Without hesitation, Kiyomaru replied, "For those who live here, if they wish to survive, they need only follow three basic rules."
"What three rules?" Satsuki asked curiously.
"First, do not take the initiative to oppose the puppets…"
"Second, do not take the initiative to oppose nature…"
"Third, do not take the initiative to oppose others…"
"Those who violate any of these three, without your or Lady Ranzuki's authorization, will not be executed. Instead, they will be cast out—left to live or die on their own."
"It sounds like a rather loose system," Satsuki said. "There don't seem to be many details. Can such a method truly solve their problems?"
"Satsuki-sama, you've misunderstood one thing."
Kiyomaru's voice was cold as he answered, "Our existence is not to solve their problems. Their existence is to solve ours."
"Oh~ you're right. I suppose I still haven't fully shifted my old way of thinking."
Satsuki nodded, realizing she could no longer apply her past experiences to this new era.
Not only in this age, but in every age, there had always been hierarchy between people. The difference was not whether it existed—but to what degree.
Hierarchy was not necessarily a bad thing; on the contrary, it was the foundation upon which a society could maintain itself.
"When I have time later, I'll observe more closely whether your system actually works."
Satsuki ended that topic and changed the subject. "I was planning to inspect the laboratory where the Hyūga clan is being cultivated. But the area seems to have changed greatly since five years ago. Could you take me there?"
"It would be my pleasure."
Kiyomaru turned, pressing several buttons on what looked like an elevator-like panel behind him, seemingly inputting coordinates and confirming his identity.
After a moment of mechanical hums, the iron door split open to both sides. Kiyomaru stepped back half a pace and bowed slightly.
"Please enter, Lady Satsuki. Through this device, you may go directly to the laboratory."
"You've managed to reach this level already? The technology left behind by the Ōtsutsuki truly is astonishing."
Following the passage, after several minutes of rapid movement accompanied by a loud boom, the transport finally stopped.
Aside from the dizzying speed, which would likely overwhelm an ordinary person, there was little to criticize in terms of efficiency.
When the door opened, Satsuki found herself standing in a vast underground chamber resembling a grand plaza.
This laboratory lay several hundred meters below the surface, powered by energy converted from the Ryūmyaku chakra, with a massive Tenseigan serving as the central control terminal.
Soft yellow lights illuminated the entire facility, where countless puppets flew and moved about, each performing its assigned tasks in perfect synchronization.
Their collective labor centered on thousands of transparent cultivation tanks made of composite material.
These transparent tanks housed the embryos for the second phase of the Hyūga clan's cultivation.
The experimental conditions and development cycles were strictly regulated—this facility was currently the most energy-consuming area within the entire Rōran Kingdom.
When Satsuki had last left, the creation plan for the Hyūga clan had only completed its first step—cultivating biological embryos from her own cellular tissue.
But now, before her, thousands of tanks contained carefully selected embryonic life forms.
Satsuki walked forward, examining each cultivation tank closely. Within the transparent vessels floated embryonic forms, crude but clearly developing. Depending on their growth stage, some were more mature, while others remained in early formation.
Yet none exhibited the severe deformities that had plagued earlier phases.
"It seems to be going well," Satsuki murmured.
To most, the sight would have been unsettling, even terrifying—but Satsuki's mind remained steady as she walked slowly through the corridors.
When she reached the 835th cultivation tank, the controller below it began to emit a loud alarm.
Kiyomaru immediately explained, "This indicates that the embryo has completed its second-stage cultivation and is ready to be transferred to the third stage."
As the alarm echoed through the chamber, a specialized puppet—its body sterilized and disinfected—quickly approached. It drained the fluid from the cultivation tank, then carefully tilted it horizontally, lifting the entire vessel with great care before flying off.
Moments later, a freshly cleaned and sterilized tank rose from below to take its place, ready for the next embryo.
"The third stage involves simulating the human developmental process, doesn't it? That's not particularly complex. I'll skip observing it for now," Satsuki said calmly. "Take me directly to the final results."
"Yes, my lady."
The fourth-stage laboratory presented an entirely different scene compared to the second stage. Its interior was impossibly vast—clearly expanded through the use of spatial manipulation technology.
From Satsuki's perspective through the Tenseigan, the layout resembled a miniature society.
