One way or another, Hiruko had to find a way to lure Toneri down from the moon.
In the relevant movie timeline, Toneri Otsutsuki appeared to be a bit of a blockhead, but that didn't stop him from peeping on Hinata from the shadows. On the surface, he was always refined, quiet, and reserved—the picture of a "melancholy bishounen."
In reality? He was no honest man; he was a textbook "closet pervert."
Hiruko wondered if Toneri's habitual voyeurism technique shared a common source with the Third Hokage's Telescope Jutsu. It was truly impressive how he could descend from the moon and stalk people so undetected.
However, compared to Hinata, Hiruko was far more interested in Hanabi Hyuga. After all, when the chakra of the moon's Otsutsuki clan combined with the Byakugan of the main Hyuga house, Hanabi's eyes directly evolved into the Tenseigan. Such a singular, miraculous evolution was breathtaking to contemplate.
If I use the genetic material from Hanabi after she evolves the Tenseigan for cloning... then the clones I create might also possess that god-like power, Hiruko mused.
Hiashi Hyuga really needed to hurry up and have Hanabi. One of Hiruko's five planned abilities definitely had to be the Tenseigan. Power levels were a matter of game patches—they changed with every "version"—but looking cool was permanent. Besides, the Tenseigan's power remained T0 (top tier) in the shinobi world across all versions.
Currently, while Hiruko had not yet transcended into an eternal, indestructible lifeform, he was already making ample preparations for potential inter-world wars in the future.
He shared a significant destiny with Itachi Uchiha, not to mention his "bond" with Itachi's mother. Therefore, he planned to cultivate the boy carefully from a young age. He would mold him into a man who understood gratitude, rather than an ungrateful white-eyed wolf. With Itachi's talent and combat intelligence, he could accompany Hiruko quite far on this long journey.
If troubles arose in the future, wouldn't it be natural for a disciple to step up and handle them for his master?
Of course, his mother could step up as well.
The vast universe of the future was like a mysterious ocean waiting to be explored, with countless worlds scattered like stars. Hiruko knew he needed to find like-minded companions—warriors with high combat power and no fatal character flaws.
In Hiruko's eyes, both Hanabi and Hinata were excellent prospects. Hanabi had the Tenseigan potential. Hinata, while her blood purity was technically higher, was far too soft-hearted. She wasn't suited for the front lines of a brutal war; she was better as a support role, providing utility for Hiruko.
She was much like Kaguya Otsutsuki—someone who only knew how to use her raw power. When faced with shinobi experts who had clawed their way out of life-and-death struggles, their combat awareness was so pathetic they were simply crushed.
Speaking of which, Neji Hyuga was also an indispensable talent among the younger generation. He had a great name, was hardworking, exceptionally gifted, and possessed a flawless character. Furthermore, his father, Hizashi, and the clan head, Hiashi, were twin brothers. Since the Hyuga clan practiced endogamy (in-clan marriage), Neji's blood purity might actually exceed that of the average Hyuga.
In the current timeline, Neji had not yet been branded with the Caged Bird seal, and his eyes were perfect. His worldview hadn't set in stone yet; he could be carved like a piece of fine jade into exactly what Hiruko wanted him to be.
The distinction between the Main House and the Branch House had nothing to do with blood purity or talent. Hinata's blood wasn't "nobler" than Neji's; her purity was just slightly higher.
The Caged Bird system, while nominally flying the banner of "love" and protection, was in truth a system of slavery. Granted, it protected weaker Hyuga members by ensuring their Byakugan couldn't be stolen by enemies, but that didn't mask its ugly essence: treating Branch members like property.
If the Caged Bird was truly about protecting the clan's secrets, why not be fair and brand everyone? Moreover, beyond destroying the Byakugan upon death, the seal had a function more cruel than any headband—it could be manually activated to damage brain nerves.
This suggested that the Hyuga ancestors might have discovered the secret to synthesizing a powerful Byakugan long ago. They likely viewed the Branch members as "livestock" resources to maintain the Main House's absolute rule, waiting for the right moment to harvest.
