Chapter 235: Butterfly Shadows Above the Moon (Countdown to the Moon Arc)

The turmoil of the contest has subsided, and the small courtyard of the Uchiha residence is once again filled with a lively atmosphere.

Three young girls with purple marks on their foreheads have set aside their inner misgivings and begun chattering away about their insights into the Strength of a Hundred Seal, creating a scene of bustling activity.

The pitch-black night sky does not dampen their fiery spirits in the slightest; as Uchiha Yumi brings out a secret sweet drink from the house, the atmosphere in the courtyard instantly reaches a climax.

"This toast is to everyone's successful training—cheers!"

A smiling Uchiha Yumi is the first to raise the cup of mysterious, fragrant beverage in her hand, calling out loudly.

"Cheers!" *3

Infected by this enthusiasm, the three of them stand on no ceremony, each raising their own drink, ready to indulge in a good toast.

"Ugh—so spicy!"

Senju Itama, who has never drunk alcohol before, has barely taken the mysterious drink into his mouth when, the next moment, he spits out all the burning liquid like a water-style jutsu. He sticks out his tongue, gasping for air, his pretty little face scrunched up in a look of pure refusal.

"Eh? Isn't little Itama already at the age where he can drink?"

Uchiha Yumi, having already downed a few cups, her charming face flushed with a rosy glow, asks with a hint of tipsiness and a raised eyebrow, looking puzzled.

"I am not! I'm only seventeen!"

Feeling the scalding heat in his mouth, Senju Itama retorts indignantly.

"Ara ara, because little Itama's transformation just now was so stunning, it gave me the illusion that you had already matured~"

It seems Uchiha Yumi is quite vengeful, finding opportunities to retaliate both openly and covertly.

"Mother, I am also not at the age to drink; please change mine for something else."

Uchiha Izumi, always cautious, sniffs the drink and chooses not to consume it. Seeing Senju Itama's unsightly display, she approaches Uchiha Yumi with a cold expression and demands a replacement.

"Sigh~ Mama has put so much heart into this, why don't you understand, little Izumi!"

Shaking her head in feigned distress, Uchiha Yumi swaps her daughter's drink for a normal sweet one, her beautiful eyes filled with frustration at her daughter's lack of appreciation.

Gin-san loves to drink, though~

"Gulp, gulp—another cup!"

Unlike the two who are underage, Uchiha Hikari downs her cup of alcohol without a second thought. After wiping the corners of her mouth, she shouts loudly at Uchiha Yumi.

"Alrighty~ Finally, someone who can drink~ Hmph! Little Izumi, you two go to the kids' table!"

Seeing Uchiha Hikari drinking so heroically, Uchiha Yumi smiles as she stands up to pour her more wine, then pouts at Uchiha Izumi, signaling for them to move; this table is not for children.

"Hmph! An old woman is just an old woman."

Seeing Uchiha Hikari's smug look, Senju Itama cannot help but mutter under his breath.

"Hmm?" *2

The old-woman radar has been triggered.

"Little Itama? What did you just say?"

Uchiha Yumi, her face flushed, eyes slightly narrowed with a crimson glint, speaks in a calm tone that carries a chilling coldness.

"Wuwuwu—I didn't say anything!"

Faced with such pressure, Senju Itama admits defeat on the spot and slinks off to the kids' table.

Just as everyone is having a great time, Uchiha Izumi seems to sense something. With a hint of melancholy in her cold eyes, she looks up at the full moon hanging in the sky and cannot help but murmur,

"Where on earth did Mr. Gin go?"

"Hmph! That curly-haired ape left a note and disappeared without a word, saying he had an urgent mission. I think he just went out to chase skirts; he's probably getting cozy with some other woman right now!"

Although he spat out the alcohol in time, Senju Itama, having never tasted liquor before, is clearly a bit tipsy. His hazy eyes are filled with displeasure, and he begins to ramble.

"Slap!"

Uchiha Hikari, having downed another cup, slams her empty glass onto the table upon hearing Senju Itama's jab.

Her eyes turn crimson, and her tone, laced with drunkenness, is unfriendly. As she speaks, a cherry-red figure emerges behind her, wielding a slaughtering blade.

"If Gin really went to find some wild woman, I'll cut off his XX!"

"Agreed!"

Senju Itama, his face flushed red, raises his drink and shouts loudly.

The two, who have been rivals for years, have reached a rare consensus.

Seeing that everyone present is a bit tipsy, the only sober one, Uchiha Izumi, takes a sip of her sweet drink, looks up, and admires the rare, beautiful moonlight with her black eyes.

"Eh, look, is there something on the moon?"

Just as she is lost in thought, aided by the Uchiha clan's superior vision, the young girl vaguely sees a moving shadow on the bright moon. In surprise and curiosity, she asks, "I didn't even drink, why am I feeling tipsy?"

"Where? Are you drunk?"

Senju Itama, already feeling dizzy, questions her without even looking.

"There really is something, look!"

Thinking her own eyes were playing tricks on her, Uchiha Izumi activates her Sharingan, and now she sees it even more clearly.

Under the enhancement of the young girl's Sharingan, she sees a fluttering figure on the moon hanging in the sky, dancing like a butterfly on the jade-plate-like moon.

