Otsutsuki Nobuto looked at his son and decided that, in a few years, he would descend to the ninja world and choose a wife for Toneri from the Hyuga clan.
It was all for the continuation of the Otsutsuki bloodline.
At the same time, they also needed to find a Hyuga with a highly pure Byakugan, transplant a pair into Toneri, and restore his sight.
Then, using the power of the Tenseigan, they would guide the moon itself to destroy the chaotic ninja world and rebuild it into a peaceful one.
Boom!
The gates of the Otsutsuki palace were blown apart by a tremendous crash, startling baby Toneri into tears.
Nobuto turned sharply toward the entrance with a furious look, immediately directing a large number of Otsutsuki puppets to surge forward and annihilate the intruder.
[Shinra Tensei!]
A massive repulsive force erupted outward, instantly flinging the Otsutsuki puppets through the air and scattering them in every direction.
"Three descendants of the branch family, all carrying Hamura Otsutsuki's bloodline."
Brook floated into the Otsutsuki palace and calmly looked at the family of three.
More than ten years later, only Toneri would remain. That meant this couple truly did not live long.
"Rinnegan?! You're one of Hagoromo Otsutsuki's descendants!"
Nobuto's expression changed violently the moment he saw Brook's eyes. He instantly abandoned his wife, seized his son, and fled in desperation while still commanding the Otsutsuki puppets to delay the enemy.
This Rinnegan wielder had clearly come with malicious intent.
He had to reach Hamura's shrine on the outer moon island, where the giant Tenseigan was enshrined. Only the Tenseigan's power could contend with the Rinnegan.
With just his Byakugan, he had no chance at all against such an enemy.
[Limbo: Border Jail!]
Brook chuckled. Four invisible shadows burst forth from his Rinnegan, while his own eyes shifted into the Kamui Mangekyo Sharingan. His figure vanished from the spot, leaving the puppets attacking empty air.
"Do you think you can escape?"
[Soul Extraction: New God of the Northern Underworld!]
Brook appeared directly in front of Nobuto and his son, clapped his hands together, and a giant Shinigami manifested behind him, instantly taking control of the fleeing father and son.
Brook could already sense the Sage of Six Paths approaching, so he needed to finish everything quickly.
"Who are you exactly?! Did Hagoromo Otsutsuki sense that we were going to restart the ninja world, so he sent you here to wipe us out?!"
Nobuto cried out in fear. This intruder with the Rinnegan was overwhelmingly powerful. He, a man with Kage level strength and many Otsutsuki secret techniques, had been completely overpowered in a single exchange.
"Hand it over."
Brook immediately extracted the souls of Nobuto and his son, and the Shinigami swallowed them into its belly. Two Limbo shadows blocked the Otsutsuki puppets, while the other two waited for the Sage of Six Paths.
At the same time, Brook's right hand released a large amount of white substance, wrapping around the corpses of Nobuto and Toneri, merging with their Otsutsuki bloodline, and absorbing Nobuto's memories in the process.
The next instant, he shot toward Hamura's shrine on the outer moon island at top speed.
By then, the Sage of Six Paths was already furious. His Six Paths power erupted and instantly destroyed Brook's two Limbo shadows.
But the remaining two shadows immediately abandoned the Otsutsuki puppets and threw themselves in front of the Sage of Six Paths, if only to stall him for a single second.
Meanwhile, the Otsutsuki puppets also sensed the Sage of Six Paths' chakra and instantly identified him as another intruder, launching suicidal attacks at him.
Annoyed, the Sage of Six Paths swept out his palm and destroyed most of the puppets in one strike before continuing his pursuit. He blasted away the last two Limbo shadows, only then finally breaking free from the swarm.
By the time he did, Brook had already entered Hamura's shrine and laid eyes on the giant Tenseigan enshrined within.
The enormous Tenseigan had already turned golden, unlike the purple it had borne at first.
When it was first created, it had only fused the Byakugan power of the branch family, which gave it that original purple hue. Later, after the branch family slaughtered the main family, they added a large number of the main family's Byakugan as well. That turned the giant Tenseigan into a majestic golden eye marked by an enormous pattern.
This Tenseigan had also been cursed by the descendants of the branch family. Anyone without Hamura's bloodline who touched it would have their chakra instantly drained dry.
But those restrictions were meaningless before Brook, who had already surpassed the Six Paths level.
