Hero

The moon.

A place beyond the Shinobi World.

Judging by the day-night cycle, it should have been daytime.

Don't ask why people could live here. The Otsutsuki Clan had endured here for a thousand years.

But compared to the Hyuga Clan on Earth.

The Otsutsuki Main Family had not branded the branch family with the Caged Bird Curse Mark. Even more absurdly, the main family did not outnumber the branch family by much.

Unlike the Hyuga Clan, which at least looked united, the Otsutsuki on the moon had always been divided between the branch and main families.

This could also be seen as the future the Hyuga Clan might develop into without the Caged Bird Curse Mark.

At first, Hitoshi Clan Head had thought like everyone else. He believed the Hyuga branch family must hate the main family to the bone.

But after taking office, he saw a different picture.

Though the branch family complained, despite holding an overwhelming numerical advantage, they had not resorted to underhanded methods to launch a coup. Nor had they secretly preserved unregistered bloodlines in an attempt to rebel and overthrow the main family.

Hitoshi Clan Head's efforts to win hearts went remarkably smoothly.

Naturally, there were still those unwilling to submit, as well as schemers. But their numbers were limited, and by now, Hitoshi Clan Head had reasoned them into submission.

Combined with Hyuga Hitoshi's absolute confidence in his future strength, he had abolished the Caged Bird Curse Mark ritual for newborns. Under this combo fist, the Hyuga Clan had become an impregnable fortress.

Some people were simply like that. Once they had been ruled for too long, even the slightest favor seemed like a boundless kindness.

Not to mention, the benefits Hyuga Hitoshi had brought after taking power were far from insignificant.

He could sense that both the branch family and main family respected him from the heart.

Those who did not respect him had basically been beaten into respecting him. If they still refused, he killed them. Hitoshi Clan Head truly knew how to balance kindness and authority.

So now.

When Hyuga Hitoshi saw the scene in the distance, he was filled with emotions, and his steps quickened.

Under the night sky.

Of course, to the Otsutsuki Clan, it might have been noon.

In an open clearing.

Several children of eight or nine were circling a child of five or six.

"Over here, over here!"

"Nope, it's over here!"

"Come catch me! If you catch me, I'll buy you sunflower seeds."

"..."

At first glance, it looked like ordinary play.

But upon closer inspection, the child in the middle had pitch-black pupils. He was clearly blind!

He was being toyed with by the others, running back and forth after their voices. Every now and then, he would fall because he could not "see" the ground, drawing laughter from the other children.

Space on the moon was limited, and after a thousand years of lonely observation of the Shinobi World, the Otsutsuki Clan members had clearly developed some twisted tendencies.

Like these main family children. They took pleasure in bullying this branch family child who had been born blind.

What they did not know was that beneath those black pupils lay Heavy Hatred for the main family.

His father had told him to endure, and he had strictly followed his father's orders.

Burdened with the future task of creating a new world, how could he fall here?

This was his secret.

It was also the branch family's secret.

After many tests, he had been confirmed as the Suitable Person.

And the main family absolutely could not notice anything unusual about him.

So he continued to endure here, allowing these immature children to toy with him.

It should be about time, right?

They should be getting tired of this soon. In a little while, their parents will call them home for dinner, right?

The child running back and forth wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Just as he began counting down the time, a crisp, resounding slap reached his ears.

"You're the branch family's stupid Sasuke?"

The child who had been hit covered his face in confusion.

"F*** your mother!"

Uncle Hitoshi got into character instantly and slapped the brat across the face again.

"Y-You were playing with a blind kid... Why did you hit me for saying f*** your mother? Go on, then! Let's see whether my dad beats you up!"

The brat was aggrieved beyond measure.

"F*** you!"

Otsutsuki Kaichu flew into a rage. He reached out, grabbed the bewildered Otsutsuki Toneri, and pointed at his black pupils.

"He's already blind, and you're f***ing messing with him?"

Bastard!

What a tone of pity for the weak!

