Hamura stared blankly at Kaito, who was lying on the ground.
He crouched down and reached out to touch Kaito's body.
Sss!
"So hot!"
Hamura jerked his hand back in shock, staring in disbelief at his palm. White smoke was rising from it.
"What's going on? I'm just an energy body, and yet I actually got burned?"
Thump! Thump!
From Kaito's tightly shut eyes came a sound like a heartbeat.
Hamura didn't dare approach him again. Instead, he sat down nearby and muttered,
"What a strange man..."
Although Kaito fainted before finishing his words, Hamura knew he wanted him to stay and watch over him.
Because just moments earlier, he had said—members of the Ōtsutsuki clan were coming!
The Ōtsutsuki clan were by no means benevolent. Their very existence was to plunder life energy from other worlds. Wherever they passed, nothing remained.
He and his brother had been on guard against them for a long time.
And this man, who claimed to be from the Uchiha clan, must also be preparing against the Ōtsutsuki. That made him something like an "ally" on the same front.
So Hamura dutifully guarded Kaito's side, waiting for him to awaken.
...
In the void of space,
A black hole appeared, and Momoshiki's group of three emerged from it.
Urashiki frowned slightly and asked,
"Why did we suddenly stop?"
Momoshiki knit his brows and replied,
"I sense a strong presence... it feels like one of our own..."
"Hm? Could it be Kaguya?"
"No! That woman could never possess such power. Strange... who could it be?"
Beside them, Kinshiki lowered his head respectfully and said,
"Momoshiki-sama, the Great Elder sent us to find the Ten-Tails. We shouldn't waste time."
At the mention of the Great Elder, a flicker of fear crossed Momoshiki's eyes. He nodded and said,
"Mm. Let's continue."
With that, he entered the portal first, Kinshiki following close behind.
Urashiki lingered for a moment, gazing enviously at Momoshiki's back.
"How enviable... having a guardian of his own..."
...
Several days later,
The three arrived above Earth. Since they didn't have exact spatial coordinates, it had taken them some time.
Looking down at the planet below, Urashiki put on an act and sighed,
"This planet's quite beautiful. No wonder that woman Kaguya chose to remain here."
Momoshiki snorted disdainfully, then turned his gaze toward the Moon.
"That aura is even stronger now... No, I must check it out myself. You two go ahead first."
With that, he opened a portal and flew inside.
...
On the Moon,
Hamura's expression darkened. He too had sensed the auras of Momoshiki's group.
"They've really come... and there are three of them!"
In his current state, there was no way he could face three Ōtsutsuki. Even in his prime, he wouldn't be a match for Momoshiki alone.
With his elder brother Hagoromo absent, he could only pin his hopes on Kaito.
Thinking this, determination flashed in Hamura's eyes. He pressed his hands together, transforming into a milky-white, dome-shaped barrier that enveloped Kaito's body.
At that moment, Momoshiki appeared in the temple.
He stared at Kaito inside the barrier, his brows furrowed.
"Who is that? He looks like one of our clan... but I've never seen him before..."
"Forget it. Wake him up and ask him directly."
Momoshiki's way of waking people was crude—he simply punched the barrier.
Ripples spread across its surface, and Hamura's face appeared within it.
"Beings of the heavens... so you've come here after all!"
Momoshiki arched a brow and asked coldly,
"And who are you supposed to be?"
"Hmph, who I am doesn't matter. All you need to know is this—I won't let you harm the world my brother created!"
If Kaito had been awake, he surely would've muttered,
"Another brother complex, huh..."
Hamura finished speaking and activated the barrier, forming a white chakra lightsaber above it that slashed down toward Momoshiki.
After all, he had once awakened the Tenseigan. Techniques similar to the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion were still within his reach.
A look of disdain crossed Momoshiki's eyes. He raised his right hand, and the red Rinnegan in his palm absorbed the descending blade the instant it touched.
Then, with his left hand, he extended his palm. A larger chakra lightsaber erupted from it, stabbing directly into Hamura's barrier.
The barrier trembled violently. Hamura felt a chill—this wasn't good. He poured all his strength into maintaining the dome, not daring to strike back.
Momoshiki, however, unleashed attack after attack, forcing Hamura to struggle desperately. The barrier's glow dimmed with every strike—it was clear he couldn't hold out much longer.
...
On Earth,
Urashiki and Kinshiki had already reached Konoha.
Urashiki eyed the village gates and said,
"Well, well. So this is one of those human 'villages,' huh? Doesn't look half bad."
Before coming, they had extracted plenty of information from some unfortunate victims. The most important was this: not long ago, the Ten-Tails had appeared here, and a white-haired woman had returned to Konoha alongside the Hokage.
Kinshiki remained silent. He brushed past Urashiki and walked straight toward the village.
The two Chūnin guards stepped forward to block him, shouting,
"Who goes there!?"
Kinshiki didn't even glance at them. With a casual swing of his massive arm, he sent both flying into the village.
Urashiki pressed a hand to his forehead with a sigh.
"Good grief, you're way too rough. Can't you try being gentle?"
Kinshiki's blow instantly caused chaos inside Konoha. Itachi immediately led a squad of Anbu to the scene.
The moment his eyes landed on Kinshiki and Urashiki's faces, his expression shifted.
Their appearance matched perfectly with how Kaito had once described the Ōtsutsuki clan. He had a good idea who they were.
Itachi didn't dare underestimate them. At once, he activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Kinshiki lifted his head and cast an impatient glance at Itachi. In the next instant, his burly form vanished from sight. A heartbeat later, he was right before Itachi, throwing a punch aimed at his face.
Itachi's pupils shrank. Kinshiki's speed was overwhelming—even with his Mangekyō, he hadn't caught his movements.
Bang!
The punch stopped, as if hitting an invisible wall, just inches from Itachi's face.
Madara had appeared behind him at some point. Arms folded, his Rinnegan eyes glared coldly at Kinshiki.
"What manner of creature are you," Madara said icily, "to dare make trouble here?"
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