A few days later.
In the Hyuga Rimei's room at the Fire Source City mansion.
"Shishou, it's time to get up."
"Sister Mikoto has been up for a long time. If you don't get up soon, she'll laugh at me again."
Having finished her morning routine, Hyuga Rimei leaned beside Shishou, urging him in his ear.
It was already mid-morning, nearly time for lunch, and for the past few days, Shishou had been lazing in bed, causing Rimei to be frequently teased by Mikoto.
Yes, Hyuga Rimei had started calling Mikoto "sister" now.
"Ah~~"
Shishou sat up in bed, stretched lazily, and said with a nonchalant smile, "If she dares laugh at you, we'll just team up against her tonight."
Hyuga Rimei brought a basin of water to the bedside, helping Shishou wash his face. Her cheeks reddened as she glared at him, chiding, "In the end, you two always gang up on me."
"Hahaha."
Shishou laughed heartily at her words.
Hyuga Rimei was extremely conservative and shy, which he found very amusing.
At noon.
After having lunch with the women at the mansion, Shishou handed a scroll to Hyuga Natsu at the table.
"Natsu, this scroll is for you."
It was a scroll left by Otsutsuki Hamura, recording the method to lift the Caged Bird curse mark from the foreheads of the Hyuga branch family.
The method on the scroll was divided into two parts: isolation and removal.
One part was for the branch family members to learn, allowing them to temporarily isolate and seal the Caged Bird curse mark on their foreheads, providing emergency relief.
The other part was for someone with the Tenseigan to learn, using its power to completely remove the Caged Bird curse mark from the branch family members.
"Master Shishou, what is this?"
Hyuga Natsu put down her bowl and chopsticks, taking the scroll from Shishou's hand.
Shishou, having put down his own bowl and chopsticks, took a drink poured by Hyuga Rimei, and casually said, "It records a method to temporarily seal your Caged Bird curse mark. Learn it first."
"Later, I'll completely remove the Caged Bird restriction for you."
Remove the Caged Bird...
Hearing Shishou's words, Hyuga Natsu froze, staring at him in shock.
Mikoto, Pakura, and Anko also looked at Shishou in disbelief.
The Caged Bird curse mark of the Hyuga clan was extremely domineering. Many had tried to find a way to lift it, but none had succeeded. They didn't expect Shishou to have figured it out.
Hyuga Natsu then quietly looked towards Hyuga Rimei, the former mistress of the Hyuga main family.
Mikoto, Pakura, and Anko, noticing Natsu's action, also turned to Hyuga Rimei.
They had heard about the relationship between the Hyuga main family and the branch family and were very curious about Rimei's reaction.
After all, if Shishou's scroll spread, the Hyuga main family would lose control over the branch family entirely.
In fact, the main family might even face retaliation from the branch family.
The branch family had been oppressed by the main family for a long time, and centuries of accumulated resentment and anger wouldn't be easily resolved.
Feeling the others' gazes, Hyuga Rimei looked at Hyuga Natsu and said earnestly, "From now on, we are sisters."
"Other matters have nothing to do with us."
In Rimei's view, both she and Natsu would stay by Shishou's side in the future, so there was no point in worrying about the Hyuga clan's affairs now.
Moreover, it was Shishou's decision, and even if she opposed it, it would likely have no effect.
Hearing this, Hyuga Natsu smiled and said, "I understand, Madam."
"Madam?" Rimei raised an eyebrow, glancing at Natsu.
Natsu blushed and looked at Shishou, then corrected herself, "Sister."
Hearing this, Rimei nodded in satisfaction.
Seeing the matter with the Hyuga clan settled, Pakura turned to Shishou and asked, "Shishou, did you come up with this method to lift the Caged Bird curse mark?"
The other women also looked at Shishou curiously.
If Shishou had indeed come up with it, his talent would be truly terrifying.
Shishou put down his cup, looked at Pakura, and smiled, "I don't have time to research such things."
"I just stole it from the Otsutsuki clan on the moon."
"The Otsutsuki clan, like the Hyuga clan, are descendants of Otsutsuki Hamura, the younger brother of the Sage of Six Paths. They possess the Byakugan and have inherited much of Hamura's legacy."
"Having a way to lift the Hyuga clan's Caged Bird curse mark is normal for them."
Hearing Shishou mention the moon, Anko got excited and asked eagerly, "Shishou, are there really people living on the moon?"
"Are the Otsutsuki clan strong?"
"Can you take us to see the moon?"
Mikoto, Pakura, and the others also looked at Shishou expectantly.
These questions were not only on Anko's mind; they had all been curious but had held back because Rimei had just achieved her wish and was close to Shishou.
Seeing the expectant looks, Shishou smiled and said, "Are you done eating?"
"If you are, I'll take you to the moon for a visit."
Hearing this, the women were overjoyed.
Mikoto quickly said, "We've been waiting for you to say that."
Shishou grinned, extending his right hand, "Then let's go."
Mikoto was the first to reach out and take Shishou's hand.
Then, Hyuga Rimei, Hyuga Natsu, Pakura, and Anko also reached out, joining hands with Shishou and Mikoto.
The surroundings changed rapidly, and soon they arrived in an underwater cave in the Land of Water.
At the depths of the cave was a large circular passage. On the other side was the Otsutsuki clan's residence on the moon.
"Passing through this passage, we can go to the moon?" Pakura pointed at the distant space passage, astonished.
"Yes." Shishou nodded and smiled.
Then, under Shishou's guidance, Pakura drew several ink eagles to carry everyone through the space passage.
"This is actually inside the moon," Shishou explained.
Standing on the ink eagles, Mikoto, Pakura, and the others were too shocked to speak, taking in their surroundings.
They hadn't expected the Otsutsuki clan to live inside the moon, explaining why no one had discovered them for so many years.
After showing the amazed women around the Otsutsuki clan's residence inside the moon,
Shishou took them to a patched-up wooden section on the moon's interior ceiling.
Passing through several hidden doors and wooden walls, they reached the moon's surface.
Seeing the night sky and the pale blue planet,
Mikoto, Rimei, Pakura, and the others exclaimed,
"Is that the planet we live on?"
**********
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