"Eh… that's true, I didn't think that through."
After Gin pointed it out, Ōtsutsuki Hamura did a rough estimate of the Tenseigan's size in his mind and realized that carrying it alone would indeed be a pain. He replied with some embarrassment.
"Besides that, do you have anything else?"
Even though Gin had already set his sights on the big eyeball, he wasn't about to let this great-uncle off the hook without squeezing out every last drop of value.
"Interested in kugutsu no jutsu (puppet technique)?"
Hamura's eyes lit up as he recalled some of the little figurines he used to make out of boredom. He asked hopefully.
"No thanks, I've got a big one cooking. I'm not interested in those brainless dolls."
Gin pointed to his own eye with a smirk. He still had the old man's inheritance tucked away, and when the time came to transform, these antiques would die of envy.
"Don't you have any strong ninjutsu or weapons? I'll take anything at this point."
Gin looked at Hamura skeptically. Was this guy really just a poor relative? Even poorer than his eyes.
"I don't know any of the ninjutsu you speak of."
Hamura frowned. In his era, the concept of ninjutsu hadn't even been born. They fought head-on—just grabbing a Gudōdama (Truth-Seeking Ball) and going at it. Whoever chickened out first lost. So there was no reason to learn any of the flashy techniques his descendants now used.
"As for weapons, my shakujo (monk staff) was just a product of yin-yang release and has long vanished with my death."
Now he just gave up and spread his arms like: "Look at me, I'm broke. All I've got is this old face—what's it worth?"
"Then don't you have any special abilities?"
Not ready to give up yet, Gin pressed one last time. As one of the first localized members of the Ōtsutsuki to settle in this dimension, surely he had something unique?
"I do. The power of yin."
Hamura's eyes gleamed as he casually replied.
"Gimme!"
That was a great deal! Sasuke used that to awaken the Rinnegan in the late game. If he had it, that'd be a game-changer!
"I gave it to my big brother."
"Then why even bring it up?!"
Gin froze mid-breath. This old guy was just here to mess with him!
"Actually, the Tenseigan has another state."
Seeing Gin start to turn and walk off, Hamura had no choice but to reveal his trump card, slowly sharing a secret he'd held close for years.
He'd been saving this little surprise for his big brother someday.
"What's that?"
Gin stopped after two steps, turning back with a "knew it" kind of look.
So the old man was holding out on him. No wonder the Hyūga clan never rose up and the Kaguya line died off early. With this kind of petty mindset, no wonder they went nowhere.
Clinging to old ways was the surest path to failure.
"When someone possesses both Ōtsutsuki chakra and the pure Byakugan of the Hyūga clan, their eye can undergo a mysterious transformation—evolving into the Tenseigan, capable of mastering yin and yang, manipulating time-space, and even causing planetary destruction."
"So what should I do?"
Though Hamura's speech had nearly talked him into a coma, Gin, who knew the story well, didn't lose his cool. He furrowed his brow and asked calmly.
In the canon, that Ōtsutsuki Toneri had awakened the blue Tenseigan by transplanting his sister-in-law Hanabi's pure Byakugan. But Gin didn't have any Ōtsutsuki chakra himself. Even if his Byakugan was pure, it probably wasn't enough to awaken the Tenseigan, right?
"No worries. There's still the existing Tenseigan held by the branch family. Once you defeat those traitors, I'll teach you how to use it."
Back to square one again—looks like he really had to go beat up the branch descendants.
"The Tenseigan contains the power of tens of thousands of Byakugan. It not only serves as a weapon capable of world-ending beams, but also feeds energy back into its wielder."
Hamura didn't want to lose this promising descendant. With vivid imagery, he described the Tenseigan's power in hopes of convincing Gin to crush the traitors and preserve his brother's legacy.
So that giant eye orb was basically a mini-tailed beast, huh? Maybe you were jealous of your brother's nine pets and decided to secretly create your own up here on the moon?
"Perfect! When do we leave? I'm ready!"
Gin's eyes sparkled with glee. Who knew bluffing this old ghost would net him such a harvest? He swung his arm decisively, ready to go now.
"Not yet. Let me first tell you about those traitors."
Hamura reached out to stop Gin and began trembling as he spoke.
"Aye, I'm all ears."
Know thy enemy and thyself, and you shall win every battle. He could bear a little more rambling.
"The branch family... they've been using the Byakugan of sacrificed kin to ripen the Tenseigan. Now, there are fewer than a hundred Ōtsutsuki alive on the moon."
Although regret filled his eyes, Hamura couldn't completely hide the pity. They were all his children, after all—flesh and blood.
"Don't you guys have teleportation portals? Why not form marriages with the Hyūga clan down on Earth and rebuild your numbers that way?"
Gin never understood why the Ōtsutsuki didn't just come down and scoop up some hot guys and girls to populate the moon. Instead, they waited until the future where Toneri was the only one left.
"The portals… yes, we had them~"
Talking about the portals, Hamura's eyes turned nostalgic. Those were his happiest days.
"Then why not use them?"
Gin's heart leapt—maybe he had a way home after all!
"They were sealed."
???
"Come again?"
"I said they were sealed!"
