Half an hour later.
"This doesn't add up."
Qingwu was full of questions. "I grabbed so many people just now. Why hasn't anyone come looking for trouble?"
"Even if that many pigs went missing, their owner would come looking, shout a bit, and check what happened."
"I've been lying in ambush forever, and I haven't seen a single soul. That can't be right."
He was utterly baffled. Those Otsutsuki youngsters had surrounded him as soon as he emerged, yet now there was no movement at all.
"Could it be that I haven't reached the moon yet?! Am I only halfway there?!"
Qingwu scratched his head and couldn't be bothered to think any further. He just kept heading deeper in, surrounded by the same lousy rocks.
"Oh, damn~ My bad... my bad..."
But when he finally realized the problem, everything clicked—the moon was actually enormous!
Even with all the people in Konoha, something could happen on the village outskirts without anyone inside noticing. He had been running around like a headless chicken, and might even have doubled back. It would have been a miracle if he found anyone.
"I'm such a pig."
He cursed himself inwardly, feeling that his earlier assumptions had been far too naive. It takes ages just to get anywhere. How could they notice someone missing in such a short time? And I knocked out the one who tried to send a signal~
"I can't use the Byakugan recklessly, but can't I just ask?"
After entering the Small World, Qingwu casually dragged out one unlucky captive and began punching and kicking him. As he beat him, he kept demanding, "Are you going to talk~ Are you going to talk~ Are you going to talk~" It felt rather like he was venting his frustration.
"Mmph, mmph~"
But the unlucky fellow only kept crying, without answering his questions.
"Holy shit~ A real tough guy." After beating him a while longer, Qingwu asked impatiently, "Did you even hear what I said? Give me an answer!"
"Mmph, mmph~"
The unlucky fellow finally couldn't take it anymore. He sprang to his feet and thrust his gagged mouth forward, whimpering as he glared. Then undo this thing! How the hell am I supposed to talk with a Sealing Gag on?
"Oh, right~ I forgot." Somewhat embarrassed, Qingwu removed his Sealing Gag. "It's your fault for not saying so sooner."
I'd have to be able to open my mouth first!
"..." The Otsutsuki youngster felt horribly wronged and cursed inwardly. If I could beat you, I'd make you pay. I'd put one of these on you.
I'll draw a circle and curse you.
"Fine~ I forgive you." Qingwu waved a hand, acting as though he were being incredibly generous.
"I..."
The Otsutsuki youngster was about to lose his mind. You beat me up, then forgive me? Are you a demon? Fine, I don't dare ask.
Qingwu immediately stopped what he was doing and looked at the unlucky fellow. "Talk~ Why haven't I seen anyone besides you?"
"I'll never be a traitor... Everyone in the Ōtsutsuki Clan has an iron backbone... Even if you beat me to death... I won't talk..." the Otsutsuki youngster declared proudly.
"Hm?! What was that... Say it again..." Ao picked at his ear and asked teasingly, smiling all the while.
"I... I'll talk..." So much for sticking to his guns.
The Otsutsuki youngster hadn't wanted to talk. Talking would make him a traitor. But when he saw Qingwu's smiling face...
He shuddered.
If I don't talk, that demon really will beat me to death.
A dozen of us went down before we even saw him.
And this demon is so fucking cautious.
After knocking us out, he took every weapon and ninja tool.
Then he sealed our bodies.
He even used Yin-Yang Release to bind our hands, feet, and mouths.
And disrupted our chakra.
Is that something a human would do?!
A demon. He's definitely a demon.
Qingwu said, "Good~ Then talk."
"You haven't found anyone because this is the edge of the Clan Grounds. It's the Forbidden Grounds, so hardly anyone comes here," the Otsutsuki youngster said, head lowered.
Qingwu understood. "That's what I thought. This place is deserted as hell."
But he still threatened him fiercely. "Kid, you're hiding something, aren't you? Then why was there a gatekeeper, and how did you discover what was happening here... You're trying to fool me..."
Another flurry of blows followed.
"Sir... Please stop... Sir... No... Grandpa... Please stop... Grandpa... Grandpa... Grandpa..."
The Otsutsuki youngster begged incessantly, shamelessly calling him Grandpa several times in a row.
"If you're going to be that polite..."
"I really can't bring myself to hit you." That had even left Qingwu dumbfounded, though he had to admit it felt pretty good.
