The newcomer had pale skin and pale-blue long hair tied into a high ponytail.
He had no eyebrows, two dots on his forehead, and two horn-shaped Forehead Protectors growing from his temples.
The man who stepped forward wore a carefree smile on his face while waving at them.
"Seniors, nice to meet you."
"Let me introduce him," Yoro said. "This is Ushiki. He'll work with you this time."
Upon hearing the name, Mineo slightly flinched, unintentionally staring at Ushiki's eyes that subtly shifted while he maintained a half-smile.
Red. Six-Tomoe Rinnegan.
"He's going to be my partner, Guardian? And as a subordinate?" Mineo thought doubtfully.
The standard trait of the Otsutsuki Clan was the Byakugan.
Above the Byakugan was the Rinnegan.
But not everyone possessed the Rinnegan.
Before Kaguya awakened her Rinne Sharingan, she had only ordinary Byakugan.
Generally speaking, most Guardians mainly had Byakugan, while only a few possessed Rinnegan.
For the Protected tier, all members possessed the Rinnegan, capable of freely switching between Byakugan and Rinnegan.
Rinnegan came in various colors like red, yellow, and blue.
Ushiki's Six-Tomoe Rinnegan was clearly superior to an ordinary Rinnegan.
Even Mineo himself merely had a yellow-colored Rinnegan.
Kaguya's Nine-Tomoe Rinne Sharingan appeared only after she consumed the God Tree's fruit.
Yoro nodded. "Just let him follow you for now. After all, he's still inexperienced and doesn't understand much. Consider this an adjustment period..."
"Senior Mineo, I'll be relying on you from now on," Ushiki smiled.
Mineo silently curled the corner of his lip.
Calling someone with a Six-Tomoe Rinnegan his assistant? That was a waste of talent.
What nonsense! Couldn't they find a more suitable person?
There was more to this man than met the eye—either naturally gifted or artificially empowered.
Yoro handed him a star compass and placed the God Tree sapling in his palm, continuing, "I've already implanted the target coordinates and route inside. Just follow its guidance."
After taking the star compass and God Tree sapling, Mineo walked out first.
Ushiki glanced at Yoro before quickly following up, calling out,
"Senior, wait for me..."
In the void.
Two streaks of light flashed past.
Ushiki kept trailing behind him, talking with exaggerated tones.
"Senior, not even a word? You don't wanna get to know me? We're gonna be stuck together for a while, you know."
"..."
"Senior, why are we flying so slowly? Are you lost, or something?"
"..."
"Senior, why won't you talk to me? Are you mad at me or something? Aww c'mon..."
Holding the trembling star compass, Mineo grew irritated by the chatter. "Can't you just shut up? Your voice's about to burst my eardrums."
"Aww, Senior, is your patience really that thin?" Ushiki feigned innocence.
"Nauseating," Mineo muttered, rolling his eyes and frowning.
"Oh come on, I didn't mean to," Ushiki exaggerated his expression even further.
"Shut up. You lead the way, so you'll stop your constant chattering." Mineo shoved the star compass into his hand, coldly ordering.
Who knows how long passed before the chaotic void no longer filled their vision.
The star compass calmed, no longer indicating any direction.
Before their eyes unfolded a vibrant world teeming with life—greenery stretched as far as the eye could see.
In the sky, both figures came to an immediate stop and looked down simultaneously.
Ushiki turned his head slightly to glance at him. His face showed unusual seriousness, and his eyes transformed into Byakugan as he began scanning the surroundings carefully.
"Senior Mineo, I see many places covered by transparent domes."
"...Idiot, those are barriers," Mineo replied helplessly.
"I also saw people with cat heads, dog heads, fox heads."
Mineo slapped his forehead in frustration. "Those are youkai (supernatural creatures), you know?"
"No wonder you're a senior; your knowledge truly knows no bounds!" Ushiki gave him a thumbs-up enthusiastically.
Mineo sighed, unwilling to engage in his insincere flattery. He muttered to himself, "Youkai? A world of monsters?"
He wondered about this planet's current level of martial power.
"Ushiki, find a suitable place to plant the God Tree. Ideally somewhere enclosed by a barrier, where it won't be easily disturbed."
