Converted to Shinobi World time, it was less than a year.
In the eyes of the Ōtsutsuki clan, that span was nothing. Under normal circumstances—just as Myōshiki imagined—no one would pay it any mind…
Whether it was a routine inspection of a planet or a period of seclusion, both were entirely ordinary.
But the problem was—
Those were normal circumstances.
When Myōshiki vanished, Ōtsutsuki Clan Leader Ryōshiki slowly rose to his feet, the corners of his mouth curling into a cold smile.
"Heh… so you finally found it? Myōshiki… clear the way for me, my old friend."
For a long time now—
There had been two points of deep dissatisfaction that the Clan Leader's aide, Myōshiki, held toward Ryōshiki.
First, Myōshiki believed that with his dōjutsu and talent, he should have been Clan Leader, not lowering himself to the position of aide…
Second, the roadblock Myōshiki faced was not unique to him alone.
Any Ōtsutsuki who had devoured enough Chakra Fruits would eventually run into the same problem.
Among the rest of the clan, this manifested merely as a slowing of growth, not a complete halt—meaning they could still continue advancing in power through the God Tree method…
The only two who could no longer use the God Tree method at all were Myōshiki and Ryōshiki.
Over the years, Myōshiki had ceaselessly searched for a way to break through, gaining nothing but still keeping an active, driven attitude…
Ryōshiki, on the other hand, as Clan Leader, had simply given up.
He had even told Myōshiki that perhaps Ōtsutsuki Shibai's tale of ascension was false—that their revered ancestor might have enjoyed telling little lies…
What ascension?
Reaching their current realm might just be the natural limit—and that was already enough! All that was needed was to maintain the Ōtsutsuki clan's present state, patching things up where necessary, and carry on as is~
Such an attitude struck Myōshiki to the core.
What he found even harder to accept was that Ryōshiki's so-called "stagnant" limit was still far beyond his own!
No matter how many times they crossed hands, Myōshiki was always defeated by Ryōshiki…
What infuriated Myōshiki the most was that Ryōshiki always treated these battles as mere play, never once taking them seriously.
He clearly—clearly had such talent, yet insisted on dragging the entire clan into idleness, never seeking the path forward.
How could Myōshiki accept that?!
And this time, having found the opportunity he sought, Myōshiki set out for the Shinobi World, locking his sights firmly on Kazuki.
But what Myōshiki did not know was—
The Ryōshiki he thought had given up had never doubted the truth of Shibai's ascension story…
It was just that his dōjutsu was purely battle-oriented, without any ability to seek out fortune.
Ryōshiki had reached a height above Myōshiki through sheer, unreasonable innate talent—brute-forcing his way past the ceiling that Myōshiki's resources could not break.
It was genius crushing the resource path.
But when faced with the ultimate limit brought by the God Tree method, even a genius like Ryōshiki could not find a way to shatter the shackle…
From that moment on, Ryōshiki adjusted his mindset, kept his body active, and put on the façade of idleness—letting Myōshiki see his own "laziness," fueling Myōshiki's anger and frustration, constantly stoking the desire to surpass him.
Knowing full well the nature of Myōshiki's dōjutsu, Ryōshiki quietly monitored him in secret…
For he knew—this old friend of his was the strongest in the clan when it came to finding opportunities.
At the same time, his vigilance was second to none.
A being possessing such a dōjutsu would, without question, be extremely wary of any attempt to seize his treasures.
It was a habit inevitably cultivated through the long years of training…
For over ten millennia, Ryōshiki's outward façade of idleness and his cynical attitude had at last made Myōshiki lower his guard—if only slightly…
And so—
When Myōshiki sealed the memories of the first clan member to receive Isshiki's distress intel, believing that in a mere year no one would notice his disappearance…
When he thought his work seamless and flawless—
In truth, his every move had been under Ryōshiki's watch.
"So that's where it is? Ōtsutsuki Shibai's remains… on such a remote planet, and even taken over by a mortal…"
Ryōshiki went to the intelligence bureau of the Ōtsutsuki clan, unsealed the memories of the clan member Myōshiki had tampered with, read through them carefully, and remarked: "In this universe, exceptional beings are innumerable! Even someone from such a humble, remote background could one day brush against the lingering essence of our clan's god!"
"Just that level of fortune alone must never be underestimated!"
