When their feet touched the solid floor, the scene had already changed.
A strange, bizarre castle appeared, its colors almost dizzying to the eye. Before they could even spot the master of the place, a youthful voice rang out.
"Wow! Everyone's wearing the same clothes! Akatsuki, welcome to the Moon! I'm Ōtsutsuki Toneri. Nice to meet you!"
Judging from the voice, the boy seemed about fifteen. His tone and words radiated a bright, lively personality—nothing like the weighty, suffering protector of Earth Obito had described. Nagato thought this as the boy confirmed his impressions before he even spoke.
"Uh, don't talk! Let me guess… this lady must be Konan!" Toneri said with a hint of mischief, his pure white pupils sparkling. Konan cast a glance at Obito and nodded slightly. "Yes, pleased to meet you."
Toneri scratched his head and grinned, his gaze scanning everyone until it landed on Nagato. "Ah! Sharingan! You're Nagato Uzumaki, right? We're distant relatives, you know! Your ancestor and mine were brothers! Distant relatives!"
Uh…
Nagato muttered, "…Obito, is he sane?"
Obito shrugged. "Cut him some slack—he's the only living person up here on the Moon."
Nagato nodded, understanding.
Although Toneri's attire looked old-fashioned and serious, his words did not match the solemnity of his clothing.
"…Red hair is yours, big uncle. I know you! You're amazing with puppets! And Deidara, boom clay, huh? Art is an explosion! Hahaha! Kakuzu-san, you've got so many masks, can't die no matter what… Shark Uncle, I know your 'shark skin'! And this is the Sharingan, Itachi, Uchiha Itachi, like Obito. We're distant relatives, you know! My ancestor and your ancestor were brothers. You're Hagoromo's descendant, I'm his brother's descendant. Distant relatives!"
Acknowledging relatives back to their ancestors, Itachi had no idea how to interact with this overly enthusiastic boy roughly his age—his excitement was overwhelming, and his head seemed a little… off.
Before Toneri could rush to hug his distant relatives, Obito grabbed him by the collar, preventing any misunderstanding of a perverted child. A small courtesy to the long-passed Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, perhaps.
"Enough of the distant relative thing. Take us to the Rinnegan," Obito said.
Toneri pouted like a helpless little rabbit, whining, "Eh! I just finished my chores and haven't eaten yet! I'm starving!"
Obito sighed. "Take them first. I'll get something to eat."
As he spoke, he returned below, leaving Toneri free to cling to the distant relative with the Rinnegan. Without Obito's intervention, the little boy finally hugged the "distant relative" he had been longing for. Nagato felt at a loss, especially as the boy rubbed his face like a cat against Nagato's chest.
"Ah~ so nice… I can feel the bloodline of my brother! Only the Rinnegan can feel like this… the Asura body feels amazing!"
Nagato muttered, "…are you… a pervert?"
Saying that to a fifteen-year-old felt cruel. Toneri tilted his head, white eyes wide, looking innocent. "Nagato bro, how can you say that? I know what 'pervert' means even if I'm not the lower one!"
Nagato's stress skyrocketed. Still, he steeled himself and pried Toneri off. Toneri looked extremely aggrieved.
Itachi sighed. He had no interest in distant relatives but was curious about the so-called Rinnegan. He lowered his voice, smiling gently, "Can you take us to see the Rinnegan?"
Compared to the Indra lineage, Toneri found the Asura lineage relatives more comfortable, their aura stronger. Most importantly, he had the Rinnegan—but the relative tore him off.
Toneri felt deeply wronged. After all these years alone on the Moon, with no friends or family, finally encountering a strong relative—only to be torn away. Pouting, he shot Nagato a pleading look, as if to say: You dare tear me apart, and I won't show you the Rinnegan!
The Akatsuki members watching Toneri's expression were speechless. Konan patted Nagato on the shoulder and calmly said, "Do your job."
Nagato's mind raced. His lips twitched as he glanced at his subordinates—they all stepped back in perfect unison, creating distance for him to handle Toneri.
"Yay! Let's go, Nagato bro~"
Toneri's voice was playful, clinging to Nagato's arm like a girl holding a shopping bag. Ignoring the childlike behavior, it could almost pass for a brotherly gesture.
The landscape was unfamiliar. Floating islands existed here, unlike their known world. The artificial sun shone, not harshly, and Nagato sensed powerful chakra emanating from it.
"Look! That's my ancestor's tomb. Nagato bro, you should pay respects. Ancestors always rejoice when their descendants visit. Itachi bro, you should go too; Obito bro has already been there," Toneri said happily, pointing at a temple-like structure floating in the air. The architecture was ancient and rustic, and from Toneri's demeanor, all was proper.
"Have you lived here alone all this time?" Nagato asked, curious. It was hard to imagine living alone in such a vast place.
"No. My father was here before."
"And your father?" Itachi asked. Toneri shrugged. "He died when I was six."
"And your mother?"
"My mother died giving birth to me. It was just me and my father here," Toneri said, turning into a semi-open corridor. Outside, the view sparkled under the artificial sun. Beautiful, yes, but living alone made it hollow.
"My father said there used to be many people—branches, clans—but after fights… they all died."
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