Kaguya is big—really big.
I didn't expect her to be hiding that much under those baggy clothes.
Of course, what I'm talking about is her chakra. It's massive.
Because of that, Naruto didn't dare absorb it all in one go.
Sure, Kaguya's immortal, but if she lost too much chakra at once, she'd definitely go insane.
"Please... stop absorbing... I understand now! I won't mess with the White Zetsu anymore!" she cried out.
But Naruto only transferred some of his own chakra into her.
Kaguya immediately pounced, locking her arms around him again.
"More! Give me more! Hurry up!"
"Give me everything once you're done~"
Naruto: "…"
Before long, the Rinnegan on Kaguya's forehead slowly closed.
At the same time, the two horns atop her head shrank away.
She returned to the appearance she had before eating the Chakra Fruit.
Her aura softened noticeably.
There was still a flicker of madness in her eyes, but her emotions had stabilized.
"Will you come with me?" Naruto asked.
"Can I?" Kaguya replied cautiously.
Afraid Naruto might change his mind, she hurried to add, "I swear, I won't create White Zetsu anymore! Never again!"
"You're so powerful... there's no need for me to create legions to defend against the Ōtsutsuki anymore!"
"And... all my power is inside you now..."
Naruto smiled gently. "No need to be so nervous."
"I won't seal you. If you ever want your power back, you can take it when you've stabilized your emotions."
Kaguya said nothing, simply standing quietly at Naruto's side.
"Let's go."
Seeing her obedience, Naruto didn't say much more.
With a wave of his hand, Kaguya's Starting Space was put away.
The space shrank rapidly until it became just large enough to fit the two of them.
Before her chakra was drained, Kaguya had tried everything to break free of the Chibaku Tensei.
Even now, though her strength had weakened, she was still far from breaking the seal.
However, the Chibaku Tensei seal was meaningless before Naruto.
If he hadn't actively suppressed the Sen Sen Fruit's power inside him, the moon would've collapsed under its own weight and disintegrated.
He stretched out his hand and gently traced a line through the air.
A sealed door appeared.
Squeak—
Naruto pushed open the door and led the dazed Kaguya through it, replenishing the Chibaku Tensei's suction force and restoring its original state behind them.
Walking down the dim corridor, Kaguya's heart trembled.
Beneath her feet wasn't the land from her sealed space.
It was real ground.
The last time she felt this... was thousands of years ago.
Tears welled up and spilled over halfway through their walk.
"Hamura... Hagoromo..."
She paused, her chakra fluctuating violently.
Only now did she realize: to seal her, Hagoromo had constructed layer upon layer of imprisonment—isolating her in a tiny space.
At that moment, a warm hand wrapped around her cold fingers.
"It's just two strands of chakra," Naruto said gently.
"With your power, you could've easily crushed them. It's just... it's a pity.
You had all that strength, but didn't know how to use it.
You even needed the toads from Myōboku Mountain to help balance the two forces."
Kaguya leaned closer to Naruto, quietly wiping her tears.
"In a few days, how about letting you have your revenge?" Naruto suggested.
"I'll do whatever you say~" Kaguya responded sweetly.
Naruto chuckled.
"Hagoromo created a world for spirits and ghosts—the Pure Land.
I plan to visit it, absorb some of its power, and improve the Pure Land itself.
Want to come with me?"
"I'll do whatever you say~"
"But... you did create countless White Zetsu back then, and sacrificed countless humans.
Still, as the Ancestor of Chakra, raising the world's chakra tolerance was... one accomplishment."
"I'll do whatever you say~"
Naruto: "…"
He sighed helplessly. "Try acting normal, would you?"
"I'll... try," Kaguya muttered, regaining her cold and aloof queenly demeanor.
But she didn't let go of Naruto's hand.
Before long, they reached the exit.
Toneri had already left obediently, taking the stone statue of Ōtsutsuki Hamura with him to work on its development.
He'd left a few puppets behind to guard the passage, waiting respectfully for Naruto.
