However, Kawaki Aoba didn't follow through with that plan, as it would have been too easy on them and far too wasteful.
Since these two Hyuga clan elders had delivered themselves directly to his doorstep, it would be a pity not to make good use of them.
Kawaki Aoba condensed two chakra balls in each of his palms, and as the two Hyuga clan elders flew closer, he gently raised his hand and pressed them into their brains.
Almost instantly, the eyes of the two elders grew dull.
Mental Sphere—this was one of the abilities granted by the Tenseigan. It possessed the power to control the will of others and manipulate their actions. It could even seize the very thoughts of individuals.
At that moment, the two Hyuga clan elders were clearly under Kawaki Aoba's control.
After scanning their minds, Kawaki Aoba quickly learned many of the Hyuga clan's secrets. After just a cursory glance, he had a solid understanding of the situation.
Now, there was no escaping the Hyuga clan's impending misfortune.
"Thank you for your generosity, elders, and for the gift of leverage you've provided," Kawaki Aoba said with a smirk. "Rest assured, I'll make good use of it."
He grinned wider. "Absolutely, I will use it to tear the Hyuga clan apart."
A long-forgotten smile appeared on Kawaki Aoba's face, and for a brief moment, he was genuinely amused.
Now that the two elders had become his puppets, Kawaki Aoba didn't hold back. He directly used red potions to heal their injuries.
After ordering the two to wait aside, he turned his attention to the last remaining complete member of the Otsutsuki clan: Otsutsuki Hiroichi.
Hiroichi was the only member of the Otsutsuki clan left with a complete pair of Byakugan eyes, making him the sole survivor of their once-proud lineage.
However, instead of showing any relief or joy, Hiroichi's expression was blank, like a walking corpse.
No… It would be more accurate to describe him as a mass of dead flesh with lingering thoughts. The drastic change in his situation seemed to have dulled his spirit, and he didn't even have the strength to address the Otsutsuki branch family members who were barely holding on.
Looking at this middle-aged man in his fifties, Kawaki Aoba felt a flicker of sympathy. He stepped forward and spoke with an odd blend of sincerity and amusement.
"Try to think of things positively. At least you're still alive. You might still be able to rebuild the Otsutsuki clan. Maybe, in the future, you'll even become its ancestor."
Perhaps Kawaki Aoba wasn't particularly talented in comforting others, as Hiroichi's eyes remained lifeless. But the good news was, the old man finally spoke.
"I am 54 years old this year," Hiroichi began, his voice hollow. "I've had four wives in my life… but haven't had any children in over thirty years."
Kawaki Aoba blinked in surprise. Good heavens, he's infertile! Kawaki Aoba barely managed to hold back a chuckle, though it was hard not to find the situation comical.
Despite knowing it was in bad taste, he couldn't help but find some humor in the old man's lament.
After thinking it over, however, he decided to provide Hiroichi with a glimmer of hope. He delivered the news of the unborn child from the Otsutsuki clan.
"There's a child, still unborn, with extremely pure blood. You should be able to verify this yourself."
Kawaki Aoba pointed, and Hiroichi's gaze followed the direction of his finger. There, he saw a woman with a slightly swollen abdomen.
Though traces of her life force had been drained, she was in much better condition than the others. She still had the potential to survive long enough to give birth.
As for her empty eye sockets—well, that was hardly a concern.
There was finally a spark of life in Hiroichi's eyes. He rushed forward, using the Otsutsuki clan's secret method to examine the child in the woman's womb. The look of intense surprise on his face was undeniable.
However, as the realization sank in, his expression twisted. The child was from the branch family.
In the past, the Otsutsuki clan would have revered the main family, seeing them as superior, but that was just a title. After all, they all shared the blood of the ancestor Hagoromo.
But now, the deep-seated hatred stemming from the clan's destruction made it difficult for Hiroichi to accept this fact.
Still, this child… this child was the key to the continuation of their clan.
After a long pause, Hiroichi finally spoke, his voice heavy with emotion.
"This child… is the hope for the continuation of our Otsutsuki clan."
Kawaki Aoba had already known what Hiroichi would say. Through his method, Hiroichi had confirmed that the Otsutsuki blood running through the unborn child's veins was so pure that it was possibly the closest to their ancestor, Otsutsuki Hagoromo, even after the generations of dilution.
The bloodline of the Hyuga clan, contaminated by the indigenous people of the ninja world for thousands of years, was weaker by comparison.
For the Otsutsuki clan, this child was more than just a descendant. He was a legacy.
Kawaki Aoba wasn't concerned with Hiroichi's attitudes towards the child, nor did he seek to reverse his views.
No, what Kawaki Aoba wanted was simple: a useful tool.
The Otsutsuki clan had their own unique heritage, and whether that heritage was a blessing or a curse, it was precisely what Kawaki Aoba needed to ensure the survival of Otsutsuki Toneri.
