The moon above, where the Otsuki clan now dwelled, was no ordinary satellite. It was forged by the combined efforts of the two Otsuki brothers, Yuyi and his sibling, using the legendary Six Paths technique paired with the Earthburst Stars. In truth, the entire moon was a colossal seal—a prison wrought by the strongest sealing arts ever conceived, designed specifically to contain the overwhelming power of the Big Barrel Wood Kaguya.
Her strength was unmatched, yet even she could not defy this cosmic restraint.
Late at night, a short figure moved swiftly through the shadows, traveling with purposeful speed. Soon, he came to a stop before an ancient shrine—the Otsuki Shrine, the sacred heart of the clan. This was the site of countless sacrificial rites and the gateway to the enigmatic Otsuki Kapaya Seal.
The shrine, unguarded as it was a place open to all clan members for worship, lay silent. The man from the Big Barrel Wooden House stepped inside cautiously, his gaze immediately drawn to the imposing statue at the center—Otsuki Kiba Village, their revered ancestor.
A bitter smile touched his lips. "How ironic," he muttered. "A son who sealed his own mother… and now, even in death, suppresses her presence."
The Big Barrel Wood family had long harbored resentment toward the two Otsuki brothers. Their extreme paranoia and excessive caution had bred distrust and dislike. But one undeniable truth remained: the entire ninja continent was engulfed in chaos, and the so-called heart-to-heart pact of the Six Immortals was little more than folly. Decades of endless war bore testimony to this grim reality.
The man advanced several steps, raising his left hand. His blood-red Reincarnation Eye flared with a vivid scarlet light, and an invisible gravitational force shifted the statue aside, revealing a complex sealing array beneath.
"I am still unfamiliar with some applications of the Reincarnation Eye," he admitted, "but with the right coordinates, even this ancient seal can be manipulated."
He leapt onto the altar, scrutinizing the intricate formation. Although young, his chakra reserves, augmented by his Big Barrel Wood lineage, far surpassed those of ordinary shinobi. Yet, the demands of spatial techniques linked to the Reincarnation Eye were immense.
From his left palm, the Reincarnation Eye extended subtly, sensing spatial coordinates. A swirling vortex opened beneath him, pulling him into a void of absolute darkness.
Within this pitch-black expanse, his form materialized slowly. "This must be the separate dimension sealing the Big Barrel Wood Kaguya," he whispered to himself, recalling the seal's configuration behind him.
The space was utterly silent—devoid of light, warmth, and life. The oppressive stillness weighed heavily on his spirit. How could anyone confined here maintain their sanity?
He moved forward cautiously, senses heightened. "Where is Kaguya herself? She should be somewhere in this space… or perhaps sealed deeper still?"
The absence of any presence unsettled him. Was there yet another layer of the seal? Suddenly, a soft, ethereal female voice echoed—not from any visible source, yet seeming to whisper directly into his ear.
"…A descendant of Hamura?"
Alarm surged through him, prickling the hairs on his skin. Like a hunted beast, his senses sharpened as he scanned the darkness. Then, slowly, he looked upward, focusing on his left hand's Reincarnation Eye.
Before him floated a figure—ethereal and divine.
Her snow-white hair cascaded to her feet. She wore a white and orange kimono, cinched at the waist with a vivid orange-red sash. Her face was flawless and delicate, framed by pure white eyes—but notably, the nine-hooked jade Reincarnation Wheel on her forehead and the rabbit-ear horns atop her head were missing.
She hovered silently, head bowed slightly, her presence void of any discernible breath or motion—like a statue suspended in air. Yet, an aura of divinity radiated from her, unlike any mortal woman's.
This was no mere spirit—this was Otsuki Kaguya, a godlike being sealed away by legend.
"Are you… a descendant of Hamura?" Her voice was cold, magnetic, with an otherworldly timbre that betrayed no emotion.
The man smiled faintly despite the tension, eyes still closed—he had no physical eyes to see with now. "I have heard of my grandmother."
Kaguya's gaze fell upon him, then locked onto the crimson Reincarnation Eye etched into his palm.
"I know of the Mourning family, the Sheren, and the Yucun. They claim to be your ancestors—keepers of your Reincarnation Eye."
The man nodded. "Though no one in the current Otsuki clan speaks of her, the Sheren managed to uncover her through hidden channels. The two brothers deliberately buried her existence to protect future generations from the truth."
"Otsuki Kaguya is immortal. She cannot be destroyed—only sealed."
"But a seal is never absolute," he said thoughtfully. "There is always a way to break free."
That was why the brothers suppressed her legend, so that no one reckless might unleash a goddess who rivaled the gods themselves.
"This Reincarnation Eye suddenly awakened three years ago through the Sheren bloodline… grandmother, is something wrong?" He blinked open his crimson eye, curiosity shining.