Now that they had a goal, the next step was to come up with a plan.
First, Takeshi needed to determine which route would lead them to the moon.
After much thought, he set his sights on the Hyūga clan.
"Hiashi-sama, your clan has passed down its heritage for generations and often prides itself on its ancient history. Surely, you must know how to reach the moon and find the descendants of the Ōtsutsuki clan, don't you?"
Although Takeshi's words sounded like a question, his tone carried clear certainty.
Cold sweat began to form on Hiashi's forehead.
The Hokage before him was someone he couldn't afford to offend. But those who lived on the moon were no less dangerous.
Moreover, he had never seen the descendants of the Ōtsutsuki clan with his own eyes, and he wasn't even sure whether anyone still lived up there at all.
After a long silence, Hiashi finally found a response that would neither offend Takeshi nor the Ōtsutsuki.
"The main family's archives might contain a rough record of the location, but to interpret them fully… we may need the village's assistance..."
Seeing that Hiashi was trying to dodge the question, Takeshi didn't get angry. Instead, he nodded in agreement with the proposal.
After the Code Division of the Internal Affairs Department finished decoding the records, a set of coordinates hidden deep within a mountain range was presented to Takeshi.
Another high-level meeting was convened.
The enemy was the Ōtsutsuki — even if their bloodline was greatly diluted, their strength was still far beyond that of ordinary shinobi.
Takeshi decided to go personally.
Naturally, the village council opposed this.
After a long and pointless round of bickering, the upper council finally approved Takeshi's decision, but only under one condition — he had to take the village's most elite shinobi with him.
...
Three days later.
"Well then, let's move out."
Takeshi turned to look at the group behind him, overflowing with confidence.
He was leading some of the most powerful shinobi in the entire ninja world.
Their combined strength could easily wipe out any hidden village below the Five Great Villages.
"Kushina-san, you look really fired up."
This was the first time Yamato had seen Kushina wearing a jōnin vest. With her long hair tied back into a ponytail, she exuded an air of heroic spirit and vigor.
"Of course! It's been years since I last left the village for a mission, you know?"
Kushina grinned brightly and playfully ruffled Yamato's hair.
"Hehehe, that's true. Even putting aside her status as a jinchūriki, Kushina is one of Konoha's finest jōnin."
Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled, pulling out his pipe — only for Uchiha Shisui, standing beside him, to stop him.
"Sorry, Third-sama, but this is still the village gate. We're within the no-smoking zone."
"Ah… my apologies, then..."
Hiruzen awkwardly put away his pipe, silently cursing whoever came up with the idea of enforcing a no-smoking law across the entire village.
Aburame Shibi, standing quietly to the side, watched the exchange without a word — perfectly maintaining the stoic composure characteristic of his clan.
"Hahaha! If you're craving a smoke that badly, you could come to our Akimichi clan's barbecue restaurant instead. A big meal might cure your addiction!"
Akimichi Choza roared with laughter. If the man before him weren't the Third Hokage, he probably would've slapped him heartily on the shoulder.
Hyūga Hizashi stood with his arms crossed, lost in thought.
"It's about time."
Hakuyun Sōken quietly reminded Takeshi to watch the clock.
"Everyone, I regret that I won't be able to act alongside you this time. But please, allow me to introduce these new scientific ninja tools..."
Kabuto finally found an opportunity to speak and took out a set of scientific ninja tools — the latest creations from Konoha's Research Bureau.
After briefly explaining each tool's abilities, Hiruko, who was in charge of calibrating the flying devices, completed the final adjustments.
He would also be joining them on this mission.
Meanwhile, on the moon, Toneri was completely unaware that a group of rude shinobi from the ninja world was about to invade his domain.
...
After some time in flight, Takeshi's team successfully reached the coordinates. Using Hyūga Hizashi's Byakugan, they soon located the mysterious pool mentioned in the records.
"Perfect chance to test Orochimaru's new anti-genjutsu lenses."
Looking down at the water, Takeshi took a pair of scientific goggles from his scroll — designed to significantly resist illusionary techniques.
"How unnecessary," Uchiha Hikari muttered with mild irritation, though she still obediently put the goggles on.
The effect was indeed impressive. Takeshi's group didn't fall into any dreamlike illusion as expected; instead, they smoothly leapt through the pool — only to be met with the sight of a massive crab.
"Careful — Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was the first to react, turning the ground beneath the creature into a swamp.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet! Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"
He immediately followed up, chaining the techniques together to unleash a torrent of flames and mud at the crab.
"Third-sama is truly as vigorous as ever."
Hakuyun Sōken praised him with a flattering smile.
However, neither the earth nor fire attacks seemed to do much against the creature's thick, armored shell.
"I'll handle this—"
Seeing that, Hakuyun Sōken was just about to step in, but Takeshi stopped him.
"Let me do it. I've been wanting to try a proper master-and-disciple combo! Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves!"
The crab let out a scream that could hardly be described in words as the wind blades cut through the air.
It was the first time Takeshi had ever heard a crab scream.
Amid the explosion of shattered shell fragments, the creature's once-proud carapace split open, revealing its brown flesh beneath.