Lunar core, within the sealed space.
At this moment, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was tense.
The entire shinobi world had been thrown into chaos. The flow of senjutsu energy and chakra within nature roiled and churned like an oil cauldron boiling over with fierce flames. Corpses littered the land, vengeful spirits wandered everywhere. The sky shook from divine calamities, and the Ten-Tails had been reborn. With such an uproar, unless one was blind, how could she possibly not see it?
The Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei sealing technique, jointly executed by her two sons—Sage of Six Paths Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki and his younger brother Hamura Ōtsutsuki—was indeed powerful. It prevented her from interfering with the outside world in the slightest. But to roughly observe from within, that much she could still do.
Otherwise, how else would she have known that her dear son Hagoromo had added two grandsons to her lineage—and that they had turned against each other?
As for why Kaguya herself, after breaking free from the seal, still seemed so ignorant of worldly affairs—that was simply because she could not perceive the society of ordinary humans.
The seal of the Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei had indeed left her a window. Yet that window, though open, was not fully opened.
For beings too weak—let alone ordinary people without chakra—even those at the level of the Five Kage were, in Kaguya's eyes, merely slightly larger grasshoppers. In her perspective, they were no different from the insects crawling in the dirt. How could she observe such things?
Only beings with chakra of tailed beast level, or of the same class as Indra and Asura, could truly enter the Moon Goddess's divine sight.
It was only the fluctuation of such high-intensity chakra sources that could somewhat ease the loneliness of Kaguya, who resided high in the lunar depths.
And now, as the Fourth Shinobi World War reached its most violent stage, the number of such high-level chakra sources suddenly multiplied geometrically—nearly rivaling the era of her war against those two rebellious sons.
Having already been awakened by the gaze of those peering from the far side of deep space, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki silently observed everything within her sealed domain.
The Five Kage had all perished. Seventy percent of the one hundred thousand Allied Shinobi Forces had been annihilated. The daimyōs were abolished—such matters were trivial.
She ignored them.
But when she saw the reincarnations of Indra and Asura—Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju—fall in battle, Naruto Uzumaki's life-force extinguished, and Sasuke Uchiha struggling to survive, her interest was mildly stirred.
Then she noticed that Obito Uchiha had become the new Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, waging a bloody war against those 'outsiders' invading her precious 'nursery ground (the shinobi world).'
She observed with a low rating.
That descendant of Indra's line, in Kaguya's eyes—who had no real combat experience—was far too crude in his use of the Ten-Tails' power. He couldn't even control the sheer force properly. The only thing keeping him from being swallowed by the Ten-Tails' will and reduced to a puppet was his barely adequate willpower—he had just passed the line, but only barely.
If all of the above were matters Kaguya viewed with disdain, then what followed exceeded her comprehension and stirred in her heart both unease and deep fear.
The last descendant of her younger son Hamura had been captured and dismembered by one of the 'outsiders'—one of their leaders—his body refined into a pill.
As a former high-ranking member of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, how could Kaguya fail to recognize that distinctive ability—exclusive to the high nobility of their kind?
Then came more shocking news. In the operation that followed—the 'Kara Organization's' sweeping war against the shinobi world—she sensed a most familiar presence among those outsiders: Isshiki Ōtsutsuki. He... was still alive?!
To nurture the Ten-Tails into a God Tree and bear its divine fruit, a sacrifice from an Ōtsutsuki was required. That sacrifice had been meant to be Kaguya herself. Yet she refused to offer her body and instead betrayed Isshiki, sacrificing him in her stead.
Never had she expected Isshiki to survive.
Before Kaguya could settle her restless heart, she felt the distinct chakra of her eldest son Hagoromo emerging in the shinobi world.
And then—her eldest son died.
Completely, utterly perished...
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was stunned.
No one understood better than she the monstrous nature of her mixed-blood offspring. Even without a body, Hagoromo's chakra—transcending the boundaries of life and death—could easily sweep across the entire shinobi world. Yet now, he had not even managed a decent resistance before being suppressed and slain.
Even his chakra was plundered and refined into a pill.
Everything had happened far too quickly. With the reunion of those two 'outsider' leaders, the new Ten-Tails jinchūriki was instantly defeated and killed, while the semi-God Tree–transformed Ten-Tails was taken away.
Compared to Zetsu's desperate cries of, "Infinite Tsukuyomi, hurry and cast it already!", Kaguya Ōtsutsuki herself no longer thought that way. In that brief instant, she made a judgment—if she were to fight now, she too would be refined into a pill.
From that perspective, perhaps being sealed wasn't such a bad thing.
As Kaguya tried to suppress her presence, with an air of 'you can't see me, you can't see me' in an attempt to bluff her way through, that blade-sharp sensation of being watched—an oppressive, knife-grinding pressure—suddenly enveloped her!
