Ch.152 Communication Technique

In the "Jikibi" space.

Uchiha Shinji looked at Neji and asked, "Did you find any clues?"

Neji's eyes flickered as if he were hesitating.

Seeing this, Shinji didn't urge him, instead waiting patiently in silence.

After a long while, Neji finally spoke, "I did find some clues in the Hyuga Main House, but before we move forward with cooperation, I want you to answer a few questions."

Shinji calmly responded, "Go ahead."

"The first question, what exactly is the Akatsuki's goal?"

As soon as Neji asked the question, his gaze fixed sharply on Shinji, as if he wanted to see through the mask and discern Shinji's true expression beneath it.

However, since they were in the "Jikibi" space, and Neji's spirit had only been linked here, he couldn't use his Byakugan.

After hearing Neji's question, Shinji realized that Akatsuki's actions had caused Neji's distrust, so he explained, "The Akatsuki exists for one purpose only, and that is to protect the shinobi world."

"Protect the shinobi world!?" Neji's expression darkened.

It was clear that Shinji's answer did not convince him.

Shinji continued, "Regardless of what you think, protecting the shinobi world is indeed Akatsuki's goal."

Neji questioned, "Releasing sealed demons, attacking shinobi from the Five Great Shinobi Villages, luring Sasuke into defecting—are you calling these actions 'protecting the shinobi world'?"

Suddenly, Shinji laughed.

Neji frowned and asked, "What's so funny?"

Shinji replied, "I think you need to first figure out another important question—who is the real Akatsuki?"

Neji looked confused, "What do you mean?"

Shinji slowly said, "The actions you mentioned—releasing demons, killing shinobi of the Five Great Villages—weren't committed by the true Akatsuki. Those people are traitors to the organization! They have fallen."

Neji was momentarily stunned and muttered, "I see."

Before this, Neji had been puzzled by some of Akatsuki's contradictory actions, such as the serious internal conflict during the incident in the Land of Demons.

Now, hearing Shinji's explanation, he realized that the Akatsuki had indeed experienced a split.

"The true members who still adhere to Akatsuki's original ideals are few and far between."

Shinji sighed as he said this.

Listening to Shinji's words, Neji started piecing things together in his mind.

Scenes from various past events flashed through his thoughts, and he mused, "Due to differing ideals, Akatsuki has split into two factions. Only three members still uphold the belief in protecting the shinobi world, and to distinguish themselves from the fallen ones, they wear masks and hoods. That's why these three Akatsuki members have always clashed with other members of the organization! Now I understand. I understand everything!"

At that moment, Neji felt much lighter, and the psychological pressure he had been carrying eased considerably.

Previously, if it had meant working with an evil organization for revenge, Neji would have reluctantly accepted it, but it would have filled him with guilt, confusion, and self-doubt.

But now that he confirmed that the Akatsuki was, in essence, a righteous organization, with only some fallen members causing chaos, he had no qualms about cooperating with them.

As for why he so easily believed Shinji's words?

Aside from wanting to relieve his own psychological burden, the key factor was that he had personally witnessed several clashes between Shinji and other Akatsuki members.

From Neji's perspective, those battles could not have been staged.

Especially during the previous battle between Shinji and Mōryō in the Land of Demons—it had shattered his understanding of shinobi combat, so he believed that the Akatsuki had truly undergone a severe internal split.

Given that Mōryō, Shinnō (who kidnapped Sasuke), and Uchiha Itachi (who slaughtered the Uchiha clan) were all undeniably villains, it was natural for Neji to conclude that Shinji, who had repeatedly obstructed their actions, was on the side of justice.

Seeing Neji's hostility gradually dissipate, Shinji asked, "Do you have any more questions?"

Neji shook his head, "As long as you don't harm the village or my comrades, I'm willing to cooperate with you."

Shinji responded, "Then tell me about the clues you found."

Neji organized his thoughts and then recounted the story of how he had infiltrated the Hyuga Main House, discovering a mysterious scroll in a hidden compartment from start to finish.

"What was written on the scroll?"

Neji replied, "The scroll contained a map, a mysterious technique formula, and a cryptic message."

"A map... and a technique formula?"

Shinji furrowed his brow slightly.

Neji nodded, "Yes, when I compared it to the maps of various countries, I found that the map on the scroll is located within the borders of the Land of the Moon."

"The Land of the Moon, huh..."

As Shinji lightly tapped the stone table with his fingers, he recalled his memories of the moon.

He vaguely remembered that in the original timeline, when Naruto and his team were chasing the Tenseigan puppet that had kidnapped Hanabi, they headed north to a snow-covered area.

The Land of the Moon happened to be near the Land of Lightning, also to the north, so it was possible that the secret dimensional passage between the moon and Earth was hidden in the Land of the Moon.

With this thought, Shinji said to Neji, "Now, I'll give you two options. The first is that we go to the Land of the Moon together and search for the path to the moon. The second is that you hand over the scroll to me, and I will go to the Land of the Moon alone, then tell you what I find."

Faced with the options Shinji presented, Neji immediately said, "I choose the first! I want to go with you!"

Shinji smiled, "Are you able to leave the Hidden Leaf Village?"

Neji quickly answered, "The shinobi academy is on break right now. I can apply to leave the village under the pretense of training outside, so there shouldn't be any issues."

Shinji nodded, "Alright, prepare yourself. We'll depart in two days."

Since Neji was marked with the "Caged Bird" seal as a branch member of the Hyuga clan, his Byakugan, while restricted by the seal, was also protected from being stolen. Therefore, it was highly likely that he would be granted a travel permit if he applied through the proper channels.

Two days later.

As expected, Neji obtained the travel permit, packed his backpack, and left the Hidden Leaf Village openly through the front gate.