Furthermore, after devouring and fusing the bloodlines of Nobuto and Toneri, and combining them with the pure Byakugan of the Hyuga main family, Brook had already awakened a rudimentary pair of blue Tenseigan. This giant Tenseigan felt no rejection toward him at all.
"You can keep evolving and growing stronger."
Brook laughed excitedly and charged straight into the giant Tenseigan, beginning to devour the eye made from countless Byakugan.
The Byakugan itself carried far more potential than simple farsight and insight. Kaguya Otsutsuki's pressure, mind reading, and mental illusion all originated from it. Kinshiki Otsutsuki's ability to move through dimensions and Momoshiki Otsutsuki's ability to glimpse fate were all manifestations of Byakugan power.
Long range vision, penetration, and insight were only the most basic functions of the eye.
The Tenseigan's true ability lay in gravity and repulsion. Its power was so immense that it could move the moon itself, making it even stronger than the Rinnegan's Deva Path in that regard.
Brook released a massive amount of devouring matter and forcibly pulled the giant Tenseigan into his body. His body swelled to more than ten times its normal size as endless Byakugan power surged into his blue Tenseigan, strengthening it further and awakening more of its potential.
"Brook! Stop!"
The Sage of Six Paths finally arrived. When he saw Brook's aura climbing higher and higher, both shock and rage flashed across his face.
This Tenseigan, made from most of Hamura's descendants, already contained roughly seventy or eighty percent of Hamura's power.
How much stronger would Brook become after devouring it?
At that moment, Otsutsuki Hamura's chakra consciousness also appeared, standing beside the Sage of Six Paths.
"Brother, I'm sorry. The descendants of the branch family caused all of this."
As soon as the aged, soul like Hamura appeared, he looked toward the Sage of Six Paths with guilt in his eyes.
"Hamura, the descendants on the moon are almost gone. Come with me to the Pure Land later. There is no point in remaining here."
The Sage of Six Paths sighed. Aside from Toneri's mother, the moon Otsutsuki were already on the verge of extinction. Both Nobuto and Toneri had already been devoured by Brook.
Fortunately, the Hyuga clan still existed in the ninja world, so Hamura's bloodline had not been completely severed.
"Can we still stop him?"
Hamura looked solemnly at Brook's gradually shrinking body.
"He is an alien god. His power has already surpassed mine. I cannot defeat him."
The Yin and Yang seals on the Sage of Six Paths' palms faintly glowed, but in the end, he still did not make a move.
He could already sense it clearly. Even if he used those seals now, the chance of successfully sealing Brook was less than twenty percent.
And if he failed, the one defeated might very well be him instead.
-------------
Brook had prepared for the possibility of the Sage of Six Paths interfering, and the gigantic new form of the Northern Underworld God behind him remained locked on Hagoromo the entire time.
Even so, Brook never stopped absorbing the power of the golden Tenseigan.
As the fusion continued, his swollen body gradually shrank back down. The blue Tenseigan in his eyes transformed again, its pupils turning golden, with a mysterious pattern forming within them. Nine black Truth Seeking Balls appeared behind him, while streams of radiant chakra swirled around his body.
The moment Brook was about to fully complete the process, the Sage of Six Paths made his decision.
He took Hamura Otsutsuki's soul chakra and his final descendant, then immediately withdrew from the moon.
The balance had already been shattered. Hagoromo was worried that if Brook continued growing any stronger, he might end up killed and devoured himself.
So he chose to retreat to his own territory, the Pure Land, and seek a new balance with Brook later, one that might still preserve the future of the ninja world.
Seeing the Sage of Six Paths leave, Brook focused completely on finishing the fusion.
It took him a full day before his body stabilized again, and the power of the golden Tenseigan was fully integrated into his own blue gold Tenseigan.
"Now that's more like it!"
Brook clenched his fist and laughed. The pressure pouring from his body made the small island tremble violently, and even part of Hamura's shrine collapsed under the weight of his aura.
Then he left the shrine and returned to the moon itself at high speed.
There was nothing left there except lifeless Otsutsuki puppets, and most of them had already been destroyed by the Sage of Six Paths.
Since Brook had already absorbed part of the Otsutsuki bloodline, gaining control over those remaining puppets was easy. He stuffed all of them into the Kamui dimension, then flew straight back toward the shinobi world.
By the time Brook returned, a full day and two nights had already passed.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru's Konoha forces had already reached the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Fire.
And they had not merely occupied it.
They had already completed the regime change.
The plaque of the Daimyo's residence had been smashed to pieces and replaced with a new name:
The Land of Fire.
