Chapter 62: The Ghost of the Moon

An Encounter Beyond Time

The chamber was silent.

Only the faint glow of the ancient seals remained, flickering softly against the cold stone walls. The residual chakra from the sealing ritual still lingered, weaving through the air like an unseen specter.

Yet something shifted.

The weight of an unfamiliar presence pressed down on the space, a force that was neither hostile nor welcoming—simply there.

Ryūsei's Byakugan flared, his golden-tinted gaze locking onto the old man standing before him.

His robes were pristine white, embroidered with the celestial patterns of an era long past. His silver hair cascaded down his back, and his face bore the wisdom of centuries. Yet it was his eyes that stood out—Byakugan of unfathomable depth, carrying the weight of an eternity.

Ryūsei did not speak.

Nor did he move.

He simply watched.

The old man met his gaze, studying him as if measuring something unseen.

Then, his lips parted.

"You carry the weight of the Ōtsutsuki," he said, his voice deep yet soft, like the whisper of a forgotten era. "And yet… you are unlike them."

Ryūsei's expression remained unreadable.

"Who are you?"

A pause.

Then—

"I am Hamura."

The name struck like a bolt of lightning.

Hamura Ōtsutsuki.

The founder of the Branch Family.

The man who once stood beside Hagoromo.

The one who left Earth and built the Moon's civilization.

The one whose descendants had just torn themselves apart in war.

Ryūsei's breath was steady, but the weight of the moment settled deep in his bones.

"The founder of the Branch Family," he murmured, voice edged with something unreadable.

Hamura tilted his head slightly. "And you, a remnant of the Main Family."

A shadow flickered across Ryūsei's face.

The Main Family was dead.

Every single one of them.

Except him.

Hamura sighed softly. "Perhaps… this was inevitable."

Ryūsei narrowed his eyes. "You knew this would happen?"

"I feared it."

His tone held no arrogance, no superiority. Only regret.

"I left behind a world divided," Hamura continued. "A system that should have never endured. Yet my descendants clung to the chains of hierarchy… until they destroyed themselves."

Ryūsei's fists clenched.

"So, what now?"

Hamura studied him for a moment before speaking.

"That depends on you."

A Trial of Strength

The atmosphere shifted.

The very air seemed to tremble.

A force—vast and unshakable—settled over Ryūsei like an unseen mountain pressing down. His body tensed, instincts flaring before his mind even processed it.

This presence…

This power…

Hamura did not move.

Yet, his very existence carried the weight of something far beyond mortal comprehension.

"I have watched you," he said, his tone measured. "Your choices… your actions. You are different from the Ōtsutsuki I once knew."

He took a slow step forward.

"And now, I wonder…"

His Byakugan pulsed.

A wave of invisible force rippled outward, so heavy it made the very chamber groan in protest.

"…Are you strong enough to bear the burden of change?"

Ryūsei's eyes burned gold.

A challenge.

Fine.

Then he would answer.

In an instant—he moved.

The distance between them vanished.

Ryūsei's palm shot forward—a perfect Gentle Fist strike, infused with chakra sharp enough to tear through space itself.

But—

Hamura wasn't there.

Before Ryūsei could react—

A hand grasped his wrist.

Not to harm.

Not to restrain.

Just… to stop.

Ryūsei's Byakugan widened.

Not because of the speed.

But because—he hadn't sensed the movement at all.

This wasn't just power.

It was inevitability.

Like the shifting of the stars. Like the flow of fate itself.

Hamura looked at him, unshaken.

"You fight with the skill of the Moon," he said. "But you have yet to understand its weight."

A sudden pulse—not of chakra, but of sheer presence— erupted from Hamura's body.

Ryūsei's breath caught as his knees buckled.

Not from force.

Not from injury.

But from something deeper.

The weight of history.

Of expectations.

Of the very legacy of the Ōtsutsuki pressing down on his soul.

Hamura did not gloat.

He simply spoke.

"You claim the throne of the Moon," he murmured. "But can you truly carry it?"

Ryūsei gritted his teeth, his body trembling against the unseen force.

Then—

He forced himself to rise.

Step by step, inch by inch.

His Byakugan flared brighter, his golden chakra surging around him.

Hamura watched, his gaze unreadable.

Then—the pressure faded.

Ryūsei exhaled sharply, sweat dripping from his brow.

Hamura nodded.

"Good."

A pause.

Then—

"You may yet be worthy."

The Path Forward

The air was still.

The moment had passed, but its weight lingered.

Hamura turned slightly, his gaze shifting toward the chamber where Toneri was sealed.

"You chose to preserve the boy," he said.

Ryūsei met his gaze. "It wasn't mercy."

"No," Hamura agreed. "It was choice."

A beat of silence.

Then—Hamura extended a hand.

A scroll materialized in his palm. He tossed it lightly toward Ryūsei, who caught it effortlessly.

"This contains knowledge that was lost to time," Hamura stated. "If you wish to break the cycle… you must understand what came before."

Ryūsei stared at the scroll.

The cover was old, its edges frayed with time. The markings on its surface were written in a language he barely recognized—a script from the earliest days of the Ōtsutsuki.

He looked up. "Why give this to me?"

Hamura's expression softened.

"Because you are not like them."

A pause.

Then—

"I will watch your path, Ryūsei Ōtsutsuki."

The moment he spoke those words—

He vanished.

No flicker of chakra. No disturbance in space.

Just… gone.

Ryūsei exhaled slowly.

Hamura Ōtsutsuki.

The founder of the Branch Family. The protector of the Moon.

And now…

A ghost watching over him.

His grip tightened around the scroll.

Whatever was in these pages…

It would change everything.

To Be Continued…