Instantly, a wave of primal terror filled her heart.
From the shattered seas of the shinobi battlefield below, two female generals stood suspended in the void. One of them, wearing a pointed hat, turned and smiled directly at her.
They... had locked onto her!
Buzz—!
A thunderous roar erupted without warning. Amid that sky-splitting detonation, the knight wielding a lance turned her mount and became a streak of brilliant azure light, soaring straight toward the moon.
Is she coming to deal with me...?
Realizing this, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki did not panic or despair. On the contrary, her expression was eerily calm—as though she had long anticipated this outcome.
With dignified grace, she knelt down and waited quietly for the intruder's arrival.
"Even in death, I—this goddess—shall never suffer humiliation!"
...
Boom!
The spot where the violet Susanoo had stood instantly turned into a crater hundreds of meters deep. Towering mountains shattered, and from that epicenter, terrifying shockwaves expanded outward in a circular ring, blasting across the land.
It was like a series of tactical nuclear detonations. The ground within several kilometers was leveled by tens of meters, and in some areas, underground water even burst forth.
Crack!
Amid the dazzling brilliance of multi-colored Noble Phantasms, Susanoo's armor and wings were severed by a sun-glinting holy sword. The Tengu battle armor was smashed by the spiraling holy lance. The bow of Amaterasu's burning flame was pierced by a crimson thorned spear. The purple-armored giant's knee joints were reduced to powder beneath the roar of the indestructible Sword of the Lake. The enforcer knights' axes, bows, and hammers tore apart Susanoo's collapsing mask...
It was like watching a peerless warrior, defiant yet doomed, stride toward his end—a tragic, futile battle.
"Sasuke!!"
Crystal tears rolled down from blurred eyes, falling onto shattered glasses. The red-haired girl named Karin was pinned to the ground by the Imperial auxiliary soldiers who had surrounded the last defenders. Seeing Sasuke Uchiha's body engulfed in crimson lightning like a discarded rag doll, she let out a heart-wrenching scream.
"Down! Be quiet!"
The soldier restraining the captives growled in fury and slammed his rifle butt hard into the back of Karin's neck, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Sasuke..."
Her once-delicate, beautiful face twisted in pain. Dust and blood filled her mouth and nose, silencing her instantly. Two Imperial soldiers held her shoulders firmly—she could not move at all.
Karin murmured weakly. The powerful vitality of the Uzumaki bloodline showed itself fully—she did not faint. Her eyes, trembling with despair, turned toward the fallen, cracked Susanoo, reaching out her hand in vain.
"Stubborn soul!"
As the guard prepared to strike her again—
"Let her speak. Suppress her only."
"Yes, General!" ×N
A spiral burst of sparks suddenly ignited across the last battlefield of the Allied Shinobi Forces. A sharp female voice pierced through space and time, tearing the fabric of reality itself. From within, Selene stepped out, her eyes smiling.
"Quite the scene—almost like the Three Heroes against Lü Bu. Only, this 'Lü Bu' looks far more miserable. In a sense, being targeted by the Round Table Knights, the Hound Units, and the Tactical Mech Regiments together... could almost be called a kind of honor."
With a slight nod, she tossed the crimson cube in her hand—a prison containing a chibi Ten-Tails—and clasped one hand behind her back as she advanced with calm, steady steps. Her gaze flickered between the weeping Karin and the battered Sasuke Uchiha, then she raised a brow.
It was an expression of curiosity—and gossip.
"A pair of star-crossed lovers, bound by hardship yet denied fate... I wonder—is this mutual affection, or merely one-sided obsession? I'm quite curious."
As if struck by a thought, she gestured for two Imperial soldiers to bring Karin forward to the front line.
"Call out to him. If Sasuke Uchiha refuses to surrender, then because of his selfishness, this lovely girl—and every member of his so-called Team Taka—will die because of him..."
As she spoke, Selene turned her head. Her gaze swept across each of the captives—first the white-haired, sharp-toothed man with violet eyes, then the burly red-haired brute, until finally her eyes lingered for a moment upon a serpentine figure.
"Orochimaru."
She murmured softly, as if lost in thought, then gave a knowing smile before turning her gaze away.
It was only after Selene had walked off that Orochimaru, who had obediently followed the Empire's prisoner procedures, realized something was wrong—he had been staring blankly into space for quite some time.
Cold sweat streamed down his forehead uncontrollably...
"Seems... my decision not to resist was the right one."
Crackle!
"Hey, frog-eyed bastard! Be the stepping stone for your Lord Mordred's coronation!"
Blinding red light exploded, blasting open a massive crater. Cracks spread outward like a spiderweb as dust and shattered stone leapt into the air.
"Ahhh—cough... cough..."