"Naruto-sama," the maid-like puppets said in unison, bowing deeply.
Naruto gave a slight nod and took to the sky with Kaguya.
Kaguya stared at the endless expanse of the moon and the earth beyond.
Her emotions began to stir again.
People actually lived on the Chibaku Tensei that sealed her?!
Unbelievable.
Thankfully, Naruto gently pulled her back before she lost control and attacked the surface.
After receiving the signal, Toneri flew over to personally escort Naruto.
"Naruto-sama."
Toneri glanced curiously at Kaguya.
"This is—"
"Presumptuous!" Kaguya snapped coldly.
"How dare you look directly at me?"
BOOM—
The next moment, Toneri was blasted backward by a wave of chakra.
He wasn't seriously injured, though.
After landing, he immediately bowed his head low. "Forgive me, Kaguya-sama."
Kaguya didn't respond, her expression cool.
"I'll leave the statue and the arrangements here to you," Naruto said, shaking his head with a smile.
This was the real Kaguya—the Moon Goddess.
They finally reached the barrier connecting to the moon.
Naruto still hadn't closed it.
There were too many undeveloped areas on the lunar surface.
It was impossible for him to teleport people up with the Rinnegan every time.
He had even cleared out the checkpoint guards.
(Oh right, I almost forgot—we're having hairy crabs tonight.)
Kaguya blinked, confused.
She didn't need to eat.
With her massive chakra, she didn't even feel hunger.
"If I don't even have an appetite, wouldn't life be boring?"
Naruto chuckled.
"Maybe you'll like it after trying once?" he suggested casually.
Kaguya tilted her head slightly. "I have only ever eaten the fruit of the Sacred Tree."
"Well... if you're interested, you can try it tonight."
Naruto wasn't about to force her.
Kaguya nodded faintly, as if recalling something from thousands of years ago. Quietly, she let go of Naruto's hand and instead clung to his arm.
It didn't seem like anything special... but somehow, it brought her a strange sense of peace.
The moment they crossed the barrier and returned to the ninja world, Naruto narrowed his eyes sharply.
The power of Yomi surged.
Boom—
In an instant, the spiritual energy leaking from the Pure Land was suppressed and locked away.
At the same time, on the outskirts of the Pure Land, a faint, divine glow shimmered, sealing it.
Standing atop a mountain of countless wandering souls, the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, was momentarily stunned.
"This power... the same as Mother's... It's truly the power of the Ōtsutsuki?"
There was no reply.
Of course, no one would answer.
It would be stranger to hear applause in a morgue.
After leaving the barrier, Naruto and Kaguya were greeted by a world of pure white.
Snow fell softly from the sky.
Kaguya lifted her head, her gaze distant, almost childlike.
She extended her hand, catching snowflakes in her palm, then curiously licked them with her tongue.
This sensation... this reality was nothing like the stagnant, hollow feeling of her sealed space.
Naruto didn't rush her.
Instead, he lifted her into the sky, flying steadily toward Konoha.
No longer burdened by fear of the Ōtsutsuki clan's vengeance, her thirst for chakra suppressed, Kaguya followed closely, gazing curiously down at the familiar yet alien world.
Night was falling.
Meanwhile, back in Konoha—
"Mom, I'm heading out!"
Sasuke shouted, putting on a mask before rushing out the door.
Boruto quickly stood up as well.
"Grandma Kushina, I'm going too!" he announced excitedly.
Minato smiled warmly, watching the kids burst out the door.
He shook his head, chuckling. "I guess I'll go help the Second Hokage with preparations."
The women remaining in the living room turned to Hinata, whose cheeks were rapidly turning pink.
Tenten nudged her playfully.
Hinata instantly turned into a steaming princess.
Ino and Sakura grinned at each other mischievously.
Kushina pulled Hinata into a hug, laughing softly.
"Boruto's a good kid, Hinata."
Hinata bowed her head so low it looked like she might sink into the floor.
