Mirai's cheeks turned a little red.
He immediately realized that if it were his second brother Mitaka, who was adept at political maneuvering, he probably would have deduced the entire truth from the subtle clues long ago.
In the end, he was still too naive.
Gento did not embarrass him further, briefly explaining that the Raikage was already controlled by his Kotoamatsukami.
He then broke down the Uchiha's plan to "usurp their place" step by step, following Mirai's account.
"This matter actually doesn't count as some highly brilliant conspiracy."
"There will certainly be clever people who suspect that the Raikage's sudden madness is related to the Uchiha's genjutsu, or even associate it with us pulling the strings in the background."
"But so what? We not only have military force, but also benefits."
"The nobles of the Land of Lightning need someone who can stabilize the situation, and the Uchiha just happen to provide the security and order they require."
"Having both the fist and the sweet treat; combining the two is how we can steadily take down the Land of Lightning."
He paused, then said:
"As for that young son of the Land of Lightning's Feudal Lord, willingly giving up his position makes him a clever person as well."
"Those who understand the times are wise. At least he can keep his life and live the rest of his days without worrying about food and clothing."
Mirai nodded thoughtfully.
In his past life, he only saw the results of what his father was saying, never deeply reflecting on the process.
Hearing it now, it turned out that every step hid a profound mystery, and every step had a backup plan.
At this moment, Mabui presented the drafted scroll.
Gento took it, read it carefully from beginning to end, and frowned slightly.
He pondered for a moment, a cold light flashing in his eyes.
"Even if we take the Land of Lightning, the Crescent Island is still in between. It is ultimately imperfect."
"Since we are acting, we might as well do it in one step. Have the Raikage resolve the Feudal Lord of the Crescent Island as well."
Mabui's heart jolted, yet her face showed no fluctuation whatsoever; she merely nodded in agreement and immediately added the name of the Crescent Island to the scroll.
Subsequently, the blue light of the Heavenly Transfer Technique flashed, and the scroll vanished into thin air.
With a single sentence, Gento had decided the fate of nearly a hundred lives among the upper echelon of the Crescent Island.
The matter on the Land of Lightning's side still needed some time to ferment.
Gento immediately cast his gaze toward another pressing matter.
"Next is the matter of the Divine Tree."
"For the Divine Tree to bear fruit, it requires sacrificing an Otsutsuki."
Mirai nodded:
"That's what Black Zetsu said."
"And we still have to wait twenty years for the next Otsutsuki to descend."
"Unless we can find an existing Otsutsuki, bearing fruit for the Divine Tree will remain a distant hope."
Gento shook his head upon hearing this:
"The current shinobi world is not without Otsutsuki."
Mirai's eyes suddenly shot wide.
Gento held up three fingers:
"To my knowledge, there are currently three Otsutsuki in the shinobi world."
"The first, Kaguya Otsutsuki, was sealed on the moon by the Sage of Six Paths and cannot move for now."
"The second, Isshiki Otsutsuki."
"Back then, as Kaguya's partner, he was sneak-attacked to be sacrificed but escaped with his life."
"Now, he is hidden in some corner of the shinobi world, and searching for him would take too much time."
"As for the third..."
"That is Toneri Otsutsuki."
"Toneri?"
Mirai tried hard to recall the memories of his past life, but could not find this name.
Gento continued to explain:
"He is a descendant of Hamura Otsutsuki, the brother of the Sage of Six Paths."
"Back then, to suppress the seal on the moon, Hamura personally led his clan to settle on the moon."
"Over the years, the clan members continuously intermarried, causing their numbers to dwindle rapidly. By now, there are probably only a few elderly and infirm left."
"And Toneri should have the highest bloodline purity among them. He should be qualified to be sacrificed to the Divine Tree."
Mirai sucked in a cold breath:
"Father, you're going to... go to the moon?"
"Let's go."
Gento stood up, formed a hand seal with a single hand, and used the Flying Thunder God to disappear from the study along with Mirai.
...
After some searching, Gento brought Mirai to a remote mountain in the Land of Fire.
A massive lake was embedded in the valley like a mirror.
Looking at this familiar lake surface, Gento did not hesitate, immediately diving to the bottom of the lake with Mirai.
Passing through a rocky crevice hidden behind a curtain of water, they indeed found an ancient sealing array.
That was a space-time passageway left behind by Hamura Otsutsuki's clan.