Blood streamed from his eyes, his pupils burning red. Sasuke Uchiha cried out in agony as his bones creaked and splintered beneath the crushing force. The sound of his body being broken was eerily clear amid the roaring hum of energy.
"Hah... hah..."
Collapsed upon the ground, Sasuke lay pinned into the earth as if crushed by a steamroller. His torn flesh screamed in pain. His dim Mangekyō Sharingan glared hatefully at the small, heavily armored knight resting her sword upon her shoulder—his eyes like those of a demon from hell.
Weakness.
Pain.
Unprecedented weakness and pain.
—That was all Sasuke Uchiha could feel.
Naruto... did you fight this hard too?
For some reason, the first person who came to his mind was that golden-haired fool.
"Naruto—!!"
His sudden, inexplicable roar startled even the approaching soldiers.
What the hell?
Naruto? Who was that? Some kind of technique name?
"Hah? Has the red lightning scrambled your brains?"
Cursing under her breath, Mordred swept away the clinging black flames of Amaterasu with a surge of Honkai energy and raised her hand, ready to deliver the finishing blow—when a clear, metallic chime echoed through the air, followed by a solemn voice that rang with authority:
"Rogue ninja of the Hidden Leaf, last descendant of the Uchiha Clan—Sasuke Uchiha. The Empire acknowledges your clan's historical glory and offers you one final chance."
"Surrender to the Empire. Swear allegiance to Her Majesty the Empress, and your crimes shall be reduced or forgiven. Your comrades, too, shall share in your honor and be spared. Refuse... and all shall be slaughtered. The Uchiha name will be erased from history!"
"To bring glory to your ancestors and restore your clan's honor—or to die with your kin and drag your friends down with you! The choice is yours!"
"You damned bastards!"
Seeing his most important companions—Suigetsu Hozuki, Karin, and Jugo—lined up with blades pressed against their throats, Sasuke's eyes went bloodshot with rage and despair.
"Ten!"
"You—"
"Nine!"
"I..." Sasuke hesitated. Truth be told, he was never truly part of this Fourth Shinobi World War.
He didn't even know why he had joined this conflict. After summoning the previous Hokage and learning the truth behind the Uchiha clan's massacre, he had stumbled into the battlefield by chance—dragged into the chaos, attacked by the outsiders, and caught in battles he never intended to fight.
Everything had happened without thought, without reason.
Sasuke had never cared to explain or question it. He fought in blind fury, and the wordless bond he once shared with Naruto—their brotherly connection—had somehow been severed. This confusion had driven him into reckless rage.
Now, after being thoroughly beaten, his mind had cooled slightly. And seeing that his only remaining comrades might die because of his choices... forced him to think clearly at last.
If he were like his brother—cold, insane, detached—perhaps he wouldn't care. But he wasn't.
"Five..."
"Three!"
The Empire's soldiers gave him no time to ponder. Watching the executioners grin as they pressed their energy blades against his teammates' throats, seeing that blood already stained the edges, Sasuke felt a violent shudder rise from his chest.
No! I don't want... to lose them again!
"Two!"
Thud!
The twisted Kusanagi sword slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground. Sasuke Uchiha dropped to his knees in defeat.
"A rare thing—a sane, not entirely mad Uchiha."
Seeing this, Selene confirmed her suspicions with a knowing nod. With a wave of her hand, she signaled the pact's acceptance and ordered the execution to cease.
"Thus... the battle is over."
Activating her comm-screen, Selene glanced at Durandal's 'success' signal—a hand gesture brimming with triumph, as if to say if you had taken any longer, I would've gone up there myself and beheaded Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. Selene only smiled faintly.
"Clean up the battlefield. Eliminate the stragglers."
"Yes, ma'am!" ×N
"If you're still unsatisfied, Chief Sergeant Mordred, there remain three major Rational Beast Domains you may go subjugate." Selene's words were directed at Mordred, who still seemed displeased that she hadn't claimed Sasuke's head.
"Really?!"
Mordred wasn't foolish enough to ask if her superior would take credit for the achievement. The Empire's merit system was fair and well-established—there was no fear of losing credit simply because she hadn't taken a head.
"Of course. Though... those toads, snakes, and slugs might not be easy prey."
"Understood!"
Snapping to attention, Mordred clicked her steel boots together with a crisp sound and saluted excitedly before rushing off to find new glory to carve her name upon.
"What a childish heart."
Watching the small knight bounding toward Artoria, Selene could already imagine her boasting, 'I just got us another prime assignment!' to her 'King of Knights' father.
"Have Durandal compile all intelligence Kaguya possesses regarding the Ōtsutsuki Clan."
Adjusting a lock of hair tousled by the roaring wind, Selene turned her gaze toward the hazy, starlit horizon of the shinobi world.
"Where's Esdeath's progress at now...?"
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