good for inspiration, but it wasn't practicable and actionable on its own.
Therefore, he wanted to extract as much high-value information from Takumi as possible. And the best way to achieve that would be to just let an expert like him speak about what he thinks is the most important instead of blindly poking and guessing around for a long time.
Takumi gave a slight nod before beginning his explanation right away, "I won't talk about what the Byakugan actually is, as you're probably already familiar with that aspect. Instead, I'll focus on how to utilize it properly now that you've awakened it.
"It's extremely rare for someone to awaken the Byakugan at such a young age as yours and without any assistance. Typically, it's a few years later in childhood, because children at your age usually lack the chakra capacity to awaken the Byakugan.",
"At that later time, it's done using specialized clan protocols of hand seals and chakra control, under the supervision of clan seniors, among other ingredients. That's another reason why it's so very rare to be in your situation, and why your Byakugan quickly exhausted itself along with your chakra.",
"To be frank, it's because you don't yet know how to use it properly. But I'll explain how to do so next and help you work on it over time. Are you following along so far, Hikari-kun?"
'So, in theory, this could mean that I also have a really strong innate instinctive chakra control, a good chakra capacity, and a good genetic advantage, in order for me to open the Byakugan so early...',
Hikari mulled over Takumi's explanation, thoughtfully considering each word, 'He mentioned it's extremely rare to awaken the Byakugan at my age, but not unprecedented.',
'From what I recall of the original story, it's quite possible I might have set a new record. Is that the case, or is he choosing not to disclose this to keep me from becoming overconfident in the future?', Hikari thought all while nodding to Takami, signaling him to continue lecturing.
Having been born into the Main Branch of the Hyuga clan, Hikari had access to many high-quality, valuable scrolls tailored for children scattered throughout his previous home, where he lived with his parents, ever since he could remember.
Both of his parents were also real Elite Jonin who often discussed such matters amongst themselves and with him.
As a result, Hikari had solid foundational knowledge about the Byakugan, its significance as an ancient Kekkei Genkai of their clan, the nature of what Kekkei Genkai actually was, various shinobi high-impact knowledge, and the various powers that could be manifested through the Byakugan. This information was already embedded in the memory of his current body.
With his background knowledge, Hikari was now focused on getting practical tips from Takumi, looking for advice that was right for his own situation in developing the Byakugan.
He was eager to understand the best ways to train after awakening his Byakugan so young, searching for specific exercises or strategies that would be most helpful to him.
Having grasped the basics from what Takumi had explained earlier on why he awakened it so young, Hikari was keen to discover what his next training steps should be. He wondered how to use his unique position to better his Byakugan abilities.
Thus, with a forward-looking attitude and a thirst for practical guidance, Hikari next replied and asked Takumi what the best steps would be for him to further develop his Byakugan, taking into account his distinct situation of having awakened it at an unusually young age.
"That's an excellent question, Hikari-kun. Your first step should be to learn how to intentionally activate and deactivate your Byakugan smoothly. Moving from instinctual use to deliberate control is vital, especially considering your youth and its recent awakening.",
"Keeping your Byakugan under control is the most crucial part at this stage. Once you've mastered this, you can focus on enhancing your Byakugan's abilities further. I'll arrange for some scrolls to be brought to you that cover this topic. They'll guide you on using simple hand seals and chakra control techniques to manage the chakra flow of your Byakugan, as well as doing it from your biologically simpler facial muscle memory side, it's also in there. It's all quite straightforward, and you'll find all the instructions you need in those scrolls later.",
As Takumi shared this guidance, his demeanor remained composed yet approachable, a balance that reflected both his status as an elder and his role as a mentor. His voice carried a tone of encouragement as if hinting at his genuine interest in Hikari's future development.
However, Hikari still had more questions, "Then, what would be the first step after I've mastered activating and deactivating the Byakugan perfectly?",
He asked, putting on the act of a slightly curious child. He knew he needed to play this part; it was essential for gathering as much information as quickly as possible, allowing him to strategize more effectively later when left alone in this room, he planned to waste no time.
