Chapter 282: Toneri: It Must Be Kaguya
"Wait a moment. How did those descendants of Ōtsutsuki Hamura on the moon see what was happening in the ninja world? Even if the Byakugan can see far, its range must be limited, right?"
"And in the original future, how did Ōtsutsuki Toneri come to the ninja world?"
"Given the low intelligence caused by their inbreeding, they shouldn't have been able to build a vehicle capable of traveling from the moon to the ninja world, should they?"
"Then we have to consider how Ōtsutsuki Hamura got up there in the first place, and whether he left his descendants a way back."
Senju Tobirama stroked his chin, calmly analyzing the situation.
"According to what Shiromo-samq said, Ōtsutsuki Hamura intended for his descendants to guard the ninja world created by his elder brother. In that case, he must have left them a method to return to the ninja world."
Orochimaru spoke.
"That's right. Based on the intelligence I gathered in the future, Ōtsutsuki Toneri indeed has a teleportation array that allows travel between the moon and the ninja world. Later, after the battle on the moon, the array was destroyed as well."
"As for its location, it's only known to be within the Land of Fire, near the Land of Lightning, in other words, in the northeast, inside an underground cave."
"That place has a special feature. There's a glowing hot spring. If you fall into it, you won't get wet. Beneath the spring is the entrance to a different dimension."
"That place is the transit station between the ninja world and the moon."
Shiromo understood what everyone was thinking.
At present, Ōtsutsuki Toneri posed no threat to the ninja world, but he was ultimately a ticking time bomb.
More importantly, Toneri could overlook the ninja world through the giant Tenseigan.
He had no physical eyes and could not see directly, but he could sense what was happening.
When Toneri was young, his father took him to observe the ninja world and even pointed out Hyūga Hinata to him.
Most of the time, the giant Tenseigan was used to monitor the Hyūga clan. Occasionally, it was used to observe other parts of the ninja world.
It was only because Toneri had no eyes that this was merely called "monitoring." Otherwise, that word could practically be reversed.
Precisely because Toneri could observe the ninja world, any change within it might cause him to arrive earlier than expected.
If he came to the ninja world, there was no need to worry about Hanabi's safety.
The only concern would be the Hyūga clan in Konoha.
Between stationing people to guard the Hyūga clan and stationing people to guard the teleportation array, any normal person would choose the latter.
If they guarded the Hyūga clan, by the time someone was abducted and the news reached them, they would have to give chase.
If they pushed him too far and somehow stimulated his intelligence, he might first dig out Hinata's or Hiashi's eyes to use temporarily, awaken the Tenseigan, and then unleash a Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.
That would not be good.
But if they guarded the teleportation array, the moment Toneri arrived in the ninja world, they would know immediately. They would have ample time to eliminate him before he obtained a Byakugan.
"I understand. I'll have the White Zetsu search for the teleportation array and station a few there to guard it."
"Black Zetsu" instantly understood Shiromo's intentions.
"Mm. Let's proceed like that for now."
Shiromo nodded.
As for why they did not simply go together through the teleportation array to the moon and eliminate Toneri once and for all?
Because that other dimension was somewhat strange.
Various floating spheres drifted inside, capable of reflecting a person's past memories. With the slightest carelessness, one could become lost within them.
Moreover, as the sole heir of Ōtsutsuki Hamura, Toneri should also have authority over the teleportation array.
In short, there was no need to take unnecessary risks.
As for the new ability he had just tested on Hanabi?
To be honest, even Shiromo did not know exactly how much damage it would cause.
He had already reduced its effect to the minimum possible level.
But one thing was certain: Ōtsutsuki Toneri had definitely been affected.
As mentioned before, when Toneri was young, he saw Hyūga Hinata with his father and regarded her as his future wife.
This also showed that at that time, he had already viewed another pure-blooded member of the Hyūga clan as his own eyes.
Since Toneri continuously emitted malice toward Hanabi, he would naturally be struck by the torrent of calamity.
The only uncertainty was how much damage this attack would inflict upon him.
On the moon.
Ōtsutsuki Toneri stood up in confusion within a sea of excrement.
Because there were no decomposers on the moon, the waste of the Ōtsutsuki clan could not break down and could only be stored underground.
Fortunately, the moon was large and deep enough that even a thousand-year septic reservoir would not result in Kaguya, who was sealed inside, being showered in filth.
"What just happened?"
Toneri felt helpless.
Although blind, his perception was extremely powerful.
Yet he had sensed nothing just now.
Had an enemy launched an attack?
Where was the enemy?
Why had there been only a single strike, then nothing?
Judging from the sensation of being hit, it felt as though an arrow had shot upward from a lower diagonal angle, pierced through the latrine, and wounded him.
From the direction of the ninja world?
Impossible.
He did not believe anyone in the ninja world could attack the moon.
Then what was going on?
Could it be…
A terrifying thought suddenly crossed Toneri's mind.
The moon they lived on was not merely a satellite made of rock. Inside it was sealed their ancestor Ōtsutsuki Hamura's mother, the progenitor of chakra, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
That attack just now, which even he could not sense or evade, must have been launched by Ōtsutsuki Kaguya!
Had the seal loosened?
Toneri did not know.
The entire moon was the seal. It could not be that the moon had somehow become less "compact," causing the seal to weaken, could it?
The rain stopped.
Toneri temporarily ceased his thoughts. He swam out of the waste pool, wiped his body clean, and changed into a new set of clothes.
As for his injury, it had already stabilized, meaning it no longer required bleeding to be stopped.
The state of the wound made Toneri even more certain that the attack had come from Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
The wound could not heal at all. It could only stop bleeding.
After confirming that his Demonic Orb was still intact and that he could still carry out his plan to destroy the ninja world and then create a new one with a princess of pure Byakugan, Toneri stopped worrying.
As for the broken iron rod, and the half of his nose and hair that had been sliced off, it did not matter.
If they would not recover, then so be it.
Still concerned that Kaguya's seal might have loosened, Toneri considered for a moment, returned to the original spot, and dove headfirst into the septic pool, beginning to swim downward.
He intended to check the very bottom.
The interior space of the moon was vast. The Ōtsutsuki clan's waste obstructed his perception, so Toneri could only investigate slowly.
During this time, the White Zetsu found the location.
The teleportation array was still there and appeared to be fully functional.
According to plan, four White Zetsu were stationed there. The moment anything unusual was discovered, they would immediately inform Shiromo.
However, at this moment, Shiromo had a new idea.
Thus, he went to the hot spring.
(End of this chapter)