Is this really one of those arrogant Otsutsuki from before?! Don't you call yourselves gods? Where's your pride? Your iron backbone?
"Yes, yes~ Please don't hit me anymore... It wastes your precious energy, and it's unhygienic... I don't like bathing..."
"Please don't sully your noble body..."
The Otsutsuki youngster wore an ingratiating expression.
"..." Looking at his shameless face, Qingwu truly felt he had met his match. He's even more shameless than I am.
In my previous life, he'd definitely have been a collaborator.
Now he's a traitor to the moon.
"Speak properly. Why isn't anyone paying attention to this place? You can't possibly just leave it unattended..." Qingwu said irritably.
"No... No... I really wasn't lying... The Moon Channel itself is extremely well hidden..."
"Ordinary people can't even find the entrance..."
"Even if they find the entrance cave, it's not easy to discover that the channel is beneath the lake."
The Otsutsuki youngster hurried to explain, terrified that any delay would earn him another beating from Qingwu... His whole body still hurt.
Qingwu nodded slightly. "Mm, go on..."
"Even if someone stumbles onto the channel entrance..."
"There are still three checkpoints..."
"The Lake of Dreams traps people in an endless cycle of memories. The Phantom Crab Guard is huge and powerful, and its illusion-inducing bubbles complement that strength perfectly, making it astonishingly lethal."
"After that..."
"The Ancient City Ruins serve as camouflage. Even after searching them, you'd only conclude that the people here had moved away..."
"You'd never imagine that the final passage is in the sky."
"Without our Ōtsutsuki Clan's Sky Boat, there's no way to get up there. And without getting up there, you can't teleport to the moon."
Having finished, the Otsutsuki youngster looked smug. See? That's the wisdom of our ancestors.
Qingwu narrowed his eyes.
He hadn't even spoken yet.
But the Otsutsuki youngster was already so frightened that his expression froze.
He hurriedly continued.
"Finally, there are countless Automated Puppets. They have Jonin strength, feel no pain, and won't stop until their target is dead. They can even self-destruct."
"Enough ants can bring down an elephant."
"Whether it's the Lake of Dreams... the Phantom Crab Guard... or the final Automated Puppets... each can trap or even kill multiple Kage-level fighters from your Ninja World..."
"Even if an enemy surpasses Kage Level, they can still trap him and drain huge amounts of his stamina and energy... Not to mention the guards constantly watching the situation... ready to send a signal at any moment..."
"We never imagined anyone would dare invade the moon. In all these centuries, no invader has ever reached it."
"They all died at the three checkpoints~"
As he spoke, the Otsutsuki youngster stared at Qingwu in shock. Wait~ This demon passed all three checkpoints without a scratch. Doesn't that mean he's at least Kage Level?
My god. Young, with the Byakugan, and Kage-level strength... Even the clan leader is only that strong, right? No shame in losing to him.
Since he has the Byakugan, he should be one of our clansmen too, right? I haven't seen him before, and he doesn't know what's going on here.
Could he be from the Ninja World branch? He doesn't seem intent on killing us. Otherwise, he wouldn't have merely restricted our freedom.
Maybe following someone like him wouldn't be so bad.
Qingwu was an old hand at playing with emotions, and he clearly noticed the shift in the other man's feelings.
Sure enough, nobody in the world of Naruto is simple. He was so pathetically obsequious earlier. Who knew his mind was this adaptable?
"Also, the trials are being held right now..." With those thoughts in mind, the Otsutsuki youngster began spilling everything. "And, sir, my name is Otsutsuki Jingze."
"Trials?! What trials..." Qingwu's eyes lit up. Now that's something worth waking up for.
"It's actually an annual..."
After questioning him in detail, Qingwu finally understood the whole situation.
As it turned out, these Otsutsuki youngsters were taking part in a special trial today—their annual assessment.
This assessment meant a great deal to them, because it would determine the training resources and secret techniques they received over the coming year. Under the rules, only those who ranked near the top were eligible for more resources and secret techniques.
And the unlucky fellows Qingwu had encountered were actually among the weakest members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Knowing they lacked strength, they had chosen to stay far from the fighting to avoid unnecessary losses. Yet they had never imagined that, even after being so cautious, they would still end up in Qingwu's clutches.
Qingwu was delighted by the news. He muttered to himself, "Hehe~ Trials are good. Trials are great..." A satisfied smile spread across his face.
Before you continue