The truly amazing part was just beginning to unfold.
"Ryūjin Jakka: Modified – Firefly Meteor."
As Kawaki Aoba's voice rang out, the Zanpakutō in his hand ceased to resemble an ordinary blade—it became a blazing celestial body, a meteor wrapped in flame.
No, calling it a meteor was an understatement.
It was more akin to a fragment of the sun plummeting from the heavens, threatening to erase the very concept of life in its path.
Even "natural disaster" felt too tame a description.
This version of Ryūjin Jakka, forcibly enhanced and renamed Firefly Meteor, was far beyond the limits of its original form—no longer just Captain-Commander Yamamoto's signature flame-based Zanpakutō, but something augmented by Kawaki Aoba's own immense power.
As the blade pierced the center of the obsidian sphere—the Chibaku Tensei core—the world didn't just go quiet.
Space-time slowed to a crawl.
It wasn't frozen, but so decelerated in a localized area that it felt as though the entire world had paused, save for Kawaki Aoba himself.
For a moment, time held its breath.
But that couldn't last.
If Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths himself, hadn't even intervened yet, how could Kawaki Aoba be faltering already?
No. That would be unacceptable.
A terrifying surge of energy, entwined with the Sheep Talisman's divine power, channeled into the blade. The Zanpakutō, already radiating an intense spiritual aura, now ignited with golden flames.
The fire wasn't normal—it shimmered with illusion, capable of burning even at the heart of a gravitational singularity.
From the outside, faint glimmers of gold were visible within the black sphere.
"This is flame that can incinerate all creation," Kawaki Aoba said coldly, as limitless energy poured from his body into the sword.
The golden blaze erupted.
In moments, the core of the Chibaku Tensei was completely engulfed, vanishing beneath that hellish light.
Once again, Kawaki Aoba proved his theory: as long as the temperature and scale of a flame are high enough, even the laws of gravity can be reduced to ashes.
Within two breaths, the sphere at the center of the technique—originally on the level of Six Paths—collapsed and disintegrated.
As the ruins fell away, Kawaki Aoba hovered in the air, directly above Uchiha Madara's fallen body.
A voice echoed from below—not Madara's own.
"You shouldn't have interfered, young man. Do you know what is sealed within the moon?" came the words, but it was clearly Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo speaking through Madara's form.
This was no possession. It was domination. Madara's consciousness had been entirely suppressed.
Yet, Hagoromo's tone wasn't hostile. If anything, it was that of a respectful elder.
He didn't scold Kawaki Aoba for his initial aggression, which was odd.
If Aoba hadn't been closely monitoring the spiritual fluctuations within Madara's body, he might've believed this was an act of kindness.
But this man—who could override Madara Uchiha, his own descendant, with brute will—chose to speak gently to a complete stranger?
No. Kawaki Aoba wasn't foolish.
It was clearly the strength he had displayed that earned Hagoromo's caution.
Still, since the Sage hadn't declared him an enemy, Kawaki Aoba saw no reason not to return the gesture—at least outwardly.
Now, what had the old man just asked?
After a pause, Aoba responded candidly, "Your mother. The one sealed inside the moon is your mother, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. And you, her ever-loyal son, are the one who put her there."
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo: …
The Sage was momentarily silent. Then: "You are well-informed. But do you know why I sealed her there?"
Kawaki Aoba raised a brow. Even after such a direct jab, the man remained calm.
Suspiciously calm.
Could a man who'd lingered in the Pure Land for millennia, watching his own brother Hamura be nearly wiped out during the Lunar Conflict, truly be a saint?
Possibly.
But it was extremely unlikely.
Still, since Hagoromo now seemed inclined to offer his side of the story, Aoba decided to listen.
And so the Sage spoke—of Kaguya's descent, of the God Tree, and the rise of the chakra fruit.
Aoba listened. And, truth be told, nine-tenths of the story was probably accurate.
To the people of that time, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was a terror, a goddess of death and domination.
But the way Hagoromo told it?
He painted himself as a flawless savior, the prophesied guardian of mankind. His brother Hamura became an afterthought, a supporting character. The Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku wasn't even mentioned.
In Hagoromo's version, he was more than a man. He was destiny incarnate.
And Aoba had a feeling the old man genuinely believed that.
Fine.
He had been a savior.
Thousands of years ago.
But what Kawaki Aoba found most interesting wasn't the Sage's inflated self-image. It was something deeper:
According to Hagoromo, neither he nor Hamura was born from Kaguya in the traditional sense.
