The World of Naruto in the Eyes of Reincarnation

The Uchiha clan's challenge against Hyuga Kagami was initially only discussed within the Uchiha clan itself.

However, after Uchiha Shinichi and Uchiha Hiiragi were both defeated one after another, the truth eventually came to light. Word quickly spread, and soon, other ninja clans in the village joined in on the discussions.

That night.

After cleaning up the dishes, Rin hesitated for a moment before she finally couldn't help but ask, "Kagami, is what they're saying outside true?"

At that moment, Hyuga Kagami was still absorbed in pondering over the development of a new toxin. Distracted, he asked, "What are they saying outside?"

Rin responded anxiously, "About your situation with the Uchiha?"

"Oh, that." Kagami smiled and nodded. "Yes, the Uchiha did send people to challenge me, but I defeated all of them."

Rin looked worried. "The Uchiha aren't people to mess with. Let's try not to provoke them anymore, okay?"

Hearing this, Kagami paused and looked at Rin intently.

Rin asked cautiously, "Did I say something wrong?"

Kagami shook his head.

He was genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected someone from the prestigious Hyuga clan like Rin to be so fearful of the Uchiha. This only emphasized what kind of attitude the average ninja in the village must have toward them.

In terms of public sentiment alone, the Uchiha clan had already become completely alienated from the rest of the village.

Thinking about this, Kagami's expression darkened slightly.

The Uchiha weren't just stepping stones that allowed Kagami to build his reputation. They were also magnets drawing attention away from him. As long as the Uchiha clan existed, the Third Hokage, Danzo, and even the hidden figure behind the scenes, Obito, would keep their eyes fixed on them.

But if the Uchiha were to disappear, who would those eyes turn to? That was uncertain.

From Kagami's perspective, it wasn't in his best interest for the Uchiha clan to be wiped out—at least not until he had fully reached Kage-level strength. This was one of the reasons why he was willing to cooperate with Shisui.

Besides, Kagami had always had his eyes on the legendary artifacts: the "Sword of Totsuka" and the "Yata Mirror."

In his memory, the mighty Orochimaru, who had used the Eight Branches Technique and rivaled a tailed beast, was sealed in one strike by Itachi's Totsuka Blade. Orochimaru barely had time to resist before he was thoroughly and effortlessly suppressed by Itachi.

That battle left a deep impression on Kagami.

Kagami had speculated a lot about the nature of those two artifacts.

To him, there were only two possibilities:

First, the Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror were unique abilities tied exclusively to Itachi's Susanoo and were simply manifestations of his chakra, incapable of existing independently.

Second, the artifacts were real spiritual tools, materializing in a specific chakra state, which allowed them to be equipped by Itachi's Susanoo.

Between the two, Kagami leaned toward the second.

After all, when Itachi used the Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror, both Orochimaru and the onlooking Black Zetsu recognized them and were even aware of their abilities.

This alone suggested that these two items had long existed in the shinobi world and had left behind traces or legends.

Otherwise, it would have made no sense for Orochimaru and Black Zetsu to be so familiar with them the moment Itachi used them.

Logically and emotionally, it wouldn't add up.

Of course, until he truly obtained those artifacts, it was all just speculation.

As for their whereabouts, Kagami thought long and hard. Whether it was the first or second possibility, the task of locating the artifacts was best left to Itachi.

Even Orochimaru, who was familiar with many secrets of the shinobi world, had searched for years without success. This indicated the artifacts were likely hidden in an extremely special location.

Kagami even suspected the clues to their location were hidden within the Uchiha clan itself. Perhaps Itachi only discovered them after the clan's downfall, and that's how he was able to track them down.

After thinking for a while, Kagami reined in his wandering thoughts.

Itachi was still young. The matter of the artifacts could wait a little longer. Other than Itachi, there likely wouldn't be anyone capable of finding those two items in the next decade or so.

Right now, Kagami's top priority remained the Artificial Tailed Beast Project.

Once he had access to a massive supply of chakra, not only could he further explore the mysteries of the Tenseigan, but he could also safely study a wide range of forbidden and secret techniques.

The next day, Kagami, as usual, arrived at the Forest of Death.

After multiple failures, the eighth version of the paralytic toxin he was developing finally showed promising results. When he fed it to a young boar, the boar immediately went stiff, struggled for a moment, and then collapsed to the ground.

Although the paralysis only lasted five or six minutes before the boar was up and active again, that was already more than enough.

On the battlefield, even losing the ability to move for five or six seconds could be fatal for a ninja.

Seeing the results, Kagami smiled slightly. "Looks like my approach was right."

Previously, he had been using common striped poison moths to extract venom. Although he collected a lot, the toxicity was inconsistent. In this latest version, he used venom powder from the Moth King. The quantity was smaller, but the toxicity was far more potent.

He also discovered that the saliva of the Giant Mandible Ant had a neutralizing effect on toxins. So in this formula, he reduced the amount of Giant Mandible Ant saliva.

This change reduced the active duration of the toxin from three days to just one, but it ensured consistent toxicity. After all, when it comes to poisons, potency is everything. All other factors must take a backseat.

Just as Kagami was recording the test results and considering using Giant Mandible Ant saliva as a base for an antidote, a figure landed atop the large tree in front of him.

"Jonin Hyuga Kagami, the Hokage has issued an urgent summons!"

The messenger left that single sentence before quickly rushing off again, likely to alert other shinobi as well.

Kagami closed his notebook and frowned. "My two-week break isn't over yet. Did Iwagakure really decide to launch an attack?"

The reason he had spent his vacation days working on toxin development was precisely because he feared Iwagakure might use the annihilation of their decapitation squad as a pretext to provoke Konoha.

With the loss of the Fourth Hokage and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Konoha no longer carried the same deterrent power it had at the end of the Third Great Ninja War. It wasn't out of the question for Iwa to take a bite now.

Even if it didn't lead to full-scale war, localized skirmishes were inevitable. As an elite member of the Hokage's personal Anbu unit, Hyuga Kagami would definitely be on the front lines.

Which meant he had no choice but to improve his strength as quickly as possible...