Swish! Swish! Swish!
Leaping through the landscape at lightning speed, Ryujin and his group rapidly advanced towards the underground hot spring Guren had discovered.
Back near the small town, Genkei, Miki, Takami, and Kazuhiko had been left behind. Genkei and his two teammates were simply too weak; in a real battle, they would only be a burden and faced a high probability of losing their lives. Kazuhiko remained to monitor the movements of both the Akatsuki and Sunagakure, ready to relay intelligence to Ryujin at a moment's notice.
Originally, Tatsuya had intended to leave Guren behind as well, but he ultimately relented due to her persistent pleas. While Guren's current strength was considerable for her age, there was still a noticeable gap compared to the core members of the Akatsuki or the Divine Court.
Half a day later, the group arrived at the underground cave hidden deep within the forest. Leaping down through the entrance, they reached the subterranean hot spring in the cavern's depths.
It was a circular spring, roughly fifty to sixty meters in diameter, with steam constantly rising from its surface. Gazing at the pale blue water, Ryujin's brow furrowed slightly beneath his mask. The scene felt strangely familiar, yet he couldn't quite place it. He searched his memories of the original Naruto storyline but found no corresponding scene. Why, then, did it evoke this sense of déjà vu?
After pondering for a moment without answers, Ryujin decided not to dwell on it. He gestured to Suijin beside him. Suijin immediately stepped to the edge of the spring and activated his Byakugan.
With the Byakugan active, a peculiar sight appeared in Suijin's vision. Beneath the seemingly calm surface of the hot spring, countless ripple-like patterns swirled, densely covering the entire bottom. Even with the penetrating vision of the Byakugan, he couldn't see the true bottom of the spring clearly.
"Below this... it seems to be a spatial passage," Suijin stated hesitantly after observing the spring's depths intently for a long while.
As he uttered the words "spatial passage," Suijin's body suddenly jolted. A thought struck him. Could this be... the passage leading to the Moon?
Suijin abruptly looked up at Ryujin.
At that moment, behind the golden mask, Tatsuya's expression was one of utter shock. Hearing the words "spatial passage," he, along with Jizo and Kagutsuchi, simultaneously recalled the same possibility. In The Last: Naruto the Movie, Naruto had used such a passage to travel to the Moon and rescue Hinata. In his previous world, Tatsuya had dismissed that movie as primarily a romance, finding its plot elements unbelievable.
Yet, looking at the scene before him, it seemed the spatial passage to the Moon actually existed. If so, then the story of Hamura Otsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths' brother, leading a portion of his clan to reside on the Moon millennia ago, must also be true.
Which meant Toneri Otsutsuki... and the Giant Tenseigan... were also real!
The implications hit Tatsuya like a physical blow, and his breathing quickened instantly. He saw the potential – the possibility for one of his clones to awaken the Tenseigan.
Instinctively, Tatsuya, Jizo, and Kagutsuchi all turned their gazes towards Suijin. With his Byakugan, Suijin was undoubtedly the ideal candidate to wield the Tenseigan if they could somehow acquire or create it.
However, despite the dazzling prospects, Tatsuya didn't let desire cloud his judgment. He carefully sifted through his memories, quickly identifying the most significant potential danger of this venture: Toneri Otsutsuki's father.
At this point in the timeline, Toneri himself should only be around seven or eight years old. Born without eyes, he posed no threat. But Tatsuya wasn't certain if Toneri's father was still alive during this period. The Otsutsuki clan members possessing the Byakugan had the ability to control the Giant Tenseigan on the Moon – an artificial eye created by fusing countless Byakugan from their clansmen. The sheer ocular power contained within it was unimaginable. Facing such unknown power, even Tatsuya couldn't guarantee victory.
Regardless, he had to attempt this journey to the Moon. He absolutely had to seize control of the Giant Tenseigan and Toneri Otsutsuki before the Akatsuki could.
Ryujin looked up at Jizo, Kagutsuchi, Suijin, and Guren. "Be careful," he warned, then took the lead, leaping decisively into the hot spring.
The instant he hit the water, Tatsuya entered Sage Mode. Thanks to the Dragon Vein sealed within him, he could now activate Sage Mode instantly, anytime, anywhere. In Sage Mode, his sensory perception and durability were drastically enhanced.
Jizo and Suijin immediately followed, diving in right behind him, their three-tomoe Sharingan and Byakugan already active. Kagutsuchi, his own three-tomoe Sharingan blazing, and Guren entered last.
The five of them rapidly descended towards the bottom of the spring. Soon, they saw a distinct layer at the bottom – a shimmering membrane of water. It pulsed with a brilliant, multicolored light deep beneath the surface, looking profoundly strange.
Just as they neared this bizarre luminous membrane, a violent surge of water erupted from their left. All five turned sharply to see a colossal figure swimming rapidly towards them along the bottom of the spring. It was enormous, nearly filling half the underwater space. This had to be the guardian crab mentioned in the reports.
Ryujin didn't hesitate, immediately launching an attack. Deep underwater, the effectiveness of Fire, Wind, Earth, and Water Release ninjutsu was severely hampered. He decided to rely on brute force, amplified by Sage Mode's physical enhancements.
Whoosh!
Ryujin shot through the water like a torpedo, rocketing towards the giant crab.
BOOM!
His fist connected solidly with the crab's massive body. The sheer force of the blow generated a powerful shockwave underwater, creating a momentary vacuum zone as the water violently dispersed outwards. The crab's huge form was sent flying backward, propelled away even faster than it had approached. A trail of red clouded the water where the crab passed – Ryujin's single punch had severely injured it.
Seeing this, Ryujin didn't pursue. He turned, beckoned to the waiting Jizo, Suijin, Kagutsuchi, and Guren, and then plunged headfirst through the strange membrane. The other four followed suit without hesitation.
The moment his body passed through the membrane, Tatsuya felt the world spin violently around him. After what felt like an eternity of disorientation, a blinding white light flared before their eyes.
Suddenly, they felt solid ground beneath their feet. Slowly opening their tightly shut eyes, the first things they saw were blue skies, white clouds, green mountains, and azure seas.
This is... the world inside the Moon? Tatsuya murmured aloud, gazing at the unfamiliar yet strangely Earth-like landscape. Honestly, if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have found it hard to believe that the ninja world possessed the technology to create such a realistic environment inside the Moon.