176. Cherish

In Uchiha Gin's mental space:

"Huh? Here, take the chair and sit down!"

Previously half-asleep, Uchiha Gin was jolted awake after hearing Hamura’s explosive news.

Instantly alert, he pulled a chair out of nowhere, gesturing for his bewildered uncle ancestor to sit.

Meanwhile, he picked up a large, juicy watermelon, slicing it with one swift move, its sweet juice spraying everywhere.

"Here, I've even prepared a snack for you, Ancestor uncle. Now, tell me everything!"

"You brat!"

Otsutsuki Hamura clutched his chest, feeling his blood pressure spike from Gin’s antics. Luckily, he was now just a spirit; otherwise, he would probably cough up blood from frustration.

"Alright, alright. I suppose I can't win against you."

Feeling he might have gone too far, Uchiha Gin stood up apologetically, offered his half-eaten slice of watermelon, and spoke with a hint of helplessness.

"Get that away! Do you not know I have diabetes?"

Wait, diabetes is hereditary?

This realization hit Uchiha Gin hard, as he thought of his rising blood sugar levels and sadly dispelled his mental projection, causing the surroundings to fade into void. Otsutsuki Hamura, his expression back to seriousness, fixed his grayish-white eyes on Gin and said,

"Just now, I sensed Mother's presence."

"Stop! Before we go further, could you please explain who this ‘Mother’ is?"

Uchiha Gin made an X with his arms, genuinely confused as he appeared unfamiliar with the “Mother” Hamura was referring to.

"Hasn't Hagoromo mentioned it to you?"

Hamura was now the one puzzled, surprised his elder brother hadn’t shared such crucial information.

"Well, for those of us on earth, we usually have to die to meet our ancestors."

Gin shrugged, a bit embarrassed, knowing he hadn't passed on yet to meet the Sage of Six Paths.

"Fine, bring over a chair, and I'll tell you the story of the Moon Goddess."

Hamura sighed, realizing he’d have to explain further, and signaled Gin to bring a chair, feeling a bit tired from standing.

"Got it!"

Quick on the uptake, Gin pulled out a massage chair, guiding a curious Hamura into it. A beep indicated the payment was successful, and the massage chair whirred to life.

"Bzzz…"

"Ah! Oh! Yes~"

Hamura couldn't hold back a sigh of relief as the massage worked on pressure points. For someone who’d never felt such comfort, it was a new experience.

"Ancestor uncle, is the intensity alright?"

Holding a feedback form, Uchiha Gin glanced at Hamura inquisitively.

"Perfect! Even better than my thirty-sixth concubine’s massages."

Hamura, feeling relaxed, muttered something he probably shouldn't have, before snapping back to attention.

"Enough of this nonsense! Let's get to business!"

Realizing he’d said too much, Hamura jumped off the chair, his expression awkward, and reminded Gin sternly,

"Our Otsutsuki clan values diligence, seeing hard work as an honor and laziness as a disgrace."

"Uh-huh."

"Hagoromo and I were not born of ordinary means but were created from the Moon Goddess herself."

Having regained his composure, Hamura began narrating his lineage with a nostalgic gleam in his eyes.

-I'll skip the nostalgic part-

"Anyway, I led Hagoromo in our dual attack with wisdom and Yin-Yang power, sealing away Mother, whose madness had spiraled out of control. Her seal became the moon, while I sacrificed my freedom to guard it, preventing her from harming the world."

Uchiha Gin, knowing the real story, rolled his eyes at Hamura’s exaggerated self-portrayal. Though Hamura’s storytelling skills were impressive, to say the least.

"You see? That's the official story. If Hagoromo ever tells you otherwise, don’t be deceived!"

Support the original story, starting with Otsutsuki.

Clap clap clap

Gin stood up, applauding, his face full of admiration as he looked at Hamura, who nearly floated with pride.

"Ancestor uncle, such grand achievements! I’ll spread the tale widely so the world will know the truth!"

"Ahem… no need. Such fame is nothing to me, as I’ve led a life of restraint."

Flustered, Hamura quickly waved off Gin’s offer with humility, seemingly embarrassed.

"Who would have thought you were so noble, ancestor uncle? I swear, if I ever meet the Sage of Six Paths, I’ll make sure he feels the shame!"

Gin clenched his fist, his eyes shining with righteousness, making Hamura avoid his gaze nervously before changing the subject.

"Let’s set that aside. We need to discuss the present crisis."

"Please go ahead, ancestor uncle."

"Yesterday, I sensed a faint, dark force. It wasn’t powerful, so I didn’t pay much attention."

"~"

While Hamura pondered, Gin feigned disinterest, whistling to cover his nervousness, knowing well where the power came from.

"But after that energy surfaced, I noticed a change in Mother's aura in the seal."

"A change?"

This threw Gin off—he hadn’t noticed anything amiss when he used his Mangekyo.

"Mother's aura… has diminished slightly."

