Avoiding the genjutsu bubbles, the rest of the journey proceeded without incident.
The two crossed three more bodies of water before finally arriving at the last cavern.
"Beyond this point lies the moon," Hayashi said.
Himeji was about to respond when her expression suddenly changed.
"There's chakra approaching."
Hayashi nodded.
It must be the giant crab that guarded this place in the original timeline.
Sure enough, moments later, a massive crab emerged from across the river and charged ferociously toward Hayashi and Himeji.
Despite its enormous size and sideways gait, its speed was astonishing.
As it moved across the water, it split apart the waves, sending towering surges crashing violently against both riverbanks.
At the same time, the giant crab spat out dozens of bubbles, each infused with chakra capable of inducing genjutsu.
Hayashi quickly formed hand seals.
Water Release: Water Dragon Biting Explosion!
The lake behind him suddenly erupted.
Nearly half the river surged upward, rising dozens of meters into the air like a colossal dragon bursting from the water before arching overhead.
This underground cavern was filled with water, and the unique properties of the lake greatly amplified Hayashi's Water Release techniques.
With a wave of his arm, the massive torrent descended, engulfing everything in its path as it crashed toward the giant crab.
The creature's imposing charge instantly collapsed under the overwhelming force.
The bubbles were swept away, and the giant crab was hurled onto a rocky outcrop in a thoroughly miserable state.
Looking at the soaked crab lying there, Hayashi couldn't help but wonder,
"Would it taste better steamed or stir-fried?"
...
...
From Earth, observing the moon through a telescope would only reveal a barren landscape filled with impact craters and countless mountain rings.
But reality was entirely different.
The moon always kept its desolate side facing Earth. On the hidden side, however, towns of various sizes were scattered across the landscape.
Above them, an enormous Barrier Ninjutsu enveloped the entire area, and suspended within that barrier was an artificial sun that sustained daily life on the moon.
At that moment, inside a room known among the Ōtsutsuki Clan as the Reincarnation Chamber, five people awoke from their slumber.
Among them, only two were young, appearing to be in their late teens.
The remaining three were elderly.
The oldest had completely white hair and no remaining teeth, looking as though he could pass away at any moment.
"What happened?" asked Genjin, the youngest member of the clan.
"Someone has entered the Forbidden Land," answered Zon, Genjin's father.
Zon was already over sixty years old, and Genjin had been born when he was well past forty.
Genjin's mother had passed away long ago due to complications brought on by her advanced age during childbirth.
"The ones who entered the Forbidden Land... are they members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan?" Genjin asked, his expression changing.
As a descendant of Kaguya who had inherited much of the clan's legacy, Genjin was aware of the existence of the extraterrestrial Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Besides guarding the Gedo Statue, the moon's Ōtsutsuki Clan also existed to protect against invasions from other Ōtsutsuki.
However, Zon shook his head.
"Not necessarily. Someone has entered the passage connecting Earth and the moon."
"People from Earth?"
Genjin frowned.
"Didn't the clan records state that the passage was sealed long ago?"
According to ancient records, a former clan leader had completely severed ties with Earth and sealed the special Barrier Ninjutsu in order to prevent Kaguya from escaping.
"That seal was broken long ago," said an even older voice.
The speaker was Ōtsutsuki Ishii, Zon's uncle.
Ishii spoke with a trembling voice.
"It's time to tell you everything. We old people won't live much longer, and one day this moon will be entrusted to all of you."
"You know that deep within the moon, Kaguya's body is sealed. At the same time, the empty shell of the Ten-Tails, the Gedo Statue, is also imprisoned there."
"But twenty years ago, before you were born, someone suddenly used the Summoning Technique to summon the Gedo Statue away."
"What?! Something like that actually happened?" Genjin exclaimed.
"Yes, it's hard to believe." Ishii shook his head.
"After thousands of years, someone actually managed to awaken the Rinnegan."
"Even our clan hasn't produced anyone capable of naturally awakening the Tenseigan for many generations. We've been forced to rely on the imperfect method of combining countless Byakugan."
"Didn't you investigate?" Genjin asked.
Zon nodded.
"We did. I also dispatched a large number of puppets."
"But at the time, Earth was in the middle of what they called the First Great Ninja War, and we found nothing useful."
Although the passage had reopened due to the disappearance of the Gedo Statue, members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan still couldn't pass through it themselves.
Only non-living creations such as puppets could be sent to Earth to investigate.
Unfortunately, their abilities were limited, and they discovered very little.
Besides, Madara had hidden himself far too well.
How could they possibly have found him?
"Then who entered the passage this time?" Genjin asked in confusion. "Could it be the same person who awakened the Rinnegan?"
"If it is him, that would be troublesome," Ishii said before coughing.
"Only the Tenseigan can contend against the Rinnegan, but our clan has already withered to this state..."
Pain appeared on his face.
His cloudy Byakugan had long since lost their pure white brilliance.
Now, aside from the countless puppets, only a handful of Ōtsutsuki descendants remained within the entire castle.
The reason was war.
Long ago, the moon had been prosperous and thriving.
But eventually, a conflict arose between the Main Family and the Branch Family.
The disagreement escalated into a civil war.
At first, no one believed the Branch Family could win.
After all, the Main Family had always held overwhelming superiority.
However, the Branch Family created the Tenseigan by combining numerous Byakugan, completely reversing the situation.
The Tenseigan's power proved devastating to the Main Family.
Yet its creation also pushed the Branch Family toward ruin.
By the end of the war, the Branch Family had annihilated the Main Family.
But the cost of victory was catastrophic.
Only a handful of survivors remained, and from that day onward, the Ōtsutsuki Clan steadily declined.
The once glorious civilization was almost entirely destroyed during that civil war.
By the current generation, aside from the elderly Ishii, only Zon and Ōtsutsuki Sōgi remained among the older generation.
The younger generation consisted solely of Genjin and Kawakui.
If those two were to die, the entire Ōtsutsuki Clan would truly become extinct.
At that moment, Ōtsutsuki Sōgi, who had remained silent until now, finally raised his head.
Sōgi was Kawakui's father and also Zon's cousin.
"It may not necessarily be the person who awakened the Rinnegan."
"Don't forget that when our ancestors left Earth, they left behind descendants there as well."
"They may still remember our existence..."
"We still have hope."