Ōtsutsuki Hagaku stood in silence, calmly watching the short, slender figure ahead of him.
He, too, wished to see how his son would deal with this band of mountain bandits.
"Are you after money?"
Ōtsutsuki Toneri walked up to the man at the front, tilting his delicate little face upward, a gentle smile resting on his lips.
That harmless, porcelain-doll-like appearance instantly lowered the bandit leader's guard.
After all, in his eyes, what could a child like this possibly do?
If he were a ninja, that would be another matter—but this child looked no more than seven or eight years old, and he didn't even wear a ninja headband.
The other two were the same—no headbands either.
Which meant one thing:
They weren't ninja.
Since they weren't ninja, the leader felt no concern whatsoever.
"Hahaha! Kid, you're pretty sharp! As long as you obediently hand over your money, I guarantee you'll pass through safely!"
The man laughed loudly, his grotesque, vicious face terrifying enough to make children cry on sight.
"Money isn't the problem," Toneri gently shook his head, his tone still mild and polite.
"It's just that… I'm not sure you're capable of taking it."
Toward a bandit this arrogant and domineering, he felt no need to restrain his patience.
Because—
"What do you mean by that?"
The leader froze for a moment, then frowned deeply.
This child was… strange.
Strangely calm.
A sudden unease rose in his heart.
"Because,"
Toneri's smile slowly widened, the curve of his lips taking on a feral edge,
"you're about to die."
The moment his words fell—
A slender black rod suddenly appeared in Toneri's hand, thrusting forward like lightning toward the man's face!
The bandit leader's pupils shrank violently as he watched the black rod rush closer and closer.
He wanted to dodge.
But in horror, he realized his entire body had gone completely limp—he couldn't move at all!
Pshhk!
The black rod pierced straight through his forehead, bursting out from the back of his skull!
His arms hung uselessly at his sides, his eyes staring blankly ahead as the light within them rapidly faded.
The remaining bandits stood frozen, staring in disbelief at their leader's head impaled by the black rod.
They were utterly stunned.
The change had come far too suddenly.
This child's attack was not only abrupt—but merciless.
"Ara, ara~"
Toneri slowly withdrew the black rod, looking down at the collapsing corpse with disdain.
"What a… maggot. No resistance at all? Heh~"
Whether disappointed by the man's fragility or simply unsatisfied, Toneri turned his head toward the remaining bandits.
The savage grin on his face deepened.
"M-Monster…!"
The sight of that small figure—eyes still tightly shut, blood dripping from the black rod in his hand—was so eerie and horrifying that terror instantly consumed the bandits.
Without hesitation, they turned and fled.
A monster like this…
A devil like this…
Was never something they could handle.
Their leader had been killed without the slightest chance to fight back—what hope did they have?
As for risking their lives to avenge him?
Don't joke.
A dead man wasn't worth gambling their lives on.
"If I let you escape,"
Toneri said softly—eyes still closed, yet as if he could see everything—
"even I would find that troublesome."
Gripping the black rod tightly, he walked calmly toward the fleeing bandits.
"AAAAAHHH!!"
Desperate, dying screams echoed endlessly through the empty valley.
Not long after
Silence returned.
"Well done."
A satisfied voice came from Ōtsutsuki Hagaku.
His Byakugan gazed upon the snow-white, diminutive figure standing amidst a field of corpses.
Decisive.
Ruthless.
At such a young age, already possessing this level of resolve—
Worthy of being his son.
"Too weak. This proves nothing."
The black rod in Toneri's hand slowly vanished, his pristine white robes forming a stark contrast against the blood-soaked ground.
They truly were too weak.
These bandits were nothing more than ordinary men—this had never been a battle.
It was a one-sided, brutal slaughter.
Toneri shook his head in disappointment.
He needed battle.
He needed opponents.
Strong opponents.
Only then could his strength and combat experience be tempered.
"Toneri,"
Hagaku sighed helplessly,
"strength doesn't grow overnight. To reach this level at your age already makes you a once-in-a-generation prodigy."
This child… should he be called calm and steady?
Or overly ambitious?
Pursuing power was not wrong.
And for someone of Toneri's age, with such strength and such a firm will, his mindset was understandable.
"Father,"
Toneri smiled gently, completely unfazed by the advice,
"let's continue. This place is no longer suitable for us to remain."
Hagaku would never understand—
Just how desperately he yearned for power.
He needed strength.
Strength to traverse the Ninja World and admire its breathtaking, ever-changing landscapes.
Strength to rescue Ōtsutsuki Kaguya—and then conquer her.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya was the strongest existence in this world.
Even Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki, who appeared later, was no match for her.
Her progenitor eye—the Nine-Tomoe Rinne Sharingan—said everything.
Momoshiki claimed to possess divine power beyond Kaguya's reach.
But who could believe that?
Before consuming the chakra fruit formed from Ōtsutsuki Kinshiki, he might not even have been able to defeat late-stage Naruto one-on-one.
And even after devouring Kinshiki, he was still defeated by Naruto and Sasuke together.
That alone explained everything.
Even Sasuke himself had said it plainly—
Momoshiki's power was inferior to Kaguya's.
Yes, Momoshiki was strong.
Extremely strong.
But compared to Kaguya
There was still a gap.
And as for Ōtsutsuki Toneri—
He sought power because only by becoming stronger than everyone else
would he possess the qualification
to conquer Kaguya.