With a casual flick of his hand, he drew out the God Tree sapling and handed it to Ushiki, then jumped down from high above, landing on the ground.
Looking at the God Tree sapling in his hand, and watching Mineo's distant figure, Ushiki's eyes flickered with thoughts.
He seems fine enough. Were Yoro and the others being too sensitive...
Without much thought, Ushiki flew off in a random direction.
The Ninja World.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
"Keep attacking!"
In an open field, Indra drew a wooden sword and shouted toward the fallen Ninja Arts disciples in front of him.
Outnumbered a hundred to one, the disciples struggled under relentless pressure. They shook off the dust, rose with gritted teeth, and charged again, faces twisted in pain.
Creak...
When Hiroki opened the door and stepped out, what first met his eyes was Indra ruthlessly dominating a group of opponents.
Seeing his arrival, the disciples felt like they'd encountered a savior. Immediately someone loudly asked, "Lord Hiroki, are you here to see Lord Indra?"
Upon hearing this, Indra temporarily stopped his actions.
Hiroki nodded slightly.
The disciples immediately relaxed, smartly dispersing without delay.
"We'll leave you two alone then."
Indra glared coldly at their retreating figures. "These guys... Not strong enough nor diligent. They can't even compare to White Zetsu."
At least White Zetsu could carry messages. When Otsutsuki invaded, these disciples probably couldn't even serve as cannon fodder.
"The time since chakra appeared has been too short. It's difficult for them to make substantial progress," Hiroki said softly. "Indra, have you seriously considered what I mentioned earlier?"
During this period, he had brought up the matter of bloodline propagation with Hamura, Indra, and Ashura.
Hamura didn't clearly resist the idea.
Ashura said if he encountered a woman he liked, he would consider having offspring but wouldn't want to be forced into it.
Only Indra seemed extremely repulsed.
Now hearing him bring it up again, Indra snorted coldly, speaking with obvious irritation.
"Grandfather Hiroki, you're making yourself look quite repulsive this way. Women will only hinder my strength."
Hiroki fell silent.
Indra had always been single, so wouldn't that mean Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Itachi, and Sasuke Uchiha would never exist?
It'd be really strange to talk about Naruto without Sasuke...
Speaking of Naruto, he recalled Minato Namikaze again. Where had that guy gone exactly?
"Indra, you can't think like this. You need to consider what Ashura would do. If his descendants gain control of the family and spread his beliefs, wouldn't all your efforts be for nothing?"
Indra remained silent, deep in thought, as if realizing there was truth in those words.
At this moment, Kaguya approached holding a letter, her expression serious. "Hei, Mineo left behind new intelligence."
Hiroki extended his hand to receive it, flipped through carefully for a while, and his expression gradually turned grave.
"What's wrong?" Indra asked, somewhat concerned.
Though he didn't know what the letter said, they both looked grim.
Hiroki exhaled deeply, hesitated for a moment, then said, "Indra, we might have to temporarily leave this place and go somewhere else."
"An enemy?" Indra speculated with a subtle shift in his thoughts. "The Otsutsuki?"
Hiroki nodded and headed together with Kaguya to find Hamura and Ashura.
Indra followed behind, his mood slightly heavy.
When everyone finally gathered around a table, Hiroki tapped on its surface with his fingers and said, "There is now an important matter we must deal with. To prevent any mishaps, we should all act together. Hamura, you stay behind."
Hamura hesitated, then nodded. "Should I tell my big brother?"
After some consideration, Hiroki shook his head.
"I think the two of us should go first and assess the situation. Then we can bring the others along," Kaguya suggested.
She gripped Hiroki's hand, looking visibly anxious.
"What exactly is going on?"
Seeing her clearly distressed state, Ashura interrupted with a serious expression.
"Please feel free to ask if there's anything we can help with. Although sometimes our opinions differ from yours, those are just minor issues..."
"The Otsutsuki Clan has started suspecting me!"
Before Hiroki even finished speaking, several among them including Hamura were shocked into changing expressions, "What?! Are they about to attack us?"
Hamura stood up immediately. "Then we definitely should inform my older brother."
Indra and Ashura rose along with him, their faces equally grim.
"No, it hasn't reached that level yet," Kaguya said helplessly, rubbing her forehead.
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