Ryōshiki came to the same conclusion as Myōshiki.
Kazuki had certainly already grasped the power within Shibai's remains… but compared to beings like them, who had reached the ultimate limit of the God Tree method, he was still far too green.
Now was the perfect time—before Kazuki could ascend any higher—to seize Shibai's remains from him!
"Uchiha Kazuki..."
With a wave of his hand, Ryōshiki once again sealed the memories of the intelligence bureau's Ōtsutsuki, then suddenly leapt into the air, folding space as he raced in pursuit of Myōshiki.
"This young friend called Kazuki—you are a genius rarely seen in the universe…"
Racing at extreme speed, moving effortlessly through terrifying space storms, Ryōshiki murmured to himself, "But a genius who has yet to mature… 'regret' would be the better word."
"This god's power is not something you can control—better that I safeguard it. Neither you nor Myōshiki have the right to lay a hand on such a heaven-reaching opportunity!"
Ryōshiki, eyes narrowed in his usual smile, let a pure, lethal intent flash within his gaze at that very moment.
Even the howling space storms around him seemed to shudder, unable to bear such killing intent…
This—was Ōtsutsuki Ryōshiki, the Clan Leader of the Ōtsutsuki!
...
[From the target: Ōtsutsuki Myōshiki, you have gained Ōtsutsuki bloodline purification!]
[Detected strong devouring intent from Ōtsutsuki Ryōshiki toward you. Target locked for bond!]
Having just sealed away Shibai's withered remains, Kazuki froze mid-step as he paced along the ocean floor.
So soon—and another Ōtsutsuki had locked onto him? And both carried devouring intent… Were these two working together when they came to the Shinobi World, or what?
Kazuki pondered.
Given the nature of the Ōtsutsuki, learning of Shibai's remains should not inspire cooperation or any thought of sharing…
Especially since the Shinobi World, where Kazuki resided, was not particularly strong—there was no reason for the two to act in unison.
"Kaguya, in the current Ōtsutsuki clan, who is the strongest?"
As Kazuki spoke, he felt the surging power brought by the bloodline purification from Myōshiki.
Kaguya blinked, thought for a moment, then answered slowly: "The strongest should be the current Clan Leader, Ōtsutsuki Ryōshiki… but I'm not certain. Some say it's the Clan Leader's aide, Ōtsutsuki Myōshiki, but it should be one of those two…"
"It's said they are the strongest pair since Ōtsutsuki Shibai, having reached the legendary limit…"
Kaguya suddenly seemed to recall something and added, "Right—speaking of Ōtsutsuki Shibai, I think the Clan Leader's aide, Myōshiki, might actually be stronger than Clan Leader Ryōshiki!"
"Ryōshiki doesn't have great judgment… I remember he once said Shibai's ascension might not be real, and that caused quite an uproar in the clan at the time…"
Kazuki nodded thoughtfully.
Ryōshiki…
Did he truly believe Shibai's ascension was a lie?
Kaguya said that Myōshiki was the strongest.
And she claimed the entire Ōtsutsuki clan thought the same…
'How's things on Isshiki's end?'
Kazuki's mind stirred as he sensed the chakra buried within Isshiki and the others, covertly scanning for any intel regarding his call for aid.
The reply from the Ōtsutsuki clan bore only Myōshiki's signature, with no mention of Ryōshiki.
But the issue was, Myōshiki was merely a supporting figure—like Shimura Danzō—while Ryōshiki was the clan leader.
If both were coming to aid, there was no reason to ignore the higher-ranking signature…
That was… intriguing.
Considering that Ryōshiki and Myōshiki were bound together as targets, both harboring the same "devour" intent toward Kazuki—
"This clan leader's aide… seems unaware that his leader's also got his sights on me," Kazuki chuckled softly, thought glinting in his eyes. "Both craving the withered remains of the Ōtsutsuki God, treating me as their meal…"
"Well, of course. It's a chance to ascend to godhood—how could even Ryōshiki, already a clan leader, not be tempted?"
"Even Sarutobi Hiruzen once ordered research on Hashirama's cells. No matter how vast the gulf between Ryōshiki and the Third Hokage's strength, the most basic facets of human nature are the same…"
The thought brought a wry smile to Kazuki's lips.
The Ōtsutsuki and Konoha really were two of a kind…
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