"No! I won't let you leave!"
The white-haired old woman clung to Gin's sleeve with all her might, leaving him sighing in annoyance.
"Geez, you're already dead—why so clingy?"
From their first encounter, Gin had sensed that this old lady was merely a spiritual consciousness bound to the Tenseigan. She was likely an Ōtsutsuki who had offered her Byakugan to it long ago.
"I can't let you take the Tenseigan. What will happen to Tsukihime?!"
As a guardian spirit of the Tenseigan, she could clearly sense that its ownership had changed. The Ōtsutsuki clan's most precious treasure was no longer theirs.
"Who even are you?"
Growing increasingly impatient, Gin gave up trying to contact Hamura and opened his eyes to ask.
"I am the former clan head of the Ōtsutsuki—and Tsukihime's mentor."
Straightening her posture, the old woman tidied her robes and introduced herself with a dignified, commanding voice.
"Ahh, so you're the old clan leader. My bad, my bad~"
Gin gave her a perfunctory nod of respect, which only made her grind her teeth in frustration. But for the Tenseigan's sake, she held back.
Ahem. "The Tenseigan is the sacred treasure of our clan. I respectfully ask you to return it."
From what she'd seen, even this stubborn old lady could tell that Gin was no ordinary outsider—especially those strange white eyes of his. They radiated a power comparable to the Tenseigan. She vaguely recalled a similar description in ancient records, but the details escaped her.
"Sorry, but your clan's getting a little… unhinged. Once you all calm down, maybe then I'll consider returning it."
Give back something that was already in his hands? Yeah, right. Especially when they were planning to ram the moon into Earth using it—he'd rather not be a planetary accomplice.
"What extreme plan? I don't know what you're talking about."
Now it was her turn to be confused. Tsukihime had never mentioned any world-ending plot during her visits.
"Oh come on, drop the act. Your little secret plan? I know all about it."
Gin snorted. She really thought he hadn't figured it out?
"Huh?"
"You're planning to activate the Tenseigan and crash the moon into Earth. Don't deny it!"
If Great-Uncle Hamura hadn't warned him ahead of time, his pure heart might've been swayed by this old actress.
"Nani?!"
The old lady was totally blank. She had heard of a secret plan involving Earth… but it wasn't that one!
Before the awkward silence could stretch further, two shadows rushed into the room.
One curvier figure spotted Gin and called out in surprise.
"Gin-sama?! What are you doing here?"
The newcomers were none other than Byakuya and Tsukihime, who had stopped their battle upon sensing something was wrong with the Tenseigan.
Tsukihime, having lost access to the Tenseigan, had been flown to the artificial moon by Byakuya. In their panic, the two women hadn't even stopped to clean themselves up—hair messy, clothes torn—they rushed straight in.
"Pfft—cough! Didn't think the Ōtsutsuki clan was so open-minded. Thanks for the show~"
Gin turned around just as his name was called. Before he could answer, his eyes fell on the scene before him—and his nose exploded in twin jets of blood.
"Ahhhhhhh!!!" x2
The girls froze. Their expressions blanked for a moment. Then their eyes dropped downward… and saw the shredded scraps barely clinging to their bodies.
Instant panic.
They both screamed, crouched, and clutched their most valuable assets. Their faces went crimson.
"This is so disgraceful…"
Tsukihime, always one to maintain elegance, could hardly bear it. She bit her lip in shame.
"Gin-sama… why are you here?"
Unlike Tsukihime, Byakuya had already given her heart away. After her brief fluster, she stood upright, covering only the essentials, and looked at Gin with curious suspicion.
"Tsukihime, Byakuya—this man stole the Tenseigan!"
The old woman cut in before Gin could reply.
"Shishō… is that true?"
Even Tsukihime forgot her embarrassment and stood up abruptly. Chakra flared around her as her white eyes locked onto Gin with cold suspicion.
"I knew it… you really are that despicable thief!"
"Hmph! A repeat offender, huh? Tsukihime, what else has he stolen from the clan?!"
Her mentor's eyes gleamed as she pressed her.
"He also stole my…"
Tsukihime lifted her chin, but her voice faltered. Her gaze wandered. Her words became hesitant.
"Well? What is it?!"
The old woman urged her forward.
"Phew… thank goodness I had a handkerchief, or I'd have bled out."
Meanwhile, Gin had pulled a bunny-print handkerchief from his bag and was soaking up his nosebleed. As he inhaled the lovely scent, he found himself drawn in.
With a sincere tone, he asked Tsukihime:
"Clan leader-sama, what perfume do you use on this handkerchief? I'd love to buy a few cases."
"AAAHHHHH!!!"
That earnest expression—paired with the little bunny—was too much.
A surge of blood rushed to Tsukihime's head. Her face turned crimson. And with her final shred of reason snapping like a twig, she rolled her eyes and fainted.
"Tsukihime?! Tsukihime?!"
The old woman rushed over. Besides a racing heart, there was nothing physically wrong.
But then a dark suspicion crept into her mind. She looked at Gin's crimson eyes and trembled.
"You monster… you used genjutsu on her, didn't you?! You red-eyed disease-ridden brat!"
Hey hey! You just said I was handsome a minute ago—why the sudden shift?!
Gin rolled his eyes, baffled at being blamed again. He raised a hand, ready to plead his case.
"Former clan head, Gin-sama is not that kind of person."
Byakuya stood up to defend him. Her gaze was soft, sensual, and unwavering.
Gin, already a little guilty, began to sweat.
"You still haven't answered. Why are you here?"
Her stare pierced him for a long while until Gin couldn't take it anymore.
"Uh… if I say I got lost, would you believe me?"
He scratched his head awkwardly.
"I believe you."
Byakuya answered instantly. Her eyes radiated genuine trust.
"Sigh… alright. The truth is, my goal from the start was the Tenseigan."
Gin finally confessed. Since the Tenseigan was already his, there was no reason to hide it anymore.
"So it was all fake?"
Byakuya looked up. Her white eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
"What?"
Gin was caught off guard. What was she referring to?
"What you said to me… before."
Byakuya pressed on. Her voice was quiet, but her gaze was full of pain.
"Oh, that? That was all from the heart!"
Gin quickly reviewed their past conversations. Other than hiding his identity, he hadn't lied to her once.
Reassured, Byakuya raised her head. She glanced at the old woman, her eyes apologetic—then resolute.
Facing her former teacher, she took a deep breath.
"Forgive me, old clan head… but I might be about to defect."
(End of Chapter)
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