There was no doubt about it. The two uninvited guests outside Konoha were members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan from the moon, Ōtsutsuki Shinichi and his son, Ōtsutsuki Toneri.
Shinichi had taken notice of Hyuga Hinata the moment she was born. Now, more than two years later, he had come down personally, just as he had planned, to see her with his own eyes.
As for Toneri, the moment he heard his father was descending to evaluate a potential future wife, he insisted on coming along.
When Toneri was still very young, a brutal internal war had broken out within their clan. To defeat the Main House, the Branch House sacrificed nearly all of their Byakugan, condensing them into a massive Tenseigan to secure victory.
Toneri's own eyes had been taken during that time.
The Byakugan he now possessed were artificial, created by Shinichi using the power of the Tenseigan. They would only last a few days before fading.
"Father, when do we go?" Toneri asked, unable to hide his anticipation. His tone carried genuine curiosity.
Shinichi placed a hand on his head calmly. "No rush. Something is happening in Konoha today. I'll observe first."
In the past, Shinichi would not have bothered with caution. To him, Earth's shinobi were beneath notice.
But ever since the Gedo Statue disappeared without a trace, that arrogance had faded.
The statue had been missing for years. Even with the Tenseigan scanning the entire world, they had found nothing.
Now, with their clan reduced to almost nothing, Shinichi had become far more careful.
Toneri nodded quietly. "Alright."
Shinichi activated his Byakugan and began observing Konoha in detail.
What he saw made his expression tighten slightly.
Guards were stationed everywhere, almost every few steps. Patrols overlapped. Surveillance was dense.
Getting into the Hyuga Clan compound unnoticed under these conditions would not be easy.
"Father, is there a problem?" Toneri asked, sensing the change.
Shinichi shook his head lightly. "Nothing serious. Just a bit troublesome. We may have to adjust the timing."
He continued observing in silence.
No one in Konoha noticed.
The village moved as usual.
Hiruzen Sarutobi personally received the Kumogakure delegation, arranging a formal tour before assigning them lodging. By the time all formalities were completed, half the day had passed.
The rest of the day was for rest. Negotiations would begin the following morning.
Before that, ANBU had already completed a full investigation.
Inside the Hokage's office, Kakashi reported calmly, "Hokage, we've confirmed it. Only seven ninja are present. No hidden forces."
Hiruzen exhaled slowly, a faint trace of relief in his eyes.
"Understood. You may go."
Once Kakashi left, Hiruzen tapped the ash from his pipe.
"After all this time… maybe this war will finally end."
He leaned back slightly, his tone quieter.
"I could use some proper sleep."
What he didn't realize was that beneath the calm surface, something else had already begun moving.
Something no one in Konoha had accounted for.
Hidden in the shadows, Shinichi smiled faintly.
"So, a Kumogakure delegation here for peace talks," he murmured. "Perfect."
Toneri looked confused. "Wouldn't that make things harder? Security is tighter."
Shinichi glanced at him, amused. "No. It makes things easier."
He explained calmly, "Because now, there are people in Konoha with authority who can move freely."
The Hyuga Clan compound was heavily guarded. Sneaking in directly would be difficult.
But Kumogakure's delegation was different.
They were honored guests. Their movements would not be questioned easily.
And the lodge assigned to them housed only those seven ninja. No interference. No extra eyes.
A perfect entry point.
"If we control them," Shinichi continued, "we can enter the Hyuga Clan openly."
Toneri's eyes lit up slightly as he understood.
Shinichi activated his Byakugan again, mapping out patrol routes and blind spots around the delegation's residence.
Without hesitation, he moved.
In seconds, he and Toneri slipped inside unnoticed.
All seven Kumogakure ninja had already returned to their rooms.
Shinichi stopped outside one door.
Knock. Knock.
The door opened shortly after.
Rinkawa, the leader of the delegation, looked at him with mild confusion.
"A Hyuga clan member? What do you need?"
The Byakugan made the disguise convincing enough.
Shinichi did not waste time.
A glowing orb formed in his hand and was pressed directly into Rinkawa's body.
Rinkawa had no chance to react.
The moment it entered, his expression froze, then went blank.
Control was established instantly.
"Good," Shinichi said quietly.
He stepped inside, bringing Toneri with him.
Moments later, another Kumogakure ninja was called in and controlled as well.
Two puppets.
That was Shinichi's limit.
But it was enough.
Soon, under Rinkawa's command, all members of the delegation were gathered.
"Prepare yourselves," Rinkawa announced calmly. "We will be visiting some of Konoha's major clans."
One ninja frowned. "But our mission is peace negotiations."
"It still is," Rinkawa replied without hesitation. "But gathering intelligence during our stay is also beneficial. While visiting, observe carefully."
There was a brief pause.
Then the group responded in unison.
"Understood."
The request was soon delivered to the Hokage.
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow slightly when he heard it.
"Kumogakure wants to visit our clans?"
He chuckled.
Trying to gather intelligence, even now.
Still, the request was reasonable.
"Approved."
He waved his hand casually.
He had no concerns. The clans of Konoha were not careless.
Everything proceeded exactly as Shinichi intended.
Back at the lodge, Shinichi allowed himself a faint smile.
"Now, Toneri," he said, "we'll see her properly."
Using Rinkawa as a proxy, the delegation began moving toward the Hyuga Clan compound.
Through his technique, Shinichi shared vision with his puppets. Both he and Toneri could see everything through Rinkawa's eyes.
They stayed behind, controlling everything remotely.
To anyone else, nothing was unusual.
On patrol, Ryūjin noticed the movement.
"The delegation heading toward the Hyuga compound?"
He frowned slightly.
Then he kept walking.
At the Hyuga compound, Hiashi Hyuga had already been informed.
He personally led Hizashi Hyuga and several elders to receive the delegation.
Formal greetings were exchanged.
Then Rinkawa made a request.
"We've long admired the Hyuga Clan's taijutsu. We would like to spar."
The tone left little room for refusal.
Hiashi hesitated for a moment, then agreed.
A sparring session was arranged.
However, the atmosphere quickly turned unpleasant.
One of the Kumogakure ninja behaved arrogantly, provoking his opponent repeatedly.
The Hyuga member lost patience.
The clash escalated.
In the end, the Kumogakure ninja, Kuroki, was injured.
"Take him to the hospital," Hiashi ordered, suppressing his irritation.
A Hyuga ninja escorted Kuroki out.
But the moment they reached a quiet corner, everything changed.
Kuroki struck without warning.
The escort collapsed instantly.
Without hesitation, Kuroki turned and headed deeper into the compound.
Straight toward Hinata's room.
Through his Byakugan, Shinichi had already pinpointed her location.
There was no resistance.
No delay.
Kuroki entered the room silently.
Inside, Shinichi observed closely through his puppet.
"Perfect," he murmured. "The purity is exactly as expected."
He turned slightly toward Toneri.
"This is your future wife."
Toneri stared quietly, saying nothing.
Shinichi made his decision immediately.
"In that case… we take her now."
Kuroki lifted Hinata without hesitation and moved.
Fast.
In just moments, he had exited the compound.
But as he turned a corner, someone stepped into view.
A member of the Konoha Military Police Force.
Shinichi recognized the uniform instantly.
He did not hesitate.
The attack came immediately.