The patriarch of the Ōtsutsuki clan stared at the man standing before him.
The man's son—Ōtsutsuki Toneri—was a strange case.
He had been born without eyes.
For the Ōtsutsuki clan, whose power relied heavily on their dōjutsu, this was almost the same as being born useless. Without eyes, one could never fully awaken the clan's true power.
And now, this man was asking for a pair of Byakugan for his son.
The patriarch's gaze grew colder.
Just then, a subordinate rushed into the room.
"Sir!"
"This is the daughter of the Hyūga clan head. However, she's still very young. It seems she hasn't awakened her Byakugan yet."
The subordinate stepped aside.
In his arms was a small girl.
The patriarch glanced at her briefly.
The daughter of the Hyūga clan head naturally possessed the purest bloodline of the Hyūga.
But unfortunately, she was far too young.
Her Byakugan had not awakened yet, and her eyes had not fully developed.
If they were taken now, it would be nothing but a waste.
Keeping her alive until she grew older was also unnecessary.
The patriarch shifted his gaze back to Toneri's father.
"Very well."
"This girl will be given to you."
"She is the daughter of the Hyūga clan head. Her bloodline is extremely pure."
"Perfect for your son."
Toneri's father froze.
"Patriarch…"
His expression became awkward.
The girl hadn't even awakened her Byakugan.
Her eyes were essentially useless at this stage.
Did the patriarch mean—
Waste paired with waste?
The patriarch frowned slightly.
"What? You don't want her?"
"If you don't want her, then forget it."
"I'm offering you the purest Hyūga bloodline, yet you still hesitate."
Toneri's father clenched his fists.
What he had originally hoped for was just a normal pair of Byakugan.
Even the eyes of a branch family Hyūga would have been enough.
As long as Toneri obtained eyes, he could at least become a normal member of the Ōtsutsuki clan.
But now…
"…Thank you, Patriarch."
In the end, he could only bow his head and accept.
Carrying the unconscious girl—Hinata Hyūga's younger sister, Hanabi—he returned to a residence that the Ōtsutsuki had seized in Konoha.
Inside the room, Toneri was sitting quietly.
Hearing the door open, he tilted his head slightly.
"Father?"
Toneri's father forced a smile.
"Toneri, I requested a pair of Byakugan from the elders. They belonged to the Hyūga clan of the shinobi world."
"You'll finally be able to see."
A smile appeared on Toneri's face.
"Really?"
"Thank you, Father… and the clan elders."
"I told you the elders would definitely agree."
Toneri's father's expression stiffened slightly.
He simply nodded.
Looking at the unconscious Hanabi lying nearby, he sighed softly.
"Toneri… lie down."
"I'll perform the eye transplant now."
Toneri obediently laid down.
"Father, once I can see…"
"I will help the Ōtsutsuki clan fight and destroy all the humans in the shinobi world."
Toneri's father gave a bitter smile.
"We'll talk about that later."
In truth, he had no confidence.
Hanabi's undeveloped eyes—eyes that were practically useless at the moment—might not allow Toneri to see at all after the transplant.
Even he wasn't sure what the result would be.
Little girl… forgive me.
For my son's sake, I have no choice but to sacrifice you.
Although the moon-dwelling Ōtsutsuki clan was weaker than the original Ōtsutsuki bloodline, their lineage had not deteriorated as severely as the Hyūga clan in the shinobi world.
The moon's unique environment helped preserve much of their original power.
They still retained some abilities of the Ōtsutsuki bloodline.
For example, their regenerative ability far surpassed that of the Hyūga clan.
While severe injuries would not heal instantly, ordinary wounds could fully recover within just a few hours.
For something like an eye transplant, it usually took only about a day for the body to completely stabilize.
The next morning.
The first rays of sunlight filtered through the broken window and shone onto the bed.
Toneri slowly opened his eyes.
He looked toward the light.
In the next moment—
He froze.
Through the broken window, the ruins of Konoha spread out before him.
It wasn't a beautiful sight.
Collapsed buildings.
Scattered debris.
Smoke lingering in the air.
But to Toneri, it was breathtaking.
So… this is what the world looks like.
Sunlight filtering through drifting dust.
Shadows cast by broken walls.
Members of the Ōtsutsuki clan already busy moving through the ruined streets.
So this is what people look like…
Toneri slowly turned his head.
Beside him lay his father, asleep.
For a moment, Toneri studied his face carefully.
His father looked very old.
The Ōtsutsuki clan had much longer lifespans than ordinary humans. His father was only in his forties—he shouldn't have looked this aged.
Toneri suddenly realized something.
His father must have endured countless hardships over the years.
Just as he was thinking this—
A sharp pain suddenly pierced his eyes.
Toneri clenched his teeth.
Sweat began pouring down his forehead.
At that moment, it felt as if some terrifying power was gathering deep within his eyes.
"Ah—!"
The pain became too intense.
Toneri's scream echoed through the room, instantly waking his father.
"Toneri! What's wrong with you?!"
"My eyes… Father, my eyes…!"
Toneri's body trembled uncontrollably as he clutched his face in agony.
His father hurried to his side. Seeing Toneri writhing in pain, a surge of fury erupted in his chest.
That damned patriarch…
He couldn't even spare a proper pair of Byakugan?
If he had simply given him normal Hyūga eyes, none of this would be happening.
He had only hoped that Toneri would at least gain the ability to see.
But now it seemed that not only had that wish failed—Toneri might even be tortured to death by the failed transplant.
That bastard…
If anything happens to my son, I will never let him go.
At the same time, in Kirigakure—the Hidden Mist Village.
After Shigure returned to the village, he immediately expanded the number of Cloud Pigeons, ordering them to search everywhere for Sasuke Uchiha.
However, Sasuke had still not been found.
Instead, disturbing news arrived.
The Cloud Pigeons had discovered something unusual about Konoha.
Konoha Village… seemed to have been destroyed.
Shigure was stunned.
Konoha… destroyed?
By whom?
His first thought was Obito and Orochimaru.
But even so, it still felt strange.
Why would Orochimaru choose to attack Konoha at this time?
Just as Shigure was deep in thought—
"Mizukage-sama!"
A shinobi from the Kaguya clan suddenly appeared in his office.
Shigure frowned slightly and looked at him.
"What is it?"
The Kaguya ninja spoke quickly.
"Mizukage-sama, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, has arrived at Kirigakure."
"He brought Naruto Uzumaki with him."
Minato brought Naruto to the Hidden Mist?
Shigure's expression darkened.
It seemed that something truly terrible had happened in Konoha.
And judging from the situation, it wasn't simple.
"Bring them in."
Shigure wanted to hear the details personally.
After all, he had only recently visited Konoha. At that time, everything had been normal.
How had things changed so drastically in such a short time?
Soon, Minato entered the office carrying Naruto.
Naruto was unusually quiet, saying nothing.
Minato, however, looked at Shigure with a complicated expression.
Shigure spoke first.
"What happened in Konoha?"
Minato took a deep breath.
"Konoha… was attacked."
Shigure frowned.
"And after that?"
Minato shook his head slowly, his voice heavy.
"I don't know what happened after I left…"
At that moment, in Konoha Village.
The battlefield had already turned into hell.
The corpses of ordinary villagers had been piled together and burned.
The ninja of Konoha had suffered devastating casualties.
And at the center of the ruined village—
Hashirama Senju lay dying.
His body was pierced by numerous black chakra rods, completely immobilizing him.
Like a prisoner, he had been dragged before the Ōtsutsuki clan patriarch.
And…
(End of Chapter)
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