They were not her children by blood, but rather, the product of the ninja world's will fused with the chakra of the God Tree.
In short, Kaguya may have birthed them, but she was not truly their mother.
That distinction—this redefinition of origins—was critical.
No mention was made of the Daimyo of the Ancestral Land.
That omission was the most telling.
For Kawaki Aoba, and likely for the long-forgotten Kaguya, it was the crux of everything.
In the past, even if Kawaki Aoba had confidence in his judgment, speculation was still just speculation. But now, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki—this legendary Sage of Six Paths—was appearing before his very eyes, confirming everything. With speculation turning into reality, how could Kawaki Aoba not feel secretly pleased?
Hagoromo, speaking from the Pure Land through Madara Uchiha's mouth, recounted his grand legacy without realizing that the boy he had chosen as his spiritual successor was already plotting to become the "wild father" of this supposed "good son."
As time passed and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's seal began to weaken, Hagoromo finally got to the point:
> "So, young man, now you understand, right?
If Mother breaks free from her seal, the ninja world will be plunged into chaos."
> "The power within this descendant of mine is all that remains of me. At most, I can strengthen the seal once more."
> "After that, my lingering will shall dissipate into the void. The fate of the ninja world will rest in your hands."
> "Young man, I see unmatched potential in you. I trust you can protect the future."
What a joke. Kawaki Aoba almost scoffed aloud.
That whole heartfelt speech? Just a ghost trying to trick someone!
What did Hagoromo mean by "only enough power to repair the seal"? And he wouldn't intervene in anything else? Really?
Kawaki Aoba didn't believe for a second that Hagoromo hadn't noticed Nagato—who was on the verge of becoming the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki—or the lurking presence of Isshiki Ōtsutsuki. He was clearly trying to dump the burden onto someone else.
Kawaki Aoba remained silent, but in Hagoromo's eyes, that silence was a sign of acceptance.
He manipulated Madara's body once more, gathering chakra to form the core of a Chibaku Tensei.
He gave Kawaki a final look—still unmoved.
Then he launched the sphere.
> "Bankai: Zanka no Tachi."
The blade ignited with ancient heat, cleaving through space. The Chibaku Tensei core was sliced cleanly, disconnected from any gravitational pull.
In the Pure Land, Hagoromo's expression darkened. But using Madara's eyes, when he saw the ancient katana in Kawaki's hands, he became truly wary.
That sword radiated a power that could destroy souls—and seemed to grow even more fearsome.
If Ryūjin Jakka in its Shikai form already posed a threat to Hagoromo's essence, then Zanka no Tachi—in Bankai—was an existential threat.
This sword could obliterate him entirely.
When did such a terrifying weapon even appear in the shinobi world? And this boy wielding it… harbored clear hostility.
Still using Madara's body, Hagoromo sighed:
> "Alas… it seems you still don't trust me. Unfortunately, I no longer have time to explain. The fate of the shinobi world must be entrusted to descendants like you."
> "Please… protect the world. That is my final wish."
With those final words, Madara's chakra rapidly dissipated.
Though Hagoromo had used his lingering spirit to possess Madara briefly, that power was genuine. Now that he had withdrawn, there was no gift left behind—especially not for a descendant who had already turned against him.
Kawaki Aoba simply watched.
That old ghost really thought he could fool him like one of those naive reincarnations of Asura. Even if he was from the shinobi world, only someone as idealistic (and gullible) as Naruto would swallow that speech.
Still, Kawaki had to admit: Hagoromo had really mastered the art of "gou"—the way of humility and self-effacement.
Even after Kawaki had completely dismantled his plan, the Sage still managed to retreat with dignity, pretending to fade away peacefully.
Of course, his retreat might also have something to do with Kaguya's imminent return.
At that moment, the tremors shaking the moon reached a peak. Dense chakra surged through the widening cracks on its surface.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
A rhythmic, muffled pounding echoed—not a heartbeat, but the final stage of Kaguya's assault on the seal.
Each knock brought the moon closer to destruction.
Kawaki Aoba, sensing the danger, rose and calmly moved away from the moon. While the explosion wouldn't harm him, he had no desire to be caught in the blast looking like a mess.
Madara Uchiha, now free from Hagoromo's control, stood in stunned silence.
He had just regained control over his body when the tremors intensified—and then—
The moon exploded.
Madara opened his eyes just in time to witness massive fragments—like meteorites—hurtling toward him, infused with Kaguya's chakra.
It was too late to escape.
One or two fragments would have been manageable.
But this?
There were too many.
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