Tsuru had already obtained the location of Ōtsutsuki Hamura's gathering place.
At this point in time, Hamura's descendants had not yet split.
Though cracks were already forming due to conflicting ideologies.
The moon was vast.
The only inhabitants were the Ōtsutsuki clan members who had migrated with Hamura.
Despite centuries of reproduction, their birth rate remained astonishingly low.
They had built only a single city on this lunar soil.
Though sparsely populated and eerily empty, the city was uniquely constructed.
It looked exactly like a medieval European vampire castle from his past life.
The streets were practically deserted. Tsuru and his group stood out starkly as they walked.
"Why is there no one here?" Naruto asked, puzzled.
If there was a city, there should be people!
"Let's find an inn first, gather information," Hiashi suggested.
Tsuru: "…"
He really was treating the moon like Earth.
Where would they find an inn?
"There are no inns here," Tsuru said.
Hiashi's expression turned slightly awkward.
"What do we do then?" Hiashi asked, trying to divert attention from his gaffe.
Tsuru walked towards one of the small houses lining the street.
He chose one that showed signs of habitation and knocked.
"Hello? Anyone home?"
Hiashi: "…"
Someone was clearly inside, but there was no response.
Tsuru frowned.
This wasn't right.
Were the moon-dwellers this reclusive?
"Hello?" Hinata stepped beside Tsuru, her soft, milky voice tinged with helplessness. "It's so cold outside. May we come in?"
A long moment passed. Then, Tsuru heard footsteps inside.
The door opened before him.
A young man in a white robe pushed it open. His eyes were Byakugan, just like Hinata's.
His gaze slid right past Tsuru, locking onto Hinata.
"Come in," the man said to her.
Tsuru was completely ignored. "…"
Seriously, dude? That blatant?
"Hello," Tsuru said, stopping the door from closing with his hand. "Could we perhaps rest here for the night?"
The man's pale eyebrows furrowed. He applied hidden strength.
The door didn't budge.
He looked at Tsuru with surprise. His gaze swept over Tsuru, then to the others standing in the street. He saw the Byakugan of Hiashi and Hizashi. Finally, he nodded.
They were in.
Tsuru took in the surroundings. Unlike the eerie exterior, the inside was surprisingly cozy.
They sat politely by the hearth, their gazes fixed on their host—Akiyama.
For a moment, the roles of guest and host seemed reversed.
Akiyama grew inexplicably nervous. "Who are you? Why are you running around the streets?"
The "running around" group: "…"
"We're here to trav—" Naruto began enthusiastically, only to be muffled by Hanzo's hand.
"What?" Akiyama didn't catch it.
Tsuru cleared his throat, changing the subject. "I'm Tsuru. What's your name?"
"I'm Akiyama. Why are you outside at this hour?" Akiyama looked at Neji and Hinata, his eyes accusing. "They're just children."
"?"
Tsuru's eyes flickered. He offered a bitter smile. "What choice do we have?"
His words were vague.
Yet Akiyama seemed to understand. He sighed softly. "I have some food left. You can have it." He turned towards the kitchen.
Tsuru exchanged a look with Hiashi.
Hiashi spoke up immediately. "Wait! If you give it to us, what will you eat?"
Akiyama paused, looking at him with concern. "You don't know the time for the exchange market?"
Hizashi covered for them. "We've been… occupied."
Akiyama didn't press. He thought for a moment. "There's a market tomorrow. I'll take you."
Hiashi and Hizashi nodded quickly.
Tsuru watched Akiyama. His vision seemed to pierce through flesh, peeling back layer after layer of information.
Rebellion.
Split.
Restrictions.
Massacre.
These words repeated in the information flowing into Tsuru's mind.
He could guess now.
Why a whole city could be this deathly quiet.
So, the seeds of schism were already sprouting?
In the anime, by the time of Ōtsutsuki Toneri, the clan members of differing wills had already been purged.
That wasn't a short process.
Meaning… this split was starting now.
Driven by different interpretations of their ancestor Hamura's will, the militant branch family would gradually exterminate the peace-seeking main family. The sole survivor, Toneri, would fulfill the branch's dream: evolve the Tenseigan and destroy Earth.
Only to be stopped by Naruto later.
So, tensions were high. Was war about to ignite on the moon?
Akiyama arranged rooms for them.
Once Akiyama was asleep, Tsuru shared the intelligence with the others.
Hiashi and Hizashi exchanged a look of dismay.
They hadn't expected the main and branch families on the moon to reach the point of war.
Though the reasons for this conflict were different, the situation still struck a chord with them. They couldn't help but feel a sense of relief that they had abolished their own clan's rigid system.
Early next morning.
The sky was still dark.
Stars still hung in the night.