However, its main inhabitants were not researchers or puppets, but rather numerous children—all with long black hair and wearing traditional kimonos. They were the young members of the Hyūga clan, ranging from around five to their early teens.
The children shared strikingly similar features, and each one was accompanied by an autonomous puppet.
Standing beside her, Kiyomaru explained, "This is the area for lifeforms that have already developed independent mobility. Based on the combined experience of both the Ōtsutsuki and human cultivation processes, each individual is assigned a self-regulating puppet responsible for their daily needs during different stages of growth. Once they reach a certain level, they also receive education and shinobi training."
"Oh? They even learn ninjutsu?" Satsuki asked curiously.
"Of course," Kiyomaru replied. "It's a necessary skill for ensuring their future survival."
The two did not hide their presence while conversing, and before long, several of the Hyūga children noticed them and gathered nearby.
They were already familiar with Kiyomaru, who often stayed here overseeing their development. But Satsuki's presence was far rarer.
As the biological source of their genetic material, Satsuki was, strictly speaking, their common progenitor. Her appearance and beauty were beyond compare, and the golden brilliance of her Tenseigan eyes made her stand out strikingly among the sea of Byakugan.
The children allowed to play outdoors were generally those seven or eight years old and above—their bodies artificially matured rather than naturally grown. They greeted Satsuki's arrival with pure excitement.
Yet, perhaps thanks to their disciplined upbringing, their demeanor lacked the rowdy liveliness typical of children their age. Instead, most behaved with graceful manners and composure.
Among them, a young Hyūga girl with shoulder-length hair—seemingly the oldest of the group—looked up at Satsuki with eyes full of admiration.
"Big Sister," she asked in awe, "are you the Goddess of the Moon?"
"Goddess of the Moon?"
Satsuki crouched down and gently patted the girl's head.
"My name is Satsuki Ōtsutsuki. What's your name?"
The young girl before her seemed in good health. Her cheeks flushed red from Satsuki's touch, and her Byakugan eyes curved into little crescents.
"I don't have a name yet," the girl replied. "Mama says that only after completing ninjutsu training can we earn the right to have a name. For now, I only have a code. My code is C-0032."
"Mama? Code?"
Satsuki glanced toward Kiyomaru.
"It is as you suspect, Lady Satsuki," Kiyomaru explained in his composed tone. "The autonomous puppets assigned to accompany the children act as their guardians—handling duties such as caretaking, education, and medical support. Hence, the children call them 'Mama.'"
"As for the coding and naming system, it's designed to encourage progress. Based on their daily performance and growth in taijutsu—while also accounting for ninjutsu and genjutsu proficiency—they are assigned ranks prefixed by S, A, B, C, or D. Currently, children of this age group generally fall under the C-class designation."
The focus on taijutsu originated from Satsuki's own directive left within the Giant Tenseigan.
After all, the futility of ninjutsu against the Ōtsutsuki needed no further proof.
Satsuki herself had no experience in raising children, so she couldn't immediately judge the merits of this system. Still, their fate was undoubtedly far better than most who lived in the chaos of the Warring States era.
At least these children were free from war, famine, and disease.
However, the mention of a "Goddess of the Moon" intrigued her.
"C-0030—and the rest of you—where did you hear about this 'Goddess of the Moon'?" she asked.
"It's from our history textbooks," replied a short-haired boy, livelier than the rest. He too possessed a pair of Byakugan eyes. "Our teacher told us about her, and Big Sister—you look exactly like the Goddess in the book!"
He reached behind to his autonomous puppet, rummaged through a small satchel, and handed Satsuki a book.
"Thank you," Satsuki said as she accepted it, then opened to the title page.
Before her eyes was an illustration of a black-haired woman with golden twin pupils—the resemblance was uncanny. The red gem on her forehead and the earrings at her ears were identical to her own. The woman sat gracefully upon a cold, moonlit throne, her eyes lowered as if gazing upon the world below.
There was no mistaking it—the figure in the image was Satsuki herself. The only difference was the extravagance of her depicted attire.
The seamless black divine robe draped elegantly over her body, accentuating her sacred presence and graceful form. The hem shimmered faintly, trailing across the ground, while behind her, a crescent moon hung among a sky of stars.
Even Satsuki had to admit: if the woman in this painting weren't herself, she might have found it genuinely pleasing to look upon.
