Whoosh—
With no gravity to weigh him down, Susanoo felt as if it had cast off a heavy burden.
Its speed surged, several times faster than usual.
The greater speed meant Fugaku Uchiha would cross the airless void much faster. And with less time spent in the vacuum, oxygen consumption naturally dropped. He might not even need a breathing device to make it through.
But there was one problem—the countless drifting asteroids.
No matter how carefully Fugaku maneuvered Susanoo, he could only avoid the largest ones. Inevitably, the giant warrior collided with smaller rocks along the way.
Fortunately, Susanoo's defense was more than enough to withstand such impacts.
Still, every collision consumed more chakra and ocular power. If those reserves ran out before he cleared the void, he'd be left exposed in the airless gulf—dead in moments.
When the Yin Seal's stored energy was half spent, Fugaku finally broke through the vacuum zone and entered the moon's atmosphere—without ever touching the breathing device.
He let out a breath of relief. Not only had he passed through the asteroid-filled void, but he still had plenty of chakra and ocular power left to sustain his flight.
That success was only possible because this world's moon wasn't like the one in his previous life.
It wasn't a natural satellite—it had been forged by the Sage of Six Paths using Chibaku Tensei. Its distance from the shinobi world was far shorter than Earth's moon in his past life.
That was why he had dared attempt this insane flight in the first place.
If it had been like before, a journey of two or three days at several times the speed of sound, he would have abandoned the idea immediately.
There was another difference as well: this moon had air—air one could breathe.
As long as he reached the lunar region, breathing was no longer a concern.
But there was no time to marvel. Even with half his Yin Seal intact, his resources weren't endless.
Whoosh—
Fugaku guided his Complete Susanoo downward toward the moon's surface.
Gravity pulled him faster and faster.
The speed grew so extreme that the armored giant ignited the atmosphere. Its black form glowed crimson with friction, turning Susanoo into a blazing meteor streaking toward the ground.
But the fiery descent devoured chakra and ocular power even faster.
Boom!
At the brink of exhaustion, Susanoo finally crashed into a lunar forest.
The impact carved a massive crater, unleashing a storm that flattened every tree in sight.
What had been a thriving forest was now reduced to ruin.
"Hah…"
Fugaku released Susanoo, collapsing into the scorched crater.
The insane journey was over—he had reached the moon.
But the price was steep. His chakra and ocular power were drained to the dregs. Even the Yin Seal was nearly empty. Not since learning the seal had he ever expended so much.
Whoosh—
Though exhausted, he forced himself to rise. With what little chakra remained, he cast the Mayfly Technique, masking his presence as he fled the devastated forest.
The crash had been too loud, too destructive. If Toneri Ōtsutsuki sent his puppets to investigate now, in this state, Fugaku would stand no chance.
He needed a hidden, safe place to recover.
Not long after he vanished, a flock of giant birds swooped down—except they weren't birds at all, but mechanical puppets.
Each bore the Ōtsutsuki constructs Fugaku had faced before.
They landed in the crater, camera-like eyes whirring as they scanned the devastation.
Far away, inside the Lunar Palace, Toneri watched the images through their sight.
It looked like the impact of a massive meteor—yet there was no meteor to be found.
Strange. A strike strong enough to erase a forest should have left a huge rock behind.
And yet, nothing.
"Did it grow legs and run off?" Toneri muttered, frowning.
Absurd—but if not a meteor, then what?
A living being?
The thought chilled him. The Ōtsutsuki clan had crossed the stars to this world. That meant life could exist even in the void.
His face hardened.
"Send ten more puppet squads. Search the area. Leave nothing unchecked."
The moon was his domain. Whatever had landed, he would find it.
Meanwhile, before his chakra failed completely, Fugaku stumbled into a hidden cave.
He lit a small lamp, its glow tucked into a corner where it wouldn't spill outside. The winding tunnel concealed the light.
He ate rations, drank water, and restored some strength. Then he pulled a blanket from a scroll, covering himself as he leaned against the wall.
He had barely rested when—
Tap, tap, tap.
Footsteps.
His eyes snapped open. As a shinobi, he could judge much from sound alone.
This was no beast. The gait belonged to a bipedal, humanoid figure.
"Byakugan, open!"
His vision pierced the rock, and his heart sank.
Not far outside, three Ōtsutsuki puppets searched the area, moving steadily toward the cave.
Had Toneri discovered his infiltration?
It wasn't impossible. With the power of the Tenseigan, the Ōtsutsuki possessed strange abilities.
Or perhaps Toneri merely suspected something alive had fallen with that meteor-like crash. The missing rock was too glaring a clue.
Either way, Fugaku could not afford discovery.
He extinguished the lamp and melded into the cave wall with the Mayfly Technique.
Even with his reserves nearly gone, destroying three puppets was simple. The danger wasn't the puppets themselves, but the fact they were Toneri's eyes.
If they spotted him, Toneri would know.
And in his current condition, facing Toneri meant certain death.
Tap, tap, tap.
The puppets entered the cave, lights flickering on their frames. They reached the far wall—where Fugaku hid.
But without the Byakugan, they couldn't see him through the stone.
Finding nothing, they turned and left.
Only after their presence faded did Fugaku emerge, grim-faced.
He didn't relocate. It wasn't that he believed in "the most dangerous place is the safest"—he simply lacked the chakra to move.
So he remained, resting uneasily.
A day passed. His power recovered halfway. The cave had been searched several times, but never found him.
With chakra replenished, he carved a hidden underground chamber beneath the cave and concealed himself within.
Two days later, Fugaku's chakra and ocular power had fully returned.
Even then, he stayed put, pouring surplus chakra back into the Yin Seal. Though without the proper ratio of ocular power, that chakra could only be used for limited techniques, it was still a lifeline.
After days of preparation, the seal brimmed with energy once more.
At last, Fugaku stepped out of the cave.
His body was restored. His seal was full.
He was at his peak again.
It was time to strike at Toneri Ōtsutsuki.
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