As the year Konoha 40 approached, Aburame Tetsumaru submitted his application for New Year's leave. Because he explicitly stated his willingness to return to the front lines after the holidays, the request was approved without a hitch.
Going home for the holidays was important, of course, but the decisive factor was the intel transmitted by a Shadow Clone he had recently dispelled: Jiraiya had returned to the village. Furthermore, he had mysteriously handed his disciple, Minato Namikaze, a scroll—one that looked suspiciously like a high-level jutsu.
The clone suspected it might be the Forbidden Jutsu: Flying Thunder God. Thus, it had released its memory to the original body, urging him to return and "plagiarize" the technique. After all, only the main body could deploy the Secret Technique: Domain Field Barrier.
Tetsumaru personally thought the probability was low. Usually, the title "Yellow Flash" wasn't cemented until the next great war. However, he couldn't dismiss the clone's theory—it was entirely possible that the technique had been handed to Minato early, but its extreme difficulty meant it took him until the Third Great Ninja War to truly master it.
As long as there was a chance, Tetsumaru refused to miss it.
That was the Flying Thunder God, after all.
If he got his hands on it, he wouldn't have to spend two agonizing days traveling between Broodmother Island and his "Mushroom Field." The time saved would be immeasurable.
Truth be told, back when he was developing his Domain Field Barrier, he had intended to use it for "clandestine observation" of ninjutsu. He just never had the right opportunity until now. He felt a fleeting pang of guilt for the voyeurism, but it passed quickly.
There was another reason for his return: his "backbone" was finally in place. Strategic deterrence only worked if people understood what they were looking at. Whether it was a nuclear "mushroom" or a zero-point vacuum bomb, if the people of the Shinobi World couldn't comprehend the scale of the destruction, there was no deterrence to speak of.
He needed to use it—to let them know he didn't just have one.
Besides, after "planting" eight mushrooms in two and a half months, Tetsumaru felt a certain primal itch. Men love big fireworks; once you've lit a few, you naturally start looking for something to blow up.
It doesn't matter where I go, he muttered to himself. What matters is finding something big enough to justify a mushroom.
Chanting "mushrooms, mushrooms" under his breath, Tetsumaru rode his Arachne Mantis into Konoha against the backdrop of the rising sun, drawing the stares of countless ninjas.
"Who is that?" "That's the Aburame Jonin who uses the giant insects." "Giant insects? There are several Aburame Jonin in the 'Giant Insect Squadron.' Which one is he?" "Idiot, that's Aburame Tetsumaru. He founded the squadron, though he isn't part of the current unit." "Look at the size of that thing. It really is a monster." "That bug is so cool... I want one."
This was exactly why Tetsumaru had chosen the Arachne Mantis as the first official combat unit of his swarm rather than the standard Zerg Zerglings. By slightly polishing the Mantis's appearance and removing the more grotesque spikes and bristles, it looked sleek rather than horrific—or at least, it didn't cause widespread panic. For a man still trying to navigate the social waters of the Shinobi World, minimizing trouble was key.
A ninja who had participated in the war against the Sky Country noted with surprise, "The Aburame's bugs seem even bigger now. They weren't this size before."
A ninja nearby turned around. "Captain, isn't that your teacher? How big were his bugs back then?"
"Sensei's insects were always this large; they just couldn't fly, so they weren't used in the last war," Uchiha Hiro said tonelessly. "However, this isn't the Scythe Mantis I'm familiar with. It seems Sensei has bred a new strain."
Hiro knew exactly how cautious his teacher was. Whenever Tetsumaru used his Scythe Mantids, he was shrouded in secrecy; aside from his three students, he rarely showed them to anyone. Back during the battles with the Sand, every Mantid had been camouflaged externally and packed with Landmine Insects internally. If a Mantid was mortally wounded, the landmine would detonate, leaving the creature unrecognizable to enemy autopsies.
But today, Tetsumaru was parading this new insect openly. It was a clear statement, so Hiro didn't hesitate to inform his teammates.
Hiro had come specifically to meet his teacher. They hadn't seen each other in over a year. Hiro's squad had just returned from the Northeast Front yesterday for a fifteen-day rotation before heading to the Northwest. Upon returning, he had received a message via Snail Phone that his teacher was coming home, so they had agreed to meet at the gate.
The village entrance wasn't crowded, and the master and disciple reunited easily. Their next stop was the Yakiniku Q restaurant. Upon hearing about the BBQ, Hiro's subordinates shamelessly tagged along.
