By the time she arrived on the Moon, it was already the next day's dawn. My circulation feels off… Kita thought as her chakra stirred restlessly within her. Swallowing the last three pills she had brought along atop the clay bird, she gradually restored the balance in her body. By the time the bird descended to the castle, her pale face had regained its healthy flush. She gracefully leapt down, walking confidently toward the castle's interior, greeted by the female puppet she had first met on arrival.
"Welcome, Kita-sama."
The puppet's voice was stiff and mechanical. Kita gave a slight nod, offering no reply. Judging from the time, it was about nine in the morning. Too late to call it early, too early to call it mid-morning. Kita was uncertain what Shion was doing. After asking carefully, she received a response from the puppet.
"The master is washing up and preparing breakfast."
Getting up at nine was probably normal for a twelve-year-old. Still, the other kids—at least those at Orochimaru's base—followed ninja routines: waking at six, sleeping by twelve. The Moon's environment was far more relaxed.
"I-I have… Byakugan… tell… tell him to put it on."
Almost immediately, Shion burst from the bedroom, hair slightly soapy, shoes forgotten, calling out as he ran.
"Big Sister Kita! You have eyes!!!"
"Yes."
Kita replied calmly, setting down her knife and fork. From her scroll, she removed the Byakugan, soaked in medicinal liquid, placing it gently in Shion's palm. "W-want… me to help?"
Shion's hands trembled as he touched the glass container. "I can feel it… such purity. Only the main family has this. Is it theirs?"
"Ah… the Hyūga head."
"Is he dead?"
"N-no… just… took… the eyes."
Shion paused, calming down, eyebrows furrowed in thought over something complex. Kita frowned, puzzled. "W-what is it?"
"Then the Hyūga head can't see anymore, right?"
"You… feel… guilty?"
Shion nodded awkwardly, loosening his grip on the container as though trying to convince himself to let go. Kita could see his struggle: the slight tremor of his hands, the paleness of his face, the tightly shut eyes, the subtle quiver of his long lashes—small, yet noticeable.
Not much time passed, just enough for Kita to finish the bread and milk prepared by the female puppet.
Shion set the container down on the table.
"Forget it. Big Sister Kita, you should go back. I've gotten used to it. Seeing or not seeing… it doesn't matter."
For a blind person, giving up even a glimmer of light isn't easy. Kita understood that feeling. Like me, who couldn't speak for so long… once I could, I never wanted to return to silence, even if I stuttered and sounded foolish.
Just as Shion wanted to see light.
"Besides, even without the eyes, I can sense it. So… it doesn't matter." Shion said stubbornly. He tried to look indifferent, but the forced expression was awkward, almost ugly.
"Y-you don't really want… to see the world?"
"What's there to see? The sky is blue, the earth is green. I don't care."
Shion had known only darkness since birth. He had never seen blue's vastness or green's softness. His world consisted solely of darkness and faint chakra fluctuations. Massive spatial rifts were just a series of chakra gaps, and the golden wheel's power in his mind was an enormous energy mass. Bread to him was only square, water only flowing liquid. He didn't know purity or the lushness of the Moon.
"My father has told me dozens of times. I've memorized it. Nothing interesting. And my eyes aren't good, but I can sense wind within a hundred-mile radius. Cool, right? Only I can do it~ Hehe~"
Shion amused himself. Kita smiled, gently ruffling the boy's silver hair.
"Byakugan… it's a kekkei genkai. The main family keeps reserves. Even if one pair is missing… they'll replace it with another."
Shion froze mid-motion, the playful smile vanishing.
"Obito… he… has lots of Sharingan… don't worry."
"Really?"
"Re-really."
"Then… I'll use it for a while, and… and then return it." Shion stammered again, reaching for the container and holding it. His cheeks flushed, guilt evident for his greed. Kita smiled, ruffling his hair. "W-want… me to help?"
"No, no. The puppet can do it. Big Sister Kita, do something else?"
"W-what?"
"If I replace the eyes, I'll need a week to recover. You… watch this place for me. If any new cracks appear, fix them, okay?"
"H-how do I fix them?"
"I'll get the scroll for you." Shion ran off to retrieve it. Kita smiled, pouring tea prepared by the puppet, preparing to watch over him for a week—manageable.
Creating chakra spheres to repair cracks wasn't hard. The scroll explained the principles clearly. Though chakra control was precise, it was easy for her. Taking over Shion's task, Kita understood why the branch family had considered destroying the lower area—the occasional cracks were maddening.
Obito had done this when he arrived, and the female puppet had explained that Shion was recovering, so Kita came directly here, near the artificial sun.
"Was looking for you… but you came here instead." Obito, sitting on the metal steps, watched as orange-yellow chakra covered a fine crack. "How do you do it? I'll help."
Kita handed over the empty scroll. "Ch-chakra… c-control… precise."
"Hmm, got it." Obito tried forming a sphere—it exploded. Before he could speak, Kita asked:
"H-how are… they? Nagato asked… what?"
"Nothing. I had a mission… False Valley?" Obito asked. Kita paused, surprised. "You went?"
Obito nodded. "Yeah. By the time I went to support, they were finishing up."
"N-no one… got hurt?"
"Kisame and Kakuzu got minor injuries. Itachi overused his eyes. Hidan and others fine. I just cleaned up the leftovers."
"T-too chaotic… many enemies… Konan unharmed?"
Obito shook his head. "She couldn't hurt anyone. That valley… blown up completely. If Kakuzu hadn't escaped fast, she'd have obliterated him. Supposed to be low-profile? Ha! The client almost peed their pants."
Obito's hands gestured wildly. Kita laughed, setting down her work and sitting on the metal steps, taking a sip of water.
"Nagato… sending Konan, not Deidara. Konan's attacks indiscriminate. Deidara's more precise." Obito said resignedly. Kita looked at the golden wheel eyes opposite her. "How many…?"
"Roughly ten thousand."
"Half… the valley?"
"Mm, about."
"She's… gotten stronger." Kita said with satisfaction. Konan's ability to convert paper into instant explosives was formidable. Controlling more made her even deadlier—destroying half the valley with under ten thousand explosives. Commercial ones would require thirty or forty thousand.
"Yeah, Nagato said Konan's power is growing." Obito turned to her, smiling. "Maybe now she's no match for you."
Kita's eyes narrowed with a smile.
"I… have never… beaten her. She's… really… strong." She turned to Obito. "Does she… still… not speak to you?"
Obito shrugged. "First time she's been this stubborn."
"Sorry." Kita's apology was sincere. After Obito had delivered news of her death, Konan had never spoken or smiled again.
Obito waved off her concern. "Never mind. Did you go to Konoha?"
Kita nodded. "S-stole… Hyuga Hizashi's eyes."
Obito nodded. "Next time, take me with you to dangerous places. If they catch you, you're done, got it?"
Kita smiled. "Encountered Itachi… n-no problem."
"Oh. I heard he warned Danzo at Konoha. Just be careful, don't get spotted."
She nodded, thinking of Jiraiya afterward, saying simply, "Jiraiya… sensed me… but didn't… see my face."
"Imagine if Jiraiya caught you! You should've called me. Konoha is one of the Five Great Nations, and its defenses are strong." Obito chided. Kita smiled, resigned. Even Konoha's infiltration felt effortless to Akatsuki standards. Only Jiraiya, the pinnacle of the ninja world, made assassinations risky.
She patted Obito's shoulder. "Promise… with Itachi… n-not to kill… Konoha people."
Obito blushed, mumbling, "I didn't mean that."
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