While the others teased and joked, Rin stood quietly off to the side, feeling a little out of place.
She busied herself gathering up the empty cups and carried them into the kitchen.
Leaning against the windowsill, she stared out into the twilight.
"I really have become... an aunt now," Rin mused with a bitter-sweet smile.
But compared to wandering the void between life and death, being here—being alive—was undeniably better.
She began to hum a soft, simple tune.
Soon after, Kushina called everyone together to prepare the barbecue grill and ingredients.
There was a sense of expectation in the air.
Kushina had a hunch: tonight, there would be a new guest joining them.
First came Shion, the gentle and well-behaved miko from the Land of Demons.
Her arrival earlier that day had already brightened everyone's spirits.
Tonight, another guest—double the happiness!
Elsewhere—Konoha Square.
Boom boom!
The roar of an internal combustion engine echoed loudly.
Yes, even a chakra-powered engine could roar like a wild beast.
Feel the breathing of steel!
Senju Hashirama adjusted his sunglasses coolly, the corners of his mouth tugging into a smirk.
Inside their house, Uzumaki Mito had been about to remind him: they had a dinner party at Naruto's house tonight.
She opened the door—only to find Hashirama already decked out like he was ready for a festival.
Bang—
The door slammed shut in her face without hesitation.
Hashirama scratched his head sheepishly.
"Guess I'll explain later," he muttered.
Then, without missing a beat, he crouched low and hit the ignition switch.
A rhythmic thump-thump-thump echoed from the machine.
Hashirama even started singing under his breath:
"I planted a seed, and it finally bore fruit..."
"GET OUT!" Mito's roar thundered from inside.
"Okay~" Hashirama chirped happily, hooking his left foot over the accelerator.
Boom—
And off he went.
The First Generation Nine-Tails Motorcycle — officially launching!
Senju Hashirama nodded along with the beat in his head as he zoomed toward the Senju Clan's now somewhat deserted compound.
As soon as he approached the village, he instinctively eased off the throttle to slow down.
"Turn the volume up to maximum~!" he cheered to himself.
Villagers and shinobi alike stopped in their tracks.
One by one, they stared, wide-eyed, curiosity written all over their faces.
"Lord Hashirama...what is that thing?"
"I have no idea, but it looks pretty awesome!"
"Nonsense!" someone barked.
"It's nowhere near as cool as when Lord Hashirama made a wooden giant just to carry speakers!"
"..."
The chatter grew louder and louder.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Madara, holding a small girl in his arms, covered her ears gently.
The corner of his eye twitched in irritation.
He had never seen anything like this before.
But for some reason... he instinctively disliked it.
"Is this... noise?"
Beep, beep, beep——!
Hashirama stomped on the brakes, skidding to a stop right in front of Madara.
Grinning, he pulled off his sunglasses with a flourish.
"Hop on! I'll give you a ride~"
Madara's first reaction was to turn around and walk away without a word.
But then—
Hashirama snickered.
"What's wrong? Scared?" he teased.
"You still dare call yourself the 'Dance King'?"
The little girl in Madara's arms glanced up at him expectantly.
Madara sighed heavily, closing his eyes.
He had a very bad feeling about this.
Still... he reluctantly climbed into the back seat.
"Let's go!"
"Oi! Do you even know how to drive this thing?" Madara barked.
"Sorry, sorry! Just a little nervous!" Hashirama laughed.
"Let me double-check if the brakes work—I'll get the hang of it soon!"
The very next moment—
Madara was nearly thrown off his seat as the motorcycle shot forward.
In the confusion, he spotted Sasuke nearby.
But Madara didn't care about the two strangers following behind Sasuke.
What caught his attention was something else entirely.
Madara grimaced and muttered under his breath,
"Sasuke... I admit, maybe I spoke a little too loudly at noon..."
Looking toward Sasuke, he asked, almost pleading,
"Any masks left?"
Sasuke sneered, tilting his chin up arrogantly to look down at Madara.
"You wanna dance too?"
...
TN:
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