"What should we do now?" "We don't have the strength…" "Or… have we all been caught in a genjutsu?" One of the elders asked helplessly. "..."
"What should we do now?"
"We don't have the strength…"
"Or… have we all been caught in a genjutsu?" One of the elders asked helplessly.
"..." Hyuga Hiashi.
They were asking him, but he was just as confused.
This sudden appearance of a Ōtsutsuki, who spoke of moving the entire clan to the Moon and taking Hinata…
It made Hiashi feel deeply uneasy.
Hinata represented all his hopes and dreams. Although… those dreams had now been realized, she was still his daughter.
So even if he couldn't win, he was prepared to fight.
But then…
Kitahara Kaede and Ōtsutsuki Toneri disappeared at the same time.
And now… this was the aftermath.
Hinata was gone too.
Just then—
Boom!
The green chakra cage that had been trapping Hizashi suddenly shattered, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Could it be…"
Hiashi recalled what the Second Hokage had told him about Kitahara Kaede.
According to Tobirama, without a doubt—Kaede was the confirmed candidate for the next Hokage.
That alone made Hiashi's head spin.
But it also confirmed one thing: Kitahara Kaede was extremely strong, far more talented than Hiashi ever imagined.
Even so… there was no way he could've defeated that green-colored Ōtsutsuki from earlier.
That guy was completely bathed in chakra, with a Byakugan so overflowing it distorted the very air around him. No way he could've lost.
Boom!
Right then, a sphere about ten meters in diameter suddenly appeared.
"Watch out!"
Hiashi instinctively assumed it was an enemy attack.
The nearby Hyuga clan members also tensed up instantly.
To them, this was an unfamiliar jutsu.
They were just about to take battle stances, but the ten-meter ball suddenly floated upward without hesitation.
A floating sphere!?
Yes.
They all watched as the sphere rapidly soared into the sky—rising higher and higher—until it became just a dot near the Moon.
"...???"
Hiashi was stunned.
The rest of the Hyuga were stunned too.
Then—
A figure silently appeared behind them.
"Problem solved," Kitahara Kaede said.
!!!!
Everyone whipped around in shock. They hadn't sensed him at all—no sign of how or when he arrived.
Or rather, ever since he disappeared with Toneri, no one had been able to track him.
"That Ōtsutsuki Toneri just now…"
Hiashi quickly asked.
"And—are you hurt at all…? Wait…"
"Wait, your eyes…"
Hiashi quickly noticed something off.
Kaede's eyes were now a pure, pristine white.
Byakugan.
He had the Byakugan.
"I sent Ōtsutsuki Toneri home," Kaede said. "And he lent me his eye."
"Any objections?"
That was how he explained why he now had the Byakugan.
"..." Hiashi.
The Hyuga Byakugan had always been different from the Uchiha's Sharingan. The Sharingan, when transplanted to a non-Uchiha, caused severe side effects.
So for outsiders, the Sharingan was desirable—but largely unusable.
But the Byakugan was different.
The Hyuga's Byakugan had always been considered a universal eye—anyone could use it once transplanted, regardless of bloodline.
Which is why—
Whether in battle or on missions, Hyuga clan members were seen as rare and dangerous like pandas—valuable but risky to protect.
So now… Kaede obtaining a Byakugan and using it wasn't unusual at all.
At least, that's how Hiashi rationalized it.
Now Kaede was even asking if they minded?
"Uh… no objections—" Hiashi stammered awkwardly.
He looked like he was developing another headache.
[Big Dumb - Hashirama]: Everything's been resolved, so why does Hyuga Hiashi still look so gloomy?
[Tobirama Senju]: …
[Tobirama Senju]: Isn't it obvious?
[Tobirama Senju]: He originally wanted to raise Hinata into a worthy successor. So to inspire her, he didn't stop her from chasing after Kaede.
[Tobirama Senju]: Like Minato once said, Hiashi probably saw Hinata as the future clan leader of the main family.
[Tobirama Senju]: Big dreams, noble cause.
[Tobirama Senju]: And if Kaede married in, raised under their wing since childhood, it'd be fine.
[Tobirama Senju]: He figured Hinata would say yes anyway.
[Tobirama Senju]: But… turns out, Kaede's not average at all. In fact, he's too exceptional. Possibly the next Hokage.
[Tobirama Senju]: So… marrying into the clan is off the table.
[Tobirama Senju]: And now Kaede shows up wearing the Hyuga's prized Byakugan.
[Tobirama Senju]: Still…
[Chiyo-sama]: What are you curious about, Tobirama?
[Tobirama Achievement - Izuna]: Yeah, what are you curious about?
[Tobirama Senju]: …You two annoying pests, don't ask me at the same time.
[Tobirama Senju]: I'm curious about the floating sphere Kaede just launched into the sky.
[Tobirama Senju]: That was a Rinnegan technique—yes, it was Chibaku Tensei. He used it to gather molten earth and wrap Toneri up.
[Tobirama Senju]: Then launched it into space.
[Tobirama Senju]: According to Black Zetsu, members of the Ōtsutsuki clan can't be killed—only sealed.
[Tobirama Senju]: …So this floating orb in space, sealing Toneri… ended up near the Moon.
[Tobirama Senju]: So… could it be the Moon itself was also created by Chibaku Tensei? A seal from the Sage of Six Paths and Ōtsutsuki Hamura?
[Big Dumb - Hashirama]: Tobirama, that idea's terrifying.
[Big Dumb - Hashirama]: The Moon's so huge…
[Big Dumb - Hashirama]: Whoever used Chibaku Tensei to seal it must've been crazy powerful.
[Tobirama Senju]: Yeah… I was just speculating.
[Filial Son - Black Zetsu]: …
Sh*t.
So someone finally guessed it.
The Moon… was likely created by the Sage of Six Paths and Hamura together, using Chibaku Tensei to seal Kaguya-sama.
Black Zetsu realized—it had to act now.
Because—
Kitahara Kaede was too powerful. That pet rabbit of his—Little White Bunny—was 99.9% playing with fire.
Forget raising Kaede to fight the Ōtsutsuki…
At this point, the Ōtsutsuki might want to run.
"..."
Kaguya-sama, just what kind of monster have you raised?
Black Zetsu sighed.
But its mission wasn't done yet.
Because…
Everything had come full circle.
It was back in the Shinobi World—not on the Moon. So it couldn't confirm if Kaguya-sama's body was still up there.
Toneri was now sealed…
So it needed to find its old tool—Uchiha Madara.
Just then—
Black Zetsu looked up, eyes locking onto the rising sphere (Toneri). In other words, they'd found a new way to reach the Moon.
If they could restore Madara's Rinnegan and use Chibaku Tensei…
Not only Black Zetsu—but even Madara himself could ascend.
"..." Black Zetsu.
Looks like…
The mission might still be salvaged.
With that thought—
Black Zetsu's speed instantly increased.
Meanwhile, after seizing Toneri's Tenseigan and sealing him away, Kitahara Kaede opened up the sand world inside his Heavenly Imperial Space.
"All clear," Kaede said, poking his head in.
He'd come to fetch Hinata.
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