Under the Elder's horrified gaze, his body was launched through the air like a projectile, landing several meters away with a crash.
On his chest was a merciless palm print, precise and lethal in its placement.
The center of the strike aligned perfectly with his heart—instant death, no chance of survival.
"You… your power…"
Spitting blood from his mouth, the Elder struggled to rise, soaked in his own blood. He stared at Satori Hyūga and gassed, "Have you been hiding your true power all this time?"
He hadn't expected that this junior member would be so terrifying—he hadn't even seen it coming before he was sent flying with a single palm strike.
That Gentle Fist technique combining both soft and hard styles had reduced his internal organs to mush, shredding his muscles and twisting his bones.
Until now, he had thought Satori's abilities were nothing special—intelligent, maybe, but certainly not strong.
Since childhood, Satori had gained fame as an early bloomer, known for reading extensively and possessing wisdom far beyond that of ordinary children.
But in terms of actual ability, Satori had always been the dead last.
Low chakra reserves, lack of focus during lessons, and after graduating, he'd busied himself with various business ventures.
Based on the information gathered, Satori shouldn't have been anything more than Genin-level.
Even if he did invent the New Gentle Fist, to the Elder, it was nothing more than showy gimmickry.
Never did he expect to be the real fool.
Satori strode toward the Elder, expression calm yet pleased.
"Elder, you should feel honored. You got to witness my true strength before your death."
Ever since reincarnating into the ninja world, Satori had carefully plotted and developed his strength in secret, staying low.
Now, finally, he'd felled the Elder with a single palm strike—completely turning the tables and making a grand statement.
Too bad there weren't many witnesses, and the Elder's weakness failed to emphasize just how powerful Satori had become.
The Elder glared hatefully at Satori, his body growing colder by the second as he bled out.
"Safe travels, Elder."
After confirming the Elder's corpse had gone cold, Satori immediately sealed it into a ninja scroll.
The Elder's death was a matter capable of shaking the entire Hyūga Clan—and even Konoha.
Satori couldn't afford to let this event spiral out of control. He erased every trace from the scene.
Once everything was handled, the Elder's subordinates were gradually eliminated, one by one.
With matters neatly wrapped up, Satori led the group back to the Hyūga compound.
One of the family members skilled in Transformation techniques assumed the Elder's identity. Since the Elder rarely left his quarters anyway, nobody found it suspicious.
Within the clan, Satori orchestrated staged confrontations, leaving false evidence to maintain the illusion that the Elder was still alive.
When the deception reached the appropriate point, the double would leave the Hyūga Compound and head toward the Land of Fire.
Through meticulous manipulation, no one realized the Elder had been replaced.
Only after completing these arrangements did Satori return to his experiments.
Back in the laboratory,
Satori retrieved one of the Elder's Byakugan eyes for research—the other he stored away.
This was his first time studying a Byakugan. The eyes of Branch House members couldn't be removed, while those of the Main House were hard to obtain.
He couldn't use his own Byakugan for experimentation—blinding himself would be a loss that far outweighed any potential gain.
The Elder's Byakugan, an item of immense value, had been placed by Satori Hyūga into a nutrient tank.
To conduct more precise research, Satori acquired the most advanced instruments from abroad and made the necessary preparations.
He was well aware of his limited research abilities and believed in the old saying, "many hands make light work."
As the two entered the lab and caught sight of the Byakugan, their expressions instantly changed.
Orochimaru, emanating a cold aura, stared at the freshly extracted Byakugan before him, his eyes gleaming with intense excitement.
"The Byakugan… actually seeing a complete one like this is incredible."
As someone from Konoha, he naturally understood how rare and valuable the Byakugan truly was, how difficult it was to obtain.
Even within Konoha's most deeply hidden laboratories, not a single Byakugan specimen existed.
Within the Hyūga Main House, every pair of eyes was strictly accounted for.
Orochimaru glanced sideways at Satori Hyūga and, upon confirming both eyes remained intact, felt slightly relieved.
Still, a trace of concern flickered across his gaze.
Would his own apprentice go so far as to harm his own kin just for the sake of experiments?
He himself experimented only on enemies and criminals. Satori had already crossed a line, turning against his own clan.
If Satori knew what Orochimaru was thinking, he'd probably lose his composure.
Orochimaru hadn't yet fully gone rogue or completely descended into darkness, but even now, in his eyes, Satori was already headed down the wrong path.
Shinno, on the other hand, appeared thrilled, eagerly inspecting the Byakugan.
The Byakugan—one of the three great Dojutsu in the ninja world and considered strategic property of Konoha.
He never imagined that, as a prisoner, he would come face-to-face with something so forbidden and valuable.
With this Byakugan, they might uncover its hidden secrets, providing crucial assistance in their research.
"I must say, I'm genuinely surprised you managed to acquire such an item."
"It looks like your desire for the Body Regeneration technique surpasses even mine."
"Of course. It's all for the sake of studying cells."
"This Byakugan was no easy acquisition—I hope it brings about major breakthroughs. Ideally, we can unlock its microscopic observational capabilities," said Satori Hyūga.
"Improving our microscopic observation will let us analyze cellular changes more accurately and understand the underlying causes."
"As long as we can see those changes clearly, I believe we'll overcome the obstacles hindering the Body Regeneration technique."
The Byakugan possessed extraordinary abilities like penetrative vision, observational prowess, and chakra flow detection—all remarkably potent functions.
Yet in Satori's opinion, its greatest strength lay in observational advantage.
A normal Byakugan could observe distances ranging from ten to even dozens of kilometers—an impressive range under macroscopic conditions. But what if it could switch to microscopic mode?
The Byakugan might then transform into something akin to a microscope from his previous life—or even a super-microscope.
With such capabilities, deeper exploration into cellular research would become feasible.
Although the existing cutting-edge technology was powerful, none of the instruments were capable of observing genes.
Orochimaru and Shinno were unwilling to miss the opportunity to study the Byakugan, so they naturally focused their research efforts on Satori Hyūga's path.
The two were indeed geniuses in the field of scientific research within the ninja world. After extensive study, they successfully developed a reverse jutsu inscription.
The Byakugan possessed penetrative abilities and extraordinary observational power, allowing it to see through Genjutsu and Ninjutsu such as Transformation Jutsu.
During their research, they discovered that the Byakugan contained countless crystalline structures, functioning much like a specialized microscope.
These crystals could be finely adjusted, enabling members of the Hyūga Clan to achieve effects such as penetrative vision, long-range observation, and detailed perception once their Byakugan was activated.
However, due to its structural limitations, it was designed primarily for observing distant objects and could not be used for microscopic analysis.
Orochimaru and Shinno altered this characteristic by modifying the jutsu inscription. They eliminated the telescopic function and instead adapted it to enable microscopic visualization.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>