Chapter 310: The Otsutsuki
Haneda spoke firmly: "Don't do what you did more than a decade ago, stepping in front of me when I'm in danger."
"I can take far more hits than you. Even if I lose a limb or two, I can regenerate. Kakashi, you don't need to shield me."
Hearing this, Kakashi was silent for a moment. He threw a kunai into a nearby tree.
"If I encounter danger, I'll use the Flying Raijin to retreat here and wait for an opportunity to act."
Kakashi didn't directly answer Haneda's plea, and Haneda didn't press further.
Asking a question where the answer was already known held no meaning.
After that, the two walked in silence. The city ahead grew closer with each passing moment.
"We're here."
Haneda and Kakashi stood on the outskirts of the city, overlooking the grand metropolis constructed by the Otsutsuki clan.
They began surveying and documenting the terrain, planning for their next moves.
After a while, the two descended from their vantage point, weaving through the narrow alleys between buildings, inching closer to the city's central castle.
Meanwhile, one of the Otsutsuki members, skilled in sensing, detected the chakra radiating from Kakashi's left Sharingan.
The sensor quickly gathered four of his companions to intercept Haneda and Kakashi on their path.
"Who are you?"
The four Otsutsuki wore identical, simple robes resembling monastic garb. Unlike the Hyuga clan, they lacked Byakugan and instead had pure white skin and hair.
Despite having no visible eyes, they seemed to possess some form of sensory jutsu, perceiving their surroundings with surprising clarity.
Haneda activated his Sharingan, and in an instant, all four Otsutsuki were trapped in his genjutsu.
Focusing on the leader of the group, Haneda opened his Mangekyo Sharingan and asked coldly:
"Where is the Tenseigan?"
The leader muttered incoherently, spouting irrelevant details.
After half a minute, Haneda's patience wore thin. He intensified the genjutsu, forcing the man to stammer out the words "Tenseigan."
But as soon as the word left his lips, the leader suddenly collapsed unconscious.
"What happened, Haneda?!" Kakashi asked, immediately on high alert.
"A protective mechanism—similar to Danzo's cursed seals on his Root operatives," Haneda replied calmly.
Raising his gaze, Haneda sensed an invisible eye observing them.
"Let's move. They already know we're here."
Unsheathing his blade, Haneda swiftly ended the lives of the four Otsutsuki.
As an intruder, he understood the stakes. He had no illusions of spreading goodwill or saving the Otsutsuki; this was an infiltration mission, plain and simple.
...
In the castle at the heart of the city, an elderly white-haired Otsutsuki sat on a grand chair, his eyes closed in deep meditation. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, shining brilliantly.
He immediately locked onto Haneda and Kakashi's presence.
Nearby, a young boy with white hair and pale eyes, his delicate features radiating innocence, stopped his training and looked up curiously.
"Grandfather, is something happening outside?"
The boy was none other than Toneri Otsutsuki, the old man's grandson.
The elder didn't immediately respond, focusing instead on sensing the invaders' chakra.
He could clearly detect the traces of Uchiha chakra emanating from Kakashi.
As for Haneda, he felt nothing—a complete void of chakra. Yet his instincts screamed that Haneda was extraordinarily dangerous.
With a grim expression, the elder finally spoke:
"It's the descendants of Indra. They've breached the spatial seal left by the Hyuga and found their way here."
"They've even killed some of our kin."
"Killed?" The young Toneri tilted his head in confusion, not fully grasping the concept of death.
To him, "killed" seemed akin to the natural cycles of life—birth, aging, and sickness. He felt sadness rather than anger.
The Otsutsuki clan had dwindled to such a degree that only a few aged elders and Toneri remained.
"Yes, killed. They are intruders—our enemies."
The elder nodded solemnly before beginning a tale of the clan's history:
"Our ancestors, Hamura and his brother, the Sage of Six Paths, created the world known as Earth. But throughout its existence, its inhabitants have been mired in endless conflict and wars, tainting the land with sin and corruption."
"Even the Gedo Statue, a vital relic tied to the Ten Tails, was stolen from the Moon through summoning."
"The world created by the Sage of Six Paths is a failure. Only by destroying Earth can true peace be achieved!"
"Toneri, remember this: one day, you will awaken eyes like mine and fulfill our ancestors' will!"
With those words, the elder hefted a uniquely shaped black staff and left the room, his frail body moving with determination.
"Train diligently. No slacking off. I'll return shortly."
As his grandfather disappeared into the distance, Toneri pouted.
"Always nagging me about training. Annoying old man!"
"But if he even brought the ancestral weapon, the intruders must be incredibly powerful…"
"Ah, I wish I could see it myself…"
...
Not far from the castle, Haneda and Kakashi no longer bothered concealing themselves.
Since they'd already been discovered, there was no point in hiding. Instead, they opted to openly confront their foes, forcing the Otsutsuki to reveal themselves.
As the duo boldly walked down the street leading directly to the castle, Otsutsuki members began to gather, surrounding them.
Aside from the elder and Toneri, all remaining Otsutsuki had arrived.
Haneda observed the blindfolded Otsutsuki and their accompanying puppets, a faint smirk on his lips.
The only adversary he truly worried about was the one controlling the massive Tenseigan—not these minions, whose strength barely reached the level of elite jonin.
"Looks like the gang's all here," Haneda remarked casually.
"Want me to take care of this?" Kakashi asked instinctively.
"No need. You're running low on chakra, Kakashi. Save it for later."
With an exasperated glance from Kakashi, Haneda clapped his hands together.
"Wood Style: Seedling Subjugation!"
In an instant, a barrage of wooden stakes erupted, targeting the Otsutsuki and their puppets.
Though the Otsutsuki members managed to dodge, the same could not be said for their puppets, which were destroyed almost instantly.
"Now it's your turn."
Drawing his blade, Haneda vanished in a flash of lightning, reappearing before an Otsutsuki and seizing him by the throat.
Several others attempted to counterattack, sending spikes of earth shooting up at Haneda's feet.
But such rudimentary jutsu were telegraphed far too obviously. Haneda effortlessly sidestepped the attacks and dispatched the remaining Otsutsuki in mere moments.
Kneeling by the corpses, Haneda lifted the eyelids of one, revealing empty sockets.
"So, they really don't have Byakugan," he murmured, deep in thought.
As he speculated about the nature of the branch family's supposed "eye disease," Kakashi approached cautiously, his gaze fixed on a figure hovering above them.
"They're here," Kakashi warned.
Above, the Otsutsuki clan's elder floated ominously, his presence suffocating.
...
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