"Uh, there really is."

Uchiha Hikari, three parts drunk, also activates her Sharingan. Finding it hard to see clearly, she shifts into her Mangekyo, only then making out the black shadow dancing on the moon.

"Making a fuss over nothing, there are people on the moon anyway."

A tipsy Senju Itama looks at the group making a scene and says with great disdain.

"Don't mind her, she's just talking nonsense."

"Hmph! I'm telling the truth, that curly-haired ape said he had relatives on the moon."

Seeing that the others don't believe him, Senju Itama slams the table and brings up Uchiha Gin's words.

"Uh, Gin was just teasing you."

Uchiha Hikari is noncommittal.

"Then tell us, little Itama, whose relatives?"

Uchiha Yumi, on the other hand, is piqued by this, swirling the wine in her glass with interest as she asks.

"Ours."

Senju Itama replies with great seriousness.

"Looks like he's truly drunk."

Hearing this, everyone is even more convinced that he is talking nonsense, so they stop asking.

The Uchiha and the Senju have no connection; how could they have common relatives?

"So beautiful. I wonder if Mr. Gin can see it?"

Uchiha Izumi, who naturally loves butterflies, watches the dancing figure on the moon with a sense of intoxication, whispering to herself.

The scene shifts to the moon.

In the castle of the Otsutsuki clan leader, Otsutsuki Tsukihime, dressed in a revealing outfit, has eyes that have lost their focus, indicating she has lost consciousness and is left only with the instinct for destruction.

She extends a pair of delicate hands, a cyan-blue light sphere condensing in her palms. The power contained within the tiny sphere makes Uchiha Gin glance sideways, unable to help but weigh his options.

Should I... be able to take one hit?

"Mr. Gin, I want to thank you for teaching me that technique."

Otsutsuki Biraku, who looks like a small mountain, turns her head, her white eyes filled with gratitude.

Facing the ninjutsu that once made her tremble, she, having learned the Butterfly Transformation Technique, suddenly feels a bit of confidence.

"Clan Leader, I am no longer the Otsutsuki Biraku you could manipulate at will!"

Sensing that the light sphere in Otsutsuki Tsukihime's hands is ready to fire, Otsutsuki Biraku, her expression turning resolute, slowly lowers her hands. The chakra in her body begins to boil, and she looks at the rampaging clan leader with flowing eyes, saying slowly,

"Ugh, ugh, ugh—it hurts, it hurts so much!"

The powerful absorption force of the Butterfly Transformation Technique is frantically pulling at the energy that has accumulated in Otsutsuki Biraku's body for years. She feels as if ten thousand tiny knives are carving into her living flesh.

The piercing pain makes her tremble, but even in agony, she grits her teeth and persists. At this moment, she only wants to protect the man behind her.

"Butterfly! Transformation! Technique! Transform!"

As the stubborn energy in her body is squeezed out by the secret technique, the massive Otsutsuki Biraku begins to shrink rapidly, like a balloon being deflated, the air kicking up clouds of dust that obscure the vision of everyone present.

"Cough, cough, cough."

Uchiha Gin, choking on the dust, finally manages to open his eyes. Before he can see Otsutsuki Biraku's state, he hears a familiar voice, full of excitement.

"Mr. Gin, I think I succeeded!"

As the dust settles, what comes into view is a pair of extremely large cyan butterfly wings. By estimation, they should be dozens of meters wide when spread, but this is not their limit; the wings are still slowly growing, looking as if they are about to pierce the towering spire of the castle.

"BOOM!!!"

Sure enough, the wings, expanding until there is nowhere left to put them, poke a large hole in the castle ceiling. Only after the entire roof is flipped over does the growth of the wings slowly come to a halt.

"Whoosh~"

Otsutsuki Tsukihime, retreating from the smoke, does not give Otsutsuki Biraku a chance for an opening introduction. She fires the light sphere she had prepared directly toward Uchiha Gin without a moment's hesitation.

"Hey~ we really have to fight?"

Uchiha Gin, locked onto by the light sphere, helplessly scratches his head and cannot help but complain.

Why did we start fighting so suddenly? Nowadays, harmony is the key to wealth; wouldn't it be better if we all made a fortune together?

Watching the light sphere hurtling toward him, a hint of long-lost crimson flashes in Uchiha Gin's dead-fish eyes. A cold, sinister power suddenly leaks out, instantly alerting a certain lurking consciousness.

"Huh? That's the aura of Hagoromo! You've been hiding for so long, finally couldn't help but show your true colors!"

A mass of aura, carrying a certain will, follows the scent and searches for the castle where Uchiha Gin is located.

Let him be strong, I have my giant mecha~

"Bang!!! Crack~"

Just as Uchiha Gin prepares to enter the cockpit, a pair of fair, jade-like hands catch both incoming light spheres.

With a crisp sound, those two chakra orbs with astonishing momentum were, like eggs, easily crushed by a pair of hands that had suddenly appeared, turning into a puff of blue smoke and vanishing between heaven and earth.

"I'm telling you in advance, I am ex·treme·ly·strong!"

(End of chapter)