Late at night, a short figure moved swiftly through the darkness, soon stopping before the sacred Otsuki Shrine — the most revered place of the Otsuki clan. This shrine was not only the site of their sacrificial rites but also the hidden entrance to the ancient Otsuki Kapaya Seal.
Without guards—since it was a public place—the figure stepped inside. In the center stood a statue of Otsuki Kiba Village, the legendary son who sealed his own mother, Otsuki Kaguya. The man's lips curled into a faint, disdainful smile.
"It's ironic," he murmured. "He sealed his own mother... and even in death, he must suppress her."
The two brothers who formed the moon had sealed Kaguya using the strongest techniques — the Six Paths and Earthburst Stars — turning the entire moon into a colossal seal. Though Kaguya's power was immense, the sealing methods were designed solely for her. Even she could only obey.
The man stepped forward, raising his left hand. His blood-red reincarnation eye bloomed, emitting a scarlet glow that activated an invisible gravitational force. The statue shifted aside, revealing an intricate sealing array beneath it.
"Though I am still learning to master the reincarnation eye," he said, "with coordinates, I can manipulate this seal."
He jumped onto the altar, carefully inspecting the complex formation. Despite his youthful appearance, his chakra was abundant, a blessing from the Big-barreled Wood bloodline. Still, the spatial demands of the reincarnation eye's power were immense.
A spatial vortex opened, drawing him into a pitch-black dimension sealed within the shrine.
Inside, the void was silent and endless. The man felt a cold dread rising in his heart. How could anyone endure such darkness without losing their mind?
"Where is Kaguya? Shouldn't she be here within the seal? Or is there yet another barrier?" he wondered aloud, sensing no presence.
Suddenly, a faint, ethereal voice whispered nearby:
"Are you a descendant of Hamura?"
The man's senses sharpened instantly, his hairs standing on end. He spun around, eyes closed, relying on his reincarnation eye to pierce the darkness.
Before him floated a figure — divine and serene. Her long snow-white hair cascaded to her feet, draped in a white and orange kimono tied with a red sash. Her delicate face was flawless, but her nine-hook jade reincarnation eye and rabbit-ear-shaped horns were gone. Yet the godlike aura she radiated was undeniable.
"Are you truly a descendant of Hamura?" she asked softly, her voice hoarse but magnetic, void of emotion.
The man smiled, his eyes still closed. "I've seen my grandmother," he replied confidently. "I know the Mourning Family, the Sheren, and their heritage — including the reincarnation eye."
Kaguya's gaze fixed on the blood-red eye in his hand. "Your bloodline is close to the Mourning Family, no wonder you awakened the reincarnation eye," she said thoughtfully.
The man nodded. "Though the Sheren have long hidden the truth of Kaguya, we remember. The two brothers sealed her, and centuries later, I stand here. I seek to evolve my reincarnation eye — not just awaken it."
Kaguya regarded him silently, a faint smile touching her lips. "The reincarnation eye is born of the white eye's evolution, a combat eye unlike the Byakugan's perception-based power. Though powerful, you must understand the burdens your ancestors brought upon my seal."
He shook his head. "Ancestral grudges don't concern me. The present needs power, not history."
She replied quietly, "The seal cannot be broken now."
"Not now," he agreed firmly, "but in the future, I will evolve the reincarnation eye — and then, I will free you."
Kaguya's calm expression remained, but a flicker of hope sparked in her eyes.
"Very well," she said softly. "We shall see if your ambition matches your bloodline."