Takumi didn't seem bothered by Hikari's question and responded openly, "That next step would be to learn how to use each of the Byakugan's three main abilities separately, instead of activating them all at once like you just did.",
"Using long-range vision, clairvoyance, and 360-degree vision simultaneously puts a lot of stress on both your eyes and chakra reserves. Remember, you're still a child, and even we, the strongest shinobi in the Hyuga clan, typically use only one of these abilities at a time during battles or similar situations.",
"This, too, is something that comes with practice and chakra control, just like activating and deactivating your Byakugan.",
"Eventually, you'll be able to switch between these three 'modes' of Byakugan functionality with just a quick one-handed seal, or perhaps even without any seals at all, judging by your level of talent. I'll send you some materials on this process as well so you can start getting familiar with it sooner.",
Takumi maintained a patient and instructive demeanor, speaking with the clarity and precision of a seasoned teacher. And it was as if, his eyes, though usually stern, held a flicker of encouragement, reflecting his confidence in Hikari's potential to master this quite easily.
'Yes, I kind of saw this answer coming... It's what I expected. And I need to remember that, no matter how strong my spiritual energy might be, I'm still just a child, and it hasn't reached its peak yet. So, I must use the Byakugan abilities wisely and efficiently...',
Hikari reflected internally. He understood that beyond the overall chakra capacity, the capacity of one's spiritual energy, or yin release capacity, he theorized, played a crucial role in the majority of dojutsu techniques, apart from the biological/genetic inheritance of the dojutsu as a Kekkei Genkai.
Therefore, in theory, he could potentially utilize all three Byakugan modes to a greater extent than the rest of the Hyuga clan in the future, thanks to the unique function of his combined soul. However, for the time being, he had to acknowledge his current limitations as a child.
Hikari was aware that beyond the three main and most commonly used functionalities of the Byakugan, all Byakugan users also typically gain the ability to see with incredible clarity, Hikari suspected that his early awakening and the numerous advantages he possessed might result in a 'purer' form of the Byakugan compared to other members of the Hyuga clan.
He theorized that this would allow him to observe the world with even greater detail than them in the future which was very useful for various purposes.
Imagine the advantages when everything becomes sharper to the observer: distances become easier to gauge, colors more vivid, and the mind processes visual information at a speed beyond the norm.
In the thick of a high-intensity battle, especially with capabilities surpassing those of other Hyugas, such enhancements could prove invaluable.
Consider the strategic edge gained when one can see in low light as if it were daylight, or adjust effortlessly to blinding brightness without hindrance.
Hikari, with his unique blend of sociological insight from his previous life and the innate observational prowess granted by his Byakugan, felt like he could indeed become a master of psychoanalysis on the battlefield, both political and physical.
His ability to read and exploit the subtlest cues in an opponent's demeanor could offer him unparalleled strategic depth, allowing him to anticipate and counter moves before they are even made. This combination of psychological acuity and physical skill could set Hikari apart.
'Also, if a skillful Byakugan user really pushes how well they can process what they see, they might feel like time is slowing down, letting them catch every detail and react perfectly. That was something my stupid father could do for a while during his battles and that's why some people even called that he was on par with Sakumo Hatake in reaction speed, because of it.',
'This skill made him one of the strongest in the Hyuga clan, maybe the strongest before he died since the Patriarch is pretty old and not at his best anymore. So, If I can also develop this skill because of my very pure Byakugan, and that genetic predisposition, to an even greater level, then being as fast as someone like Minato Namikaze, in reaction speed, could definitely happen...', Hikari thought excitedly while now waiting for Takumi to speak again.
However, Takumi's next words took Hikari by surprise, "So, what do you think about that kid who beat you up like this into a blackout? What do you plan to do about that?",
Takumi suddenly asked, completely changing the subject. His poker face remained unchanged, stern, and unreadable.
This abrupt shift in conversation, touching on a sensitive topic, caught Hikari off guard a little if he was being honest.