I don't know if Kishimoto just forgot about it but seriously, what the hell happened to the Byakugan? It was hyped like crazy before the Shippuden era. Because of it, Neji was supposedly the strongest Leaf genin and if I remember correctly, Kakashi (during the Chunin Exams) said that not even Sasuke could compete against Neji because of his natural genius coupled with the powers of the Byakugan. At one point, the Hyuga Clan was said to be the most powerful clan in Konoha but in Shippuden they just don't seem to be living up to all that hype. In fact, I remember once it being stated that the Sharingan is actually derived from the Byakugan. Does that mean that without counting the Rinnegan, the Byakugan is a kind of progenitor of the Sharingan? I mean, the Byakugan was put on such a high pedestal in the pre-Shippuden era then suddenly, it seems like Kishimoto lost all interest in it and focused solely on the Sharingan. It just seems like a potential for the Byakugan was lost as a result.
But what do you guys think?
ND