After traveling about twenty miles from the village, Neji stopped in a small forest.

Swoosh!

At that moment, a figure descended from the sky, landing in front of Neji.

Unsurprisingly, the figure that appeared was Shinji, dressed in the iconic Akatsuki red cloud cloak.

Considering that Neji possessed the Byakugan, Shinji not only wore his mask but also used the Transformation Technique to avoid having his identity exposed by Neji's Byakugan.

"Leader!"

Neji greeted Shinji with a respectful bow.

Shinji extended his hand, "The scroll?"

Neji retrieved the scroll from his backpack and handed it to Shinji.

After opening the scroll and taking a look, Shinji nodded lightly.

The contents of the scroll were exactly as Neji had described—a map, a technique formula, and a cryptic message.

The technique formula in particular caught Shinji's attention.

It was incredibly complex and intricate, clearly not an ordinary technique. At the center of the formula was the unmistakable clan crest of the Ōtsutsuki clan.

"What is the function of this formula? Is it a communication technique, or does it serve some other purpose?"

Unable to figure it out right away, Shinji closed the scroll and set off with Neji.

Given the escalating conflict between Akatsuki and the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Shinji was cautious this time. Instead of flaunting his Akatsuki attire like before, he and Neji took smaller roads, avoiding densely populated towns.

Traveling day and night, they reached the Land of the Moon in just five days.

One night.

Sitting around a campfire, the two discussed the location marked on the map.

Neji said, "The center of the map seems to indicate a lake."

Shinji nodded, "There are several lakes within the Land of the Moon, but only two or three are surrounded by forests as shown on the map. It won't be hard to find."

Neji humbly asked, "Once we locate the place marked on the map, what should we do next?"

Shinji thought for a moment and replied, "If I'm not mistaken, the place marked on the map isn't a direct passage to the moon."

"Huh?!" Neji was startled and asked, "Then what is the place on the map?"

Shinji speculated, "It's likely a meeting point."

Neji quickly understood, "You mean, the location marked on the map is a secret meeting place between the Hyuga clan and the mysterious clan on the moon. And the formula... is a signal to request a meeting?"

While examining the scroll, Shinji nodded, "Yes, that's what I believe."

"If that's the case..." Neji hesitated and then frowned, "This could be troublesome!"

It was an obvious concern.

The only ones who could maintain contact with the Ōtsutsuki clan on the moon were likely the Hyuga Main House, possibly even the head of the clan.

Neji, being just a branch member with the "Caged Bird" seal on his forehead, would have his identity exposed if he engraved the communication formula at the meeting place, and the person from the moon came to meet him.

What might happen next was anyone's guess.

Shinji remarked, "That's why we can't meet with them."

"What do you mean?" Neji asked in confusion.

Shinji explained his plan, "After we find the meeting place and carve the communication formula, we'll leave immediately. Then, we'll observe from a distance. When the Ōtsutsuki clan sends someone, we'll track them and find the secret passage to the moon."

"Alright, let's do it that way!"

After some thought, Neji realized this was their best option.

The next morning, after agreeing on a rendezvous point, the two split up and began comparing the lakes in the Land of the Moon.

As Shinji had predicted, since the map on the scroll was clearly marked, it only took them a day to pinpoint the target lake. Following the clues on the map, they found the cliff marked on the scroll.

Swoosh, swoosh!

In the darkness of night, Shinji and Neji landed atop the cliff. The two then separated to inspect the surroundings.

A moment later, they regrouped.

Neji reported, "I scanned the entire cliff with my Byakugan. It's completely ordinary, with no mechanisms."

Shinji paced thoughtfully toward the cliff.

Neji followed closely, asking, "Did you find something?"

Shinji pointed to a section of rock near the edge, which had a hollowed-out center, and said, "Try looking up from this angle."

Neji immediately looked up and saw that, from the hollowed-out part of the rock, one could clearly see the full moon hanging in the night sky.

He gasped, "The moon!"

"It seems this is indeed the meeting point." As Shinji spoke, he stood at the edge of the cliff, gazing into the distance. There, at the horizon, was the forest-surrounded lake shown on the map.

Neji turned to Shinji, "Should we carve the communication formula now?"

Shinji pondered for a moment and said, "Yes, do it."

Without further hesitation, Neji followed the scroll's instructions and carved the complex, intricate formula into the cliffside.

After completing the formula, he channeled his Byakugan chakra into it, as instructed by the scroll, while reciting the cryptic message aloud.

In an instant.

Shinji felt a chilling sensation, as if something was watching him.

He immediately thought of the giant Tenseigan on the moon and quickly shouted to Neji, "Let's go!"

Startled, Neji followed Shinji and jumped down the cliff.

After sprinting for more than ten miles, Shinji finally stopped on a cliff with a clear view of the area.

Neji, panting, asked, "What happened?"

Shinji responded with a question, "Didn't you feel anything just now?"

Neji looked confused, shaking his head, "No... Did something happen? I didn't feel anything."

Shinji's heart raced as he thought, "As expected of the giant Tenseigan!"

The sensation from that moment still lingered vividly in his mind.

It was as if he had been watched by something, and everything about him was laid bare before its gaze, making his skin crawl.

"If I had reacted a second slower, I would have been locked onto by the giant Tenseigan!"

After running over ten miles, the eerie feeling disappeared, making Shinji realize that he had escaped the giant Tenseigan's surveillance.

Or perhaps, the giant Tenseigan hadn't paid him much attention.

After all, at this time, no one on the moon possessed the true Tenseigan, so the Ōtsutsuki clan could only control the giant Tenseigan indirectly through bloodline and technique formulas.

And while Shinji had assumed that Neji, possessing the Byakugan, might notice something, he hadn't expected Neji to be completely unaware of the giant Tenseigan's gaze.