"What?!"
The branch family leader's pupils suddenly shrank. His blood and energy stalled for a moment. He tried to pull away and retreat quickly, but it was already too late.
Arisu made his move in that instant.
Arisu's speed was unbelievably fast, as if he had directly crossed space itself. The people present didn't even have time to blink, and no one reacted at all.
The main family leader didn't even have time to change the expression on his face to shock before a miserable scream tore through the air.
"Ah!"
Puchi!
In less than the blink of an eye, the branch family leader clutched his right eye in agony and dropped heavily to one knee. Blood poured wildly through the gaps of his fingers, and his entire body trembled violently.
Meanwhile, Arisu still stood in the same spot, his expression as calm as ever.
Only in his palm, a Tenseigan radiating brilliant light quietly floated, its glow dazzling.
"Looks like you couldn't hold onto it."
Arisu slightly raised the corner of his mouth, his tone calm.
The branch family leader stared fiercely at Arisu with his remaining eye. Hatred and pain intertwined, yet he didn't even have the strength to stand up.
"Clan leader!!"
The other branch family experts saw their leader seriously injured and their eyes instantly filled with rage.
Ignoring the other side's unfathomable strength, they all leapt forward at once, powerful palm strikes crashing toward Arisu like a storm.
"You'd better not come here just to die.", Arisu said it lightly.
Arisu had lived for so long that he had long since lost the desire to kill.
After living through endless years, he had already lost interest in constant fighting and slaughter.
Besides, these people were innocent to begin with. His goal this time was only the Tenseigan.
They all carried Hamura's bloodline.
Naturally, he would spare their lives.
"Sage Art: Eight-Foot Illusion Technique!"
After casting the technique, the moment it descended, the purple light of the Rinnegan in Arisu's eyes suddenly burst forth, and sage-powered ocular force swept across the surroundings.
This was a large-scale genjutsu created by combining Sage Art and the Rinnegan. An invisible force instantly covered the entire area.
The branch family members who had attacked fiercely just a second ago all froze in place.
The next second, their eyes lost focus. Like puppets with broken strings, they collapsed one after another, all falling into the genjutsu.
In the huge area, only the members of the main family remained standing there in shock, their faces pale, not daring to even breathe loudly.
Seeing that the situation was settled, Arisu slowly turned his head and looked at the main family leader.
"Main family leader."
"May I ask, immortal…"
The main family leader hurriedly bowed. His tone was extremely respectful, and only fear and doubt remained in his eyes. He no longer dared to act recklessly in the slightest.
Arisu clasped his hands behind his back and directly announced, "From now on, the Moon will be managed by Mount Myoboku."
"Your main family and branch family will merge immediately. The clan system can remain, but you must accept the administration of Mount Myoboku."
Hearing this, the main family leader's expression changed drastically. He quickly shook his head.
"Forgive this old man for being unable to obey! I was ordered by our ancestors to guard the Moon. Inside the Moon's core lies a great terror. We absolutely cannot allow outsiders to control us!"
"You don't need to worry about that."
Arisu naturally knew that what they were guarding was nothing more than the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path deep within the Moon.
"You will continue guarding what lies inside the Moon. You only need to accept the management of Mount Myoboku."
The main family leader still looked heavy with concern and hesitated.
"But… the other elders of the main family probably won't agree."
Arisu slightly raised his brow and swept his gaze across the main family members.
"You don't accept the rule of Mount Myoboku?"
As soon as the words fell, several main family elders stepped forward without the slightest hesitation.
"We agree!"
"We agree!"
"We agree!"
Their voices responded one after another, clean and decisive.
"Why would you?!"
The main family leader suddenly turned his head and looked at the elders who had spoken up one after another. His face was full of confusion and shock, completely unable to understand.
But Arisu was not surprised at all.
Among the main family elders, there were already spies planted by Mount Myoboku, lying in wait for a long time, only waiting for the right moment.
