Land of Hot Water.
Inside a narrow mountain cave, the unconscious bodies of Guy and Kakashi lay side by side on the ground. Hyuga Kagami sat alone against the wall while Shisui was the only one bustling around the campfire.
Stirring the small pot over the flames, Shisui quietly said, "Senpai, the soup is almost ready."
Hyuga Kagami gave a slight nod. He was genuinely hungry now.
Though he still had plenty of military rations left, their taste was barely tolerable. Given the option, he'd far prefer a bowl of fresh fish soup.
Soon enough, Shisui handed him a steaming bowl of soup.
Taking the bowl, Kagami sipped the broth while glancing at the still-unconscious Guy and Kakashi.
Ironically, although Kagami and Shisui had been responsible for covering the retreat, it was Guy and Kakashi—who were the first to withdraw—who ended up with the worst injuries.
Guy, pursued by numerous Cloud ninja, had been forced to open several of the Eight Gates.
The Eight Gates Technique, a forbidden jutsu, was a double-edged sword. While it severely injured the enemy, it also inflicted serious damage on the user. Though Guy had successfully repelled his pursuers, his body, overwhelmed by strain, had collapsed into a coma.
Kakashi's situation was more complicated. In addition to his external injuries and massive blood loss, there appeared to be another, unexplained cause for his unconsciousness—one Kagami hadn't yet figured out.
Then again, he didn't have the energy to investigate it further. He had plenty of problems of his own.
*Crack!*
Kagami's brow suddenly furrowed, and the bowl in his hand shattered on the ground.
Alarmed, Shisui asked, "Senpai, what's wrong?"
Kagami shook his head, his expression dark. "Nothing."
After brushing off Shisui's concern, he turned his gaze toward the cave entrance.
Outside, the night sky sparkled with stars, as luminous as scattered diamonds. The moonlight was bright yet gentle, bathing the landscape in a dreamlike serenity.
Gazing at the celestial beauty, Kagami sighed inwardly. "Tch... Looks like I've alerted them after all."
Just moments ago, another pulse of the giant Tenseigan's chakra had swept past him. If he hadn't been so familiar with that specific signature, he might not have even noticed it.
Shisui, standing just beside him, hadn't reacted at all—utterly oblivious.
It confirmed Kagami's suspicion: the chakra sensing technique of the moon's Tenseigan was not only sophisticated but incredibly stealthy. Unless one was deeply attuned to the Tenseigan's energy, even a Mangekyo Sharingan user wouldn't notice it.
"That makes the seventh time in just a few days. Why haven't they given up yet? So I used a bit of their chakra—was it really worth all this relentless pursuit?"
Frustration flared in Kagami's chest. Still, he understood that the remaining descendants of the Otsutsuki clan on the moon were all from the radical branch family.
They had twisted Hamura Otsutsuki's original vision, believing the world of ninjas created by the Sage of Six Paths was a complete failure. They were obsessed with wiping out the Shinobi world and starting anew.
If such extremists discovered his existence, Kagami knew the consequences could be dire.
More than anyone, he understood the colossal power of the giant Tenseigan. It was a divine artifact in every sense, the supreme treasure of Hamura's bloodline.
The Otsutsuki on the moon could wield its power freely. Kagami, on the other hand, could only barely resonate with it in moments of extreme danger.
Should a conflict arise, Kagami would be forced to face a power that surpassed his own in both quality and quantity. The outcome would be obvious.
In a way, he was even grateful.
Due to his chakra depletion, his Tenseigan had temporarily regressed into a Byakugan and entered a dormant state. Without that, he doubted he could've escaped detection from the Tenseigan's multiple scans.
---
On the Moon.
*Hack, cough...*
After a fit of violent coughing, the eldest elder of the Otsutsuki slowly lowered his hands, having just canceled a jutsu.
The second elder's brow furrowed deeply. "Still nothing?"
The eldest elder caught his breath before replying, "No. Aside from the nine forbidden zones on Earth, there have been no other anomalies."
In truth, the moon's Otsutsuki had long since considered destroying the Shinobi world.
However, during their scans via the Tenseigan, they discovered many mysterious regions on Earth even they didn't fully understand—places they termed "Forbidden Zones."
Some were protected by bizarre natural energies. Others were cloaked in alien forces. A few radiated dark, unholy power.
Because of these uncertainties, they had hesitated to act.
Now, only a handful of the moon's Otsutsuki remained. Besides the three elders, their only remaining kin was a three-year-old child named Toneri.
With such limited strength, they lacked the means to annihilate the Shinobi world. No matter how radical their ideals, they had no choice but to wait—either for the right opportunity or for Toneri to grow up.
The third elder asked, "What about the Gedo Statue? Any trace of it?"
Years ago, they had sensed the Gedo Statue briefly but lost contact shortly after, failing to pinpoint its location.
The eldest elder shook his head again.
Infuriated, the second elder stood up from his cushion. "So we're just going to sit here and do nothing?!"
The eldest elder replied with a calm but firm voice, "We are old. We no longer possess the power to fulfill our ancestors' will. That duty now falls to Toneri. He is the most gifted child of our bloodline. He will succeed where we could not."
The third elder cautiously suggested, "Perhaps... we could contact the Hyuga clan. After all, they share our lineage."
The eldest elder snorted. "No. They are fallen. They no longer deserve the Otsutsuki bloodline. Let them perish with the failure of a world the Sage of Six Paths created."
The third elder wanted to argue. If they destroyed everything, wouldn't the few remaining Otsutsuki be doomed to extinction as well?
But seeing the eldest elder's resolute expression, he held his tongue.
After all, deep down, he also believed that the Hyuga on Earth were unworthy of being compared to the pure-blooded Otsutsuki who still remained on the moon...