Hiroichi's continued existence would ease a considerable burden for Kawaki Aoba.
In short, Hiroichi had become just another pawn in Kawaki Aoba's ever-expanding chessboard.
After that, Ōtsutsuki Ryuichi—perhaps momentarily overcome by his thoughts—told Ōtsutsuki Hiroichi bluntly that he would not live long after the birth of his child.
Upon confirming this revelation, Hiroichi was naturally elated.
He had long feared that the newborn might fall under the influence of the now-defunct branch family members. But with their destruction, that lingering threat had been extinguished.
Now, he could raise the child properly and lay the foundations for a new Ōtsutsuki lineage.
As for returning to the Shinobi World's Konohagakure with Kawaki Aoba, there was no objection.
Konoha was a land of elite shinobi and abundant resources; just the name evoked a legacy of greatness. Hiroichi believed the Ōtsutsuki legacy could flourish anew there.
As for the Hyūga clan—what Hyūga clan? Hiroichi scoffed at the idea. He claimed ignorance of the two elders who had been reduced to little more than puppets.
It was laughable. The Giant Tenseigan was now under Kawaki Aoba's control. Resistance was futile—pragmatism was his only option.
If there was even a flicker of hope for the Ōtsutsuki's future, he had to survive—at least until Toneri Ōtsutsuki matured.
Kawaki Aoba seemed satisfied.
After delivering a few final instructions, he departed—taking with him the two Hyūga main house elders.
He needed to return to Konoha immediately. The Hyūga affair had dragged on long enough, and it was time to settle it.
How Hiroichi, as the clan elder, would treat the remaining branch members was not Kawaki Aoba's concern.
Even if Hiroichi decided to eliminate all of them, sparing only Toneri's mother, Kawaki Aoba wouldn't interfere.
The only life he valued was that of Toneri Ōtsutsuki. All he had to do was wait for the child's birth and retrieve him.
With instantaneous movement and the Tenseigan's enormous chakra signature, returning would be effortless.
Night fell quietly.
That evening, to celebrate Kawaki Aoba's restored sight, Yūhi Kurenai had toasted him with particular enthusiasm.
Later, after carrying the blissfully drunk Kurenai to bed, Aoba sat alone atop the roof.
His cerulean Tenseigan eyes gazed calmly at the moon, their glow piercing the night sky.
Though he could revert his Tenseigan back into an ordinary Byakugan at will, he chose not to. He found the brilliant blue of the Tenseigan more striking than the pale, hazy Byakugan—more akin to the eyes he had before his dōjutsu ever awakened.
He stared at the moon, replaying everything he had done on its surface that day.
The awakening of the Tenseigan had been a welcome surprise—but it had not been his true objective.
He had used the Hundred-Armed Kannon: Zero Style to graze the Giant Tenseigan and wandered openly across the lunar terrain, scanning with Observation Haki to uncover every secret.
It had all been in search of Ōtsutsuki Hamura—yet he found nothing.
Kawaki Aoba distinctly remembered: in the original The Last: Naruto the Movie, Hamura's spirit had appeared on the moon and communicated with Hyūga Hinata.
But this time, Hamura had made no appearance.
No spirit. No remnants. Not even a whisper of presence when Aoba feigned an assault on the Giant Tenseigan.
Not even when he awakened his own.
Not even after scouring the surface with Observation Haki.
This left only two plausible conclusions: either Hamura was using a method powerful enough to completely suppress Kawaki Aoba's perception, or his spirit was sealed away in a different dimension entirely.
Aoba leaned toward the second explanation.
If Hamura's power was truly enough to cloak himself from Aoba's senses—especially while using the Tenseigan and advanced haki—then his spiritual strength might be on par with Kaguya's, suggesting immortality rather than decay.
But the possibility of Hamura's death? That had never even crossed Aoba's mind.
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo and Ōtsutsuki Hamura—one secluded in the Pure Land, the other once watching over the moon. Aoba would not rest until he uncovered their plans.
Rustle. Rustle.
Suddenly, the sound of a shinobi using the Body Flicker Technique echoed nearby.
Aoba didn't even look up.
A moment later, a Konoha shinobi landed in the courtyard and knelt respectfully.
"Lord Aoba, all Hyūga clan members have been separated and detained per your orders."
These Hyūga were the same 800-plus branch house members who had breached Konoha's barrier.
Upon Aoba's return, he immediately dispatched squads to identify and segregate them.
The detainees were now classified into two categories.
The first group—those who, upon realizing they'd been used as pawns to cover for the Hyūga elite squad—burned with resentment toward the main family.
The second group—those who remained unflinchingly loyal—numbered around two or three hundred.
To Aoba's credit, he still intended to offer these loyalists a second chance.
Rising to his feet, Kawaki Aoba waved his subordinate away and made his way toward the holding facility.
Visit patreon.com/Akeyno to get 30+ chapters