Chapter 276 – Ōtsutsuki? So You've Finally Come!
"The Land of Water ran into trouble, huh?"
In the barren deserts of the Land of Wind, Sasori unrolled a scroll in his hand, his amber eyes narrowing slightly in amusement.
He had expected a report from Akatsuki, but the details still caught him off guard.
The battle in the Land of Water had spiraled far beyond his expectations—but at least they'd managed to obtain the Six-Tails' chakra.
"Though they failed to retrieve the Three-Tails… not too surprising," he murmured.
"After all, that beast is tied to the Mizukage herself."
Rolling the scroll closed, Sasori glanced into the distance—toward a massive, fortress-like barrier that shimmered faintly against the desert sky.
"Still, the Mizukage is one thing… but the Kazekage?"
A small smirk tugged at his lips.
"Who would've thought the One-Tail's Jinchūriki would end up as the Kazekage?"
"Well… it doesn't really matter. For me, it changes nothing."
With that, Sasori began walking toward Sunagakure, his old home.
It had been years since he'd set foot there.
He was curious—what had his village become in his absence?
---
Akatsuki:
Back at the Akatsuki base, the air was thick with silence.
The lower members lounged around without a care, but the higher-ups were gathered in a secluded room—faces grim, weighed down by the same, unspoken fear.
The shadow of Ōtsutsuki Genshiki loomed large.
His power, his very existence, had shaken even Akatsuki's confidence.
"Nagato," Konan said quietly, her paper wings twitching at her back.
"That man is far too terrifying. Can we really face him?"
"He killed another god, Nagato. Another god."
Nagato's eyes hardened, but his voice remained steady.
"If not us, then who? You want to rely on Kitagawa Gen?"
He let out a weary sigh, then clenched his fists.
"No. Relying on others will never save this world. Only by my own hands can I bring peace."
"Once I become the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki, I will walk the same path as the Sage of Six Paths!"
Konan looked at him for a long moment, her gaze soft but filled with sorrow.
"Nagato…"
She'd followed him through loss, blood, and betrayal.
Whatever he chose, she would stand by him—no matter the cost.
But deep down, even she couldn't shake the question that haunted her:
Could even the Ten-Tails' power defeat someone like Ōtsutsuki Genshiki?
In another corner of the base, Black Zetsu's thoughts churned restlessly.
"To awaken the Infinite Tsukuyomi… or not?"
His eternal mission—to free his mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki—had guided him for centuries.
But now?
If he did release her… wouldn't he simply be serving her up as the next offering for Genshiki's so-called "Path to Godhood"?
The thought made his blackened face twist in silent frustration.
Then suddenly—an idea sparked.
"The Hyūga relics… we haven't retrieved them yet."
He remembered Obito's old plan—to ignite a Fourth Shinobi War.
Perhaps… he could use that chaos to his advantage.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Madara was deep in study, his crimson eyes scanning a weathered relic that bore the mark of the Senju clan.
His brow furrowed.
"How strange… Did the Sage of Six Paths foresee the arrival of this Ōtsutsuki Genshiki?"
He traced the ancient script etched into the relic:
"The shinobi world hides dangers and conspiracies yet unseen. Remain vigilant."
"A warning… perhaps meant for Hashirama and the others?"
Black Zetsu froze. His expression darkened.
"That… I'm not sure."
In truth, he was sure.
He'd written that relic himself.
Still, he kept his face calm, pretending to ponder.
"It's possible, yes. Especially considering Genshiki's emergence…"
Madara nodded thoughtfully—but then frowned.
"Then why is the Uchiha tablet different?"
That question nearly made Black Zetsu's heart stop.
"D-different?"
Of course it was different—he'd forged it himself!
But he recovered instantly, adopting a contemplative tone.
"Perhaps it's a matter of sequence… the order in which the relics were meant to be read."
"Sequence?"
"Exactly. Suppose the Sage intended for the Senju relic to be found first… and then the Uchiha tablet?"
Madara's eyes gleamed as realization struck him.
"So the relic warns of danger… and the tablet reveals the means to counter it—through the power of the Six Paths. That's why he wanted Indra and Ashura to reconcile!"
His pulse quickened, his voice rising.
"Just like when I invited Hashirama to read the Uchiha tablet with me!"
He paused—breath catching.
"Then, by understanding it together, we would uncover the truth—the power of creation itself—to face the true enemy… the Ōtsutsuki!"
Black Zetsu blinked.
"…"
He hadn't meant for it to make sense, but somehow, Madara's delusion fit perfectly.
"That's… a very strong possibility," Zetsu said quickly, nodding in exaggerated agreement.
"Unfortunately, the Senju relic was lost—so they never understood the full message. Perhaps… the Sage meant for that knowledge to resurface after the war."
Madara's expression darkened with solemn understanding.
"Yes… after one conflict ends, a greater one always begins. Perhaps he meant for peace to be achieved through the Eye of the Moon Plan."
Zetsu nearly sagged with relief.
"Right, right—precisely!"
Madara, however, wasn't finished.
"But we overlooked something—the descendants of the Sage's younger brother."
"You mean… Kitagawa Gen?"
Madara's eyes sharpened.
"If the Sage left relics for his own line, then surely his brother's bloodline received something too."
Zetsu's grin widened slightly.
"Exactly. If the Sage anticipated Genshiki's rise, then Gen's existence might be part of that plan."
Madara's smirk returned.
