Well then—Black Zetsu failed to save his "mother."
Instead, it was Ōtsutsuki Toneri, that clueless fool, who accidentally revived his ancestor and helped Ōtsutsuki Kaguya break free from her seal.
Toneri knew his priorities. Destroying the world of the Sage of Six Paths wasn't important right now—stopping Kaguya was.
The surge of chakra grew stronger and stronger. Kiyosuke could tell—Kaguya had already awakened.
If Madara had cast Infinite Tsukuyomi, only to be backstabbed by Black Zetsu and turned into the stepping stone for Kaguya's return, Kiyosuke would've accepted it.
But this? This was absurd!
He had hoped to live peacefully until the pineapple-headed kid's generation… yet it seemed his death flag was still waving strong.
Damn it!
...
With a flash, Minato appeared on the moon with Sasuke.
Because the New Year was approaching, Sasuke had just returned home and planned to travel again after the holidays. That made it easy—Minato didn't have to scour the world to find him. After a brief explanation and grabbing two sealing scrolls containing White Zetsu, they headed straight for the moon.
The teleportation between two planets consumed an insane amount of chakra. If Minato hadn't been revived through Edo Tensei, he would've been completely drained dry.
Even so, the strain was enormous.
"Rinnegan…"
Ōtsutsuki Toneri's gaze fell on Sasuke's right eye, surprise flickering across his face.
"So that's the Tenseigan?" Toneri studied Sasuke closely, while Sasuke also examined him in turn.
The ultimate evolution of two different bloodlines' eyes—each could feel the threat emanating from the other.
A spark of battle intent ignited within them, the urge to test themselves rising.
But reason told them this wasn't the time.
Kaguya had already resurrected and was regaining her chakra. Attacking now could lead to unknown consequences.
...
Taking advantage of the moment, Kiyosuke brought out samples of Hashirama's and Madara's cells—his trump card, prepared for emergencies like this.
White Zetsu was used as a sacrifice.
In front of him appeared two young men clad in crimson armor.
"Again with the Edo Tensei? Can't we use this jutsu a little less? What's the problem this time, Kiyosuke-kun?"
Hashirama sighed helplessly, already realizing he'd been summoned back to the living once again.
Madara, still bearing his Rinnegan from before his death, crossed his arms.
"What's going on? You need me for something again?"
Kiyosuke replied calmly.
"The progenitor of chakra—Ōtsutsuki Kaguya—has been revived."
Madara's expression changed instantly.
"Ōtsutsuki Kaguya?!"
He'd seen her name recorded on the Uchiha stone tablet—the origin of chakra itself.
Wait.
Something didn't add up.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Why would the progenitor of chakra be revived?"
"She wasn't truly dead," Kiyosuke explained. "Just sealed away. Beneath our feet lies the moon."
"The m—moon?!" Hashirama froze, while Madara fell deep into thought.
"So she was sealed inside the moon… It must have been the Sage of Six Paths who did it."
As expected, Madara's mind worked faster than Hashirama's. He immediately pieced together the truth—that the Sage had sealed Kaguya here himself.
"Exactly," Kiyosuke nodded. "The Sage of Six Paths and this guy's ancestor—Ōtsutsuki Hamura—sealed her together."
He gestured at Toneri as he gave the two Edo Tensei veterans a quick crash course in the twisted family drama between Kaguya, Hamura, and the Sage.
Basically, it was an ancient soap opera titled—
"When Two Devoted Sons Got Fed Up with Mom's Tyranny and Decided to Seal Her Forever!"
Yeah, that sounded about right.
Both elders fell silent.
Kiyosuke then explained what would have happened if Madara had succeeded in casting Infinite Tsukuyomi and been betrayed by Black Zetsu.
Madara didn't really believe it, but the conviction in Kiyosuke's tone made it hard to dismiss.
"Fine," Kiyosuke said, rolling up his sleeves. "Time to switch eyes."
Transplanting the Rinnegan was always tedious work. Fortunately, Hashirama assisted him, and soon enough, both eyes were successfully implanted.
And at that very moment—
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya appeared.
...
Her skin was pale as moonlight, her long blue-white hair flowing down her back. Her face was delicate and beautiful, two horns rising from her head. She bore the Byakugan in both eyes, and in the center of her forehead—an ominous, blood-red Rinne Sharingan.
The instant she appeared, an overwhelming pressure filled the space.
Thankfully, everyone present was a powerhouse; any ordinary ninja would've wet their pants on the spot.
"...Hamura. Hagoromo..."
Kaguya's soft voice trembled, tears sliding down her cheeks.
Her children's betrayal still ached in her heart.
Everything she'd done had been for the sake of living peacefully on Earth with them—and protecting them from the Ōtsutsuki clan.
...
"Listen up," Kiyosuke said. "Kaguya ate the Chakra Fruit. Only taijutsu and sealing techniques can affect her. We'll create an opening for Naruto and Sasuke to reseal her."
Whether they had the Sage of Six Paths watching over them again this time… was another question entirely.
"Them?" Madara folded his arms, glancing at the two younger shinobi, whose palms bore the Yin and Yang markings.
"So the Sage had foreseen this from the start, huh?"
All they needed to do was touch Kaguya's body with those seals to trap her again.
Simple—on paper.
But in practice?
It was the hardest task imaginable.
They were facing the embodiment of the God Tree itself—the creator deity of the ninja world, the origin of chakra!
Even without the Ten Tails, her power was monstrous.
During her battle with the Sage, it was the God Tree that became the Ten Tails to protect her—Kaguya herself was never its jinchūriki.
Meaning… she was still in her prime.
"Then let's do this, Madara!" Hashirama's eyes shone with battle spirit.
"Tch. Fine," Madara grunted. "Consider this my warm-up."
Even if he wanted to cause chaos, now wasn't the time.
For once, they were on the same side.
Kiyosuke entered Sage Mode.
"Let's go!"
...
With a blur, the three charged forward.
Kaguya's long hair lifted on its own, surging like a tidal wave toward them.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation Arrows!"
The blazing jutsu burned through her hair—but in the next instant, the flames vanished, devoured by Kaguya herself.
"All chakra… belongs to me."
Her voice was soft, but it carried the weight of madness.
Her obsession with chakra had consumed her completely.
Kiyosuke summoned two long blades and tossed them to Hashirama and Madara.
The two caught them instantly, joining Kiyosuke—who wielded the Kusanagi blade—in trimming down Kaguya's endless hair.
"Truth-Seeking Orb Shuriken!"
Ōtsutsuki Toneri launched an attack, unleashing an explosion of energy—but Kaguya absorbed it effortlessly.
"So… you're Hamura's descendant," she murmured. "You've grown far beyond what I expected. Which means… I cannot allow you to live."
Her voice fell—and the world around them shifted in an instant.
...
The air thickened with sulfur. Black smoke rose everywhere.
Below them, rivers of molten lava flowed slowly across the burning landscape.
Kiyosuke hovered midair. Naruto grabbed Sasuke, both taking flight as well, while Hashirama, Madara, and Minato stood upon jagged cliffs of stone.
"Spatial ninjutsu, huh?"