Chapter 61: The Weight of Fate
The Throne of the Fallen
The ruins of the Main Family's temple were shrouded in an eerie silence. The air was thick with the remnants of chakra from generations long past, lingering like the whispers of ghosts. The once-glorious murals along the cracked walls, depicting the Ōtsutsuki's celestial rule, were now fractured—a reflection of the shattered clan itself.
In the heart of the temple, upon a throne of ancient stone, Ryūsei sat.
Before him, kneeling—crushed beneath the pressure of his Byakugan—was the man who had orchestrated the fall of the Main Family.
Toneri's father, a proud warrior of the Branch Family, trembled under the overwhelming force bearing down on him. His veins bulged, his breath came in ragged gasps, and sweat dripped onto the cold floor as he struggled in vain to resist.
For years, he had believed himself victorious. He had led the rebellion that wiped out the Main Family, claiming this throne as his own.
Yet now, with his body forced into a deep bow before the last surviving heir of the true Ōtsutsuki bloodline, he knew the truth.
He had never been worthy.
And he would never rise again.
"You wanted war," Ryūsei's voice was quiet—devoid of emotion.
"You slaughtered my family. My people. My partner."
A flicker of pain passed through Ryūsei's golden Byakugan, buried beneath a storm of controlled fury.
"You wanted to sit on this throne?"
Slowly, Ryūsei stood.
The force pressing down on Toneri's father doubled.
The air cracked.
The stone beneath his knees shattered under the sheer weight of Ryūsei's power.
His bones groaned, his body unwillingly bowing even deeper.
"You don't deserve to sit on my father's throne."
His voice was soft, yet it rang through the temple with the weight of an undeniable truth.
With a single chakra-infused strike, it was over.
A blur of motion. A flash of golden veins.
Toneri's father collapsed—lifeless.
The last of the rebellion had been wiped away.
Now, only one heir remained.
A Decision Beyond Time
The maid did not cry.
She did not plead.
She only lowered her head in silence.
In her arms, Toneri stirred, his small hands grasping at the empty air—blissfully unaware of the world he had been born into.
Ryūsei's gaze shifted toward the infant, the golden hue of his Byakugan reflecting the image of the last surviving member of the Branch Family.
A child who had done nothing.
A child who carried the blood of traitors.
A child who carried the blood of his kin.
The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken words, until finally, Ryūsei made his decision.
"You will not return with me to Earth."
The maid lifted her gaze, her silver-white eyes unreadable.
"You intend to kill us, then?"
Ryūsei's expression did not waver.
"No."
The maid exhaled slowly, watching him carefully. "Then what do you intend to do?"
Ryūsei's Byakugan pulsed, golden veins flickering across its surface.
"There is an ancient chamber beneath this temple," he said. "A place where time does not move."
The maid stiffened.
"You mean to—"
"Seal you."
Toneri would not be raised in a world that was not yet ready for him.
He would wait—until the moment his destiny was meant to begin.
The maid's breath caught in her throat.
She understood immediately.
"You will leave us here? Until when?"
Ryūsei did not hesitate.
"Until the second daughter of the Hyūga Clan's head is born."
A beat of silence.
"You mean for him to marry her."
Ryūsei's gaze remained firm. "Their destinies are intertwined. They will grow together. And when the time comes, they will choose their own path."
The maid held his gaze for a long moment.
Then, she bowed deeply.
"I entrust him to you."
The Eternal Chamber
The descent into the temple's depths was silent.
This place had been abandoned for centuries—a sanctuary untouched by time.
As they stepped into the Forgotten Chamber, the air hummed with old chakra, the walls inscribed with markings from an era long past.
A stone altar sat in the center, glowing softly with an ethereal blue light.
Ryūsei lifted his hands, forming a complex series of seals.
The ancient runes responded, activating as chakra threads wove themselves around the space.
The maid, still holding Toneri, stepped forward.
She gazed down at the child—the last of her family.
She had sworn to protect him.
And now, she would.
She carefully placed him within the intricate sealing array, watching as the markings curled around his small form.
Then, she turned to Ryūsei.
"You will not wake him alone," Ryūsei stated, his golden Byakugan gleaming in the dim light.
The maid's eyes widened slightly.
"You will continue to take care of him once the seal opens," he said firmly.
"You will protect him with your life—until the day you die."
Her breath hitched.
For a brief moment, her resolve wavered.
Then—she knelt.
"If that is the path you have chosen for me, I will accept it."
Ryūsei watched her for a long moment, his gaze unreadable.
Then, he lifted his hands.
A soft glow filled the chamber.
The seals expanded, wrapping around both Toneri and his caretaker like threads of light.
As the final seal locked into place, their bodies froze in time.
For them, only a second would pass.
For the world outside, years. Decades. An eternity.
Ryūsei exhaled, lowering his hands as the glow faded.
The chamber fell into absolute silence.
He turned away, ready to leave—
But then, the air shifted.
A presence, ancient and unshakable, materialized behind him.
Footsteps echoed in the stillness.
Slow, deliberate.
Ryūsei turned, his Byakugan gleaming—and met the gaze of an old man standing at the edge of the chamber.
His long, silver hair trailed behind him, and his robes bore markings that had not been seen in thousands of years.
Eyes—Byakugan older than any Ryūsei had ever seen—studied him in silence.
The man did not speak.
But his mere presence was enough to send a shiver down Ryūsei's spine.
Because somehow—some way—
He knew.
This man was not from this era.
And he had been waiting for him.
To Be Continued…