The moon where the Ōtsutsuki clan now resided was not an ordinary celestial body—it had been formed by Hamura and Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki using the Six Paths: Planetary Devastation (Rikudō: Chibaku Tensei).
In truth, the entire moon was one colossal seal, designed to imprison Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
Kaguya's power was overwhelming, but Planetary Devastation had been created specifically as the ultimate sealing technique against her. Even she, the most formidable of the Ōtsutsuki, could do nothing but remain trapped.
Late at night, a small figure darted across the darkness at high speed. Soon, he stopped in front of a shrine—Ōtsutsuki Toneri.
The Ōtsutsuki Shrine was the holiest place of the clan. Every ritual or ceremonial observance took place here.
Yet, it was also the entrance to Kaguya's seal.
Toneri walked slowly into the shrine. There was no guard; this was a public place, frequently visited by clan members for worship.
The shrine's interior was spacious and quiet. Toneri's gaze turned to the center, where a statue of Hamura Ōtsutsuki stood.
"How ironic," Toneri murmured, a smirk curling on his lips. "A son, yet he sealed his own mother. Even in death, does he still suppress the place she resides?"
Toneri harbored little fondness for Hamura and Hagoromo. The Ōtsutsuki branch family's fanaticism and extremes were frustrating, yet he had to admit one point: the so-called method of "heart-to-heart peace" left behind by the Sage of the Six Paths was utterly naïve.
History spoke for itself. Look at the endless wars that had ravaged the shinobi world for decades.
Toneri stepped forward a few paces and raised his left hand. The blood-red Rinnegan in his palm emitted a strange, crimson glow.
An invisible force nudged Hamura's statue slightly aside, revealing the sealing array beneath it.
"Though I am still unfamiliar with the Rinnegan's full applications, with coordinates, I can manage a crude movement." Toneri leapt onto the altar, studying the intricate seal carefully.
Though still a child, Toneri's Ōtsutsuki blood granted him chakra far beyond ordinary limits. Yet the Rinnegan's spatial manipulation demanded immense reserves.
He extended his left hand, the Rinnegan sensing the seal's spatial coordinates. A vortex slowly enveloped Toneri, drawing him into a dark, boundless space.
Inside this black void, Toneri's small form appeared.
"So this is the sealed space of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki?" he whispered, noting the position of the sealing array before stepping forward cautiously.
The entire space was pitch-black, silent, and oppressive.
A sense of gloom crept into Toneri's mind. The place was too quiet, lifeless. How could anyone remain sane after spending time here?
"Where is Kaguya? She should be within this seal… or is there another layer somewhere?" Toneri paused after walking for a long while.
There was no sign of life, not even the faintest presence. He began to suspect an even deeper layer of sealing.
At that moment, a voice floated through the space—clear, ethereal, as if both beside him and infinitely far away:
"Is this… a descendant of Hamura?"
A surge of instinctual danger coursed through Toneri, hairs standing on end. He became as alert as a cornered beast, scanning the void. No one. Nothing.
Finally, he lifted his head, aiming the Rinnegan in his left hand toward the sky.
There she was—a figure seemingly divine.
Snow-white hair flowed past her feet. She wore a white kimono with orange accents, tied at the waist with a crimson sash.
Her face was exquisitely delicate, flawless, her Byakugan pure and untainted—but the nine-tomoe Rinne Sharingan on her forehead and the rabbit-like horns atop her head were absent from sight.
She floated silently, gazing down at Toneri with her head slightly bowed. Her presence emitted no chakra, no threat, no movement—appearing human, yet her aura was unmistakably extraordinary.
It was not mere beauty or elegance—it was divinity itself.
There was no mistaking it. Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was, in this world, a god incarnate.
"You… are a descendant of Hamura?" Kaguya slowly descended, landing before Toneri, tilting her head slightly.
Her voice was unique—husky, magnetic, cold, and devoid of apparent emotion.
"Ōtsutsuki Toneri, greetings, Grandmother!" Toneri steadied himself, smiling despite his closed eyes.
His eyes were closed because he had none to open.
"You recognize me? Toneri? Hamura did have a worthy descendant… and your Rinnegan?"
Kaguya's gaze swept over him, finally focusing on the blood-red Rinnegan in his left hand.
Her brows furrowed slightly. That Rinnegan reminded her of certain loathsome individuals.
"I have learned something of your deeds, Grandmother, though the clan's records say nothing," Toneri said calmly.
The truth was, the present Ōtsutsuki clan had long forgotten Kaguya. Hamura and Hagoromo had intentionally erased her existence from memory.
Kaguya had become immortal; death could not touch her, only sealing could contain her.
But no matter how strong a seal, it always carried the potential to be undone.
So Hamura and Hagoromo had obscured her existence, ensuring future generations would forget the legendary Rabbit Goddess.
Toneri held up the crimson Rinnegan in his palm. "This Rinnegan awakened suddenly three years ago. Grandmother, is there a problem?"