The Second Elder felt like he had encountered a ghost.
He had anticipated that Ōtsutsuki Takeshiki from the moon would come looking for him, after all, he had used the power of the Tenseigan.
But he never expected him to arrive so quickly.
"Could it be that he has actually been in the Ninja World all along?"
There was no time to think further, his Byakugan had already seen him looking his way.
That gaze was calm, yet it gave him the illusion of falling into an ice cave.
At this moment, he even felt like he couldn't breathe.
"I can't stay here. Those two Byakugan Princesses have probably been chosen by him. Staying here is a dead end!"
He didn't know what the Ōtsutsuki, as 'People from the Heavens,' wanted to do by targeting these two 'lower beings.' But he knew very well that if he didn't make a choice now, he would not only die here but also implicate Toneri.
Boom!
His Chakra erupted in a burst. In an instant, he disregarded his current state, which was close to exhaustion.
Amidst the roaring Chakra, he suddenly shot off into the distance.
"Running so fast?"
Takemi didn't expect that just one look from him would make him run.
However, this was precisely what he had planned. To eliminate the root of the problem, he naturally had to let him leave and rendezvous with Toneri.
Especially since he had confirmed one thing, he definitely recognized him.
"He ran very fast on the moon, he shouldn't have seen me. Could it be that he recognized my Chakra?"
"Takemi, thank you."
Just as Takemi was pondering, Neji and Hinata said.
"If it weren't for you, we probably would have..."
"Alright, don't say such things." Takemi shook his head.
He glanced at the three Hyuga, then spoke, "Now, I'm giving you a mission: evacuate the women and children here, and try your best to ensure everyone's safety."
"Also, cooperate with the village's ninjas to encircle and annihilate these invaders, and reinforce battles in other areas, understood?"
"Yes!"
Neji immediately nodded. Hinata pursed her lips, and her eyes instantly became resolute.
"Takemi, we will definitely do our best and not disappoint you."
"It's not about disappointing me. You are all qualified ninjas, you should not disappoint yourselves." Takemi gently shook his head.
His gaze looked into the distance, but at this moment, the corner of his lips twitched slightly.
After a moment of silence, he slowly said, "Also, if you get a chance, go reinforce your clan head's side. There might be a surprise."
"Eh?"
"Father?"
Neji and Hinata were both stunned for a moment.
Takemi shook his head and said, "Alright, no more talk. I'm leaving now."
As he spoke, Takemi had already disappeared from their sight.
"Takemi is really amazing…"
Neji looked at the spot where Takemi disappeared, and murmured.
"Who exactly is that old man? Why does he have the Byakugan, and why is his strength so terrifying? But—"
But Takemi, with just one move, had utterly defeated the person who had almost suffocated him and whom he couldn't resist.
Most importantly, while sending that old man flying, he also rescued the three of them. He couldn't even imagine how terrifying such strength was.
"Takemi is truly amazing…"
Hinata nodded, and Hanabi in her arms murmured, "Is that the legendary Takemi? Why do I feel such a strong sense of familiarity?"
"Takemi has always been like this, it's not strange."
Neji said when he heard this, and Hinata also nodded in agreement. Clearly, they both felt a sense of familiarity and closeness with Takemi.
This feeling was very strange, and they couldn't quite explain what was going on.
"Alright, let's not talk about these things anymore. We should first do as Takemi said." Neji shook his head and spoke seriously.
"You two… are responsible for assisting and guiding. I'll go reinforce the clan head… Hmm?"
However, when Neji's gaze searched for Hiashi, he was instantly stunned.
He saw Hiashi fiercely battling someone, and his guards were all frozen in place, not moving forward.
And the person who was fighting Hiashi…
"Father?!"
...
"Grandpa?"
Toneri had been waiting anxiously, a profound sense of unease constantly nagging at him.
And when the barrier was opened and a figure stumbled in, he immediately caught the scent of blood.
"Toneri, there's no time."
The Second Elder's voice seemed a little breathless. He grabbed Toneri and quickly rushed outside, while pulling out a pair of Byakugan from his embrace.
He was still gasping for breath as he placed the Byakugan over Toneri's eye sockets.
"Bear with it, there will be some discomfort. This pair of Byakugan is not 'Pure Byakugan,' but it hasn't been contaminated by the Caged Bird curse seal either, so it's fine for temporary use."
"Grandpa…"
"Listen to me, Toneri, that guy arrived even faster than we imagined. He might have been in the Ninja World all along."
"That guy?"
Toneri immediately understood. It was that 'People from the Heavens' who had taken over their moon family.
But he was actually in the Ninja World, and he met grandpa?
Thinking of this, Toneri understood what was happening, which filled his heart with terror.
"Toneri, once your eyes are changed, I will hold that guy off. You must run with all your might and definitely leave this place."
The Second Elder watched as the eyes merged into Toneri's eye sockets, and his eyes began to regain their luster.
Only then did he continue speaking, "There are two 'Byakugan Princesses' in that Konoha. Their eyes can grant you the power of the Tenseigan, and they can also allow the moon lineage to continue."
"Grandpa…"
Toneri's eyes continued to recover. It was the first time he had seen everything in this world so clearly, and the first time he had seen his grandpa.
But his gaze instantly turned to one of extreme terror, for he saw a person already approaching them.
"Everything from now on depends on you, Toneri."
The Second Elder seemed to sense the person behind him, a smile appeared on his pale face.
"Goodbye, Toneri."
As he spoke, he heavily pushed Toneri, and then his entire body erupted with Chakra.
He was completely enveloped in brilliant Chakra. Clearly, he had entered Tenseigan Chakra Mode.
He suddenly turned around, his entire body's power roaring. He let out a furious roar and instantly charged towards the person behind him.
"You use my power to deal with me?"
However, the voice of the person behind him was very calm. Facing his attack, there wasn't even a ripple.