Outside the Hyuga Clan's residence, the noise of the crowd surged like a tide. The crisp clinking of cups, the conversations of Konoha's villagers, all mingled into a warm, bustling cacophony.
Standing at a high point, Makoto's gaze locked onto the two out-of-place figures like a hawk.
The two wore white robes currently unheard of in the Shinobi World, the fabric glowing with a cold, jade-like sheen under the moonlight.
The tomoe patterns embroidered on their collars swayed gently with their movements, exuding an ancient simplicity that didn't belong to this earthly world.
When the hem of their robes brushed against the bluestone, even the wind seemed to grow sluggish.
One of them had skin as white as moonlight-soaked rice paper, blue-white hair covering his ears, strands at the forehead obscuring his eyebrows.
Most eerily, he had no eyes, yet somehow conveyed a sense of 'gazing', his focus firmly locked onto Hinata in the center of the Hyuga Clan's Main Family's courtyard.
His slender, willow-leaf eyebrows were slightly raised, a faint, almost invisible smile gracing his lips.
When his gaze fell on Hinata, it was like appraising a meticulously crafted artifact, his eyes holding undisguised scrutiny and... possessiveness.
Pure Byakugan, even a Byakugan Princess level of pure bloodline, coupled with this shy, adorable appearance… she was a candidate worthy of becoming his wife.
This person was none other than Otsutsuki Toneri.
Makoto stared at Toneri, the corners of his mouth slowly curving upwards like a hunter locking onto prey, a flash of barely perceptible fervor deep in his eyes.
His gaze leisurely swept over Toneri's body, like a connoisseur examining a rare treasure.
Atavistic Otsutsuki bloodline, and the Tenseigan from the late stages of the original work, capable of splitting the moon in half...
Makoto felt a stirring in his heart. Charging in to snatch him now wasn't appropriate, mainly because his strength wasn't sufficient. But letting him go just like that? That would be too much of a loss.
So Makoto decided to first place a 'mark' on him, making it easier to harvest later.
At this moment, Toneri was still staring intently at Hinata like a creep, unaware that he himself was also being coveted...
Completely oblivious to the shadow quietly approaching from behind.
Toneri's father stood beside him, warily scanning the bustling crowd around them, but didn't pay any mind to a half-grown child.
Using the crowd as cover, Makoto slipped behind Toneri like a slick loach.
Surrounded by jostling Konoha's villagers, Makoto took a deep breath and unleashed the Otsutsuki Elbow Strike he had practiced diligently with Izumi for days.
His right arm swung back sharply, the elbow whistling through the air as it struck down.
Thud!
The dull sound was swallowed by the noise, like a stone thrown into boiling water.
Toneri's whole body stiffened, a blunt pain spreading from the back of his head as if struck by a blunt instrument.
Before he could react, a special, extremely small pattern appeared on Toneri's scalp, thoroughly concealed by his blue-white hair.
The special pattern was a blood-red heart shape, its edges crawling with a few coiled dark lines, like intertwined small snakes.
Embedded in the very center of the heart was a teardrop-shaped crimson, glowing faintly.
Every curve carried a hint of alluring temptation, yet also held an indescribable sinister quality.
It was the mark unique to Makoto's S-Rank Space-Time Ninjutsu, the Flying Thunder God's mark, the Succubus Mark.
Makoto stared at the Succubus Mark, completely hidden by the blue-white hair, the corner of his mouth twitching downward involuntarily.
He never imagined that aside from specially made kunai, his first Succubus Mark would be placed on a man...
But on second thought, in the future, he might be able to use this Succubus Mark to ascend to the moon early and meet that 'hereditary beauty' of the Uchiha Clan, Otsutsuki Kaguya.
The previous feeling of awkwardness vanished like it was blown away by the wind.
Then he wanted to provoke Toneri.
If this father-son pair flew into a rage, he'd use the Flying Thunder God Technique to escape. If he couldn't escape, he'd just lose one Resurrection Coin.
Before dying, he could pin the blame on the Blame Kage, Danzo, along the way, redirecting the trouble, letting this father-son pair and the Blame Kage fight it out.
Regardless of who lived or died, Makoto would profit greatly.
If Danzo died, one less annoying old fogey. If Toneri died, he'd just use the Flying Thunder God to steal the body. Another win-win situation… With Makoto winning twice.
Toneri turned around, looking at the Makoto before him, momentarily stunned... He was just standing here as a passerby, never expected to suddenly get elbowed.
His eyeless sockets faced Makoto directly. Though unfocused, they inexplicably made one's neck and back feel cold.
Even Toneri's father was momentarily stunned, his fingers curling under his white robe, knuckles turning white.
'Were the locals in the Shinobi World this rude nowadays?'
"Nicholas Nicole, how did you end up here?" Makoto elbowed Toneri's arm again, speaking as seriously as if recognizing a relative at the village entrance.
Hearing this, Toneri froze completely, 'What kind of stupid name was that?'
Only then did he realize he had been mistaken for someone else.
"You've mistaken me for someone else!" Toneri's voice was like tempered ice, even more piercing than the cold night wind.
"Mistaken?" Makoto exaggeratedly hopped back half a step, his ankle knocking against the bluestone with a light 'thud'.
His eyes instantly crossed into 'cockeyed', filled with clear stupidity, his face a picture of 'I've read many books, don't try to fool me'.
"Can't be? You look exactly like that Nicholas Nicole from our village!"
"Or have you started dressing all proper now, made something of yourself, and want to forget your roots?"
"To think, to think, ah, Nicholas Nicole, back then you were always talking about loyalty and righteousness, and as soon as you make it, you immediately forget your roots?"
As the words fell, Makoto reached out and ruffled Toneri's blue-white hair, deliberately twisting a strand.
"Even this blue-white hair is exactly the same, feels just as comfortable!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Makoto, as if discovering something new, suddenly reached out and poked Toneri's eye sockets.
"Oh~ No, you don't have eyes, but he does!"
"You don't have eyeballs either, so why have you been staring at me? Can you even see clearly?"
His tone was full of curiosity, purely wanting to provoke Toneri.
Toneri's father's brows furrowed even tighter, almost knitting into knots.
Looking at the seemingly not-very-bright Makoto and the bustling crowd around them, he didn't say another word, directly grabbing Toneri's wrist and turning to walk out of the crowd.
As the hem of his white robe brushed past Makoto's ankle, Makoto suddenly lifted his foot and stomped down hard on it, grinding his heel into the fabric with a twist.
Rip…
"Hiss…"
A light tearing sound mixed with an almost imperceptible sharp intake of breath.
Toneri whirled around. Though eyeless, one could clearly feel the fury shooting straight to the top of his head, almost tangible.