Tetsumaru wasn't short on cash and agreed without a second thought. The more, the merrier.
"Hiro, call the rest of your team. Three people at a BBQ lacks atmosphere."
While Hiro sent his "shameless" subordinates to fetch the rest of the squad, Tetsumaru pulled out his Snail Phone and tried calling every acquaintance in the village. It turned out none of his close friends were in town, so he gave up with a sigh.
As they sat down in the shop, Hiro began to complain. "Sensei, the range on these snails is too short. We can only call each other within a hundred kilometers."
"If it reached further, keeping in touch would be so much easier."
"I know, I know," Tetsumaru laughed. "I'm working on it. I've already got a lead."
The Snail Phones currently relied on point-to-point communication with a hundred-kilometer limit, and that was assuming minimal interference. As more snails were introduced, that range would only shrink. To achieve true long-range communication, he needed infrastructure. He was launching rockets specifically to put his Satellite Bugs in place.
From an altitude of forty kilometers, a Satellite Bug could oversee a vast area. With minimal interference, its communication range could exceed two thousand kilometers—a twenty-fold increase. Once a network of six satellites was established, paired with ground-based Signal Hives and Broodmothers, he could achieve global communication within a four-thousand-kilometer band centered on the Land of Fire.
As Hiro's subordinates arrived, the two shifted the topic to avoid making the others feel excluded.
"What's the situation on the Northeast Front like now?"
"Sigh... stagnant. After that one left, Lord Jiraiya took over the confrontation with the Raikage. He's finally holding the line."
"Lord Jiraiya returned to the village even earlier than we did, and the Raikage has reportedly returned to Kumo. It looks like the fighting has cooled down."
Hiro added dismissively, "Hmph, it should have been over ages ago. If the village leadership hadn't been messing around, the war would have ended last year."
"Ow!"
Tetsumaru flicked his student's forehead, lecturing him with a look of mock disappointment. "You haven't even had a drink and you're already talking nonsense? Did you forget everything I taught you in just a year?"
Hiro rubbed his head and muttered an apology. "Sorry, Sensei. I overstepped."
"You are a member of the Uchiha. Out there, you represent your clan. You have to be more careful with your words than an average ninja."
"Yes, Sensei."
After scolding his disciple, Tetsumaru realized the three younger ninjas were terrified, their faces buried in their juice glasses, not daring to touch the meat. He chuckled to himself; perhaps he'd had one beer too many and was losing his filter.
"It's a celebration today. Let's not talk about depressing things," Tetsumaru said, raising his glass. "Everyone, let's have a toast!"
"Cheers!"
"Quick, eat up! The meat is perfectly grilled. If we wait, it'll be overdone."
Tetsumaru brushed sauce onto the meat and distributed it among the four plates.
"Thank you, Sensei!"
Gradually, the atmosphere warmed up. The five of them swapped anecdotes and "war stories." Some bragged about their exploits against the Cloud, only to have their teammates call them out, leading to endless bickering.
Tetsumaru laughed heartily, downing his drinks. This touch of "humanity" and the mundane warmth of the village acted like water on parched soil, soothing his increasingly detached heart.
Where the heart is at peace, that is home. Is Konoha really my home now?
They finished their meal and went their separate ways.
Tetsumaru returned to his quiet house. Since the weather was cold, he lit a small stove in the courtyard and brewed some tea. Wrapped in a thick blanket on a plush sofa, he lay back and watched the moon.
He wasn't thinking about anything. He simply let his mind go blank, enjoying the rare moment of tranquility.
Suddenly, the light of the moon flickered. Tetsumaru frowned, tilting his head and squinting. Does the moon flicker?
Without warning, a massive, golden beam of light ignited. The brilliance was so intense it looked as if it had sliced the moon in half, illuminating the midnight sky as if it were midday.
That's the Tenseigan... The Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.
Tetsumaru bolted upright. He understood. This was the civil war of the Otsutsuki clan on the Moon. After tonight, the Main House would be annihilated, and the Branch House wouldn't fare much better.
In eight years, the last child of the Otsutsuki would be born. Aside from that infant, the clan would consist only of a few lingering, decrepit elders.
The Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion flared a second time. By now, Konoha had been jolted awake. People poured into the streets, gawking at the terrifying celestial phenomenon and talking in a chaotic frenzy.