Toneri struggled, seemingly trying to get out of Uncle Sasuke's grasp. Unfortunately, how old was he? Uncle Sasuke easily restrained him with one hand.

"Isn't a blind branch family member just for the main family to play with?"

A brat beside them pouted and added unhappily.

God knew how twisted this clan had become. Was this the kind-hearted main family Hamura had spoken of?

Hitoshi Clan Head's expression turned subtle. He always felt that the destruction of Hamura's branch on the moon had not been undeserved.

It was not just these main family children. He could clearly see the hatred hidden beneath Otsutsuki Toneri's black pupils with his eyes.

Fine.

Viewing the Shinobi World through a twisted lens was itself a twisted thing.

Though the Shinobi World created by the Sage of Six Paths was indeed absurd enough, judging by how his younger brother governed his clan, he was no better than his brother.

Hitoshi Clan Head, who had initially been in the mood for some fun, sighed softly. He only felt a chill in his heart.

It was hard to imagine what horrifying things would happen in the future if such a clan survived.

Since that was the case.

Then let him be the good man and bring this clan to its end.

With a casual stretch of his hand, a kunai appeared in his palm. He then stuffed it into Otsutsuki Toneri's hand.

"It doesn't feel good to be manipulated, does it?"

"You must really want to kill these people who judge others by their bloodline, right?"

Those hair-raising words made Otsutsuki Toneri's scalp tingle.

When he used the secret technique he had learned from his father and "saw" Hyuga Hitoshi through those hollow eye sockets, his mind went blank in an instant.

Under the night sky, the child took the kunai and walked step by step toward the brats who had bullied him.

Terror appeared on their faces, but what drove them further into despair was that, at some point, their bodies had stopped obeying them. Their legs seemed no longer their own.

They wanted to run, but still stood rooted in place!

Blood stained the Otsutsuki Clan's white clothing red. Toneri returned the kunai, then stiffly turned and left.

He had killed someone. He had killed the main family children who bullied him.

He needed to tell his father.

Though someone's genjutsu could not make Hamura and Hagoromo fight desperately like Kaguya's could, manipulating a child was simply too easy.

"This child is the branch family's future. To ensure there are no problems with their creation of a new world after destroying the Shinobi World, the branch family will definitely protect him at all costs."

Even if they did not protect him, with main family children killed, the branch family would have to provide an explanation.

If Otsutsuki Kaichu's corpse fell from the sky during the confrontation...

"Tch, I'm really rotten to the core."

Hyuga Hitoshi chuckled. He only felt that after staying in Konoha for so long, the techniques he had learned from the Old Village Chief had become so sharp. Doing bad things came naturally to him.

Or perhaps becoming clan head for several years had changed his mindset.

As he had said, everyone who opposed him had been beaten into submission and fear. But some people were destined never to have another chance to speak.

Making the Hyuga Clan speak with only one voice had taken him quite some effort.

And now, to give his clan a stable strong rear base, he could let these "innocent" people slaughter one another. This was a responsibility he had to bear as clan head.

But thinking about it carefully, without his intervention, these people would destroy the world in the future.

Looking at it from another perspective, he had instead become a hero who saved the world.

Everyone in the Shinobi World owed this clan head their lives!

After considering it, Hyuga Hitoshi left behind new Teleportation Coordinates. He then left behind a Shadow Clone disguised as Otsutsuki Kaichu and ordered it to keep a low profile, focus on investigating the future developments of the branch and main families, and not force itself to keep using Sasuke Bro's identity. It was to avoid exposing itself as much as possible.

God knew how stressful it was to disguise oneself in a place full of Byakugan.

The Shadow Clone nodded solemnly and said that when the time came, it would kill itself to send back the information, so the Main Body could rest assured.

Hitoshi himself could not possibly stay here watching the entire time. His Fugaku brothers might make their move as soon as tomorrow. Compared to the conflict destined to erupt between the branch and main families, he wanted more to see how the Old Village Chief would respond.

The next moment, Hitoshi Clan Head's Sharp Gaze grew fiercer, and his figure slowly disappeared into the Space Vortex...

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