Flame Capital.
Flame Palace.
Diplomatic notices had already been sent across the continent. In three days, the representatives of the Lands of Earth, Lightning, and Water would arrive at the new imperial capital for negotiations.
At that moment, Orochimaru, along with elite ninjas like Kakashi Hatake and Tenzo, was overseeing the expansion of the Flame Palace. One group used Earth Release to raise walls and fortifications, while another used Wood Release to construct new palaces and halls.
The entire daimyo clan had already been wiped out.
The Twelve Guardian Ninja who remained loyal to the old regime, led by Kazuma, had all become Orochimaru's experimental materials.
Hiashi Hyuga, meanwhile, was already sitting in the main military hall of the new imperial palace, handling the administrative affairs of the Land of Fire. For the first time in his life, he truly understood what it meant to hold power over an entire nation.
As one of the three military ministers personally appointed by Brook, Minato Namikaze still managed Konoha. Orochimaru dealt with external threats, palace reorganization, and diplomacy. As for Hiashi, he was now responsible for the state's internal administration.
And to his surprise, he did not feel burdened in the slightest.
He felt exhilarated.
At that moment, Hiashi even felt that Fugaku Uchiha would be more envious of his current position than of the Sharingan itself.
If Fugaku had only been more decisive that day, then Shikaku Nara would not have needed to weigh so many political concerns, and the Uchiha might very well have been the ones seated here in the military hall today, governing the Land of Fire.
This was far above the level of a senior advisor in Konoha.
Still, Hiashi could not help but sigh to himself.
"My daughter hasn't even been born yet. There's simply no time. And all the branch family girls of marriageable age already bear the Caged Bird Seal."
He desperately wanted a Hyuga woman to marry Brook so the Hyuga clan could completely secure its place at the center of the new order.
But the timing was terrible.
If only he had a suitable daughter of the main family right now.
The women of the branch family were out of the question. If he dared to offer one marked with the Caged Bird Seal, he had no doubt Brook would kill him on the spot.
So he could only bury that thought and continue focusing on government affairs.
As long as the Hyuga clan loyally carried out Brook's will, their position would remain secure.
Then, without warning, a terrifying pressure descended over the entire military hall.
Hiashi's Byakugan snapped open at once.
"Does it feel good, sitting high above everyone else?"
Brook's voice drifted through the hall, calm and lazy.
Hiashi immediately dropped to one knee.
"Welcome back, Lord Brook!"
His heart was pounding wildly. Brook's movements had become even harder to track, and Hiashi could only think of the Flying Thunder God markings on the Death God masks.
At that moment, he even had the absurd thought that if he ever spent time alone with his wife in the future, he would have to leave that mask in another room. Otherwise, the thought of Brook being able to appear at any moment would be too awkward to endure.
"If one person can't handle the workload, send a member of the Nara clan to help."
Brook casually picked up one of the documents on the desk, glanced at it, then tossed it right back down.
"I understand. I will carry out your order."
Hiashi did not dare resist. There was no point. He was already fully aware that Brook could replace him at any time.
Brook showed no interest in staying.
"Forget it. I'll go somewhere else."
With that, he vanished again.
Only after Brook left did Hiashi finally exhale in relief.
Brook's aura had grown even more terrifying than before. Especially to someone with the Byakugan, the pressure Brook exuded felt almost ancestral, as if some ancient being had returned.
Elsewhere, Orochimaru had just finished suppressing another group of samurai rebels.
Those samurai had remained fanatically loyal to the dead daimyo, and all they wanted was revenge.
Orochimaru had no choice but to crush them without mercy.
His ruthless suppression successfully intimidated many restless nobles and officials, preventing the Land of Fire from descending into chaos and ensuring the machinery of government continued to function.
Kabuto Yakushi was also proving invaluable. He moved between factions, winning over one side, crushing another, and eliminating whichever elements could not be controlled. Under his methods, even officials who had initially surrendered unwillingly were gradually forced to uphold the authority of the new royal family in order to preserve their own positions.
Inside the Kamui dimension, Brook quietly observed everything and found Orochimaru and Kabuto's ruthlessness quite satisfying.
They were efficient. They knew where to cut. They knew where to threaten. They knew where to leave just enough breathing room for people to survive and obey.
That made them useful.
And because of that, Brook's thoughts drifted in another direction.
He needed queens for the royal family.
Sooner rather than later.
Without showing himself to Orochimaru or the others, Brook quietly left the Flame Capital once again.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
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