Another month passed.
In the Hyuga Clan's territory:
Inside a room, Hakumen sat cross-legged with his upper body bare, the intricate formation on the floor glowing with a blue light that gradually crept across his entire body.
Makoto stood at the edge of the formation, controlling everything meticulously.
He etched a complex seal onto Hakumen's body, the black markings writhing until they converged on his chest, spiraling in layered patterns.
At the very center, a single character "一" ("One") manifested, surrounded by intricate black lines.
Time passed slowly, Hakumen kept his eyes tightly shut.
His forehead was bare—without the usual headband or cloth covering—but what was most striking was the absence of the ugly green Caged Bird mark, which had completely vanished.
He had become the third person, following Hizashi and Ayari, to be freed from the Caged Bird Seal.
Once he stepped out of this room, it was certain to cause another stir within the clan.
When the Sage Seal was finally complete, Makoto exhaled deeply as the glow of the formation gradually faded.
"All done," he said.
Hakumen slowly opened his eyes, carefully sensing the changes within his body.
"You'll need to activate it to truly feel its power," Makoto added.
"I've also removed your Caged Bird seal."
Immediately, Hakumen knelt on one knee. "Thank you, Lord Makoto!"
He didn't harbor much emotional attachment to the removal of the Caged Bird Seal.
If anything, his joy stemmed more from the fact that it signified Makoto's deeper trust in him.
Of course, Makoto had his reasons—part of which was to provoke further reactions from the Hyuga clan members.
"Go outside and test it," Makoto instructed.
After putting on his clothes, Hakumen walked out into the courtyard.
He could clearly sense the presence of the seal on his chest.
It felt as if it connected every part of his body, though it didn't seem to affect him in any way for now.
Hakumen took a deep breath and followed Makoto's instructions to activate the seal.
In an instant, he felt as though every pore in his body had opened up.
His entire being became incomparably clear and transparent, as a surge of new energy flooded into his body, coalescing into a fresh and unprecedented force.
This power was overwhelming—so much so that Hakumen found it hard to believe it belonged to him.
Not only that, but his senses had become remarkably sharper.
He could perceive everything around him with astonishing clarity.
Without hesitation, he activated his Byakugan.
As he expected, the detection range of his vision had more than doubled!
His breathing grew rapid, and his face was filled with undisguised amazement and joy.
"How do you feel?" Makoto asked from the side.
"Incredible!" Hakumen said excitedly. "I feel like I can take on three—no, ten Kakashis!"
Makoto couldn't help but chuckle at the comparison.
It seemed Hakumen still secretly regarded Kakashi as his benchmark.
After all, Kakashi's reputation was so overwhelming that it stifled their generation.
As for Makoto, he never considered Kakashi as his peer to begin with.
One thing was certain—Hakumen, with the Sage Seal, had now officially crossed the threshold into Kage-level power!
"And what if Kakashi also possessed this power?" Makoto asked.
Hakumen grinned. "That would be amazing! I was worried about surpassing him too easily. Having no rivals would be boring."
Makoto pondered for a moment before saying, "You are the first person to possess the Sage Seal."
Hakumen immediately bowed deeply. "It is my honor. Thank you, Lord Makoto!"
Makoto nodded. "Theoretically, there shouldn't be any side effects, but who knows what might happen with prolonged use. This power is immense, so unless it's absolutely necessary, don't reveal it to others lightly."
After a brief pause, he added, "Not even to the Hokage."
Hakumen solemnly nodded. "Understood!"
Since this was the first instance, Makoto intended to monitor Hakumen closely for a period and continually refine the technique.
Makoto then brought Hakumen to the Hyuga Clan's outdoor training grounds, instructing him to practice and adapt to his newfound power.
Hakumen, blessed with exceptional talent, quickly mastered the use of Sage Chakra.
It didn't take long before he became proficient in using natural energy to enhance his taijutsu attacks.
With a single Eight Trigrams Air Palm, he blasted a terrifying ten-meter-deep crater into the ground ahead!
Even Hakumen was shocked, staring at his own hand in disbelief.
Was this still the power of the Eight Trigrams Air Palm?
No one in the clan could possibly achieve such destruction...
Makoto observed the crater thoughtfully from a distance.
"Hakumen, you must diligently train with this power."
"Understood, Lord Makoto!"
Makoto continued, "From now on, don't call that move the Eight Trigrams Air Palm when using it in Sage Mode. After all, it relies on natural energy."
After some contemplation, he added, "Let's call it the Forty Divine Air Strikes."
Hakumen had no objections to this sort of naming and didn't question why.
He nodded in agreement without hesitation.
The name Eighty Gods Vacuum Fists used by Otsutsuki Kaguya originated from the Japanese deity Yasogami no Magatsuhi, just like Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo. It didn't literally refer to eighty gods.
However, Makoto was unaware of this background when he came up with the name.
Eighty Gods Vacuum Fists somewhat resembled the Eight Trigrams Air Palm.
The power of Hakumen's strike in Sage Mode fell somewhere between the two, though likely far from the level of the original Eighty Gods Vacuum Fists.
Hakumen kept releasing chakra until he was nearly drained, finally stopping as he gasped for breath.
"Lord Makoto, something doesn't feel right," Hakumen said, panting heavily.
Makoto's expression shifted as he asked, "What is it?"
Hakumen furrowed his brow and said, "It might be because my chakra is almost gone. I'm having trouble breathing."
Makoto immediately grabbed Hakumen's arm to examine his condition.
After a moment, he said, "Turn off the seal and exit Sage Mode."
Hakumen complied, deactivating the Sage Mark.
Instantly, he felt much better—just exhausted but without the breathing difficulty.
Makoto quickly identified the root of the issue: the operation of the Sage Mark also required chakra to maintain.
When a person's chakra was nearly depleted, but the Sage Mark continued absorbing natural energy from the environment, the balance would be disrupted.
Hakumen's situation was still relatively mild, as he could exit Sage Mode before his chakra was completely drained.
But if it were Guy in his Eight Gates state, it would be life-threatening.
In that state, Guy's chakra far exceeded that of ordinary people, and the amount of natural energy required would naturally be much higher.
If the Sage Mark couldn't be deactivated in time while enduring the pain of the Eight Gates, the consequences would be far worse than just losing control mentally—it could be fatal.
The Sage Mark clearly needed further refinement.
Ideally, it should deactivate automatically when chakra levels became critically low.
But it wasn't a machine; how could it be intelligent?
Makoto felt a headache coming on.
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