After Momoshiki's assessment, the crowd buzzed with disappointment. Not many had impressed the elders or reached anything beyond the Common Tier. It felt like the prestige of the Ōtsutsuki clan was slipping into mediocrity—until a strange silence fell over the gathering.
A man stepped onto the glowing stage—tall, poised, with two sharp black horns curling slightly above his head. His eyes burned an intense azure, each iris etched with a complex lotus pattern. Every whisper ceased. Even Reizan, who had grown bored of watching uninspired tests and closed his eyes in disinterest, slowly opened them.
The energy radiating from the newcomer was undeniable. A heavy pressure surged through the air, enough to make seasoned warriors and prodigies catch their breath. Reizan leaned slightly toward Tensai, his tone curious but measured. "Who is that with the black horns and the Tenseigan?"
Tensai gave a rare nod. "That is Ōtsutsuki Anon, my lord. A special case. Both of his parents are Divine Stage—Stage 10. He was born with a fully-formed and powerful Tenseigan. The elders have kept him hidden from public eye until now. Today marks his first appearance, and he's no older than fifteen."
Even Suzan, the Rank 8 overseer known for his overbearing presence and oppressive aura, respectfully stepped back as Anon approached. Suzan met his gaze, then turned to the crowd.
"Disappointments," Anon spoke, his voice cold and unshaken. "Not one of you possess worthy chi. Common tier trash."
Gasps echoed. His words struck nerves. His black horns gleamed with an abyssal shimmer, and his glowing eyes made even proud members of the main family avert their gazes. He turned his back to the crowd and strode toward the center of the massive platform—the Star Wheel.
The platform's center held a grand circular dial etched with twelve planetary emblems. As Anon approached it, he raised his hand and made a clean cut across his palm. A drop of blood fell onto the surface and was immediately absorbed. The Star Wheel hummed and lit up in radiant blue.
Chakra erupted from Anon—fierce, refined, and ancient. The wheel trembled, the engravings shimmered, and then...
BOOM.
One planet lit up. Then a second. Then a third. Cheers began to rise, but were quickly stifled as the fourth, fifth, sixth, and all the way to the twelfth planet illuminated in rapid succession. The onlookers were stunned.
A soft white light emerged. Suzan raised his voice, wide-eyed. "Second rotation beginning—Morning Star!"
Again, the sequence repeated. One after another, twelve planets lit up on the second layer. The crowd could barely keep up. Then, something unexpected happened. The giant hand of the Star Wheel didn't stop.
The third rotation began.
An azure glow spread across the entire platform, as if the wheel was reacting to something even greater. Suzan took a step back, astonished.
"Radiant Moon!" he shouted.
Reactions rippled through the audience.
Momoshiki, who had previously completed the twelve planets under the Morning Star level, watched in disbelief. His jaw clenched. "Impossible... First that guy behind Tensai, and now another nobody surpasses me?"
Isshiki stood calmly in the distance, his expression unreadable. But even he narrowed his eyes slightly. "Interesting. This one's background must be profound. Not even the elders can fake this kind of result."
Across the left side of the arena, the Branch Family members sat in stunned silence. Their destinies confined to servitude, none of them had any chance at receiving the coveted Kama Seal. Yet what they witnessed made even them rise.
Among them, Princess Kaguya's gaze lingered on Anon. "If he becomes my guardian... I would willingly serve him. My title means little before the Main Family's power."
The glow from the Star Wheel intensified as it surpassed the fourth planet. Then the fifth. And finally, it slowed at the sixth.
Anon frowned.
But then, a black silhouette emerged behind him, towering and regal. It pulsed with divine energy.
"Avatar Transformation!" Suzan exclaimed. "Only those at the peak of the Supreme Realm can wield it. This... how is this possible for someone his age?"
The silhouette radiated majesty. Anon's black horns shimmered with a dark starlight. Even Reizan raised an eyebrow.
"Now this is interesting," he muttered. "Perhaps someone here might actually be able to entertain me."
But the Star Wheel had not finished its judgment.
The planets lit again, this time on a deeper layer.
Seventh planet. Eighth. Ninth. Then tenth.
The platform pulsed as the wheel pointed to the eleventh planet—and stopped.
Anon, drenched in sweat, stood firmly. His breathing was heavy, but his gaze was proud.
He turned toward the other contestants and sneered. "I, Anon, have achieved Radiant Moon—Eleventh Planet."
The silence cracked.
A massive burst of power surged from the Star Wheel as a Platinum Kama Seal manifested above Anon. It hovered momentarily, then shot down and attached itself to his arm, etching divine inscriptions across his skin. The seal radiated with a fearsome aura that made even elders flinch.
For a moment, there was no rivalry. Only respect.
Several Ōtsutsuki members, even from the Main Family, stood and bowed their heads slightly in acknowledgment. Talent of this caliber transcended politics. Anon walked slowly back to his seat, taking one last glance at the high-floating elders, before calmly sitting down.
After Anon's shocking performance, several more members of the main family stepped forward to take their turns at the Star Wheel. Most failed to stir much excitement. However, three among them drew brief murmurs of interest.
First was Ōtsutsuki Lenma, who awakened the Morning Star level and reached the 5th planet. It was a decent result, enough to maintain dignity, but nothing extraordinary.
Then came Ōtsutsuki Ignar. With his confident gait and sharp features, he stepped onto the stage and activated the Star Wheel with a bold surge of chakra. He managed to reach the 7th planet under Morning Star, drawing a few nods from the elders. Still, the crowd remained relatively calm.
Finally, Ōtsutsuki Byron stepped up. Calm and composed, he pressed his blood onto the Star Wheel, and to everyone's surprise, the clock hand lit up 11 planets under the Morning Star tier—just one planet short of Momoshiki's result. A wave of astonishment swept through the crowd. Whispers rippled through the audience, and a few glanced in Momoshiki's direction to gauge his reaction.
He didn't hide it—his expression was grim.
Everyone could see the annoyance in his eyes. For someone so prideful, the fact that another nearly matched him, especially after two others had surpassed him earlier, was a hard pill to swallow.
Now, only two participants remained.
All eyes turned toward Isshiki.
He rose from his seat slowly, casting a subtle glance in Reizan's direction. As he stepped toward the platform, Suzan raised her voice gently but clearly.
"You may go first, Isshiki. The young lord Reizan will follow."
It was a small gesture of flattery—Suzan hadn't forgotten Reizan's exalted status. Even among royalty, he stood at the peak.
Isshiki nodded and made his way to the stage. As he passed Suzan, she offered a soft smile. "Good luck, my son. Make your mother proud."
Her words were kind, but her expression was distant. Isshiki could read her clearly—there was an undercurrent of disappointment in her eyes.
He didn't blame her.
His mother was one of the most radical and power-obsessed figures in the Ōtsutsuki clan. A Divine-Stage powerhouse and a Supreme Elder, she discarded Isshiki after birth, labeling him talentless for having only a Byakugan.
She never once looked back.
His father, though far weaker in comparison, had tried to raise him, but even he couldn't defy her influence. For all her strength, she only cared about birthing a child with extraordinary potential. And when Isshiki didn't meet her expectations, she tossed him aside like a failed experiment.
What she never knew—what almost no one knew—was that Isshiki's story didn't end there.
Later in life, something changed. He awakened the Kōkugan—a rare eye even more mysterious and revered than the Tenseigan. Its existence was known only to a select few elders, kept secret until the right time.
Now, as he stood before the Star Wheel, he wasn't here to entertain the crowd or compete with Momoshiki.
He was here to prove something.
To her.
To everyone.
And to himself.