Gento immediately infused his own chakra.
The moment the chakra was infused, space distorted, and the father and son were sucked into the pitch-black tunnel.
After an unknown amount of time, their vision suddenly opened up.
The sky was grayish-white, with no clouds and no sun, only a faint halo enveloping the earth.
The ground was full of desolate rocks and giant craters, with no trees, no flowers or grass, and not even any wind.
This was the interior of the moon, the habitat of Hamura's descendants.
Gento had barely stood firm when several figures flew over from a distance.
Their speed was incredibly fast, their bodies light as swallows, landing in front of Gento in the blink of an eye.
Leading them were several elderly men.
They wore ancient white robes, their faces aged.
Most eye-catching of all were their eyes; all Byakugan, with a silvery light gleaming in their pupils.
"Who goes there!"
A white-haired elder barked sharply, his voice carrying vigilance and hostility.
Gento did not put on airs and directly activated the Rinnegan.
The pale purple concentric circles immediately radiated immense pressure.
The faces of the elders suddenly changed drastically.
Some retreated half a step, some instinctively formed defensive hand seals, and others opened their mouths wide, unable to close them for a long time.
"The Rin... Rinnegan!"
An elder cried out in disbelief.
"How do you possess the Rinnegan!"
"Who on earth are you?"
Another elder forced himself to stay calm, but his voice was trembling.
"The territory of Hamura's clan does not tolerate intrusion by outsiders!"
Gento's gaze bypassed them, falling on a young boy behind them.
The boy was about twelve or thirteen years old, wearing white robes, his silver-white hair curly, his features delicate yet carrying a hint of innocence.
He was hiding behind a middle-aged man, poking half his head out, looking at Gento with curiosity and vigilance.
Those eyes were crystal clear, also Byakugan, yet far brighter than those of the surrounding elders.
It was indeed Toneri Otsutsuki.
"I am here to take him away."
Gento raised his hand, pointing at Toneri.
The faces of the elders turned ashen at once.
The middle-aged man guarding Toneri immediately stepped forward, blocking the child behind him, his voice filled with anger:
"In your dreams! Toneri is Lord Hamura's bloodline, the last hope of our clan! On what grounds do you think you can take him away!"
Gento had no enmity or hatred toward them, and it could even be said they were all innocent; albeit when it concerned the survival of the entire shinobi world and his own safety, Gento naturally would not show any mercy.
He immediately said coldly:
"By strength!"
The elder's pupils contracted, and he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.
He raised his hand, a ball of pale blue chakra condensing in his palm:
"Young man, do you know what you are doing?"
"The seal left behind by Lord Hamura protects the peace of the entire moon and even the shinobi world."
"If you harm Toneri, you will make an enemy of the entire shinobi world!"
The other elders also spoke up one after another.
Some invoked Hamura's name, some spoke of ancient prophecies, and others acted mysteriously, saying things like, "You have stepped into sacred grounds; if you do not leave now, you will surely face divine retribution."
Fierce in appearance but weak inside, empty bravado.
Gento, however, had no patience left to listen to their rambling.
With a wave of his hand, the Rinnegan's ocular power erupted, and invisible repulsive force swept the elders blocking the front aside.
Several of them stumbled to the ground in utter embarrassment.
"You have gone far too long without experiencing real combat."
Gento shook his head.
These descendants of Hamura, although inheriting the Byakugan, had not fought anyone for hundreds of years.
Their combat experience was practically zero; their movements were stiff and reactions sluggish, incomparable to the battle-hardened shinobi of the shinobi world.
The elders grit their teeth and scrambled back up, still wanting to block him.
The middle-aged man barked:
"Toneri, run!"
He then led the remaining clansmen to block Gento desperately.
Toneri turned and ran.
Gento didn't even look, easily subduing the blocking individuals within a few moves.
Right after, his figure flashed, directly giving chase to Toneri.
On the other side, Toneri ran fast, but in the end, he was just an inexperienced child. How could he outrun Gento?
Seeing that Gento was about to grab hold of Toneri.
Right at that moment, a phantom figure materialized out of thin air, blocking Gento's path.
It was the phantom of an old man, with white hair and a white beard, horns growing from his head, wearing a white robe and holding a Buddhist staff.
His body was translucent, as if a gust of wind could blow him away.
At the same time, those eyes were deep as an abyss, possessing the same Rinnegan as Gento.
---
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