Chapter 99 – The Golden Byakugan and the Blood of the Stars
The wind whispered through the shattered towers of Rōran. Broken stone pillars stood like the bones of an ancient god, and sunlight poured through the broken ceiling in three long beams, painting the dusty air gold. The city was quiet, almost too quiet, except for the sound of gears turning deep below — the Dragon Vein still pulsing faintly with life.
Naruto stood at the center of the hall, one hand resting on his knee as he caught his breath. He looked around at the others — Minato, Akira, Sasuke, Kakashi, Shibi, and Chōza — all waiting for him to speak. His face, usually so carefree, was now serious and sharp.
"Even if it's fine to talk about everything now," Naruto began, his tone steady but urgent, "we don't have time for that. First, we need to catch Mukade — he's calling himself Anrokuzan here. Once we stop him, we seal the Dragon Vein. After that, you guys will get everyone out of Rōran and go somewhere far from here. This place… might not survive the battle that's coming."
His voice carried through the empty hall like a command. The seriousness in it made even Minato pause.
Minato looked at him — his son, grown and strong, from a future he couldn't yet imagine. "Naruto," he said quietly, the concern of a father mixing with the discipline of a shinobi, "what kind of enemy are you going to fight?"
Naruto turned toward him, his expression softening for a moment. "They're called the Ōtsutsuki clan," he said finally. "They're not human… and not like anything you've ever faced. They're too powerful. They're not an easy fight, Dad."
Minato frowned. "Ōtsutsuki clan?" he repeated. "The ones related to the Hyūga clan?"
Naruto shook his head. "Not that branch," he said, his eyes narrowing. "These aren't descendants of the Hyūga or any human line. These are the true Ōtsutsuki — the ones who came to Earth before the Sage of Six Paths was even born. They came from beyond the stars — from somewhere far, far away. They don't just fight; they consume worlds. They drain the energy of planets and leave them empty."
The silence that followed was heavy.
Sasuke finally spoke, his arms folded and his tone cold but edged with worry. "That's why we told you — this isn't an enemy you can deal with so easily. They're not enemies you defeat. They're forces that rewrite fate itself."
Minato didn't respond immediately. He looked down, his hand tightening slightly at his side. There was fear there — not for himself, but for his son. The boy who had not born at this time was now standing before him as a man who spoke of cosmic beings and collapsing worlds.
Then, unexpectedly, Akira broke the silence.
"So this Ōtsutsuki you're talking about," he said slowly, "does he have the Golden Byakugan?"
Sasuke glanced toward him. "Yeah," he said. "He does. And his is far stronger than yours."
Akira tilted his head slightly. His golden eyes glimmered faintly in the light that poured through the tower's ceiling. "Stronger than mine?" he repeated, his voice calm but carrying a hint of curiosity.
Before Sasuke could answer, Naruto stepped forward, looking between the two of them. "Wait," he said. "He has the Golden Byakugan? That's supposed to be possessed only by the royal bloodline of the Ōtsutsuki clan. How does Akira have it? And he's your brother, Sasuke!"
The question hung in the air like a weight.
Everyone turned to Akira.
Akira blinked and then frowned, slightly defensive. "Why are you all staring at me like that?" he said, crossing his arms.
Minato was the first to speak again, his voice soft but firm. "Akira," he said carefully, "I'm not wrong to think your father might be one of the Ōtsutsuki who came to destroy Earth… am I?"
Akira's golden eyes dimmed slightly. For a moment, his usual calm expression faltered. "I don't know," he said finally, his voice quieter. "I think… not. I've only seen my father once in my life."
He paused, his gaze lowering as if he were staring into a memory. "It was the day of my mother's funeral. I was in a small room alone. Then he appeared — out of nowhere. He didn't say much. Just a few words. He told me I shouldn't stay there… that I should go to a certain place, and then he left. I never saw him again. But he was… gentle."
The words "gentle" and "Ōtsutsuki" didn't belong together. Everyone could feel that contradiction.
Sasuke's brows furrowed. He looked at Akira closely, trying to read the truth from his face. "Your Ōtsutsuki is… different," he said quietly. "I've traveled through different worlds. I've heard stories — fragments of the past that no one remembers anymore."
He took a step closer, his one eye glinting with the faint red of his Sharingan. "To be exact, the ancient Ōtsutsuki clan weren't like the ones we know today. The old Ōtsutsuki were guardians — gentle and protective. They nurtured worlds instead of consuming them. But over time… something changed. Their clan began to divide. Some turned toward greed, power, and control. Those are the ones who began to drain planets of their energy. The ones we fight now."
Akira listened silently, his expression unreadable. The sunlight from above flickered over his golden eyes like fire.
"So," Sasuke continued, "the kind of Ōtsutsuki you're connected to — maybe they were from that old line. The protectors. The ones who still carried compassion."
Akira said nothing for a long while. Then, quietly, he asked, "If that's true, then why didn't they stay? Why did they leave me here? Why did he disappear after just a few words?"
Minato glanced toward Naruto, who remained silent, watching Akira carefully.
Naruto finally spoke. "Maybe because he knew something was coming," he said. "Maybe he left to protect you — or to stop what the others were planning."
The theory made sense — too much sense.
Chōza scratched the back of his neck. "If what you're saying is true… then that means there were good Ōtsutsuki once. Hard to imagine."
Kakashi's one visible eye narrowed. "There's always light and shadow — even among gods," he murmured.
For a moment, the tower felt colder.
Then Akira suddenly looked up, his voice softer but carrying a strange strength. "The Golden Byakugan isn't just a mark of power," he said. "It's a reflection. It mirrors the heart of the one who carries it. Maybe the reason mine shines differently… is because I'm not meant to destroy."
Naruto looked at him and smiled faintly. "Yeah. That sounds like something I'd believe."
Sasuke sighed quietly, looking away. "Tch. Always with your feelings first."
Akira smirked slightly. "And yet, those feelings are what saved your life more than once, Sasuke."
That made even Kakashi smile behind his mask.
Minato stepped forward then, the sunlight catching the edges of his golden hair. "No matter what blood flows in your veins," he said, "your choices define you. Remember that, all of you."
Naruto looked at him — at his father — and for a moment, the world seemed to stop. There were a thousand things he wanted to say, but he held them in. He couldn't risk changing the past too much.
Akira, watching them both, said quietly, "Even if we change nothing, the future still shifts with every breath we take. That's the irony of fate — it can be rewritten even when we try to preserve it."
Sasuke gave him a side glance. "You sound like someone who's seen too much of time already."
Akira smiled faintly. "Maybe I have."
The wind blew through the tower again, scattering dust and small pieces of stone. The Dragon Vein below rumbled faintly, as if sensing the gathering storm above it.
Naruto look at toll tower . "Alright," he said, his tone turning sharp again. "We can talk about gods and clans later. Right now, we've got a mission. Mukade's waiting. And if we don't stop him now, this entire city — and maybe more — will vanish."
Minato nodded, his blue eyes glowing faintly with determination. "Then let's move. The future may not be set in stone… but if we fight together, maybe we can protect both time and life."
Sasuke's Sharingan spun. "Let's end this."
Akira's Byakugan flared, golden light filling the ruined tower. "Then let's show them," he said softly, "what happens when the stars and the earth fight together."
And with that, the air around them trembled — a sign that the Dragon Vein's energy was awakening.
The true battle for time and destiny was about to begin.
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