The Hyuga clan, the Hokage—everyone watched, but no one realized this was the work of the pinnacle of ninja creation. They couldn't conceive of a brilliance on this scale being the result of human action.
Tetsumaru knew, but he was still awestruck. An attack that spanned half the moon's diameter... the range was staggering.
I have to accelerate the Lunar Exploration Project. I need to land on the moon by Year 48, otherwise I won't be able to implement any deep-space exploration.
For any planetary civilization with a massive natural satellite like the Moon, deep-space flight paths were inextricably tied to it. Flying toward the moon allowed one to use lunar gravity to offset part of the planet's pull, and using the moon as a gravitational slingshot could save massive amounts of energy while providing a higher initial velocity. Conversely, flying away from the moon required significantly more energy to break free from the combined gravity of the planet and its satellite.
But since the Otsutsuki on the moon could strike at orbital altitudes, Tetsumaru had to deal with them. He needed "transit rights." Furthermore, he planned to build a relay base on the far side of the moon in the future.
I hope we can negotiate. Otherwise, I'll have to pull out all the stops and wipe them out.
He suddenly remembered that this family had incredible puppetry skills and high-end golems. They had some truly good stuff. And if he took over the Otsutsuki, the lunar base would already have existing infrastructure.
Actually, the more I think about it, the more "wiping them out" sounds like the better option.
Having made up his mind, Tetsumaru let the matter rest. He poured himself a fresh cup of hot tea and continued to enjoy this once-in-a-century—perhaps once-in-a-millennium—spectacle.
At 2:00 AM, the golden radiance died out. To the naked eye, black scars appeared where the light had swept across the lunar surface.
Now, everyone knew those three flashes were devastating attacks, yet still, no one believed they were man-made. The consensus quickly became "meteorite impacts."
"Meteors, definitely. Probably three massive ones hitting the moon." "No way. If they were that big, the moon would have shattered." "Idiot, the meteors weren't that big. What we saw was the fire from the impact." "I see! You're amazing, knowing so much about the world." "Haha, it's nothing, really."
As the glow faded, the people of Konoha began to disperse. It was late and freezing; going back to sleep was the only sensible choice.
The Hokage stood on the roof of his office, finishing a bowl of tobacco. He gave a massive yawn and headed back inside to continue reviewing documents.
Hidden Cloud Village
The Raikage stood on a mountain peak with a few confidants, unable to tear his eyes away from the three black scars on the moon.
"Tutai, do you think those were meteors?"
"Lord Raikage... I can't be sure. Right now, that seems the most likely explanation."
"Let's assume they were," the Raikage said, his voice heavy with worry. "But if a meteor like that fell on the Land of Lightning, what would we do? I remember my teacher saying that back in the day, Madara Uchiha could summon meteors. It was a terror that destroyed worlds."
The surrounding Jonin understood. The Raikage wasn't worried about space; he was worried this was the work of a man.
Was the "Shinobi God" really that powerful?
The Jonin exchanged subtle looks, but their movements didn't escape the Raikage. He chuckled. "Heh. You think I'm overreacting?"
He shook his head. "It's true. Without seeing it with your own eyes, it's impossible to believe a ninja could be strong enough to reach that level."
"Tutai!"
"Sir!"
"I order the Cloud to launch a 'Large-Scale Strategic Weapon Research Program,'" the Raikage said, looking up. "Regardless of whether tonight was man-made, we must have a way to respond. Even if the moon itself falls, we will be the ones to blast it to pieces!"
"Yes, sir!"
Upon the Moon
The head of the Otsutsuki Main House—the Clan Head—had been blasted apart from the waist down by the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion. He was at death's door.
He glared with eyes full of pure venom at the Great Elder of the Branch House. This bastard had ambushed the Holy Land, seized control of the Tenseigan, and used three consecutive Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosions to massacre the Main House despite their superior numbers.
But the fool had pushed the Tenseigan to its absolute limit. The attack range had exceeded four hundred kilometers, destroying the atmospheric shield of the residential zone. Not only were the elderly and weak of the Main House wiped out, but the women and children of the Branch House were almost entirely decimated as well.
The descendants of God—the Otsutsuki—had reached their end.
The Main House Head cursed with his final breath: "I will wait for you at our Ancestor's side. I want to see how you, the man who murdered our entire race, explains himself to Him!"
The Great Elder of the Branch House stood in the ruins, his soul hollow. He could only mutter a broken refrain: "It wasn't supposed to be like this... It wasn't supposed to be like this..."
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