After passing through the final cave, they finally entered the moon.
Even so, Hayashi remained somewhat uneasy.
After all, this was the territory of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, and buried beneath their feet was none other than Ōtsutsuki Kaguya herself.
Hayashi genuinely worried that if he accidentally stepped on the wrong place, it might trigger some kind of lunar catastrophe and break Kaguya's seal.
That would be extremely awkward.
If that really happened, his only option would be to kneel immediately, beg for mercy, claim they were distant relatives, and volunteer to become a guide before anyone asked.
However, after stepping onto the ground and carefully scanning the surroundings several times, Hayashi found nothing unusual.
At the very least, there wasn't someone glaring at him with a Tenseigan while shouting the name of the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.
After stamping a footprint into the ground, Hayashi declared solemnly,
"This is a small step for me, but a giant leap for mankind."
Himeji tilted her head and stared at him as though he were suffering from a severe case of chuunibyou.
Even Hayashi felt his face heat up slightly.
Still, he was happy.
As the first person to set foot on the moon in this era, wasn't he allowed to say something memorable?
As for the Ōtsutsuki living here, did they even count as ordinary humans?
At least, Hayashi certainly didn't think so.
Looking into the distance, he saw a sky bathed in perpetual twilight and a vast ocean stretching across the horizon.
Overall, the environment felt remarkably similar to the Ninja World.
The moon itself had originally been formed through Chibaku Tensei. Over countless years, it had accumulated enormous amounts of earth and gradually become a celestial body.
Then Hamura Ōtsutsuki, possessing extraordinary vision and imagination, transformed this barren moon into an artificial world capable of sustaining life. Through generations of development by his descendants, the moon's interior had evolved into a complete ecosystem no less impressive than that of Earth.
In a sense, Hamura was truly a remarkable scientist, albeit one whose expertise lay in ecology and environmental engineering.
"So this is the inside of the moon..." Himeji murmured in amazement. "It's unbelievable."
She stared at the dreamlike landscape, unable to accept that such a world existed within the moon.
Although the Ninja World's technological development was unusual in many respects, telescopes did exist. Ninjas were not completely ignorant of celestial bodies.
However, the moon always presented its barren outer surface to Earth. No one had ever seen the thriving world hidden within.
Far away, the silhouette of a town could be seen.
Unfortunately, an ocean stood between them and their destination.
Hayashi glanced at Himeji.
She nodded before swiftly forming hand seals.
A moment later, a gigantic crab appeared before them.
It waved its enormous iron-like pincers enthusiastically, displaying clear affection toward its summoner.
This was the very same giant crab they had encountered within the cave.
Eating it had never been an option.
The creature possessed incredible speed, could freely use Water Release, and even had powerful genjutsu abilities capable of trapping Naruto in the original timeline.
Its combat ability rivaled the summons of the Three Great Sage Regions. How could Hayashi possibly bring himself to eat something like that?
Whenever he remembered that this magnificent creature had been punched to death by Sakura Haruno in the original story, he couldn't help feeling a little regret.
Some people truly failed to recognize opportunity when it stood directly in front of them.
This was practically a gift delivered to their doorstep, yet their first instinct was to beat it to death.
No wonder they weren't the protagonists.
Of course, there was another important reason Hayashi hadn't killed it.
He already regarded the moon as his future territory.
What kind of owner would turn their own guard dog into hot pot?
Because of that, Hayashi had arranged for Himeji to sign a summoning contract with the giant crab.
Standing atop its shell, the two rode across the waves at tremendous speed and soon reached the opposite shore.
After arriving, the giant crab waved its pincers happily before diving back into the ocean to hunt.
Hayashi and Himeji continued inland through the forests, where more and more artificial structures came into view.
The moon's environment was remarkably similar to Earth's.
After briefly sensing the natural energy around him, Hayashi was surprised.
The natural energy here was actually richer than that of the Ninja World. Even compared to the Three Great Sage Regions, it was not inferior.
It seemed Hamura's accomplishments had been even greater than he originally thought.
As they continued deeper inland, a massive town gradually appeared before them.
The buildings were covered in vegetation and looked like ancient ruins abandoned for countless years.
There were no signs of recent human activity.
Even so, Hayashi knew there were still surviving members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan somewhere on the moon.
At this point in time, Ōtsutsuki Toneri had likely not yet been born, but his parents should still be alive.
According to Toneri's memories, several clan members were still living when he was a child. He had even accompanied his father to the Ninja World through a puppet.
During one of those visits, he saw the young Hyūga Hinata and became infatuated with her at first sight, already viewing her as his future wife.
Hayashi clicked his tongue.
Starting young, as expected.
Unfortunately for Toneri, Naruto eventually won Hinata's heart, bringing an end to a one-sided affection that had lasted nearly twenty years and stretched across an unimaginable distance.
Naruto truly was a villain.
At least, from Toneri's perspective.
Of course, Naruto eventually spared Toneri's life.
Thinking about all the strange circumstances surrounding Boruto's birth and abilities, Hayashi couldn't help entertaining increasingly ridiculous thoughts.
Fortunately, he still had enough sense not to take them seriously.
Shaking his head, he activated Sage Mode and expanded his perception.
Yet he detected no human presence whatsoever.
The surviving Ōtsutsuki were most likely living inside the artificial sun.
Perhaps it interfered with sensory abilities.
After some thought, that was the only explanation he could come up with.
Even so, Hayashi was in no hurry to head there.
Instead, he continued exploring the moon's ruins with Himeji.
The two pressed onward until they finally reached a location that clearly showed traces of past civilization.
Thick vines covered weathered stone structures, indicating that the settlement had been abandoned for a very long time.
Deep within the complex stood a large, distinctive building.
Inside, countless stone reliefs lined the walls.
Eventually, the two stopped before a massive mural carved into stone.
Time had eroded much of its detail, leaving the portrait blurred and worn.
The ancient script surrounding it had long vanished from common use.
Had Hayashi not specifically studied such records within the Uchiha Clan's archives before coming to Konoha, he likely would not have been able to decipher any of it.
The mural recorded the history of Hamura's descendants migrating to the moon.
It also contained fragmented references to the clan members who had remained behind on Earth.
Among all the inscriptions, one term appeared repeatedly:
Tenseigan.
According to the records, the Tenseigan represented the ultimate power possessed by the moon's inhabitants.
It was also the final safeguard entrusted to Hamura's descendants as they carried out their ancestral duty of protecting Kaguya's seal.
Should anyone ever attempt to break the seal, and should Hamura's descendants prove incapable of stopping them, the Tenseigan would serve as their last line of defense.
Unfortunately, Hamura likely never anticipated the fate that would befall his descendants.
He had brought them to the moon not only to guard the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, but also to separate them from humanity and spare them from endless conflict.
Yet in the end, his descendants started wars among themselves.
The paradise he had envisioned eventually collapsed into ruin.
And the moon had become what it was today.