"I don't need you to remind me!" He snorted coldly.
He had already figured out the family's system in his mind.
The Otsutsuki Clan doesn't keep idle members.
If one can't contribute to the clan for a long time, they'll be marked as underperforming.
High-status members would be demoted,
while those already low in status might become disposable assets.
For a race that struggles to reproduce, their internal structure was perversely ruthless.
"Good, then you understand," Yoro said indifferently. "I wouldn't want to lose someone worth talking to in the future."
He scorned those of low status and wouldn't deign to interact with them.
"I want to see Master," Mineo suddenly declared.
"You mean you want that Lord to heal your wounds personally?"
Upon hearing this, Yoro's expression slightly changed, his tone turning colder.
"When that Lord wishes to see you, He will come find you Himself."
With that, he turned and left immediately.
Mineo frowned and pondered for a moment, before returning to his quarters.
Fifteen years passed in the blink of an eye.
He had now fully grasped the rules within the Otsutsuki Clan.
Above the Guardians and the Protected, there existed another rank—Supervisors.
They were the true core elite.
Otsutsuki Yoro, who had spoken with him previously, was one of these Supervisors.
Supervisors didn't need to visit various planets themselves, only assigning tasks to Guardians and the Protected.
Furthermore, only they had direct access to "that Lord."
Over these years, many clan members gradually returned.
All the Chakra Fruits they collected were handed over to the upper echelons, placed inside the palace, upon the jade altar at the center of the main plaza.
As for "Master," "that Lord," or the being known as the "Otsutsuki God"—he had never seen Him even once.
Besides all this, he also encountered several Otsutsuki clan members who'd appeared in the original story—Otsutsuki Yoro, Momo Otsutsuki, Kinshiki Otsutsuki...
Ninja World.
The energy fluctuations around them faded into stillness. Hiroki and Kaguya blinked in confusion at what lay before them.
"Why does it feel like nothing has changed?"
Rubbing his temples, he muttered to himself as he used the [Spirit Transformation Technique] to sense nearby lifeforms.
"But there definitely are more people now, and compared to before, far more individuals possess chakra."
"Hiroki, why don't you rest for a bit? I'll go check what's going on here."
Worried it was separation of consciousness that caused his fatigue, Kaguya kissed his cheek gently and coaxed lovingly.
After speaking, she opened a spatial portal and pulled him inside.
Hiroki gave a weary sigh. "I'm really fine, I promise."
Before he could finish his sentence, the black spatial portal sealed shut completely, cutting off his view of the outside world.
By a riverside somewhere,
two handsome, muscular boys were sparring.
"Indra, as expected, you're still stronger."
Once the battle ended, the two sat on a stone. The young man wearing a white headband looked somewhat disheartened.
"Grrr, come on! Just let me win once..."
"You gotta say 'Big Brother!'"
The long-haired youth with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan smiled calmly, watching his younger brother attempt to throw a tantrum.
"Pfft, why so uptight? It's just us here," Ashura muttered, picking up a blade of grass and sticking it in the corner of his mouth.
He glanced off in the distance, then suddenly stood up. "Oh right, I promised Uncle Pon I'd help irrigate his fields today. Indra, want to come?"
"Can't anyone do something like that?"
"Of course not! We know jutsu! We can use Water Release to water the crops faster," Ashura explained.
Indra frowned slightly. "Why would we even use ninjutsu for something like that?"
"That's just how it is. Everyone does it—lighting fires, irrigation, cutting down trees... Besides, Father and Uncle both said ninja techniques are meant for daily living."
Indra frowned even deeper, sighing as he spoke. "Ashura, haven't you noticed that when ordinary people use ninja techniques for these tasks, accidents tend to happen more often?"
"Forget it then! I'll go by myself!" Ashura stomped his foot, pointing accusingly at Indra for a while before running off alone.
Watching his figure disappear into the distance, Indra sighed again helplessly. He murmured to himself, "Why waste time on things like this? Have Father and Uncle forgotten too..."
Indra and Ashura were both born to Hayato.
When they were seven or eight years old, Hayato and Hamura recounted their entire family history—both the bonds and the rivalries.
They also learned about the Otsutsuki Clan from what Hiroki and Kaguya had told them, in hopes of inspiring them to grow stronger in preparation for future threats.
As the eldest son and widely regarded prodigy, Indra had already naturally taken responsibility onto his shoulders.
Whatever ninja techniques Hayato and Hamura taught him, he would usually master after just one or two practices—and sometimes even created original techniques himself.
His extraordinary talent led him to look down upon others, making him especially intolerant toward those mediocre individuals.
"Ninjutsu was made for war!"
Indra's expression was cold, blue arcs of lightning flashing within his palm.
Lightning struck the surface of the lake, causing a thunderous boom. The entire lake became tumultuous as countless fish floated dead on its surface.
Letting out a cold snort, Indra turned around and headed back to Tree Village—the heart of the Ninja Arts.
The massive crater left behind by the God Tree had been filled in, becoming the Training Ground where Ninja Arts disciples trained—it was now the largest training area in the village.
When Indra returned,
Hayato was there personally instructing some students' sparring match.
To Indra's eyes, their movements appeared extremely slow and clumsy, which only deepened his inner contempt.
Father, why do you care so much about these mediocres?
No matter how hard they push themselves, they'll never reach me or Ashura.
Yet you still spend time and energy guiding them, even helping more ordinary people!
With the threat of the Otsutsuki Clan looming any moment, shouldn't we be focusing on cultivating ourselves?
Why do so many pointless things!
When his followers had finally all departed, Indra solemnly stepped forward, knelt on both knees, and begged:
"Father, I've already learned everything You've taught me. Please allow me to become even stronger!"
Hayato helped him up and glanced at his burning red [Sharingan].
"Not yet."
"Then when will be the right time?" Indra looked at him in confusion.
"When you truly understand yourself—that will be the right time," Hayato said plainly.
Between the two brothers, Indra and Ashura, it was Indra that worried Hayato most.
Precisely because of his [Sharingan].
Hayato wasn't sure whether Indra's personality would drastically change after his [Sharingan] evolved.
Moreover, Indra was too aloof and emotionally distant from most people.
Would he truly be able to pass down his father's beliefs?
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