Late night, serene and deep.
A crescent moon hung high in the sky, its cold silver light spilling over the ancient and solemn Hyuga Clan's compound, coating the layered upturned eaves and austere courtyards with a hazy, frost-like layer.
Most of the village was long lost in dreams, and even the chakra fluctuations of the Anbu Ninjas on night watch felt regular and subdued under Mind's Eye of Kagura.
However, at the edge of the village's barrier, within the shadows of a dense forest far from the hustle and bustle, two presences, utterly alien to all of Konoha, to the entire earth, descended like stones dropped into a lake, appearing there without a sound.
There was no spatial fluctuation, no chakra explosion; they simply appeared there abruptly, as if they had always belonged to that void.
Otsutsuki Toneri and his father, Otsutsuki Shuto.
Both wore moon-white, antique-style kosode with wide sleeves, the fabric flowing with a strange, silken yet hemp-like luster under the moonlight. Shuto's tall frame carried an aura of almost desiccated stillness, his face covered by a peculiar mask made of pale white bone, revealing only closed eyes and a cold, hard jawline.
The young Toneri also had his eyes closed, his hair white as snow, his features exquisite like a lifeless porcelain doll, his skin showing an unnatural pallor under the faint moonlight.
Their 'vision' did not rely on physical eyes but on a spiritual perception originating from bloodline, transcending common sense… the Mind's Eye.
"Father, is this the place?" Toneri's voice was ethereal, carrying a child's innocence yet a calmness beyond his years.
"Hn." Shuto's voice was hoarse and aged, like the rustling of dry leaves, "A millennium of exile, a millennium of watchfulness… we finally set foot on this land our ancestors once guarded. Pity, our eyes have returned to the stars."
He tilted his head slightly upward, as if 'looking' at the moon hanging in the sky, his tone laden with indescribable complex emotions… reminiscence, duty, and a trace of barely perceptible greed.
An invisible perception spread like quicksilver, soundlessly flooding over Konoha Village, accurately covering the area belonging to the Hyuga Clan.
In the world of the Mind's Eye, color faded, leaving only countless points of chakra light shimmering and flowing like stars.
The guarding Hyuga Clan's Ninjas within the compound, the sleeping clansmen, even the unique Chakra Patterns of the Caged Bird, marked by restraint and pain, were all revealed in minute detail within their perception.
Shuto's 'gaze' lingered for a long time on two exceptionally bright, pure Chakra Sources deep within the compound.
One was slightly larger, warm and gentle like jade in early spring, the other younger, yet even more pure and flawless, like a newborn star.
"The Hyuga... that is the branch of our ancestors' bloodline left in the human world." Shuto's tone held a hint of aloofness and a barely noticeable disdain.
"Guarding a pair of degraded eyes, similarly trapped in the ridiculous restraints of main and branch families, smugly self-satisfied within a birdcage called 'protection'."
The contempt in his words was like a cold blade.
"Their bloodline has long been adulterated and bound by worldly rules and that ridiculous seal. However-" His voice paused, carrying a note of surprise and delight, "In this generation, two exceptional pearls have actually appeared. That girl named Hyuga Hinata, the purity of her bloodline far surpasses that of the current main family's head. Even more rare is that infant, Hyuga Hanabi. Her eyes are pure to the point of perfection, like unpolished gem."
Toneri's spirit stirred slightly.
His [Mind's Eye] involuntarily focused on that warm and gentle Chakra Source.
The spiritual perception outlined a blurred yet clear silhouette: a short, dark blue-haired girl, sleeping peacefully in her room, her breathing even and long.
Her sleeping face was serene, her features carrying a natural gentleness and kindness, as if capable of soothing all the world's harshness.
A strange, never-before-felt sensation quietly took root in Toneri's young heart, like a small flower blooming in cold moon soil.
He subconsciously remembered that name, Hyuga Hinata.
"Toneri." Shuto's low voice interrupted Toneri's thoughts, carrying an unquestionable authority and a weighty gravity, as if entrusting final wishes.
"My time... is short. When you come of age and possess the power to control the Giant Tenseigan, you must descend upon this place and take Hyuga Hinata as your wife. Her bloodline will help you sire stronger offspring, continuing the glory of our Otsutsuki Hamura lineage. As for that pure infant, Hanabi..." Shuto's voice suddenly turned icy and cruel: "Her eyes will be the key, the final piece to help you truly awaken the Tenseigan, master the power of the stars, and fulfill our ancestor's wish to purify the earth! When the time comes, take her eyes and transplant them onto yourself!"
