Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

Uchiha Taiga stopped in his tracks.

The two people across the street wore Konoha flak jackets and forehead protectors—standard Konoha ninja attire.

The most striking feature was their eyes. They were a luminous white, a shade distinct from the whites of normal human eyes, resembling white jade with a faint hint of cyan.

He now possessed that exact same shade of white, bearing at least a seventy percent resemblance.

His eyes had transitioned from pure black to dark brown, then to light brown, and were now a pale grayish-white.

The color of his irises faded day by day, and the characteristics of the Byakugan became increasingly obvious. He hadn't concealed it, nor did he ever intend to. The entire process was completely out in the open.

So, their intentions for approaching him now were glaringly obvious.

Uchiha Taiga turned around to face the two men directly. His gaze was cold, as if he were looking at two pebbles on the side of the road.

Swept by his gaze, the two men's expressions shifted slightly. They exchanged a glance before one of them lowered his voice and spoke.

"The feeling was right. It's the sensation of being watched through the Byakugan's x-ray vision."

The other nodded, his voice equally hushed.

"Yes, I sensed it too. There's no mistaking this feeling."

The speaker paused, furrowing his brows with a hint of concern in his tone.

"The Main House told us not to get into a conflict with him, but that man seems... very dangerous to provoke."

The first man frowned, as if weighing his options.

"Let's go up and ask him first. This concerns the Byakugan; we have to be cautious."

"Alright."

Having reached an agreement, the two didn't hesitate and strode toward Uchiha Taiga.

Uchiha Taiga stood his ground, unmoving.

He simply watched the two men approach step by step, his face completely devoid of emotion.

Yet, the closer the two men got, the more unnatural their expressions became.

It wasn't that they were terrified. After all, they were inside the village, and there were ordinary villagers around. They believed he wouldn't recklessly attack them here.

Besides, they hadn't even done anything yet, so there was nothing to fear.

But the tension was still there. After all, Uchiha Taiga was far too infamous in Konoha.

Not just for his strength, but for his temper.

In the past, he would blow himself up over the slightest disagreement, making many people worry that they might accidentally offend him and meet a miserable end.

Although he no longer blew himself up, his golden Susanoo was even more terrifying.

That was the legendary power of the gods belonging to the Uchiha clan, an ability once wielded by the Asura of the Ninja World, Uchiha Madara. Just thinking about it brought immense pressure.

Especially considering how Uchiha Taiga treated figures like Shimura Danzo—cursing and beating him without a second thought, completely disregarding his status as a Konoha higher-up.

Who in the village would dare provoke someone like that?

With these thoughts swirling in their minds, the two stopped three paces away from Uchiha Taiga. The older Hyuga ninja took a deep breath before speaking first.

"Taiga-kun, forgive the intrusion."

His voice was relatively steady, but a hint of tension could be heard.

"May I ask... do your eyes possess x-ray vision?"

The question was very direct.

Uchiha Taiga looked at them without saying a word.

The Hyuga ninja felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze but braced himself and continued explaining.

"X-ray vision is a fundamental ability of the Byakugan, and in the entire ninja world, only the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan possesses this trait. The changes in your eyes are extremely obvious, Taiga-kun, and very similar to the awakening process of our clan members. I wonder..."

He didn't finish, but the underlying meaning was already clear.

You are awakening the Byakugan.

You, an Uchiha, are awakening the Byakugan.

It was simply absurd.

The Hyuga clan's awakening process was completely different from the Uchiha's.

The Uchiha required extreme emotional stimulation—pain, anger, despair—awakening the Sharingan at the absolute peak of their emotions.

In contrast, the Hyuga clan's awakening was much milder. Upon reaching a certain age, their eyes would naturally undergo changes.

This process typically lasted several months, sometimes up to a year.

During the awakening, the Byakugan's basic abilities would gradually manifest, though they remained uncontrollable. Just like Uchiha Taiga right now, the x-ray vision would passively trigger from time to time.

There was also a piece of common knowledge: Hyuga clan members were born with white eyes. However, those were not true Byakugan; their irises were merely white, functioning no differently from a normal person's eyes.

Only eyes that had gone through the awakening process could truly be called the Byakugan.

This information was known to any ninja clan with a bit of heritage in Konoha, and even across the entire ninja world. It wasn't much of a secret.

It was precisely because of this gentle awakening method that the Byakugan was coveted by outsiders far more than the Sharingan.

The Sharingan required enduring pain, while the Byakugan only required waiting.

Uchiha Taiga finally spoke. "So what?"

He neither denied nor admitted it.

Hearing this, the two men's hearts sank.

Not denying it was, in some cases, equivalent to a tacit admission.

But if he truly was awakening the Byakugan, the nature of this matter would be completely different.

An Uchiha possessing the Kekkei Genkai of the Hyuga clan.

Any normal person would think this was absolute madness.

Yet, this exact madness was happening right in front of these two Hyuga ninjas.

The older Hyuga ninja swallowed hard, bracing himself to continue explaining.

"During the awakening process, our clan members' x-ray vision will involuntarily activate. Those who also possess the Byakugan are highly sensitive to this kind of penetration."

As he spoke, he formed a simple hand sign in front of his chest.

"Byakugan!"

The veins around his eyes instantly bulged, protruding fiercely as the Byakugan's abilities were fully activated.

Uchiha Taiga immediately felt an inexplicable sensation.

It was hard to describe—like being stared at by many people simultaneously, a faint, uncomfortable feeling of being spied upon.

'So that's how it is.'

'No wonder the Hyuga clan has a rule against using the Byakugan within their compound. This feeling of being seen through is indeed unpleasant.'

Before he could say anything, cold sweat had already beaded on the forehead of the Hyuga ninja using the Byakugan on him. The man's face instantly changed, shifting from nervous to utterly shocked.

His eyes widened, his pupils slightly contracting as he subconsciously took a step back.

"Th-This is..."

His voice cracked.

"What a massive amount of chakra!"

He saw it.

The Byakugan's x-ray vision pierced through what Uchiha Taiga had intentionally hidden.

He saw the deepest reserves of chakra hidden within Uchiha Taiga's body—a colossal volume of chakra nurtured by the Sage Body, refined by the Sharingan and Mangekyo Sharingan, and now catalyzed by the fusion of the Byakugan.

The sheer quantity was far beyond that of an ordinary person; it was nothing short of monstrous.

The Hyuga ninja beside him also paled. Although he hadn't activated his Byakugan, he could already guess something from his companion's reaction.

Uchiha Taiga narrowed his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling up into a faint, mocking smile.

"How interesting."

His voice wasn't loud, but it made both of their hearts leap into their throats.

"Are all you Hyuga people this brave? Spying on my secrets right to my face?"

Hearing this, the two men's expressions changed drastically.

The Hyuga ninja who had activated his x-ray vision instinctively wanted to deactivate his Byakugan, but his gaze inadvertently met Uchiha Taiga's eyes—

His pupils shrank violently.

"Such a pure Byakugan..."

He exclaimed subconsciously.

The moment the words left his mouth, he realized his mistake.

He saw it with absolute clarity. In Uchiha Taiga's eyes, both the irises and the pupils were exactly what an authentic Byakugan should possess.

Even if there was still a slight difference in color, the unique visual prowess of the Byakugan was unmistakable.

Hearing this, his companion also subconsciously activated his Byakugan, and his expression immediately went through a series of rapid changes.

At that moment, Uchiha Taiga moved, walking toward the two of them.

His pace was neither fast nor slow, no different from his usual walk, but in their eyes, it carried an invisible, suffocating pressure that grew heavier with every step.

The two men stood rooted to the spot, caught in a dilemma.