Below the portrait, the text simply read—Goddess of the Moon.
No further details were written, which was unsurprising. Much of what Satsuki had done was hardly suitable to be taught to children.
"It seems this Goddess of the Moon does look quite like me," Satsuki said with a faint smile. "When I have time, I'll have to visit your teacher and ask about it."
"Yay~!"
The children cheered happily. It was hard not to smile—their innocence and simplicity were refreshing.
With a few lighthearted words meant to humor them, Satsuki gently diverted the topic. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, she bid the group farewell.
The Hyūga children's schedules were strictly regulated, much like an academy's. Every day of their young lives was meticulously planned.
Watching the children depart, Satsuki asked, "Kiyomaru, how many Hyūga are now qualified to bear the clan name?"
"As of the most recent evaluation," Kiyomaru replied, "approximately sixty-two individuals have earned the Hyūga name—an approval rate of about eighty percent, with an even distribution of male and female."
"Sixty-two… And how strong are they?"
"Without puppet assistance, most possess the combat capabilities of a chunin in the Warring States era. A small number of exceptionally gifted individuals have reached near-jonin level."
"Only chunin level?"
Satsuki frowned slightly, unsatisfied. "What's limiting their further advancement?"
"The first issue is actual combat experience. Since each individual is extremely valuable, their training is designed with safety as the highest priority. They are not given overly difficult tasks or any tests that would endanger their lives."
"The second issue," Kiyomaru continued, "stems from the early stages of cellular cultivation. To increase survival rates, the vitality of your cells had to be weakened. At the same time, the Byakugan had to be made a heritable Kekkei Genkai. As a result, their chakra pathways were born inherently weaker than ordinary humans', unable to sustain large chakra flow."
Hearing Kiyomaru's explanation, Satsuki recalled that detail. She thought for a moment, then asked, "Would it be possible to strengthen their meridians postnatally by using the Eight Gates technique in combination with specialized medicine?"
The Eight Gates—one of the most renowned forbidden techniques in the shinobi arts.
Though it would not appear until many generations later, in Satsuki's time, it was already no secret. Extensive experimentation and data collection had been conducted on it long ago.
Moreover, the immense power displayed by Butsuma Senju when opening all Eight Gates had given Satsuki valuable insight. That battle had allowed her to fully perfect her understanding of the technique.
Upon hearing her proposal, a faint gleam crossed Kiyomaru's eyes—a sign of internal computation and analysis.
After a few moments, he replied, "For members of the Hyūga clan who possess the Byakugan, mastering the Eight Gates technique would not be especially difficult. The training is rigorous, but if focused primarily on restoring the chakra pathways, the risk level remains low. When combined with proper techniques and medicinal support, it should be quite feasible."
"Then let's try it," Satsuki decided. "And since their training focuses mainly on taijutsu, I'll provide them with a martial art designed to aid meridian recovery. I'll compile it and upload it to the Giant Tenseigan. You can then copy and distribute it to them."
After all, simply stimulating chakra flow without providing suitable combat forms would be problematic.
For example, the famed Eight Gates technique featured distinct taijutsu forms for each gate:
First Gate: Front Lotus (Omote Renge)
Third Gate: Reverse Lotus (Ura Renge)
Sixth Gate: Morning Peacock (Asa Kujaku)
Seventh Gate: Daytime Tiger (Hirudora)
Eighth Gate: Evening Elephant (Sekizō), Night Guy (Yagai)
It was precisely through the development of such techniques that the Eight Gates' full potential could be realized—allowing Maito Gai to achieve near-divine status in the legends of later generations, even earning Madara Uchiha's praise: "In taijutsu alone, I, Madara, acknowledge you as the strongest."
However, the Eight Gates' conventional forms were extremely destructive—even the training methods were fatal. That approach clearly did not suit Satsuki's intent.
The martial art she intended to grant the young Hyūga focused on healing and refining the meridians.
Thus, its power would not rely on brute strength, but rather on precision—training control over chakra flow, emphasizing the delicate manipulation of internal energy.
To align with the Byakugan's perceptive capabilities, its strikes would target the opponent's acupuncture points and internal organs.
Following this line of thought, through a series of unintended coincidences, the early prototype of the Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist was born.