There was no daylight on the moon.
"Naruto, time to get up." Hanzo pulled the blanket off.
"Not yet… it's still dark…" Naruto mumbled, curled up on the bed.
"We're on the moon," Hanzo reminded him.
The next second, Naruto shot up.
Wide awake. Sleepiness was replaced by excitement. "Right! We're on the moon!"
He scrambled through his morning routine and rushed to the living room to join the others.
"Good morning, Naruto-kun," Hinata said softly.
"Morning, Hinata!" Naruto shouted back, full of energy.
Hinata's face grew redder.
"Come. Stay close." Akiyama retrieved several black cloaks from a wardrobe and handed them out. "Put these on."
Having been briefed the night before, the group put them on without hesitation.
Tsuru followed Akiyama out the door.
They moved swiftly through the silent streets, tension in their steps. Akiyama led them into a narrow underground passage.
Dim lighting made the staircase feel less claustrophobic.
They walked for what felt like a long time. Then—noise. A cacophony of sound flooded their ears.
Before them opened a large plaza.
Crowds gathered.
Stalls displayed various goods and food.
In the center, a man stood atop a pile of tables, giving a passionate speech.
Tsuru fell silent.
This scene was… damn familiar.
"Find what you need yourselves," Akiyama instructed. "Remember. Don't speak."
In the current climate, words were dangerous.
Tsuru nodded. "Understood."
Akiyama gave them one last look and melted into the crowd towards his own destination.
"Lord Hokage." Hiashi and the others gathered close. "What's the plan?"
Tsuru looked around with interest. "Since we're here, let's look around. Seems lively enough!"
Hizashi: "…"
Hiashi: "…"
Orochimaru agreed. He was the first to slip into the throng.
Naruto agreed too. He followed right behind Orochimaru.
Tsuru: "…"
He glanced at Hanzo.
Hanzo nodded and tailed Naruto.
Hiashi and Hizashi, less carefree, stayed by Tsuru's side. In this unfamiliar place, sticking close to the Hokage felt safest.
Unlike the Hyūga, the lunar Ōtsutsuki had no Caged Bird seal.
Tsuru couldn't tell who belonged to the main or branch family here.
But judging by the harmonious atmosphere…
This was probably the main family gathering.
If it were the branch, the mood would be several degrees heavier.
"Your eyes are so pretty."
The person speaking to Tsuru was a little girl with Byakugan.
She wore a white dress, squatting on the ground, her eyes filled with wonder.
Tsuru blinked, then smiled. "Your eyes are lovely too."
Every Ōtsutsuki on the moon possessed the Byakugan.
Tsuru, Orochimaru, Hanzo, and Naruto—they were the odd ones out.
That's why Akiyama had been reluctant to open the door for Tsuru, but did so for Hinata.
"Why are your eyes blue?" the girl asked. It was her first time seeing eyes of that color.
"I was sick. My eyes changed color," Tsuru lied.
Pity welled in the girl's eyes. "That's a shame." Then she added, "But they're still very pretty." Much prettier than her own eyes, she thought.
If she could, she'd trade these eyes away.
Then no one would covet them.
Her parents had been killed by branch family members. Their eyes taken.
People told her that would be her fate too, someday.
The girl's mood visibly dipped.
But Tsuru had already moved on.
Lunar technology was surprisingly advanced.
Probably because people here had too much time on their hands.
Their research leaned towards entertainment and practicality.
Case in point—puppet automata.
Not powered by electricity, but by chakra.
This successfully piqued Tsuru's interest.
"Not bad, not bad."
The moon could become his tech base.
His mind raced with possibilities.
Hiashi and Hizashi trailed behind him, vigilant. They didn't share the Hokage's leisurely mindset, constantly scanning their surroundings.
"Ah—!"
A sharp scream shattered the market's cheerful atmosphere.
Tsuru's finger, which had been poking a small puppet, froze.
That voice was familiar. The girl from the stall who liked his eyes.
His gaze pierced through the crowd.
He saw it clearly.
Two men, dressed in robes identical to Toneri's future attire, had grabbed the girl by her hair.
"Found you hiding here," one said, his voice ice-cold, dripping with mockery.
Bystanders stirred. Some moved to help, but were held back by others.
"Are you insane?"
"They only take the eyes of some people."
From these whispers, Tsuru understood why the main family couldn't unite.
Everyone thought the fire wouldn't reach them.
They naively believed the branch family only needed some of their eyes.
So they comforted themselves, over and over.
Until their neighbors fell one by one, and they were the last to realize—they were frogs in slowly boiling water.
Like now. Many were furious. But none stepped forward.
They thought: stand by, maybe live. Step up, definitely die.
The reality was, they were all going to die anyway.
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