Shuto's tone revealed a morbid fanaticism… for the sake of that legendary Dojutsu, familial bonds and morality could all be sacrificed.
"Yes, Father." Toneri's face showed no apparent change in expression, only a slight nod. The newly sprouted fondness, before the cold mission and his father's powerful will, seemed utterly insignificant, easily pressed deep into the bottom of his heart.
Father and son, like phantoms under the moon, conversed in low voices within the dense forest, planning the cold and cruel future for the two sisters.
They considered themselves higher life forms, looking down upon the 'defilement' on the earth, yet completely unaware that under the vast, boundless starry sky above them, on a nameless mountain peak dozens of kilometers away, another pair of invisible 'eyes', like the most precise radar, was firmly locked onto them!
Menma's shadow clone sat cross-legged on the cold mountain rock, eyes tightly closed, like a sculpture blending into the night… the Mind's Eye of Kagura, with its perception range vast enough to cover all of Konoha Village and its surrounding, acted like radar, clearly feeding back every move of the Otsutsuki father and son, every slight change in their Chakra.
Their location, their conversation, even Shuto's decaying vitality, were all accurately captured, analyzed, and recorded by the shadow clone.
When the figures of Shuto and Toneri seemed to blend into the night and vanish, not through high-speed movement, but by their Chakra Reactions instantly becoming extremely weak and rapidly moving away, the shadow clone immediately opened its eyes.
Without the slightest hesitation, he shot off like an arrow from a bow, following the faint, almost dissipated trail of chakra locked onto by Mind's Eye of Kagura, maintaining a safe distance of about fifty kilometers, silently speeding over the continuous mountains and forests above, tracking them.
The pursuit lasted several hours, crossing vast forests and perilous mountain ranges.
Finally, that weak chakra signal completely vanished deep within a pristine, uninhabited primeval forest near the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass.
The point of disappearance pointed towards a massive waterfall thundering down into a deep pool.
The shadow clone hovered above the waterfall. The Mind's Eye of Kagura, like invisible tendrils, meticulously scanned the damp rock face behind the waterfall, the rushing water, the bottomless pool, and every inch of the surrounding land.
Finally, behind the waterfall's curtain, deep within a crevice cleverly concealed by vines and moss, he detected an extremely faint residual spatial fluctuation and a clear, cold, and ancient aura, very different from natural energy.
The shadow clone penetrated the water curtain, landing soundlessly on the slippery platform behind the rock crevice.
Ahead was the entrance to a natural cave eroded by water, pitch black inside, with only a faint, seemingly subterranean green light emanating from the depths.
He cautiously entered the cave.
The walls were slippery, the dripping water exceptionally clear in the silence.
After going dozens of meters deep, the space suddenly opened up.
A massive underground cavern appeared before him.
In the center of the cavern was a spring emitting a soft, green light.
The water wasn't ordinary groundwater, the light originated from deep within the spring, as if connected to a light source from another world.
Even more striking was that on the arched dome of the cavern, naturally formed on the rock, was carved a huge, faintly glowing white character.
"So it's here, just as described in the movie." The shadow clone recalled fragmented information from his memories about the movie.
This was the entrance to the passage leading to the moon!
The shadow clone's eyes turned solemn.
He did not recklessly approach the strange spring and rune, but quickly retreated back to the cave entrance.
He took a specially made kunai from his ninja tool pouch. The blade of the kunai was inscribed with an extremely intricate Flying Thunder God Technique's formula. Then, he firmly thrust the kunai into a crevice of a solid rock at the cave entrance, ensuring it was stable and well-hidden.
After doing all this, the shadow clone took one last look deep into the shimmering cavern, confirming that the coordinate mark was correct.
Immediately after, he decisively dispelled himself.
At the same moment, in Menma's training room within Konoha Village.
Menma's main self, sitting cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes.
The massive amount of information brought back by the shadow clone flooded his mind like a raging tide in an instant: the icy dialogue of the Otsutsuki father and son, Toneri's slight fondness for Hinata, Shuto's cruel plan, the location of the cavern, the spring emitting an eerie blue light, and the chilling character pattern on the dome.
A cold, murderous intent flashed through Menma's eyes, quickly replaced by deep calculation.
'Kid, you've brought death upon yourself!'
'Toneri's father probably only has the strength of an Elite Jonin, after all, he's a dying man, and Toneri is just a seven or eight-year-old child… but that Giant Tenseigan is something to be wary of.' Menma pondered.
'This trip to the moon is also a chance to broaden horizons. Hizashi must definitely be taken along to see the world, since they are all descendants of Hamura.'
