"Then I'll leave it to you."
The First Elder was silent for a moment, then finally nodded and looked at the Second Elder.
"Let's go. Let's take care of Toneri first."
"Yes."
The Second Elder was still hesitant, but at this moment, he couldn't worry about so much.
And after they had walked away, the First Elder spoke in a low voice, "I need you to stay with Toneri, not to get involved in this war."
"What?"
The Second Elder was stunned for a moment, but the First Elder didn't give him a chance to continue speaking.
"I don't know who the incoming person is, nor am I sure how this will turn out, but I must respond with the most dangerous mindset."
At this point, the First Elder sighed.
"The Third Elder is too impulsive, and I only have you who might be able to accompany Toneri for a while, and Toneri still needs time."
"First Elder, you…"
"I will stay no matter what happens, but I hope that if it truly becomes that dangerous, you will take Toneri and leave this place."
"…"
The Second Elder opened his mouth but couldn't speak.
The First Elder shook his head and continued, "Our ancestors' will must not be forgotten. Toneri is our future, so the final burden is on you."
The Second Elder understood what the First Elder meant, but this made him feel even more helpless and pained. But he also knew that this was probably the best choice.
And just as they were preparing, in an area within the moon, silver light flickered, and Takemi's figure quietly appeared.
"It's truly magnificent…"
At this moment, Takemi stood atop a mountain peak, with white clouds circling around him and the ocean surging endlessly below.
The sun in the sky was so gentle, everything looked like a paradise.
"Only, everything inside here is circular."
Perhaps due to being inside the moon, its form looked vastly different from the outside, or more accurately, it was reversed.
However, all of this was incredible. Even knowing it was artificial, Takemi was mesmerized.
"And, to maintain all of this, how much Chakra must be consumed? Is it because of that Tenseigan?"
Takemi pondered silently, but he quickly shook his head.
Now was not the time to think about such things. He had already 'seen' a large number of phantom figures rushing directly towards him.
"Puppets?"
Takemi nodded, seeming to understand, but he didn't bother to care.
He had already changed into a white robe, but this time he wasn't wearing a mask, and he didn't bother to hide the horns on his head.
These guys all claimed to be Ōtsutsuki, and they were still thinking of destroying the Ninja World.
Takemi felt that, if that were the case, it would be better to meet them as a 'legitimate Ōtsutsuki'.
Striking at their mentality…
He loved that the most!
As he pondered, the sky was already densely covered with puppets.
These puppets, controlled by the Tenseigan, could fly in the air, and they maintained a highly human-like form, looking exceptionally real.
Such craftsmanship was incomparable to Sasori.
"State your name, outsider."
Just then, a puppet suddenly let out a deep shout. Even as a puppet, its Chakra erupted at this moment.
The visible Chakra ripples spread outwards, but such Chakra couldn't even reach Takemi.
"Although it's just a puppet, I can sense your Chakra."
However, Takemi answered irrelevantly. He simply looked calmly at the puppet before him and spoke indifferently, "You carry a faint trace of our aura. It seems this is the place I'm looking for. Kaguya is here."
"!!!"
Although Takemi's words seemed unrelated, they struck hard at the Third Elder controlling the puppet, making his body tremble violently.
Whether it was Takemi's mention of 'our aura' or Kaguya, these were all deadly things.
"Then you are a descendant of Kaguya, aren't you?"
Takemi turned his head, not looking at the puppets at all, his gaze fixed on the distance, as if he could see everything beyond those clouds.
At this instant, the Third Elder felt cold sweat breaking out all over his body. He felt as if he had been targeted by something terrifying.
"I found you."
Takemi spoke softly, a smile appearing on his face.
"What a pathetic existence. Has the bloodline already faded to this extent?"
"Who exactly are you?!"
The Third Elder's voice was sharp and stern. Although he was clearly far from the person in front of him, he felt a spreading sense of fear.
"What is your purpose in coming here?!"
"Don't get agitated, and don't be timid."
Takemi gently shook his head, sighing lightly as he spoke slowly.
"My purpose in coming here is probably not convenient to tell you, and I also hope you can be a little more cooperative, so I can avoid some trouble."
"What is your purpose, exactly?!"
Takemi's 'kind persuasion' seemed to have no effect. Instead, it made the Third Elder even more agitated.
The giant Tenseigan in front of him also seemed to react abnormally. For a moment, he felt as if this Tenseigan was about to go out of control.
Most terrifying of all, he discovered that the eyes of the person in front of him were also Tenseigan.
He finally understood now why the Tenseigan was always being controlled, why its authority was being usurped.
"Damn it, one of his goals must be the Tenseigan. He definitely won't let go of the Tenseigan."
The Third Elder thought in horror, and he also realized something else.
"Not just the Tenseigan, he won't let go of the sealed person either, this guy…"
Thinking of this, the Third Elder's body couldn't help but tremble.
His previous bold words seemed to vanish into thin air at this moment, leaving only silent despair.
"Alright, I seem to understand your attitude."
Seeing the Third Elder's appearance, Takemi gently shook his head.
He slightly raised his hand, and in an instant, Chakra Beads suddenly appeared in his hand.
They combined, and at the same time, the ethereal form of the Totsuka Blade quietly emerged.
"But it's a bit of a pity. I originally wanted to resolve all of this quietly, but now it seems…"
"You, like those inferior beings underground, are always self-righteous, always thinking you can stop me."
"But in the end, it's all for naught, and you're just wasting my time."
Vast amounts of Chakra condensed, and the roaring, tidal-like Chakra instantly transformed the sky into a sunset-filled expanse.
Takemi's Tenseigan, radiating a brilliant blue glow, stared at all the puppets.
He shook his head disdainfully and said, "Or are you saying that because you possess a slight trace of our bloodline, you are no longer an inferior being?"
Hum—
The blade swung out, and in an instant, the entire sky trembled.
The next moment, the seawater below instantly became turbulent.
Accompanied by swirling dust and boiling seawater, the deep ocean was actually cut open, forming a deep chasm.
The seawater was blocked and unable to flow in, and cracks began to appear in the seabed below, continuously extending deeper.
In the sky, the endless puppets vanished into thin air in the blink of an eye.
But at the moment of their destruction, Takemi's voice, transmitted through the puppets' last Chakra connection, reached the Third Elder's ears.
"I'm coming for you now, inferior being."
"And remember my name…"
"Ōtsutsuki Takeshiki."
(End of Chapter)
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