Hamura frowned, deeply troubled. For thousands of years, the aura had been stable, but now it had changed, filling him with foreboding.

"Has this happened before?"

Curious, Gin wondered if Kaguya could manipulate her seal even in confinement.

"I don’t think so."

Hamura hesitated, his grayish-white eyes darting as if recalling something.

"Are you… slacking off?"

Gin’s expression dropped, knowing that his ancestor’s laziness was beyond tolerable.


"Well… during the civil war between the main and branch families, I got distracted and neglected my watch."

Caught off guard, Hamura admitted his lapse.

Busy?

"Given the magnitude of Tenseigan’s power, it’s plausible it tore a small opening in Mother’s seal, creating a potential gap," Hamura explained, though Gin saw this as mere excuse-making.

"Alright, so what’s the plan to fix it?"

Sighing, Gin inquired, hoping to resolve the situation before things got out of hand.

"We need to find that trace of Mother’s aura and either retrieve or destroy it."

"And… how do we find it?"

"Don’t worry. I’ll teach you a technique to detect it within a certain range."

Drawing on his familiarity with his mother's aura, Hamura shared the technique with Gin.

"Now that you're here, teach me the technique for controlling the Tenseigan as well!"

After memorizing the technique for identifying Kaguya Otsutsuki’s aura, Uchiha Gin suddenly remembered his main quest. Finding the Tenseigan would be useless if he couldn’t control it, so he quickly added:

"Fine, I'll teach you the summoning technique for the Tenseigan."

Otsutsuki Hamura, not one to hold back, decided to teach Uchiha Gin the summoning technique for the Tenseigan, knowing it would eventually belong to him anyway.

"Wait, Uncle! Now that I have the summoning technique, why bother looking for the Tenseigan? I can just summon it here, right?"

Thinking he'd found a loophole, Uchiha Gin asked with a grin. Hamura gave him a scornful look.

"Do you think it's that easy? Not only have you not signed a contract with the Tenseigan, but the cursed techniques the branch family placed on it over the years would overwhelm you."

"Alright, maybe I oversimplified things."

Undeterred, Uchiha Gin accepted the rebuff, confident that the Tenseigan, revered by the Otsutsuki clan for generations, would eventually be his. But this unexpected side quest involving Kaguya made him uneasy.

Going up against Kaguya alone? This was more challenging than taking on Sukuna and almost like being asked to defeat the Goku!

"Oh, by the way, I have some news for you."

Just as Hamura was about to disappear, he paused, turning back with an odd expression. His gray eyes sparkled with both schadenfreude and a hint of concealed admiration.

"Just now, the last few male Otsutsuki on the moon reported to me."

"...What?"

What did that mean? No men left in the Otsutsuki clan? How was Toneri Otsutsuki supposed to come into existence in the future? They wouldn’t resort to asexual reproduction like that Orochimaru, would they?

"Hey, wait! Explain what you mean!"

As Hamura’s figure vanished into darkness, Uchiha Gin, still brimming with questions, called out, but all that responded was the endless void.

The next day.

"Knock~ Knock~ Knock~"

Uchiha Gin, sporting dark circles under his eyes, was roused by rhythmic knocks. Sitting up, he rubbed his sore eyes and yawned, "Who's there?"

"Master Gin, it's time for breakfast."

The voice of a black puppet came from outside, along with the aroma of food wafting in through the door crack. "Come in."

With a creak, the bedroom door opened, and several small figures entered, carrying steaming food and hurrying to his bedside.

"Please enjoy your meal, Master Gin~"

"Breakfast in bed?"

Looking at the child puppets around his bed, Uchiha Gin asked curiously.

"Yes."

At the black puppet’s gesture, a small table rose from his bed, and the child puppets placed the food expertly upon it.

"How extravagant!" Gin mused, "The Otsutsuki really live in luxury—this clan needs some serious reeducation."

"Thank you for the meal!"

Having worked hard his entire life, Gin figured he deserved a little indulgence.

After devouring the food, Uchiha Gin strolled along the corridors of Otsutsuki's grand palace, observing the tireless puppets at work. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked the black puppet at his side, "Are there no living servants in the Otsutsuki clan?"

"No. Every member of the Otsutsuki clan is far too noble to perform menial tasks."

The black puppet, with lifeless yellow eyes, tilted its head in response.

"Can I go out for a walk today?"

Though the Otsutsuki palace was vast, Uchiha Gin had already grown weary of its beauty, and he had a spark of curiosity about the outside. He voiced his request to the black puppet at his side.

"One moment, please. I will consult with the master."

The black puppet's eyes flickered blue, as if calculating something. After a few moments, he bowed and disappeared into a room Uchiha Gin hadn’t entered before.

Shortly after, the black puppet returned and addressed him.

"The master has granted permission, but please don’t stray too far from me, Master Gin."

"Awesome!"

"Mr. Gin, please cherish these last moments of freedom."

…