Chapter 243: I Have a Path Down Below (Moon Arc Concluded)

Hearing the words that Otsutsuki Tsukihime finished stammering out, the people present fell into a brief silence, especially Otsutsuki Hamura; within the Byakugan he turned toward the long-haired man, flames were faintly erupting.

"Ancestor, do not listen to her sophistry. How could anyone activate the Tenseigan for a reason like that?"

The long-haired man felt the anger conveyed in Otsutsuki Hamura's gaze, subconsciously shrank his neck, and raised his voice to argue,

"Let me explain this matter instead."

Seeing things veering in a strange direction, Otsutsuki Biraku, who had been silent all along, stepped out on her long legs. Her white eyes were filled with gravity. After sweeping her gaze over everyone present, she spoke slowly, her expression carrying a hint of sorrow.

"The Ancestor should know the current predicament of our clan—no, it should be called a desperate situation."

"Sigh~~~"

Otsutsuki Hamura lowered his head in shame. Regarding the fact that the Otsutsuki clan was on the verge of extinction, he indeed bore some responsibility. If not for him, his older brother would not have hung a lock on the door, and the Otsutsuki clan would not have withered away.

"The problem of population loss appeared many years ago. We have also been committed to solving this problem, expending much manpower and material resources."

Her fair, bare feet paced slowly on the cold floor, and the corners of Otsutsuki Biraku's mouth hung with a few strands of melancholy.

"Wuu wuu wuu."

When Otsutsuki Biraku reached this point, among the spirits following behind the long-haired man, several aged figures hugged each other and wept bitterly, as if recalling sad memories of the past.

"The results were very unsatisfactory. Just as we were at our wits' end, the Clan Leader actually received a response from this family treasure while performing the customary offerings to the Tenseigan."

Looking at those aged and withered Otsutsuki males with a look of disgust, Otsutsuki Biraku rolled her eyes, then turned her gaze toward the Tenseigan emitting golden light. Her eyes were filled with infatuation as she told the others this secret.

"Ah? Why didn't I know about this?"

As a spirit residing within the Tenseigan, the white-haired old woman was the first to raise a question. The Tenseigan did not possess consciousness; how could it respond to the prayers of the clansmen?

"Eh? Master, you didn't know? I always thought you knew?"

Facing her master's questioning, Otsutsuki Tsukihime, as the person involved, frowned and spoke up.

"Explain in detail the content of the Tenseigan's response."

As the ancestor of the Otsutsuki clan, Otsutsuki Hamura found that this matter had somewhat exceeded his control. As a weapon, how could the Tenseigan have self-awareness?

Hearing this, a glimmer of memory surfaced in Otsutsuki Tsukihime's pure, flawless eyes, and her thoughts drifted to a long, long time ago.

That was twenty years ago; she was still a young girl, with a house and fields at home, living a life of boundless joy every day.

It was not until the clan's annual festival arrived that Otsutsuki Tsukihime's unchanging life began to undergo earth-shaking changes.

"That year at the festival, I attended in my finest attire, knelt before the Tenseigan, and prayed with sincerity."

Otsutsuki Tsukihime's tone was fluid, as if she were telling a story, slowly revealing what had happened before the Tenseigan back then.

"At the time, I was recalling the sorrowful expressions of my clansmen and praying sincerely for the salvation of the Otsutsuki clan. I never expected to truly receive a response from the Tenseigan. It was a cold yet gentle voice."

Mentioning that mysterious voice, a flash of inexplicable longing crossed Otsutsuki Tsukihime's eyes, and she continued,

"The Tenseigan told me that as long as I activated her and used the power of the Tenseigan, I could open a passage between the moon and the earth, and then the Otsutsuki clan would be saved."

"Her?"

Compared to everyone else's surprise that the Tenseigan had developed self-awareness, Uchiha Gin discovered another key point: the Tenseigan is female?

"That's right, it was a voice as gentle as a mother's."

Facing Uchiha Gin's question, Otsutsuki Tsukihime turned her head and explained to him with great certainty.

"That shouldn't be..."

After hearing Otsutsuki Tsukihime's explanation, Otsutsuki Hamura did not think the other party was lying, but he knew the nature of the Tenseigan very well. Whose eyes could develop self-awareness?

"Snap! I get it!"

Just as everyone present fell into deep thought, the white-haired old woman, as one of the spirits residing in the Tenseigan, clapped her hands sharply. Looking like a know-it-all, her aged eyes brimming with confidence, she said with certainty,

"It must have been Tsukihime's devout prayer that moved the consciousness of the clansmen sleeping within the Tenseigan, prompting it to give her a response. After all, those clansmen who sacrificed their Byakugan would not want the family line to end just like that."

This well-reasoned speculation convinced everyone present. They nodded one after another, praising the noble character of the Otsutsuki ancestors and their selfless, heroic spirit.

"Really?"

Watching the Otsutsuki clan fall into self-admiration, only Uchiha Gin, the outsider, expressed doubt. This kind of routine seemed familiar—where had he seen it before? So, he nudged Otsutsuki Hamura, who wore a look of gratification, and asked in a low voice,

"Grand-uncle, you don't actually believe that, do you?"

"Uh... you don't believe it?"

"Whatever makes you happy~"

Facing the astonished Otsutsuki Hamura, Uchiha Gin decided to follow the principle that more trouble is worse than less, and chose to ignore this suspicious mess.

