"Aniki, look at the moon tonight. Isn't it super round?"
As night fell, outside the Uchiha clan's encampment, Izuna lay on the grass, pointing at the silver moon hanging high in the sky. His eyes were filled with innocent wonder.
The moon bathed the land in gentle light, casting a rare moment of serenity over the otherwise war-torn terrain.
"Hmph, what's so great about the moon?"
Next to him, Madara sneered at his brother's childish remark as he continued to polish his gleaming scythe. At this point in his life, the only thing that interested him was Hashirama—everything else could go to hell.
"Sigh~ No fun at all."
Izuna pouted, still watching the moonlight reflected in his deep black eyes. Then, as if recalling something, he turned to his brother with a sly expression.
"Aniki, aniki, let me tell you a secret."
"What?"
"I remember once, our older cousin got drunk and pointed at the moon. He told me we have relatives up there."
Izuna leaned in cautiously, glancing around to make sure no one else was listening, before sharing this long-held secret with his big brother.
"Are you an idiot?"
Madara's hand paused. He stared at his brother in disbelief, a vein almost popping on his forehead.
"No way! Cousin never lies to me!"
All those years of New Year's gift money weren't for nothing—Izuna deeply trusted his friendly cousin.
"Then tell me—what exactly are these so-called relatives doing up there on the moon?"
Madara sighed. His little brother was already in his twenties and still acted like a child.
"Aha! I'm glad you asked. Cousin told me they're guarding a tree... and our ancestor is hanging from it."
"...Stop drinking with him. It's clearly frying your brain."
After a long silence, Madara—perhaps for the first time—raised his gaze toward the moon.
Tonight, the moon resembled an ethereal maiden who had accidentally wandered into the mortal world. It radiated an indescribable beauty... but still, that story was utter trash. No way people lived on the moon.
"I'm staring at the moon above, wondering how many dreams are soaring free~"
Somewhere deep in a jungle, Gin sat leisurely by a vast, sparkling lake, humming a classic tune.
The sun hovered not far overhead, bathing the area in warm, comforting light. The scenery was so idyllic it felt like paradise. Gin couldn't help but sigh.
"If you ignore everything else, this place would actually make a great vacation spot."
BZZZT... INTRU...
A jarring mechanical voice suddenly ruined his peaceful moment.
CRACK!
Gin's eyes rolled, his good mood instantly destroyed. Without turning around, he flicked a bolt of lightning behind him, silencing the noise with a crisp snap.
"Sigh~ how the hell am I supposed to get back?"
Standing up, he brushed the dust off his clothes. A faint blue glow lit up his pitch-black eyes. Activating his Byakugan, he peered through the jungle canopy for any signs of civilization.
"Huh? Looks like there's a city over there. Let's go find a local bro to show me the way~"
With his enhanced vision, Gin quickly spotted an ancient-looking city in the distance. He wasted no time, leaping forward and racing toward it.
Not long after Gin left, several robed figures arrived where he had been.
The leader, a middle-aged woman, frowned at the scorched ground beneath her feet. Her white Byakugan eyes were wide with shock.
"After all these years... a trespasser from Earth has shown up again."
Before her lay the shattered remains of over a hundred Ōtsutsuki combat puppets. Some were charred, some ripped apart, others exploded into scraps of metal by lightning. None of it matched her clan's typical methods.
"Just how many intruders came? To destroy this many puppets... and not leave a single clue?"
While the puppets were mass-produced, they were still powerful—on par with average clansmen. And yet, they'd been wiped out wholesale. Clearly, the intruder was no amateur.
"You lot stay and continue investigating. I'm going back to report to the clan head."
Her sense of crisis deepening, the woman turned and climbed aboard a small floating aircraft, speeding into the sky.
"Tch! It's a ghost town. Not even a dog in sight."
Meanwhile, Gin had arrived at the city, only to find it completely abandoned. He wandered through lifeless streets but saw no trace of people.
"Sigh... no one's lived here in centuries. This is gonna be a pain."
He touched one of the faded walls—once solid stone, now crumbling at the slightest touch. With a defeated look, he shook the dust off his hands.
"Outsider..."
A whisper echoed faintly in his ears.
"Guess I'll have to look elsewhere~"
Sticking to the number one rule in horror movies—don't engage with ghostly voices—Gin ignored it completely.
"Outsider..."
The voice grew clearer and more impatient.
"Byakugan, open!"
He pumped chakra into his eyes. Blue light flared as his Byakugan activated again.
"Outsider... dearest kin! You've finally come!"
The once-hostile voice immediately flipped into flattery, now groveling in his ears.
"Oh?"
Gin tilted his head and raised a brow.
"Ahem! Forgive my rudeness, honored kin from the land below. Please proceed to the inner hall."
The voice now pleaded respectfully, guiding him with a chakra trail visible to the Byakugan.
"Heh."
Amused by the sudden attitude change, Gin dropped the act and followed the indicated path. Through a hidden underground door, he descended into a pitch-black hall.
"Yeesh. Creepy."
Thanks to his Byakugan, he could see despite the darkness. The place was littered with raised mounds... and his skin crawled.
Was this a freaking graveyard?
"Hey! Anyone alive in here?"
He sensed no life around, which made things even more unsettling.
"No one? I'm out~"
He turned to leave. Lingering in this place felt like it would drain his vitality.
"Wait, dear kin from Earth."
A cold voice echoed from the darkness.
A blurry figure stepped into view—a long-haired man with closed eyes. It was him speaking.
"Uh... are you sure you've got the right guy? I don't have any relatives this ugly."
Gin wrinkled his nose, looking skeptically at the man's less-than-impressive face.
The Uchiha clan had a reputation for their looks. This guy? Not exactly family material.
"Ugh..."
The long-haired man flinched, his carefully prepared speech derailed. Though he couldn't see Gin's face, he could feel the sarcasm.
Fighting back rage, he spoke again.
"Dear kin, though I know not how you came here, you share the blood of our great ancestor. Please, hear me out—"
"Nope. Not listening."
"At least let me—"
"Blah blah blah~"
"#@!"
Dark energy surged around the long-haired man's already lifeless face. Watching Gin cover his ears and hum, he finally opened his eyes.
"...Where are your eyes?"
Gin paused and stared at the man's pitch-black, empty sockets.
"Can we talk now?"
"Fine. You're blind. You win. Go ahead~"
Gin, knowing the trope, decided to humor the NPC.
"Kin from Earth, do you know who we are?"
"Skip that part. Just tell me what you want. Don't waste my time with filler."
Rolling his Byakugan-enhanced eyes yet again, Gin stared at the increasingly sour-faced man.
"..."
Another carefully prepared speech down the drain.
"We are—"
"Cut the crap! Just tell me who to beat up!"
Clearly speedrunning, Gin interrupted him mid-line. All he wanted was to finish the quest and go home.
"COUGH COUGH!"
The man nearly choked on air. Furious, he reached into his throat and pulled out a glowing purple orb, slamming it on the ground.
"Fine! I'm not saying anything! Someone else can do it!"
He flopped onto a nearby stone coffin and slammed the lid shut. Just before it closed completely, he added:
"No matter how pure your Byakugan is, a dumbass is still a dumbass!"
(End of Chapter)
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