The nostalgic look turned annoyed. Gin had seen that face before—on his cousin Izuna's face when his stash of lewd magazines got found out. It was exactly the same.
"With your status, who'd dare seal your portal?"
Though he had his suspicions, Gin still asked curiously.
"It was… big bro."
Hamura's gaze drifted. His aged face turned slightly red. That rare reaction fired up Gin's curiosity.
"Why though? Weren't you two close?"
"Sometimes... knowing too much is a curse, you understand?"
The old man hedged his answer, clearly trying to dodge the question.
"Come on now, Ancestor-sama. You're dead. What's left to hide?"
The long-haired man who'd been silent finally broke. With things so dire, how could their founder still be so embarrassed?
"I'll say it then! Ancestor-sama used to sneak down to Earth all the time, bringing back girls with him. The moon was in chaos, and the people on Earth suffered!"
Holy crap—this was a bombshell. The Sage of Six Paths' brother was a womanizer!
"Cough, cough… it was mutual! I promised them moonlit strolls!"
Hamura's old face flushed as he bit his gums and glared daggers at the long-haired tattletale.
"Then why did your big brother seal the portal?"
The man's empty eye sockets made it impossible to notice Hamura's murderous glare.
"Because Ancestor-sama shirked his duties and used the portal to go womanizing—"
"Lies! I was investigating the welfare of the people!"
Unable to endure it anymore, Hamura summoned a burst of purple light and erased the long-haired man from the chamber, leaving not a trace behind.
"Eheh, you believe me, right?"
Now that the noise was gone, Hamura turned to Gin with a slightly forced smile.
"Of course. I only trust you… and Haruno."
Gin nodded like a chicken pecking rice while cursing internally: You old liar, you're the worst~
"Cough… My brother sealed the portal with his sword to prevent evil from reaching the moon. That's why our numbers declined."
Hamura put on a solemn face. His explanation sounded reasonable and airtight.
Gin nodded vigorously, not daring to delay. He didn't want to be the next one vaporized.
So that black sword underwater was the Sage's seal, locking the portal to stop unwanted visitors. Makes sense now.
"I get it. But then how did I get up here if the gate's sealed?"
Thinking it over, Gin's brow furrowed. If the portal was sealed, how'd he get here?
"Good question. I've been wondering that myself. My brother's seal can only be broken by him… or someone with blood close to his."
Hamura stroked his chin and muttered, still convinced that this descendant's Byakugan purity meant his genes were superior.
"Hey, hey, hey! Since when did I become Ōtsutsuki? Watch your words, old man!"
Gin was stunned to hear his entire family tree rewritten and quickly protested.
"You don't want the Tenseigan?"
"Haha! Ōtsutsuki's got a nice ring to it! Feels tailor-made!"
Gin instantly pulled out a pen and scribbled "Ōtsutsuki" in front of his name.
"Good, good! After you complete the mission, not only will I give you the Tenseigan, I'll teach you a time-space technique to return to Earth."
Knowing Gin's condition, Hamura had no intention of locking him up on the moon. His brother's Ten Tails husk still lay dormant here, and the tailed beasts were nearly impossible for regular people to gather.
"Excellent! You truly are the best, ancestor-sama! When I get back, I'll burn you a cartload of beauties!"
Overjoyed, Gin let his thoughts slip. As soon as the words came out, he realized he'd gone too far.
But before he could recover, Hamura's righteous voice rang out:
"Watch your tongue! I, Ōtsutsuki Hamura, have lived a life of virtue and righteousness, untainted by lust!"
His aged face radiated holiness, golden light shining from his presence. Gin suddenly felt impure, like he needed to kneel in apology.
"Now go. The future of the world lies with you."
Before Gin could say another word, Hamura waved his hand and sent him out of the chamber.
The next moment, Gin opened his eyes to find himself back in the ruined city. The bleak surroundings made him wonder if it had all been a dream.
But then—an old, familiar voice whispered into his ear:
"Burn extra. I want roast chicken. The more, the better…"
Sounds like someone was seriously hungry.
Even now, Great-Uncle still had his edge. A true role model.
Accepting the secret side quest, Gin confirmed it had all been real.
He steadied himself and looked toward the floating island in the sky—that was surely the base of the surviving branch family.
His eyes drifted to the crescent-shaped symbol hanging from the island—that was the branch family crest. And the sphere within the crescent? That must be where the Tenseigan was kept.
With the map now marked, Gin was ready to move quickly and take down the branch descendants so he could get back home to chill.
At this point in the timeline, not to mention Toneri, even his dad was probably still just a bundle of cells. With no major characters in play yet, this mission should be a cakewalk.
"Beep beep beep! Intruder detected!"
Just as Gin was planning his quick-clear strategy, a group of bandaged figures dropped from the sky, surrounding him in a tight formation.
Their dull eyes locked onto him, and they repeated the same mechanical phrase like broken recorders.
Guess he didn't have to go knocking—the appetizers had arrived.
He began refining chakra, ready to give his long-lost cousins a little surprise from the Hidden Leaf.
"There he is! The intruder!"
Before he could strike, a few crisp voices rang out. Sensing no malice from them, Gin cautiously dispersed his chakra and looked toward the approaching figures.
"Girls! He's a man! A cute man!!"
(End of Chapter)
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