'Then, we might even encounter Hamura's soul. Although that old guy doesn't interfere with the mortal world, as he didn't even show up when the Otsutsuki's main family on the moon was wiped out… but if we can talk to Hamura and get him and the old fool Hagoromo to not come bother me, that would be good.'
'I should bring Hikari along too, she's the strongest, if Hamura pulls her away to chat, she can suppress Toneri and his father all by herself.'
'Hmm, I should bring Kanon too. The Giant Tenseigan has many sealing techniques, and there are those numerous puppets. Maybe sealing techniques will come in handy.'
'If both of them are taken, Shisui definitely can't be left behind in the Land of Stars… he must be taken along. Then, let's take Kimimaro along too… it'll give Hizashi a little shock."'
'Haku... his strength isn't sufficient yet, so he won't participate for now.'
'Uchiha, Uzumaki, Kaguya, plus Hyuga, well, the legitimate succession of Ninja World is with me!'
After finalizing the team members for this mission to bully the lonely old man and eight-year-old child on the moon, Menma slowly stood up.
In the next moment, he vanished from the room.
…
That same late night.
Deep within the vast Hyuga Clan's compound, the branch family area, shrouded in moonlight, was deathly still.
Only the study of the branch family's head, Hizashi's residence, emitted a faint, dim light.
Hizashi sat behind a large desk, his spine habitually straight but unable to conceal the heaviness accumulated between his brows over time.
The room was simply furnished, carrying the Hyuga Clan's characteristic rigor and restraint.
He was deep in thought over an old scroll. The Caged Bird's mark on his temple, symbolizing servitude, looked particularly stark under the flickering candlelight.
The air seemed to congeal for a moment.
In the shadowy corner of the study, a figure appeared silently.
The iconic black robe, a cloak with the pattern of the Nine-Masked Beast flowing with a mysterious luster under the lamplight, and that cold, expressionless white three-eyed fox mask covering his face.
A restrained yet spine-chilling, volcano-like oppressive force instantly filled the entire study… causing the air to solidify.
It also made Hizashi's heart tighten abruptly, his body instantly tensing, reflexively about to rise.
'Shura!'
Shura's comings and goings were like ghosts, already beyond the limits of Hizashi's understanding.
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging shock within him, and slowly lowered his clenched palm.
There was no unnecessary probing, no useless pleasantries, as Hizashi knew his place.
He lowered his once noble head, knelt on one knee, his voice carrying a trace of barely perceptible awe: "Shura-sama, What are your orders, arriving so late at night?"
Faced with absolute power and that faint yet only hope, he chose a posture of submission.
The figure in the shadows stepped forward. The candlelight shone on the white three-eyed fox mask, outlining the jawline beneath it.
Shura's voice was calm, yet it clearly pierced the silence of the study: "Tomorrow at midnight, Valley of the End."
Hizashi sharply raised his head, his eyes filled with confusion.
Menma seemed to see through the doubts in his heart.
He didn't immediately answer 'where to', but instead dropped a piece of news that struck like a thunderclap: "To meet your Hyuga Clan's distant relatives."
"Distant relatives?" Hizashi's face was full of shock and bewilderment.
As a prestigious clan in the Ninja World, the Hyuga Clan naturally had many close kin, such as the annihilated Kaguya Clan in Kirigakure, and the Taketori Clan. (T/N: https://naruto.fandom.com/wiki/Taketori_Clan.)
(A/N: Here, the Taketori Clan is set as another Ninja Clan because a child from the Taketori Clan appeared in Boruto, looking completely different from the annihilated Kaguya clan, so here the Taketori and Kaguya are set as two separate clans.)
But obviously, Shura wasn't referring to the Kaguya or Taketori Clans.
After just a moment's thought, Hizashi remembered the 'historical fragments' Shura had once shown him.
'That Ninja Clan that had once hunted the Hyuga Clan, collecting Hyuga's Byakugan!'
'That mysterious Ninja Clan I found no trace of in the historical records even after scouring the branch family's historical texts!'
This thought emerged, instantly exploding in his mind into an unprecedented void and tidal wave of shock!
Shura's figure remained standing in place, his gaze beneath the mask deep as an abyss, quietly watching the disbelief and shock on Hizashi's face.
In the study, only the restless flickering of the oil lamp flame and Hizashi's suddenly heavy breathing remained.
"Yes, sir!" Hizashi's heart also stirred.
It wasn't curiosity about that history, but because that giant eyeball would be the key to unlocking their [Caged Bird]!