Chapter 92: Lunar Intentions
The Ōtsutsuki who resided on the moon held a grim conviction: the world created by the Sage of Six Paths, their own ancestor's brother, was a failure. A flawed experiment. It was their sacred duty, the destiny left by their progenitor Hamura, to purge this failed creation and use the power of the Tenseigan to forge a new, perfect world.
This was their creed. Yet, for generations, they had lacked the means. They possessed the "Great Tenseigan," a colossal ocular weapon, but their own blood had thinned over the millennia. Too impure to wield its full power, they could only borrow fractions of its might, unable to enact the grand, destructive rebirth they believed was necessary.
All of that changed with the birth of a child named Ōtsutsuki Toneri.
His bloodline was a throwback, a purity unseen since the days of Hamura himself. The lunar Ōtsutsuki saw in him the vessel of their salvation. With a suitable pair of Hyuga Byakugan, this child could awaken a personal Tenseigan. And with that power, fulfilling Hamura's "destiny" would finally be within reach.
Thus, they had come to Earth in secret, infiltrating the shadows around the Hyuga compound. No one understood the Byakugan's intricacies better than they did. For weeks, they had observed the Main Family, searching for the optimal pair of eyes for their chosen scion.
Their investigations had yielded a prime candidate: the newborn daughter of the clan head, Hyuga Hinata. Her potential shone brightly to their senses.
So when they saw the infamous "Uchiha Madara" about to snatch their destined prize, their hand was forced. They could no longer linger in the shadows. The eyes they had marked for their messiah could not be allowed to fall into another's hands.
"Interesting," the masked figure mused, his thoughts flowing swiftly. "The lunar Ōtsutsuki still keep their watch on Earth. But such direct interest in the Hyuga… I must admit, I'm surprised." Beneath the mask, a cold smile formed. The situation had just become exponentially more complex.
A three-way standoff was imminent. Seizing the moment of confusion, Akira acted. He tossed the infant in his arms—not roughly, but with enough force to send her arcing through the air toward her father—and then vanished into the intangible swirl of Kamui.
His objectives were complete: Hinata's tissue sample secured, and the "Akatsuki's" stated goal of hunting Jinchuriki (using the Byakugan to find them) planted in Konoha's highest minds.
Hyuga Hiashi lunged forward, his body a blur of motion, and caught his daughter safely. He retreated swiftly to stand beside Hiruzen, clutching the child to his chest. The crushing weight of dread lifted, replaced by a tremulous relief. The bloodline was, for now, secure.
Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a tense breath, his eyes immediately snapping to the new, floating arrivals. His voice was a low growl of authority. "Identify yourselves."
The elderly, eyeless leader on the chariot seemed to perceive the scene despite his lack of eyes. Seeing Hinata was safe and the masked thief gone, he showed no interest in conversation. Without a word, the chariot under his feet pivoted silently. The gray-robed escorts closed ranks, and the entire group shot away into the sky, retreating as swiftly and mysteriously as they had come.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened with impotent fury. They came and went as if Konoha's airspace were their own backyard. "Has our defense become so porous?" he muttered, the anger simmering beneath a veneer of control. "Our sensors detected nothing…"
He turned his sharp gaze on Hyuga Hiashi, who still held his sleeping daughter. "Hiashi. Who were they?"
It was obvious to Hiruzen. They had appeared at the critical moment to counter Madara. The connection to the Hyuga was undeniable.
Hiashi watched the disappearing dots in the sky, his brow furrowed in genuine confusion. After a long pause, he shook his head. "Hokage-sama… I do not know."
"You don't know?" Hiruzen's tone was dangerously flat. "Then why did they intervene to stop Madara from taking your child? The correlation is unmistakable."
The pressure of the Hokage's focused attention was immense. Sweat beaded on Hiashi's temple. "I swear, Lord Hokage, I have no knowledge of them. None in our clan records speak of such people."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. He didn't fully believe him, but the clan head's confusion seemed real. "Then you will find out," he ordered, his voice leaving no room for argument. "Search your clan's oldest archives, every sealed scroll. They did not act out of charity. There is a purpose, and your clan is central to it. When you have answers, you will report to me."
Without another word, Hiruzen signaled his ANBU. They vanished in shunshin flickers, leaving the Hyuga compound to stew in its own shock and aftermath.
Hiashi finally exhaled, the tension draining to be replaced by a cold, directed anger. His Byakugan-active eyes locked onto Hyuga Kaoru, who was just shaking off the last dregs of the powerful genjutsu, her face pale with shame and fear.
As Hinata's designated protector and attendant, her failure was absolute. She had been incapacitated by a single glance. In the world of the Hyuga, failure demanded punishment, regardless of the opponent's overwhelming power.
Feeling the clan head's icy stare, Kaoru immediately dropped her gaze to the ground, bracing herself.
Hiashi's rage simmered. Logically, he knew facing a Mangekyō was beyond any of them. But logic had little place in the wake of such a profound violation and near-catastrophe. His daughter had almost been stolen. Someone had to bear the brunt of the clan's fury.
Footsteps echoed as other Hyuga—those who had wisely kept their distance during the confrontation—now emerged. Led by the clan elders, they approached the scene.
"Hiashi. Report," demanded Hyuga Daisuke, an elder whose word carried significant weight.
"The immediate threat has departed," Hiashi replied stiffly.
"And the child? Hinata?" asked another elder, Hyuga Aya, her voice sharp with concern for the clan's future heir.
"She is unharmed. The intruder only… acquired a minor tissue sample," Hiashi confirmed, the words tasting bitter.
Before more could be said, a piercing, agonized shriek cut through the courtyard.
Hyuga Kaoru collapsed to the stones, clutching her head as if it were splitting open. She writhed, a continuous, gut-wrenching wail tearing from her throat.
Standing over her, a middle-aged Main House elder, Hyuga Noboru, held a single-handed seal. His expression was one of utter contempt. "Useless," he spat, his voice cold as winter stone. "Had the young mistress been lost, your death would have been a mercy."
He raised his head, his Byakugan sweeping over the gathered Branch House members who had also failed to stop the intruder. His voice boomed, a lesson in terror. "Let this be a lesson to all who harbor sloth or rebellious thoughts in their hearts! This is the price of failure!"
He formed another seal.
Immediately, every Branch House member present—including Hiashi's own younger brother, Hyuga Hizashi—convulsed and fell to the ground. A chorus of tortured screams erupted as the Caged Bird Seals on their foreheads activated, delivering searing, neural agony as punishment for the collective failure.
The attending Main House members watched. Some faces were blank, detached. Others held a faint, grim satisfaction. None moved to intervene.
Hyuga Hiashi looked on, his daughter safe in his arms. He said nothing. He did not look at his writhing brother. In the hierarchy of the Hyuga, discipline was absolute, and the preservation of the Main House's authority and secrets was paramount above all else, even family.
(End of Chapter)
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