Chapter 137: Otsutsuki Hamura

Thousands of tombstones stood here, a sight that left even Uchiha Li feeling somewhat shaken.

"These must be the graves of the main and branch families of the Otsutsuki descendants. How tragic..." Uchiha Li remarked with a sigh. It was a pity to see a once-great clan nearly extinguished by internal strife.

As for the Otsutsuki descendants remaining on the moon, even if there were any left, there certainly wouldn't be many. After all, a dozen years had passed; by the time Toneri grew up, he would be the only one left on the entire moon.

"Otsutsuki? Main and branch families?" Itachi, hearing Uchiha Li’s explanation, suddenly thought of a clan back in the village. He had begun learning about them long ago, especially during his time at the Ninja Academy. In the last two years, however, as the Uchiha and Hyuga clans had gradually begun to reconcile, their relationship at the academy had improved significantly. Yet, as two of Konoha's noble clans, both possessing ocular bloodline limits, a sense of competition still persisted. He had heard of the Hyuga clan’s main and branch family system. He never imagined that such a system existed within a clan on the moon. He wondered if it was a mere coincidence.

Uchiha Li was about to respond to Itachi when he suddenly detected a flicker of chakra fluctuation in the supposedly silent graveyard. Even with his Mangekyo Sharingan active, that tiny ripple of energy filled him with an intense sense of crisis.

"Move!" Without a second thought, Uchiha Li grabbed Itachi, intending to pull him away immediately.

Just then, an aged and hollow voice echoed: "Child, do not be afraid."

Uchiha Li’s eyes widened. From the shadows, a spectral figure appeared before them, though he hadn't seen it move. Was it teleportation or some other technique? Uchiha Li was on high alert, his portals ready to activate at a moment's notice. However, having recognized who the "person" was, he refrained from fleeing, instead pausing briefly before speaking: "You are the ancestor’s brother, Senior Hamura, aren't you?"

Maintaining a respectful demeanor, Uchiha Li greeted him with poise. He hadn't expected this trip to disturb Otsutsuki Hamura, and facing someone of the Six Paths level required proper deference. Fortunately, the Uchiha lineage was descended from Otsutsuki Hagoromo, which meant they shared a deep connection with Hamura. Since Hamura hadn't attacked, Uchiha Li assumed there was no immediate danger.

Yet, he still couldn't fathom why Hamura would seek them out. After all, he and Itachi hadn't done anything—other than his desire to absorb the entire "Lake of the Moon" dry.

Hearing Uchiha Li’s words, the stoic Otsutsuki Hamura allowed a flicker of surprise to cross his face. "Child, you know of me? It seems you know more than I anticipated." He hadn't expected an Uchiha from so many generations removed to be aware of his identity. It only proved that Uchiha Li was truly extraordinary. It was no wonder he had sensed a peculiar aura about the boy—an aura even he could not fully decipher.

Facing Hamura’s inquiry, Uchiha Li had his answer prepared. "Yes. I once read about our clan’s origins in an ancient text. It seems the ancestor of the Uchiha was the legendary Sage of Six Paths, Otsutsuki Hagoromo." He paused, then continued, "After I awakened my Mangekyo Sharingan and viewed the stone tablet in our family shrine, this legend was further confirmed. According to the records in that book, the Sage of Six Paths had a younger brother named Otsutsuki Hamura. I assumed that must be you."

With a wry smile, Uchiha Li added with a touch of emotion, "Only then did the pressure I feel from you now seem truly authentic."

Uchiha Li had delivered a story that was nine parts truth and one part fabrication—the best explanation he could come up with on the spot. Beside him, Itachi was completely stunned, his understanding of the world thrown into disarray. He had heard legends of the Sage, of course—not just in Konoha, but in many places. But those tales were always dismissed as mere myths, stories no one took seriously. To hear Uchiha Li confirm them so definitively left Itachi struggling to process the reality.

"I never imagined that after such a long passage of time, a descendant of Hagoromo could produce such an interesting little one," Hamura said, before shifting his tone. "Your guess is correct. I am indeed Hagoromo’s brother."

"Phew..." Uchiha Li let out a long, silent breath of relief, though he remained on guard. "Senior, you appeared so suddenly—is there something you need our help with?" When unsure of an opponent's motives, it was best to use tactics to clarify them.

Otsutsuki Hamura, hearing this, looked at Li thoughtfully and chuckled softly. "Little one, there is no need to be so wary of me. I am here for a reason, but there is no rush."

Uchiha Li offered an embarrassed smile. As expected, his little tricks were useless before an ancient being who had survived for countless years. He decided to hold his tongue.

Hamura nodded, satisfied, and continued: "I just heard you mention the stone tablet in your shrine. What are your thoughts on what is recorded there?"

Uchiha Li’s gaze flickered as he considered his answer. He knew perfectly well that the tablet in the Naka Shrine had been tampered with by Zetsu, though no one else—not even Uchiha Madara, let alone the current clan head, Fugaku—knew this. He had studied the altered tablet closely, though he couldn't see everything; the content revealed itself only according to the level of one's eyes: Sharingan, Mangekyo, Eternal Mangekyo, and Rinnegan.

He could only see up to the Mangekyo level. The content before that was mundane, detailing the ancient origins of the Uchiha. The Mangekyo portion spoke of the "true path to peace"—creating a world without conflict through the "Infinite Tsukuyomi." Zetsu had begun his massive tampering from that point onward, rendering the original text unknown. The passage Madara had seen—"When the gods divided yin and yang to seek stability, the reunion of the two poles would manifest all things"—was invisible to him, presumably due to his lack of an Eternal Mangekyo. That was the passage Madara had used to deduce the path to the Rinnegan after biting off a piece of Hashirama’s flesh.

But that was not the point now. The point was that Hamura had brought it up. He was likely asking for his opinion on the so-called "true peace" visible to the Mangekyo Sharingan.