The ocular power within the Giant Tenseigan had been completely siphoned away. The once-brilliant orb was now shrouded in a dull, grey stone membrane—a husk drained of its divinity.
In the dimness of the palace, Hyuga Shinichi's eyes were the only source of light. They burned with a cosmic intensity, their azure and silver hues casting long shadows against the ancient walls. Through these eyes, his chakra had woven itself into the very fabric of the Moon's interior. He could feel every stone, every drop of water, and every puff of artificial air.
The barrier... It's linked to me now.
As he scanned his surroundings, Shinichi realized that the massive defensive arrays of the palace were no longer drawing power from the giant orb, but from him. Not only that, but as his consciousness expanded, his vision pierced through the palace walls and reached the artificial sun hanging in the sky.
He could feel the mechanisms of this hollow world—the weather, the light, the gravity—all answering to the pulse of his new eyes.
He felt like a creator god, capable of shattering this miniature world with a single thought.
"Is this the true power of the Tenseigan?"
The agony was gone, replaced by a sense of absolute clarity and perfect integration. Shinichi extended a hand, and a low murmur escaped his lips. Instantly, a cloak of shimmering emerald chakra erupted around him.
Nine black Truth-Seeking Orbs manifested in a circular formation behind his back, while nine comma-shaped markings appeared across his chest. He felt himself lift off the ground, floating effortlessly in the air. In the palm of his hand, a terrifying concentration of energy began to swirl—a force capable of vaporizing the entire underground civilization. With a calm flex of his fingers, he reabsorbed the energy and deactivated the mode.
The massive barrier guarding the palace dissolved into nothingness at his command.
The Last Descendant
Outside the palace, young Toneri was paralyzed with dread.
The Giant Tenseigan was the heart of their clan, the treasure for which his ancestors had sacrificed everything. It was the battery that kept their world alive. If it failed, he would be the ultimate sinner of the Branch House.
As he stood helplessly before the sealed doors, the world suddenly changed. The artificial sun above began to dim rapidly, turning a bruised, sickly red. The brilliant "daylight" was swallowed by a heavy, oppressive twilight. A low rumble shook the foundations of the celestial city; the palace, having lost its primary support energy, began to descend toward the lunar crust.
The descent lasted only a few minutes before stabilizing, but the shock was interrupted by the sudden vanishing of the palace barrier.
"What happened?!" Toneri cried out. "Is the barrier gone?"
He rushed forward, but before he could take a step, a figure appeared beside him as if he had always been there. Toneri froze. He hadn't sensed a thing—no sound, no ripple in the air, no surge of chakra.
"Are you Toneri?"
The voice was calm and deep. Toneri spun around, his heart hammering against his ribs. He came face-to-face with a young man whose eyes were unlike anything he had ever seen—deep, crystalline pools that seemed to contain a rotating galaxy.
"You... you..." Toneri stammered, his voice failing him.
Before the boy could react or launch an attack, Shinichi reached out and firmly grasped his wrist. Toneri tried to pull back, but he was pinned by a strength that felt as immovable as the moon itself.
"My name is Hyuga Shinichi," the stranger said. "Otsutsuki Hamura sent me. Come with me; there is someone you need to see."
With the Tenseigan fully matured, Shinichi's mastery over space-time had transcended its previous limits. He no longer needed pre-placed markers for short-range travel; anywhere his Tenseigan could see, he could instantly anchor a Flying Thunder God formula.
The world blurred.
The Hyuga of the Moon
Toneri gasped as the scenery shifted from the celestial palace to a dark, subterranean graveyard. He looked around at the thousands of simple burial mounds, feeling a strange, overwhelming sense of kinship. He didn't know this place, yet it felt more like "home" than the cold halls of the castle.
"Where is this?"
"The resting place of your ancestors," Shinichi replied, his eyes scanning the grey mist.
He was waiting for Hamura. Even with the Tenseigan, he couldn't "see" the spirit's hiding place. The realm of souls seemed to exist on a different vibrational frequency entirely. I wonder if Hagoromo is doing the same on Earth, Shinichi thought. Watching, waiting for Kaguya's inevitable return.
The environment began to warp. The stone walls dissolved into a swirling grey chaos, and hundreds of light orbs drifted up from the graves, coalescing into translucent figures.
Otsutsuki Hamura stepped forward, his aged face illuminated by the glow of the spirits behind him.
"Truly a magnificent set of eyes," Hamura praised, his gaze fixed on Shinichi. "Your growth has surpassed my wildest expectations."
Shinichi inclined his head slightly. "I owe it to your guidance. I've brought Toneri, as promised. Our deal is half-complete."
Toneri stared at the old man in shock. He had seen this face in every scroll and every portrait of his clan's history. "Ancestor?!"
The boy fell to his knees, tears welling in his eyes. For a child who had lived in absolute isolation, the sudden appearance of his forefather was an emotional tidal wave.
"Good child..." Hamura stepped forward. Though he was a spirit, when he embraced Toneri, a profound warmth spread through the boy's chest. It was a resonance of the soul.
For a long time, the two spoke in a way that bypassed words—a direct communion of history, regret, and hope. Toneri's expressions shifted from grief to shame, and finally, to a quiet, resolute spark of joy.
Hamura had explained that while the Branch House had erred in their path, he, their ancestor, did not hold a grudge. He told Toneri that Shinichi would be his "Elder Brother," and that he must follow him to the world below to see the truth of the Ninja Creed.
When the embrace ended, Toneri stood up and turned toward Shinichi. He bowed deeply, his voice trembling but sincere.
"Elder Brother!"
"From this day forward, my name shall be Hyuga Toneri. I ask for your guidance."
Shinichi watched the transformation with a mix of surprise and wariness. Hamura's influence over the boy was almost like a Kotoamatsukami—a total rewrite of his purpose based on pure, ancestral faith.
Hamura smiled at Shinichi, sensing his thoughts. "I leave Toneri in your care. He is a good boy; under your wing, he will grow into a man of character."
"I entrust the power of my lineage to you," the Sage continued, his form beginning to flicker as his remaining energy waned. "Protect the world my brother created. And Shinichi... no matter what happens in the future, trust in your eyes."
"The Tenseigan will pierce through any fog, any deception, and any obstacle. Remember: You are special."
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