"Orochimaru, what kind of gift did you prepare for me?"
As they walked, Uchiha Yuzuru could no longer suppress his curiosity.
Orochimaru glanced back with a smile and replied calmly, "You'll find out soon enough."
The two entered a reception hall, where a woman came into Yuzuru's view.
She possessed delicate features and lips as red as flame. Her tall, graceful figure, paired with her pale skin, radiated a distinctly feminine allure.
Yuzuru froze for a moment.
"Th-This is..."
"Guren," Orochimaru introduced with a smile. "A shinobi I discovered who possesses a special kekkei genkai."
"She possesses Crystal Release, and her performance in actual combat has been quite impressive."
"I thought that if I presented her to you as a gift, you would be pleased."
After hearing his words, Yuzuru fell silent for a moment before saying, "Orochimaru, this isn't right."
"We need to learn to respect others. Everyone has their own dignity and free will."
However, the moment he finished speaking, Guren said softly, "Your Majesty, Lord Orochimaru already told me about this."
"I am willing."
Yuzuru looked at her without saying anything for a moment.
In the original story, Guren had performed remarkably well.
Her Crystal Release, in particular, had been exceptionally striking whenever she used it.
Although he no longer needed to collect kekkei genkai to perfect his own bloodline, he still couldn't bring himself to reject such a tempting offer delivered right to his doorstep.
After briefly considering it, Yuzuru said, "Orochimaru, don't presume to guess my intentions again."
"As punishment, you will remain confined to your laboratory for one month. You are forbidden from communicating with anyone."
The corners of Orochimaru's lips curled upward as he bowed elegantly.
"As you command."
Only then did Yuzuru turn his attention back to Guren. After giving her a brief glance, he said, "Come with me."
Guren immediately followed behind him in excitement.
"Yes."
Catching the fragrance drifting toward him, Yuzuru's heart stirred.
'Sigh...'
'There are simply too many temptations in the outside world. If my will weren't so firm, I might already have a harem of three thousand women.'
'Men capable of exercising as much restraint as me are truly rare these days.'
————
The Moon.
A pitch-black spatial rift appeared.
A moment later, Otsutsuki Urashiki stepped out from within it.
He first surveyed his surroundings, then quickly discovered the marks left behind by Otsutsuki Momoshiki and Otsutsuki Kinshiki.
"It seems Senior Momoshiki arrived before me..."
"But how strange. Given his personality, I would have expected him to attack the planet immediately."
Urashiki murmured to himself.
After the message from Otsutsuki Isshiki reached the homeworld, four clan members had been dispatched to investigate.
They should have arrived at the same time, but Urashiki and his companion had encountered an accident along the way.
To protect him, his companion had sacrificed their life to activate a long-distance teleportation technique, allowing Urashiki to escape the dangerous region.
He had assumed that by the time he arrived, all the resources would have already been seized by Momoshiki.
Unexpectedly, Momoshiki, who had always been selfish and greedy, had chosen not to act immediately.
"Perhaps he wants to investigate what happened to Isshiki and Otsutsuki Kaguya before making his move."
After pondering the matter, Urashiki entered the Moon's interior.
When he saw the structures that closely resembled those on the Otsutsuki homeworld, a trace of surprise appeared in his eyes.
However, after searching the area and finding nothing, he quickly lost interest.
"I should head to that planet overflowing with life energy first. At the very least, I need to claim a share before Senior Momoshiki makes his move."
With that, Urashiki activated Yomotsu Hirasaka and vanished.
————
Konoha.
The Hokage's Office.
Watching Urashiki disappear from the surveillance footage, Uchiha Obito asked, "Brother Yuzuru, should we notify Sasuke and Naruto?"
"Only one Otsutsuki has appeared this time. There shouldn't be any need for you to act personally."
Yuzuru shook his head.
"Obito, ignore him."
"If he wants to cause trouble, let him run wild."
Obito froze, then asked in confusion, "Brother Yuzuru, why?"
Yuzuru chuckled softly.
"Because I need him to help me find something."
"All right. You don't need to concern yourself with this matter."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yuzuru vanished.
Compared to Momoshiki and Kinshiki, Urashiki was much weaker.
However, in the original story, Urashiki had discovered the treasured tool known as Karasuki, which had been lost in the depths of the sea.
Karasuki was an immensely powerful artifact capable of allowing people to travel through time.
Therefore, Yuzuru had no intention of making a move against Urashiki before he located it.
————
"So this is the shinobi world. It really is prosperous."
Urashiki appeared on a street in the Hidden Mist Village and glanced around with mild curiosity.
This planet was completely different from all the others he had seen before.
After wandering around for a while, he headed directly toward the Mizukage Building.
Two Anbu immediately blocked his path.
"Who are you, and what business do you have here?"
Urashiki smiled.
"I want to see your leader."
The two Anbu exchanged glances, both finding the request baffling.
One of them frowned.
"Do you have an appointment? Or give me your name, and I'll report your arrival."
"There's no need to go through all that trouble."
"Hm?"
Before either Anbu could react, their vision blurred.
Urashiki held a fishing rod radiating pink light. With a gentle tug, he pulled a mass of chakra directly from their bodies.
"Not bad. Excellent nourishment."
After placing the chakra into the fishing basket hanging from his waist, Urashiki continued deeper into the building with the rod in hand.
The two Anbu collapsed unconscious after losing their chakra.
RING! RING! RING!
A piercing alarm echoed through the building, causing the entire Mizukage Building to erupt into activity.
By the time Urashiki entered the Mizukage's Office, shinobi who had rushed to the scene had already surrounded him.
Chojuro, who had become Mizukage, tightly gripped the twin-bladed Hiramekarei in both hands. His gaze was filled with vigilance.
The intruder possessed nearly every known physical characteristic associated with members of the Otsutsuki clan.
"Are you a member of the Otsutsuki clan?"
Urashiki was briefly stunned by Chojuro's question before an interested expression appeared on his face.
"You actually know about the Otsutsuki..."
"It seems I may be able to obtain far more information than I expected."