Prologue — The Last Goodbye
The night was quiet, but grief lingered in the air like a stubborn mist. The funeral flames had long since died, yet the scent of ash clung to the Uchiha compound. Inside a dimly lit room, a baby slept in a lacquered cradle, wrapped in a silk blanket embroidered with the Uchiha fan.
His small chest rose and fell in steady rhythm. His eyes — dark, like any other infant's — fluttered open briefly. For an instant, they glowed gold, veins faintly marking the sides of his temples… and then the light faded, returning to the black irises of an Uchiha child.
No one noticed. No one ever did.
The sliding door shuddered. A ripple spread through the air above the cradle, bending the light, and a man stepped out from the distortion. His tall form cast a shadow over the small room. Long silver-white hair brushed his waist, and his robes shimmered faintly with a pattern of constellations no one in this world had ever seen. His eyes — the pure white of the Byakugan — glowed faintly, but within them was a depth of power that dwarfed any mortal shinobi.
The strongest of the Ōtsutsuki.
And the father of the child before him.
He walked forward, silent, yet the air seemed to hum with his presence. Bending down, he slipped his arms beneath the infant, lifting him with surprising gentleness for one who could crush mountains with a thought.
"…You have her face," he murmured, his voice low, carrying both pride and sorrow. His gaze softened as he studied the baby. "And my blood. That is both your blessing… and your curse."
The child's golden Byakugan flickered on again for a heartbeat, and the man's lips curved faintly. "Yes… you already carry it. The eyes that will one day see all."
For a long moment, he simply held his son, as if memorizing his weight, the warmth of his small body, the faint scent of milk. Then his voice deepened, steadier.
"I cannot stay. If the others learn you exist, they will come for you. And the heavens themselves will not protect you then."
He raised a hand, pressing two fingers lightly to the baby's forehead. Golden chakra flared, spiraling into a seal that vanished beneath the skin. "This will hide you from their sight… until the day you are strong enough to face them."
His thumb brushed the baby's cheek. "…Akira. My son. I will watch for you, even from the farthest star."
The baby gurgled softly, tiny fingers curling around his father's thumb. The man froze, eyes narrowing — not in anger, but as if fighting the urge to stay. For an instant, the most feared Ōtsutsuki looked… human.
He leaned down, pressing a final kiss to his son's forehead. "Live. Grow strong. And when you are ready… find me."
The air behind him twisted again, a dark oval of swirling light opening into the void between worlds. He stepped through without looking back. The portal sealed itself, leaving only the sound of the baby's soft breathing.
Outside, the village slept, unaware that the child in the cradle — the boy with golden eyes — would one day change everything.