The current state of the Hyuga clan was a cruel, cyclical tragedy. Branch children were born into slavery, waiting to be used like crops. Much like the Otsutsuki on the moon who ruthlessly extracted power from their kin to create the Giant Tenseigan, the modern Hyuga clan was essentially running a hidden slave trade.
It's truly disgusting, Hiruko thought. An industrializing society still clinging to slave-like structures.
Hiashi and Hizashi were brothers bound by blood and deep affection. However, their vastly different social statuses acted like invisible shackles that would eventually erode their pure brotherhood.
In the original timeline, Hizashi saw Neji's brilliance and compared it to Hinata's weakness. This disparity bred a subconscious resentment, even a fleeting killing intent toward Hinata. When Hiashi sensed this intent toward his daughter, he reacted with fury, punishing Hizashi with the Caged Bird seal. Thus, because of their children, the seeds of betrayal were sown.
Fate, however, turned the wheel in a bloody direction. Later, Hizashi died as a scapegoat to protect the Main House and his brother. Separated by life and death, Hiashi only then learned to cherish that bond. He eventually took out his guilt on Hinata, finding her too weak to inherit the Hyuga glory that his brother had died to protect.
Although the Four-Village War had been over for some time, the Konoha high command's "loot-sharing" plan—deciding responsibility and distributing benefits—remained a thorny problem.
Danzo Shimura, the leader of Root, sat on his cushion slowly sipping tea. His head was wrapped in bandages, making him look a bit like a pig-headed mess after his injuries.
Over years of war, Konoha had developed a very clear and detailed system of rewards and punishments. Whether it was the number of enemies killed, the severity of a shinobi's disability, or compensation for families, everything was strictly documented in the village archives.
However, it was an open secret that the elders often delayed these payments to line their own pockets.
This time, things were delicate. Konoha was the victor, but they hadn't achieved their strategic goals. They had only squeezed 100 billion Ryo in reparations from the losers. It sounded like a lot, but as an ally, they had to split it with the Sand. The Sand's share was roughly 50 billion.
In this campaign, the Sand had gone all-in. Even the Kazekage and Gaara had been on the front lines. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that if not for Konoha's success, Gaara would have likely died, and the Sand would have lost a true genius. Konoha had to give the Sand enough "face" and compensation. If they refused to pay, what ally would ever fight to the death for Konoha again?
Now, a grim question faced the Leaf: how to distribute the remaining 50 billion? No matter how they sliced it, someone was going to be unhappy.
Minato Namikaze looked toward Danzo with a heavy expression. To his surprise, Danzo uncharacteristically took the initiative to signal his cooperation.
The war had cost Konoha dearly. In a way, Konoha had provided massive support to the Sand to resist a common foe. The enemies were bankrupted by the reparations, but Konoha hadn't exactly profited. Hiruko had equipped the Leaf ninjas with top-tier gear, and the village had invested heavily.
According to Hiruko's philosophy, the priority should be the families of the fallen and the wounded. Heroes shouldn't shed blood and then cry over empty wallets. But the village's finances were limited; if they prioritized pensions, funds for construction and development would dry up.
War reparations were a bottomless pit. Minato had even managed to secure a massive war loan from the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. More troublesome was that as the Daimyo realized Konoha was sinking into a financial quagmire, his control over the village would only tighten. In the game of power, the strong thrive and the weak perish; everyone wanted a bigger piece of the pie.
Of course, Hiruko had ideas. He could technically divert the funds to solve urgent problems or pay off part of the Daimyo's loan. But if he did, the opposition led by Danzo wouldn't let it go. Those people were experts at fanning the flames. With the funds being limited, any choice Minato made was bound to draw resentment from some faction.
Just then, Hiruko's gaze turned toward Kakashi. A meaningful smirk played on his lips as he slowly pulled a notebook from behind his back.
"Kakashi, interested in making a movie?"
"I've got a killer script here called All Quiet on the Shinobi Front. Want to take a look?"
"?"
Kakashi felt a sinking feeling in his gut. Whenever Hiruko looked like that, it usually meant Kakashi was about to be dragged into something incredibly troublesome.
"Yameru! (Stop it!)"
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