Chapter 97: The Aftermath

The elder, who went by the name Mari, began speaking, his voice carrying the weight of centuries:

"Our clan has always been sparse in number, and in this generation, only Toneri was born. Naturally, he is of paramount importance to us."

"Take him back, then." Akira casually tossed the infant Toneri into Mari's waiting arms. He sneered, his voice laced with disdain. "How disappointing. I expected the ancient Ōtsutsuki clan to offer more surprises. Yet, you've declined to such a pitiful state. Compared to Hashirama, even your strongest doesn't measure up."

Mari held Toneri protectively, his expression grim as he glared at Akira, who stood before him wearing his signature tiger-patterned mask. Hoping to provoke him, Mari declared,

"If you're as capable as you claim, why don't you step into the temple of our ancestor, Hamura? There, you'll witness the true power of our clan."

"Heh…" Akira let out a derisive laugh. "Do you take me for a fool? That place must be laden with traps set by Hamura Ōtsutsuki himself. Do you think I'd walk right into them?"

Hearing this, Mari's heart sank. His plan had been to lure this self-proclaimed Uchiha Madara into the temple. Without Hamura's bloodline, Akira's chakra would have undoubtedly been drained by the golden Tenseigan within.

"Still," Akira continued, his tone growing colder, "I'm curious about the tricks your clan might still have up its sleeve. Rest assured, I'll enter this so-called Temple of Hamura one day. Let's hope your clan can produce a worthy opponent by then."

"Arrogant!" Mari's voice grew icy as he spat back, "Are all descendants of the Sage of Six Paths so blind to their limits? The next time you show yourself here, we'll be ready to give you a proper welcome!"

"Oh, is that so?" Akira chuckled, his voice dripping with contempt. "Then I'll hold onto that expectation. Remember your words—if not, the next time I come, nothing will remain alive here."

With that, Akira vanished, disappearing so suddenly that none could trace his movements.

Mari stood motionless, staring at the spot where Akira had just been. His fists clenched tightly around Toneri, his expression dark with fury. Akira's words had cut deeply.

The once-proud Ōtsutsuki, self-proclaimed guardians of Earth and arbiters of the Sage of Six Paths' world, had never suffered such humiliation. They had wiped out their own main family—how could they allow mere descendants of the Sage to threaten them?

"Elder Mari, is Toneri unharmed?"

"Yes, he seems fine. But that intruder—did he tamper with him in any way?"

"The Sage of Six Paths' world is a failure if his descendants have turned out like that man!"

Mari silenced the growing murmurs with a raised hand.

"Toneri is unharmed," he confirmed, but his voice grew quieter, laced with resolve. "It seems we can no longer wait for Toneri to grow up before retrieving the Byakugan from Earth to awaken the Tenseigan."

He looked down at the now-calm Toneri cradled in his arms and added grimly,

"Once the clan leader recovers, we will find the right moment to descend to Earth, take a pure Byakugan, and transplant it into Toneri. He must awaken the Tenseigan as soon as possible."

"But Elder, will a Byakugan of sufficient purity truly enable Toneri to awaken the Tenseigan?"

"This must not be rushed. The awakening of the Tenseigan is no trivial matter."

Mari responded firmly, "Do not worry. On Earth, the Hyūga clan has recently produced a pair of Byakugan of exceptionally high purity. One of them is highly compatible with Toneri. When the time comes, we'll take it."

He was, of course, referring to Hinata Hyūga's eyes. Originally, his plan had been to wait for the next generation of the Hyūga clan to see if an even better candidate appeared. Hinata herself was to serve a different purpose—as the progenitor of the new world Toneri would create after the Sage of Six Paths' world was destroyed.

But circumstances no longer allowed for such patience. Even if Hinata's eyes weren't the optimal match for Toneri, they were sufficient to evolve into the Tenseigan. It would just take more time—a resource the Ōtsutsuki could no longer afford to waste.

"Once Toneri awakens the Tenseigan and grows strong, we can finally carry out the mission our ancestor Hamura left for us!"

Cheers erupted among the clan members, their spirits briefly lifted by the prospect of hope. The Tenseigan, born from Hamura's enhanced Byakugan, was said to possess the ultimate powers of destruction and creation.

However, the jubilation was short-lived.

"Elder Mari," one voice cut through the cheers, "we need to keep a close eye on Earth. That descendant of the Sage is no ordinary person. What if others appear to obstruct our mission?"

"Agreed," another chimed in. "The Sage's descendants might still produce outliers of extraordinary power. We must remain vigilant."

Mari nodded solemnly. "You're correct. Our arrogance and neglect allowed this situation to unfold. We'll increase our surveillance of the Shinobi World and prepare for any unexpected threats."

"But how did that man even reach us? Was it really space-time ninjutsu?"

Mari's expression darkened. He recalled Akira's seamless use of space-time techniques. "It must be," he admitted. "As a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths, it's no surprise he possesses such unique abilities."

"Then we must bolster our defenses," another elder proposed. "We can't afford to let Earth's inhabitants exploit any weaknesses."

Their once-proud arrogance had been shattered, leaving behind only fear and shame. Had Akira not spared them, the Ōtsutsuki might already be extinct.

"For now, let's focus on healing the clan leader," Mari concluded. "Once they recover, we'll gather to make a final decision."

Meanwhile, back in his lab, Akira smirked to himself. The cloning of Toneri was complete. With the help of his shadow clones and his unmatched precision, the process had been almost effortless.

The game was just beginning.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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