As an ACG [1]enthusiast, Yūki was naturally somewhat familiar with this ninja world. Although not a die-hard fan, he could remember most of the character backgrounds and storylines.
He knew very well that Hyūga Hiashi didn't have a son named Yūki, only two daughters, Hinata and Hanabi.
From this perspective, his status as a "cheap son" was likely caused by changes in the world's timeline. After realizing this, Yūki couldn't help but smile wryly, but he quickly cheered himself up.
Anyway, things were already like this. Worrying about other matters was useless; it was better to just go with the flow.
"Alright, we're here. Go on in."
"Huh?"
Before Yūki could finish psyching himself up, his cheap father Hiashi stopped at the deepest corner of the large house, then pointed to a small, dark cave ahead and spoke.
"What am I supposed to do in there?"
Looking at the somewhat eerie cave, fine beads of sweat formed on Yūki's forehead. Frankly, he didn't want to go into such a spooky place alone.
"Didn't I tell you? According to family rules, the eldest son must enter and maintain a three-hour ancestor worship ceremony when he turns three to pray for the ancestors' blessings."
"Oh, so you mean I have to stay here alone for three hours?"
"No, no, strictly speaking, it's three hours of kneeling."
When he said this, a hint of mockery flashed in Hiashi's indifferent, cataract-like eyes.
Clearly, as the eldest son of his generation, Hiashi must have suffered through this himself as a child, so he fully understood his son's feelings.
Forget it, I'll just go in. It's not like I have anything else to do if I don't.
After confirming he couldn't change his father's mind with just a few words, Yūki had no choice but to walk into the cave and proceed toward the interior of the ancestral hall.
The cave was very old, and the passage was extremely deep. Walking inside felt like passing through a tunnel of time and space, entering a world from a hundred years ago.
"Wow, isn't this just a completely boring place?"
Upon arriving inside the ancestral hall, Yūki couldn't help but exclaim.
There was a life-sized statue made of white jade in the ancestral hall. It seemed to be carved from a single piece of jade.
The statue's face was clearly visible—a very delicate countenance that exuded a powerful aura. There was no doubt this was the so-called "ancestor" mentioned by Hiashi.
"But it's a pity they got it wrong. The ancestors of the Hyūga clan are obviously that group of aliens on the moon. They don't look this... normal."
After seeing the statue, Yūki laughed unkindly, as he knew the true origins of the Hyūga family.
Of course, this didn't only apply to the Hyūga. The Uchiha, Senju, Uzumaki, and other major clans were almost all descendants of those aliens. Speaking of which, calling this world a "playground for the Ōtsutsuki" wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"Ah, so that means I'm also a descendant of those aliens?"
At this moment, Yūki couldn't help but look at the statue and the futon placed in front of it, his mouth twitching.
Kneeling for three hours? Which generation's clan head decided on this ritual method? It must have been because his children were mischievous and disobedient, so he deliberately came up with this to punish people.
"Might as well just sleep. I doubt anyone will be here to monitor me."
Yūki looked left and right. The small ancestral hall had only one door and one passage; all other areas were completely sealed off, with many seals engraved on the walls.
In other words, once the door was closed, people outside would never know what happened inside. Even if he slept inside, no one would care.
Having figured this out, Yūki stood up. After all, for him, these ancient rituals held no binding power at all. Only a fool would kneel in front of the statue for three hours.
"Hey, this spot over here looks pretty comfortable."
Finding a random spot, the small figure lay down on the ground, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
"Good night, Clan Head."
Lying on his side behind the statue, Yūki quickly fell asleep.
In his dream, he seemed to see events from the "future." A giant divine tree descended, and a monster that looked like a white-haired witch with three eyes appeared in the world.
"Ōtsutsuki Kaguya."
In his sleep, Yūki couldn't help but utter this familiar name. It had to be said, the three-eyed, white-haired witch left a very deep impression—not to mention she was Yūki's authentic ancestor.
""
But the moment these words escaped his lips, a gleam of light suddenly lit up in the originally dark secret room. At the same time, Yūki seemed to feel a gaze upon him!
Although Yūki didn't open his eyes to look, everyone should understand the feeling of being watched—it's not easy to mistake it even if you try.
Who is it? No, I should be the only one in this ancestral hall. But this gaze... and that aura...
Startled by this sudden change, the drowsy Yūki instantly woke up.
Then, he carefully opened his eyes, turned his head at the slowest speed possible to look behind him, and then...
"Hey hey hey hey!!!"
When he saw the "figure" behind him, Yūki couldn't help but shout! His immature voice echoed continuously in the ancestral hall, somewhat like a scene from a horror movie.
"?"
But just as Yūki was startled, the suddenly appearing figure, who was almost the same size as Yūki, tilted its head and showed a puzzled expression, as if it didn't understand why its owner was acting this way.
This is...
However, after clearly seeing what this petite figure was, Yūki was stunned again, because this "creature" that had inexplicably appeared here turned out to be a very cute little girll.
Yes, a very cute little girl.
She looked about three or four years old, but her classically charming face already had the makings of a beauty, made even more interesting by her distinctive rounded eyebrows. She was wearing a large white dress.
And the most striking thing was her long, pure white hair, spread out like a waterfall on the ground, yet spotless. On her head protruded a pair of tall rabbit ears. Her overall appearance was somewhat like a humanoid moon rabbit...
No, why do I think she looks like a rabbit? No matter how you look at it, what does she look like?
After taking a look at the little lolita who had suddenly appeared, Yūki seemed to realize something. He turned his head away, thought for a moment, then turned back to look at the little lolita and couldn't help but clap his hands.
"Right! Rather than saying she looks like a rabbit, it's better to say she looks like Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. Hahaha, please forgive me, great god!!!!"
Finally realizing what had appeared before him, Yūki almost fell to his knees with a thud, using the most powerful secret technique of his life so far—the "Tiger Submission Stance"!
The so-called "Tiger Submission Stance" refers to imitating a tiger leaping down a cliff, rapidly lowering the entire body, placing both hands on the ground, and violently begging for mercy from the target!
Generally speaking, after using this move, you could kill yourself—in other words, it could prevent you from being killed. Thus, the "Tiger Submission Stance" could be called a super secret technique that grants immortality with a single move!
"???"
But even though Yūki had used an ultimate move like the "Tiger Submission Stance," the young version of Kaguya showed no intention of doing anything and simply continued floating in place, watching him—nothing more.
Why? She seems to know nothing. What on earth is this?
Realizing that this young Kaguya had no intention of harming him, Yūki grew bolder and slowly looked toward that figure.
Wait? Something seems off. Why do I feel such an intimate connection with her? It's as if there's a link between us.
After carefully observing for a few seconds, Yūki boldly reached out his hand in that direction.
At the same time, the young Kaguya also raised her slender, pale hand and reached toward Yūki's hand.
"Hisss! This is it!"
The moment their fingertips touched, a stream of information rushed into Yūki's mind like an electric current!
[1] "animation, comics, and games"