Anyway, the Tenseigan was already in his hands; whatever conspiracy might be involved, it was too late to change anything.

The aura lurking in the Shadow Realm, having witnessed the whole affair, clicked its tongue with some regret.

"Tsk! I didn't expect this brat to take down the Tenseigan so quickly. I was hoping to torment the descendants of that foolish Hamura a bit more."

"Forget it, forget it. There's nothing interesting left on the moon. Next, I'll just follow this brat and go down below to make trouble for that brat Hagoromo~"

Having said that, the black aura wandering in the Shadow Realm saw two motionless puppets. After extending its perception to touch them, it quickly pulled back, its eyes filled with disdain.

"Trash like this is better off forgotten. I'd feel ashamed even using them as a vessel. I really want to plant a Wedge in this brat~"

After carefully weighing it for a long time, the black aura finally dismissed the idea. After all, its main body was fine, and it hadn't reached the point where it needed to plant a Wedge.

Moreover, this brat had huge potential; if cultivated properly, he would be qualified to become its assistant.

Although she wasn't very smart, she could still calculate that 1+1 > 1.

"Ahem... This matter, it is all my fault for failing to notice. I didn't expect that your branch family's request was actually this."

After the commotion subsided, the highest-ranking Otsutsuki Hamura spoke slowly. The eyes he turned toward the other members of the Otsutsuki clan were filled with guilt.

"I thought you had misinterpreted my dying wish again and were preparing to destroy the world on the ground."

"How could that be! There are so many good books on the ground, how could I want to destroy it~"

The Otsutsuki clan on the moon had been monitoring the ground using tools passed down through the family. Otsutsuki Tsukihime had been peeking using these.

Upon seeing the massive variety of books existing on the ground, she was overjoyed. Her longing for the ground grew stronger and stronger, and she was single-mindedly thinking of activating the Tenseigan to go down and move the books.

"Did you not see what is happening on the ground?"

The long-haired man stood out again to seek attention. He refused to believe that the branch family didn't have an evil plan.

Hmph! It must be the branch family's doing!

"Huh? What happened?"

Asked this, Otsutsuki Tsukihime was completely bewildered. Had she missed some world-famous masterpiece?

Like that book, "Konoha: The Thirty-Year-Old..."

"Haven't you seen those guys on the ground? They are already fighting until rivers of blood flow and the people are plunged into misery!"

The long-haired man pointed out the tragedy happening below with some annoyance. In such a world, don't you branch family members want to destroy it a little bit?

"Hey, hey, hey, I'm still here. Watch your mouth!"

Having just pulled out his last remaining bag of snacks, Uchiha Gin spoke with an unhappy expression, his eyes full of threat.

Things on the ground are naturally managed by the people on the ground. You, a loser who died in a family infighting, what right do you have to spout such nonsense here?

"Huh? Isn't this normal? Where there are differences, there is fighting. Didn't we also fight for many years until only this many people were left?"

Compared to the long-haired man's ignorant remarks, the seemingly silly and dazed Otsutsuki Tsukihime showed a level of clarity that didn't belong to her, and her words were highly approved by everyone present.

Sure enough, only those who are recognized are qualified to be the Clan Leader~

"This..."

Hearing Otsutsuki Tsukihime's words, the long-haired man was momentarily speechless. One could only say that his prejudice was greater than a mountain.

"Alright, alright. I didn't expect this matter to turn out to be a misunderstanding in the end."

Never having expected that he had been misled by wrong information and nearly caused a catastrophe, Otsutsuki Hamura, as the ancestor of the Otsutsuki clan, revealed deep apologies in his white eyes.

He turned his head to look at Uchiha Gin, who was munching on melon seeds. His aged skin twitched, and he forcibly suppressed the urge to complain, slowly speaking to this descendant from the ground.

"Descendant from the ground, thank you very much for your help, which allowed us to avoid a conflict."

"No problem, no problem. We're all family. You're being too... what's the word~"

Tossing away the melon seed shells in his hand, Uchiha Gin waved his hand generously, indicating that this was all something he should do, as long as the grand-uncle didn't forget the mission reward.

"I will teach you the teleportation technique in a moment, but there is one more thing I must ask of you."

Otsutsuki Hamura nodded, indicating that the mission reward would not change, then glanced at the living Otsutsuki clansmen, his tone carrying a hint of pleading.

"Feel free to say it, I definitely won't run."

Uchiha Gin patted his chest in assurance.

"Although it is a bit abrupt, I beg you to help the Otsutsuki clan on the moon continue their bloodline."

"Huh???"

Hearing this, Uchiha Gin felt his crotch tighten. The several gazes that suddenly appeared behind him made him feel as if he were on pins and needles, and cold sweat instantly poured down like a waterfall.

"Mr. Gin, our Otsutsuki clan only has sixty-six remaining fruits. Please, you must help~ help~ out~"

Licking the charming black mole at the corner of her mouth, Otsutsuki Biraku looked smilingly at the bitter-faced Uchiha Gin.

This time, she was acting under orders to collect essence, so there was no need to continue hiding things. As for that so-called "Revival Plan," it could be treated as waste paper.

"Don't! I have a path down below, with all kinds of goods for you ladies to choose from. I guarantee they are genuine, and I don't discriminate against anyone~"

(End of chapter)