Naruto: The Tale of an Otsutsuki

Huh~

In the quiet and boundless space, a gentle breeze blew softly.

Kirito was curious about the Sage of the Six Paths' stance on Kaguya.

When Hagoromo and his brother sealed Kaguya within the moon, was it truly impossible to kill her, or was it because they could not bring themselves to kill their own mother?

Hearing Kirito's question, the Sage of the Six Paths' expression flickered with surprise.

He replied, "After consuming the Chakra Fruit of the Divine Tree, my mother became an immortal being—she cannot be permanently killed. As long as Chakra exists, she will inevitably resurrect.

"That is why Hamura and I chose to seal her on the moon and created the Nine Tails to disperse her power."

Kirito, however, remained unfazed. He pressed further. "What if I had a way to kill her?"

The Sage of the Six Paths hesitated before responding, "If you truly have a way, then do so. To my brother and me, the kind mother we once knew no longer exists. Kaguya is now a power-obsessed monster willing to go to any lengths to achieve her goals."

"Then I won't hesitate," Kirito replied calmly, withdrawing his outstretched hand.

The Sage of the Six Paths had just transferred the first part of his abilities to Kirito.

Kirito clenched his fists, feeling the new power coursing through him. Closing his eyes, he began to analyze the abilities he had received from Hagoromo.

To his delight, he found himself wielding the full powers of yin and yang, the Yin-Yang Release techniques derived from them, and formidable jutsu such as Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei.

This saves me the trouble of figuring it all out myself, Kirito thought.

With his Rinnegan, Kirito theoretically had the potential to reach—or even surpass—Hagoromo's level of strength through training and hard work. However, such efforts would have taken considerable time, and he doubted he could achieve the same results as efficiently.

Additionally, Kirito was intrigued by how Hagoromo and Hamura had defeated Kaguya—an incarnation of the Ten Tails—before Hagoromo became the Ten Tails' Jinchuriki.

After a moment, Kirito let his hands fall to his sides in a relaxed manner.

"It's almost time," said Hagoromo, observing him closely. "Madara's Infinite Tsukuyomi will conclude soon."

Kirito opened his eyes. His forehead, which had been tightly shut, now revealed his sky-blue Rinne Sharingan.

Rumble...

The tranquil lake beneath them trembled violently. The blue sky and white clouds reflected on the surface began to distort and warp.

Moments later, the "sky" beneath their feet vanished entirely, replaced by an endless, pitch-black void. Amid the darkness, a beautiful blue planet rotated slowly in the distance.

"Just as I suspected," Hagoromo said, his gaze fixed on the transforming surroundings. His eyes narrowed as he studied Kirito's Rinne Sharingan. "You've been hiding something all along. I never expected your power to rival even that of my mother."

Hagoromo sighed and added, "But as I've said before, I will not interfere with the world's progression. I only hope that you do not lose yourself in the pursuit of power, as my mother did, and become an inhuman monster."

Kirito remained composed. "What can you tell me about the Otsutsuki clan, their connection to the Divine Tree, the Ten Tails, and the Chakra Fruit?" he asked before leaving.

Hagoromo frowned in thought. "I learned of the Otsutsuki clan through my mother.

"They plant the Divine Tree on planets in this universe. The tree drains the life force of the planet to bear a Chakra Fruit. When the fruit ripens, members of the Otsutsuki return to harvest it and offer it to the clan's main family.

"Anyone who consumes the fruit gains immense power, like my mother. However, doing so violates the clan's rules, leading to persecution by the main family. This is why my mother sought such strength..."

Kirito nodded and added, "Let me expand on that. The Ten Tails is the seed of the Divine Tree, and the Divine Tree is the Ten Tails' final form.

"For the Ten Tails to grow into a Divine Tree, it must consume a pure-blooded Otsutsuki—preferably a young one.

"Remember how your mother sought to reclaim your brother's power? Think carefully about how she planned to achieve that..."

Hagoromo closed his eyes in contemplation before sighing deeply. "Regardless, we successfully stopped her.

"But now, Madara, as the Ten Tails' Jinchuriki, could serve as a medium for my mother's resurrection. The key to this may be the entity called Black Zetsu. I sense my mother's presence within it."

Hagoromo's tone grew grave. "Though you possess power akin to my mother's, do not underestimate her. Her strength is beyond your imagination. The future of the ninja world rests in your hands."

Kirito smirked slightly. "Don't worry—she was already one of my goals."

Shua!

A black portal opened behind Kirito, enveloping his body and swallowing him whole.

After Kirito disappeared, the blue sky around Hagoromo shattered like glass, disintegrating into countless shards that fell into the lake below.

The once-calm lake began to churn violently, its waters rising as if to consume the entire space in an endless black void.

As the water climbed higher, Hagoromo leaned his shakujō staff against his shoulder and murmured to himself, "That's all I can do..."

In the Real World

After Kirito fell silent, his eyes closed, Naruto waved his hand in front of him curiously.

"Is he dead?" Naruto asked with mild concern. "Doesn't this only happen when someone's about to meet an ancestor or something?"

"Don't be ridiculous! That's impossible!" TenTen snapped, swatting Naruto's arm away. She studied Kirito's calm expression.

"Kidding! Kidding..." Naruto laughed sheepishly, though his gaze lingered thoughtfully on Kirito.

"Who is Kirito?" Sasuke finally voiced the question that had been on everyone's mind.

Earlier, they had assumed Kirito was a uniquely gifted Hyuga. But after witnessing his power rival that of Obito and Madara as Ten Tails' Jinchuriki, this explanation seemed insufficient.

Kirito's years of loyalty to Konoha had earned everyone's trust, so they hadn't questioned him. Still, the mystery surrounding him gnawed at them.

"TenTen, you've spent the most time with him. Do you know anything?" Kakashi asked.

TenTen shook her head. "I don't know much either. Let's wait for him to explain when he wakes up."

Before anyone could continue, Darui, who had been monitoring the battlefield, called out urgently, "Everyone! The enemy is on the move!"

(End of Chapter)