In the barren void, Urashiki slipped away, leaving the unconscious Toneri sprawled on the ground.
Kinshiki and Momoshiki, naturally, were more than a little skeptical about Urashiki's sudden "gift."
Momoshiki sneered, "You really think that brat Urashiki would just hand us a favor out of the kindness of his heart?"
Kinshiki shook his head. "Not a chance. Everyone knows he's the clan's biggest schemer. He stabbed Lord Ryūshiki's partner in the back and took his spot."
Momoshiki scoffed. "Forget that—look at the fishing rod on his shoulder, the fish basket at his waist. Aren't those just toys Lord Ryūshiki tossed aside in Ryūgū-jō when he was a kid? Urashiki picked them up like they were treasure."
Kinshiki eyed Toneri. "He's throwing this branch family kid at us. He's definitely up to something."
Momoshiki shrugged. "Whatever his plan is, if Toneri really came from Kaguya's land, it's still an easy win for us."
He crouched down, inspecting Toneri's limp form.
"Huh? Only one Byakugan left? Whatever—one's enough to pull out the intel."
Zzzzt!
Momoshiki activated his Byakugan, locking eyes with Toneri and flooding his mind with dōjutsu power, dragging secrets to the surface.
Moments later, the extraction was complete.
Momoshiki straightened. "He was beaten by a native from Tsuki no Kuni. Name's Uzumaki Naruto."
Kinshiki raised an eyebrow. "This kid's weak, sure, but he's still branch family blood. And he lost to a native? Who is this Uzumaki Naruto?"
Momoshiki frowned. "He's got a trace of our bloodline too. Their fight was almost dead even, but in the end… Uzumaki Naruto barely managed to win."
Kinshiki nodded. "Makes sense. If he's got our blood, it's not shocking he could edge out a branch family member."
Momoshiki waved it off. "Tsuki no Kuni's military strength is nothing special. What interests me is the monster inside Naruto—the Nine-Tailed Fox. It's apparently part of Kaguya's Ten-Tails. If we could reclaim it…"
Greed flickered in Momoshiki's eyes.
Kinshiki hefted his crimson axe onto his shoulder. "So, Lord Momoshiki, you're thinking—"
Momoshiki's lips curled into a cold smile. "Hmph. Definitely worth a trip. Kaguya's legacy isn't just the Nine-Tails. If we can take it all, we'd have enough power to reach Lower God status!"
Kinshiki hesitated. "But I still don't get why Urashiki would hand us such a fat prize. Is he trying to play the mantis stalking the cicada, with himself as the oriole waiting behind?"
Momoshiki scoffed, pride in his voice. "Heh. We're not the mantis, and Urashiki sure as hell isn't the oriole. Who's hunting whom is still up in the air."
With Momoshiki's mind made up, Kinshiki dropped the subject. He nudged Toneri with his boot. "So what do we do with this branch kid? The higher-ups said no killing branch family members."
Momoshiki's voice was ice. "Forget him. Let him rot here."
Kinshiki nodded. "Works for me."
Momoshiki gazed toward the horizon. "I pulled the latest coordinates for Tsuki no Kuni from that bastard's head. It's way out there—our Byakugan's space-time jutsu can't reach it directly. If only we had Yomotsu Hirasaka…"
Kinshiki followed his gaze. "Nothing we can do. Yomotsu Hirasaka needs our clan's Byakugan and a Superior Rinnegan to open."
Momoshiki said nothing, just lifted his left hand and peeled back his head veil with the edge of his black glove, revealing a red Rinnegan in his palm.
No tomoe—an inferior Rinnegan.
Ambition burned in Momoshiki's eyes. "If we can recover all the chakra from Kaguya's land, unlocking a Superior Rinnegan won't be a problem."
Kinshiki bowed his head in silent agreement.
Momoshiki pulled his glove back on and perched on Kinshiki's shoulder. "Let's move. We'll use the nearest land as a waypoint. Half a month, and we'll reach Tsuki no Kuni."
The Gozu Tennō had been dealt with, but now Kaguya's homeland had crashed back into the Ōtsutsuki's crosshairs—thanks to this unexpected twist.
The vanguard was still Momoshiki and Kinshiki.
Whoosh!
Once they vanished—
Urashiki slipped back into the empty space.
Toneri, groggy and lost, blinked awake, his vision blurry. He murmured, almost singing, "Ah… the white night gave me white eyes, yet I'm lost in darkness. The fields I long for—where are they? Stranger, can you show me the way?"
"No need for directions. Your journey ends here."
Urashiki strode forward, his palm hovering over Toneri's eye socket, and with chilling precision, tore out the Byakugan.
When Toneri parted from Naruto, he was already blind.
This Byakugan—Urashiki had implanted it himself, preloading it with false "memories."
That's right—aside from the spatial coordinates for Tsuki no Kuni, every scrap of intel Momoshiki extracted was a forgery, planted by Urashiki.
The real secrets in Toneri's mind had long since been stolen.
Urashiki's entire scheme was designed to mislead Momoshiki and Kinshiki about Tsuki no Kuni's true military might.
Crunch!
Urashiki destroyed the Byakugan, muttering, "Kaguya's land has reached an unprecedented peak in power. When I saw it myself, I was honestly shocked. With the strength they have now, even a Middle God might not stand a chance…"
"And Toneri's intel is ten years old. Who knows how much stronger they've gotten since? Maybe even Middle Gods couldn't handle them."
"Plus, Lord Ryūshiki always had a soft spot for Kaguya. If he finds out she's revived, he'd never agree to attack Tsuki no Kuni."
"So, Momoshiki, Kinshiki—you two get to be my scouts."
"If you fail, I'll report to Lord Ryūshiki and claim the credit. If you somehow succeed, I'll have even more leverage."
"Heh… either way, I win."
Lost in darkness, Toneri kept murmuring, "Ah… who's waving to me from across the river? Is it you, my beloved Byakugan Princess?"
Urashiki chuckled. "Toneri, you really do live in a fairy tale. I don't know whether to admire you or pity you. Whatever. I'll let you sleep in Ryūgū-jō for the next ten thousand years…"
He produced a small box, let it drop beside Toneri—
Crack…!
A transparent prison enveloped Toneri, freezing him—and the box—before both vanished into a field of frost.
"Well, time to take my seat and enjoy the show. Oh, and Hamura's Tenseigan satellite is still a pain. Better be careful dodging that…"
Zzzzt!
Urashiki's Byakugan shifted into a Six-Tomoe Rinnegan, and Yomotsu Hirasaka opened before him.
He stepped through—and disappeared.
But none of them—Kinshiki, Momoshiki, or even Urashiki—noticed.
High above, an "eye" had opened in the sky, watching everything unfold below, seeing it all, every last detail.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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