Rage.
Not the kind that flares and fades—but the kind that burns the bones and turns every breath into poison.
Ōtsutsuki Seitian stared at Ren as if he wanted to tear him apart with his teeth.
His chakra surged—violent, unstable—killing intent rolling out in waves so thick it felt like the air had gained weight.
Ren didn't even blink.
He adjusted the sleeping girl in his arms as if the only thing worth worrying about was her comfort, then looked back at Seitian with open contempt.
"You're angry because you've been exposed," Ren said coolly. "You can carve out your own son's eyes without hesitation… and you still want to pretend you're righteous."
"Shut up!"
Seitian's voice snapped, sharp with humiliation.
"My actions follow the will of our ancestors! Not your filthy accusations!"
But behind him, the boy—Toneri—looked like something inside him had cracked.
"Father…"
His empty gaze drifted downward, unfocused, as if his mind was replaying a memory he'd never been allowed to have.
"So… it was true."
His hands trembled.
"My eyes… you took them."
He swallowed hard, voice going thin.
"You lied to me."
A beat.
Then his knees gave out.
Thud.
Toneri collapsed to the floor like the palace had finally become too heavy to stand in.
For a child who had worshipped his father as the last pillar of their world—
This was worse than betrayal.
It was the realization that his entire life had been built on a lie… and that the lie had hands.
Seitian's expression shifted—fast.
Not remorse.
Calculation.
"Toneri." His voice softened, polished smooth. "Don't listen to him."
He stepped closer, lowering his tone like a priest explaining a sacrifice.
"I removed your Byakugan for the Giant Tenseigan."
He raised a hand, speaking like this was mercy.
"And I already planned your future. Once we transplant high-purity Byakugan into your sockets… with our bloodline chakra—"
His eyes sharpened with fanatic certainty.
"—you'll awaken the legendary Tenseigan."
Toneri's lips parted.
"Really…?"
His voice wavered, but hope rushed in where pain had been.
"So… you did it for me…"
He clenched his fists, face scrunching with confused guilt.
"I… I'm sorry, Father. I misunderstood you."
Seitian's mouth curled—almost invisible.
"Good." He nodded once. "Now step aside."
Then the softness vanished.
His eyes turned cold again.
"After I kill this Earth-born dog… I'll explain everything properly."
Toneri scrambled up, rage and devotion tangling together like thorns.
He pointed his empty eye sockets toward Ren, shaking with hatred.
"Put her down!"
His voice rose, reckless, possessive.
"Hyūga Hinata… she's the girl I chose!"
Ren's gaze snapped to him.
The temperature in that look alone made the palace feel colder than the Moon.
"Get lost."
Two words—flat, absolute—like a verdict.
"You're not even qualified to speak to me."
Toneri's body stiffened.
Then—
Ren's presence changed.
Not chakra.
Not killing intent.
Something heavier than both.
A pressure that didn't merely crush the body—
It pressed against the soul.
BOOM—!
The air detonated outward.
The palace walls groaned.
Hairline fractures crawled across pillars like veins spreading through stone.
The floor trembled as if the Moon itself had flinched.
Toneri didn't even have time to understand what hit him.
His mind went blank.
His mouth opened in a silent gasp—
PFFT!
Blood sprayed from his lips.
And then he dropped.
Lifeless.
Still.
Gone.
For a second, even Seitian froze.
Not because of grief—
Because the sheer level of control was horrifying.
That wasn't a technique.
That was dominance.
"That… was pressure?" Seitian muttered, disbelief squeezing his throat.
He'd seen power. He'd held power.
But this?
This was like standing under a collapsing sky.
"Toneri—!"
The shock lasted less than a heartbeat.
Seitian moved instantly, scooping his son up and retreating in a blur—fleeing not from Ren's fists, but from the certainty that without the Tenseigan, he was already dead.
Ren watched him go.
Then spoke, almost lazily.
"Running?"
He stepped forward.
And the moment he crossed the palace threshold—
the ancient structure finally gave up.
KRA-KOOM!
The palace collapsed behind him in a violent roar, swallowing centuries of arrogance in a cloud of shattered stone.
A wide plaza opened under the cold lunar light.
Seitian landed hard, still holding Toneri.
His chest rose and fell fast—rage mixing with fear until both tasted the same.
Ren appeared a breath later, calm as ever, carrying Hinata as if this was a routine rescue mission.
He stopped at the edge of the plaza.
Tilted his head.
"Not running anymore?"
Seitian's expression twisted into something wild.
"I'm not running." His voice turned sharp, desperate with pride. "You're strong, Fifth Hokage… but coming to the Moon is suicide."
He inhaled—deep, steadying.
Then his hands moved in rapid seals.
"Come out."
His voice dropped.
"Giant Tenseigan."
The air rippled.
And as if reality itself had been unwrapped—
a colossal eye manifested above the plaza.
Not a normal dōjutsu.
Not even something that belonged to a single body.
It hovered like a celestial organ, massive and unnatural, veins of power pulsing through it.
BOOOOM—!
The pressure that radiated from it spread across the Moon like a stormfront.
The ground trembled.
Dust jumped.
Even the distant stone ridges vibrated under the force of that gaze.
Seitian lifted his chin, watching Ren closely, voice loaded with triumph he couldn't quite believe he still had.
"Now you understand."
Ren didn't look frightened.
He looked… delighted.
"Finally," he murmured.
His eyes gleamed with something sharp and hungry—not madness, but certainty.
"So that's where you hid it."
He hadn't killed Seitian earlier for a reason.
Because he'd been searching for this.
Ren's grip tightened slightly around Hinata—then loosened as he shifted her carefully.
And that was when his tone changed—soft, almost amused.
"Hinata."
He tapped her lightly on the back.
"Stop pretending."
A tiny jolt ran through her.
Hinata's lashes fluttered.
She opened her Byakugan hesitantly—face instantly turning red once she realized she'd been caught.
"I… I woke up earlier," she admitted in a small voice, embarrassed and nervous. "Fifth Hokage-sama… thank you for saving me."
Ren gave her a brief glance—steady and reassuring, without turning it into anything else.
"You're safe."
Then he added, casual:
"When we get back to Konoha, listen to your clan and your teachers. Don't wander off alone again."
Hinata nodded quickly, still blushing, voice barely above a whisper.
"Yes…"
Ren lowered her to the ground.
She steadied herself, hands clenched near her chest, forcing herself to stand tall even though her knees still wanted to shake.
Ren faced forward again.
His attention returned to Seitian—and the enormous eye hovering above them.
He spoke like he was announcing the next step in a plan.
"Stand here and watch."
His tone was calm.
Almost… instructional.
"I'll show you what happens to people who steal Konoha's children."
Hinata swallowed and nodded again.
"O-okay…"
And in the middle of the lunar silence—
beneath the cold light—
the giant eye pulsed once.
Like it had noticed him back.
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