Looking at the stunned main family leader, Arisu smiled faintly, "Mm, not bad."
"From now on, you will continue living as usual. You will still remain the clan leader and properly manage the clan affairs.", As he spoke, Arisu raised his hand and lightly patted the main family leader's shoulder.
A look of struggle appeared on the main family leader's face. But after thinking about it, his power had not been taken away. He was still the clan leader. There was only an additional authority above him now.
It seemed… not entirely unacceptable.
The main family leader took a deep breath and bowed.
"As you command! May I ask the immortal's name? How should we address you?"
Arisu restrained the aura around him. His aged presence sharpened, and his appearance instantly returned to how it looked in his youth. His voice was steady and authoritative.
"Sage of Six Paths."
The moment the main family leader clearly saw that his face was exactly the same as the ancestral portrait passed down within the clan, his entire body trembled violently.
His face turned extremely pale, and his legs went weak as he fell to his knees.
"You are a god?!"
"We pay respects to the Sage of Six Paths!!"
All the main family members and elders knelt down in unison. Their respectful voices echoed across the Moon.
"….."
Seeing this scene, Arisu couldn't help but laugh silently in his heart.
If he had known, he would have just revealed his identity the moment he arrived.
———
[Deep Inside The Senju Clan Territory]
Senju Mio suddenly clenched her fists. Her bright eyes widened as anger shot directly toward the father standing in front of her.
"What? You want me to represent the Senju and marry into the Uzumaki clan for an alliance?!", Senju Mio spoke with shocked fury. Because of her surging emotions, faint chakra fluctuations spread from her body.
Senju Ryu stood across from her. His face was stiff and dark, his expression serious with no room for negotiation. He nodded heavily.
"Yes."
"Who decided this?! I don't agree! I would rather die than agree!", Senju Mio stepped forward, her chest rising and falling violently.
"It was decided by the clan leader and all the clan elders together.", Senju Ryu's voice became heavier, his gaze complicated.
"The Uzumaki clan and our Senju clan are originally old friends of the same bloodline. Our families have been close for generations."
"With you going as a direct Senju descendant for this marriage alliance, it represents the greatest sincerity our clan can offer."
How could he not feel heartache for his daughter?
Mio had outstanding talent and was one of the best among the younger generation of the Senju clan. But the decision of the clan leader and elders represented the will of the entire clan.
As a clan elder himself, when it came to the interests of the clan and the personal feelings of his daughter, he had never had the freedom to choose. He could only harden his heart and say the words.
"Impossible!! It will never happen in this lifetime!", Senju Mio shouted sharply in refusal.
In her heart, a figure appeared.
Uchiha Katsu, the person she had secretly filled her heart with.
She and the Uchiha clan were already enemies by position. Their relationship was destined to have no result.
But even so, she absolutely would not settle for less. She also did not want to marry some Uzumaki clan member she had never met before.
In this world, aside from Uchiha Katsu, she could not look at anyone else and did not want to marry anyone else.
Seeing this, Senju Ryu's tone suddenly turned harsh.
"This matter is not something you can refuse with stubbornness!", Senju Ryu scolded sternly.
"You were born as a child of the Senju clan. From the moment you were born, you must consider the clan. At critical moments, you must make sacrifices!"
"Besides, the Uzumaki clan is famous and their bloodline is powerful. Marrying them does not wrong you at all!"
"Sacrifice for the clan…"
Hearing these words, Senju Mio's body suddenly stiffened. The anger filling her chest was instantly extinguished by a wave of helplessness.
The fury on her beautiful face slowly faded, replaced by endless struggle and bitterness.
Yes, the Senju clan.
The interests of the clan would always be greater than everything else. Greater than her feelings, greater than her happiness, greater than all her unwillingness.
From the moment she was born into the Senju family, this rule had been carved into her bones and blood.
She could not escape it, and she could not avoid it.