"Then we'll need to locate those relics. The Hyūga lineage… the younger brother's descendants."
For the first time in ages, Black Zetsu felt almost… hopeful.
If he could divert their efforts to that, perhaps he could delay the Moon's Eye Project and prepare a way to counter Genshiki.
"Yes," he murmured. "We'll use both the Senju and the Hyūga relics. If one doesn't work…"
"…then the entire ninja world will."
---
Elsewhere – Obito's Consciousness
In the hidden corners of Obito's mind, Isshiki Ōtsutsuki stirred.
His eyes flickered open within the void of consciousness, his expression dark and contemplative.
"That sensation… faint, but unmistakable."
He could feel it—
the faint signature of Urashiki.
"Impossible. I thought that fool was dead…"
Then realization hit him.
"No. He must've left behind a Kāma."
Isshiki's gaze sharpened.
"And it's inside the Akatsuki's ranks."
He clenched his fist, his aura flaring with contained fury.
"Perfect. I can awaken him early—and clarify everything."
His voice dropped, low and furious.
"I won't let Genshiki spread his lies any longer. It's time to set the record straight."
---
Meanwhile – Konoha
Late that night, inside Naruto's room, the young shinobi had already drifted halfway into sleep after another long day of training.
But even in his drowsy haze, irritation lingered.
"Tch… that bastard Gen. Always off doing big missions without me. I'm not that bad, am I?"
He mumbled to himself, rolling over.
"And Sasuke… that jerk's always at the hospital lately. Says he's 'training'—doesn't even spar with me anymore."
His grumbling faded into tired muttering, his eyelids growing heavy.
Just as he began to sink into dreams—
Two dark figures materialized silently beside his bed.
Their hands pressed gently against his shoulders.
And the air around him warped—
In that instant, a surge of chakra erupted inside Naruto's body, jolting him awake.
His eyes snapped open—only to freeze in disbelief at the two figures standing before him.
"Huh? You guys… what are you doing here?"
His voice trembled with surprise.
The figures smiled faintly in the moonlight—but said nothing.
---
Meanwhile – Under the Same Moon
Two figures with white hair sat quietly side by side beneath the silver glow of the moon.
Far below them, inside a small wooden house, a brown-haired girl stared blankly up at the night sky.
Her eyes reflected the moonlight, distant and confused.
She didn't recognize this place.
Everything around her felt different.
Especially after hearing the news she'd just received—news that left her heart trembling.
"How… how did it come to this…"
---
On the Moon:
High above the world, the surface of the moon shimmered faintly—and within its hollow core, a man in white appeared.
Gen stood silently within the restored inner world of the moon, gazing up at the glowing sphere that hung suspended in its artificial sky.
"Hmm…"
A small smile curved his lips.
"Not a bad place. Peaceful atmosphere, plenty of quiet… Maybe I'll start vacationing here whenever the shinobi world gets too noisy."
His tone was light, but his eyes glimmered with purpose.
Without hesitation, he began walking—his figure soon appearing before the colossal Tenseigan at the center of the lunar chamber.
Gen was not a man who procrastinated.
Once he had finished dealing with the Edo Tensei situation, he had immediately projected his true body here—to the moon.
"I wonder how Naruto's doing right now… and Kakashi, too."
He chuckled softly, then crossed his legs before the massive, glowing eye.
Finding Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, the Rabbit Goddess sealed within Chibaku Tensei, was no simple task.
Before obtaining Urashiki's divine core, it had been nearly impossible for him.
But things had changed.
Not only had that core granted him fragments of Urashiki's abilities, but his bloodline development had also advanced to such a level that his perception now transcended ordinary vision.
He could see—literally—the colors of space itself.
The threads that connected worlds, the pathways between planes.
"Then… let's begin."
Closing his eyes, Gen allowed his chakra to flow freely, harmonizing with the Tenseigan's immense energy.
The luminous eye pulsed in response, its chakra flaring like a supernova as their energies intertwined.
In that moment, his mind was drawn into a sea of light.
And there—beyond the veil—he could perceive it.
Countless spatial nodes hidden within the moon's structure…
And deep beneath them, sealed behind an ocean of chakra—
a space that breathed with divine energy.
"Found it…"
His consciousness drifted toward the distant point, racing across the lattice of space until he reached it.
And when he peered inside—
His breath caught.
A woman floated in stillness, suspended in the void.
Her long white hair cascaded to her ankles, two horns curved elegantly from her forehead.
She was ethereal—cold, dignified, and impossibly beautiful.
Even through layers of chakra and the twisting folds of space, Gen could feel it—
the crushing, boundless power that radiated from her being.
"So this is… Ōtsutsuki Kaguya."
His voice was barely a whisper, reverent yet analytical.
But before he could say more, the woman's head suddenly lifted.
Her Byakugan flared open—eyes like pale moons cutting through space itself.
And in that instant, they locked onto him.
Even separated by dimensions, that gaze pierced him to his core.
"Who are you?"
Her voice was cold—serene, yet devoid of emotion, echoing across the void.
Gen opened his mouth to reply—
but before he could speak, her expression changed.
Her chakra spiked violently, shaking the entire sealed space.
"An Ōtsutsuki…"
Her tone darkened, rage surfacing beneath the ice.
"So you've come for me after all!"
The moon trembled.
The great eye behind Gen pulsed in rhythm with her fury.
And as her power began to awaken, a faint smile touched the corner of Gen's lips.
"Looks like the goddess still remembers her enemies."
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