"Geez, where did my brother disappear to?" Karura Ōtsutsuki frowned.
She couldn't sense Mandala Ōtsutsuki's chakra anywhere, which meant he wasn't participating in the battle.
But if he wasn't fighting, where had he gone?
"Karura Ōtsutsuki!"
Just then, several figures dressed in white suddenly appeared before Uchiha Tensei and Karura.
Their white robes were adorned with black magatama patterns—the unmistakable emblem of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Among them stood Mandala Ōtsutsuki, staring at Karura with a helpless expression.
However, after taking a closer look at her, his face instantly darkened, and he glared at Uchiha Tensei with murderous intent.
With the vision granted by his incomplete Tenseigan, he could naturally tell that his sister was no longer a virgin.
Since Karura had been traveling with Uchiha Tensei, he didn't need to think twice to know who was responsible.
"Uchiha Tensei! You bastard! How dare you take advantage of my sister?! I'll kill you!"
"Mandala Ōtsutsuki, that's enough! Bringing Karura Ōtsutsuki down here without permission—is this how you honor your father's final wishes? Not another word. You're coming back with me."
A white-haired old man shot Mandala a stern glare.
Instantly, Mandala deflated. He didn't dare argue and could only glare viciously at Uchiha Tensei while silently stepping aside.
After reprimanding him, the old man's expression changed completely as he turned toward Karura. The stern authority vanished, replaced by warm affection.
"Little Karura, tell Uncle the truth. Did that little rascal trick you into coming down here? If he did, just say the word, and I'll break his legs!"
As he finished speaking, he glared fiercely at Mandala once again.
Listening from the side, Uchiha Tensei was left speechless, though he could tell these people hadn't come looking for trouble.
None of them possessed either the Byakugan or the Tenseigan, so he guessed they weren't direct descendants of the main Ōtsutsuki bloodline.
"Isamu"
Karura paused before correcting herself.
"Isamu, this old man is my mother's older brother—my uncle. The others are his children and trusted followers."
"Ever since my father passed away, Uncle has taken care of Mandala and me. He's always treated me very well."
Instead of answering the old man, Karura quietly introduced him to Isamu.
Seeing that Karura had ignored him, the old man looked utterly crestfallen, having completely lost the imposing presence he'd displayed moments earlier.
The others weren't surprised in the slightest. Everyone knew that while the old man was incredibly strict with Mandala, he absolutely doted on Karura.
He treated the siblings like complete opposites, so naturally he felt heartbroken when his favorite niece didn't acknowledge him immediately.
"Ahem… kid, are you Little Karura's boyfriend? That can't be right. You don't look particularly impressive. Surely Little Karura's standards aren't this low?"
The old man immediately perked back up, circled Isamu twice, and looked him over skeptically.
"…"
Isamu didn't know how to respond.
The old man was clearly teasing him, and there wasn't much he could say in return. After all, the man was Karura's elder, and there was no point arguing with someone who wasn't acting out of malice.
He simply watched the eccentric old man in silence.
"Uncle, what are you saying?" Karura pouted, worried Isamu might take offense. She hurried over, wrapped both hands around her uncle's arm, and began shaking it while acting spoiled.
"I'm telling you, Isamu is incredibly strong! Even my brother can't beat him!"
"Enough, enough! Stop shaking me!" the old man cried helplessly as his vision spun.
"Fine! I believe you. This boy named Isamu is very strong—extremely strong. Happy now?"
The old man held Karura's hands to stop her, inwardly lamenting that once a girl grew up, her heart no longer belonged to her family.
Although the old man gave in, Mandala was furious.
Hearing Karura openly declare that he wasn't Isamu's equal was something his sister-obsessed heart simply couldn't tolerate.
Just as he was about to step forward, someone smacked him on the back of the head.
He whirled around in anger, only to see it was a black-haired woman.
His fierce expression instantly disappeared.
Within the clan, there were only two people he truly feared—his uncle and this woman.
After fooling around with Karura for a while, the old man finally turned his attention toward the earth-shaking battle in the distance and sat down.
Looking at Isamu, his expression became completely serious.
"Young man, I don't care who you are or where you come from, but there's something important you need to know."
The playful smile from earlier had vanished entirely.
Seeing Isamu listening attentively, the old man nodded in satisfaction.
"Karura Ōtsutsuki is Hamura Ōtsutsuki's daughter. You already know that."
"Before Lord Hamura passed away, he gave Karura and Mandala a final order: all of his descendants must remain in that place for the rest of their lives. You understand what I mean, don't you?"
As he spoke, the old man narrowed his eyes and studied Isamu carefully.
Isamu showed little reaction.
He already knew that "that place" referred to the Moon, where the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path—the empty husk of the Ten-Tails—was sealed.
Back then, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki and Hamura Ōtsutsuki had worked together to seal away their mother and the Ten-Tails.
Hagoromo kept the Ten-Tails' chakra, while Hamura took responsibility for guarding its empty shell.
Hamura was deeply devoted to his family. Even after everything his mother had done, he still chose to remain on the Moon and watch over her for the rest of his life.
Because of that, the duty of Hamura's descendants became clear: guard the Moon for all generations and never set foot on Earth.
The Ten-Tails was far too dangerous.
If members of Hamura's lineage regularly traveled to Earth, someone would inevitably discover their existence, and the consequences could be disastrous.
Thus, before his death, Hamura established an unbreakable clan law: every descendant of his bloodline must remain on the Moon for life.
"Uncle…" Karura immediately understood that her uncle intended to take her home, and panic flashed across her face.
If this had happened before, she would have returned without hesitation.
But now…
She simply couldn't leave.
"Karura Ōtsutsuki, this isn't your choice to make. This is your duty—the responsibility entrusted to every child of Hamura Ōtsutsuki."
The old man fixed her with a stern glare.
Yet the moment he saw the hurt expression on her face, his heart softened. He simply couldn't bear to see the girl he cherished look so miserable.
Letting out a helpless sigh, he turned back to Isamu.
"For Karura's sake, I'm willing to make an exception."
"You may return with us to that place."
"After all…" the old man said with a faint smile, "…Karura will have to marry someone eventually."
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