Naruto was completely stunned.
What he had just heard was not only shocking—it completely overturned everything he thought he knew about the Ōtsutsuki clan, the so-called God of Ōtsutsuki, and even the origin of chakra itself.
"So… the current God of Ōtsutsuki," Naruto muttered slowly, "was originally just an ordinary mortal on a planet…?"
Prince Ōtsutsuki Taraine—the old man in front of him—smiled faintly and nodded.
"Yes. Just like you. Flesh and blood. Fear, desire, hesitation—all of it existed before the Divine Tree."
Naruto took a deep breath.
He finally understood.
The terrifying, aloof, god-like beings who harvested planets across the universe were not born gods. They were created—by chakra fruits, by the Divine Tree, by endless slaughter.
"And that big tree…" Naruto continued, thinking aloud, "that was the mother tree of the Divine Trees, right?"
"The source of all Sacred Tree saplings… the origin of the chakra fruits that the Ōtsutsuki use to harvest entire planets."
Taraine looked at Naruto with a trace of appreciation in his eyes.
"You're very perceptive."
Naruto clenched his fists.
"So that means… all those Sacred Tree seeds planted on different planets… all those worlds destroyed…"
"They all came from that first tree."
"Yes," Taraine said calmly. "That is the truth."
Naruto felt a wave of anger surge in his chest.
No wonder Earth had almost been destroyed.
No wonder Kaguya had betrayed her clan.
No wonder the Six Paths Sage had walked a different path.
Suddenly, Naruto remembered something important. He looked up sharply at Taraine and asked:
"Grandpa… then why hasn't this planet been harvested by the Ōtsutsuki clan?"
"And what about the so-called ancient clan that Urashiki mentioned?"
Taraine paused for a moment, then laughed softly.
"That so-called ancient clan…" he said, shaking his head, "was actually a misunderstanding created by later generations."
Seeing Naruto's confusion, Taraine stood up slowly and began to explain.
"The universe is vast—far vaster than the Ōtsutsuki clan believes. There are countless civilizations, countless races, and countless paths of evolution."
"When Emperor Suinin led the Ōtsutsuki clan to harvest other worlds, conflicts were inevitable."
"Some races resisted. Some developed strange abilities. Some even forced the Ōtsutsuki to retreat."
Naruto listened quietly.
"For example," Taraine continued, "the Kāma Seal."
"The method of compressing one's own data—chakra, soul, memories—into a 'vessel' so that one can resurrect later."
Naruto's eyes narrowed.
Kāma… Boruto… Kawaki…
"There were also those who chose another path," Taraine said. "When cornered, they chose to self-destruct, dragging their enemies down with them."
Naruto's expression changed.
"That method… the Ōtsutsuki Explosion…"
"Yes," Taraine nodded. "It is not unique to the Ōtsutsuki. It is a last-resort technique born from despair."
He sighed.
"Once, when I secretly traveled through the universe, I encountered an Ōtsutsuki who had been surrounded by multiple hostile races."
"He had no escape."
"In the end, he chose to self-destruct."
Naruto listened intently.
"I couldn't bear to see him vanish completely," Taraine said softly. "So I used dark matter to reassemble his body and resurrect him."
Naruto's eyes widened.
"You… resurrected an Ōtsutsuki?"
"Yes."
"I questioned him," Taraine continued. "I asked him everything—about the clan, about their beliefs, about their endless harvesting."
"I warned him. I told him that if the Ōtsutsuki continued down this path, destruction was inevitable."
"I hoped he could return and guide the clan away from this madness."
Taraine shook his head regretfully.
"He promised me that he would record everything he had seen… and write it into a book."
Naruto finally understood.
"So… that ancient book Urashiki mentioned…"
"Yes," Taraine said. "It was written by that man."
"But he died later."
"In that book, my existence was described vaguely… as an ancient clan."
"And the record of self-destruction leading to another fate was also written based on that encounter."
Naruto exhaled slowly.
So that was it.
Urashiki hadn't lied—but the truth had been distorted by time.
"Oh—right!" Naruto suddenly asked, "Then why can't the Ōtsutsuki clan find this place?"
Taraine smiled.
"Because this galaxy lies deep within the universe, far beyond the range of chakra-based spatial jumps."
"The Ōtsutsuki do not comprehend dark matter."
"They rely entirely on chakra to construct space jump stations, leaping from point to point."
"But dark matter allows one to pass through natural wormholes."
"I led my people through several wormholes and reshaped this galaxy using dark matter."
He sighed softly.
"It's ironic. A planet like this… only needs one Sacred Tree seed to be reduced to a dead world."
Naruto clenched his fists tightly.
"My home almost suffered that fate," he said in a low voice. "That's why I hunted the Ōtsutsuki… why I stole the chakra fruits they harvested."
Taraine turned and looked at Naruto seriously.
"Alright," he said gently. "Now it's your turn."
"Tell me your story."
Naruto took a deep breath and told Taraine everything.
His rebirth.
The Nine-Tails, Kurama.
The Fourth Great Ninja War.
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
The Six Paths Sage, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki.
Boruto, Sasuke, Hinata.
Jiraiya.
Earth.
The repeated battles against the Ōtsutsuki.
Urashiki's betrayal and sacrifice.
The self-destruction.
When Naruto finished, silence filled the courtyard.
Taraine stroked his beard slowly, his eyes filled with deep emotion.
"The Six Paths Sage you mentioned…" he said softly, "was indeed a man of great wisdom."
"He may not have fully understood dark matter, but he touched upon its laws."
"That's why he chose division instead of harvesting."
Naruto nodded.
Then something suddenly occurred to him.
"Grandpa… Ichiro said you sent him to save me."
"How did you know?"
Taraine's expression became serious.
"For countless years," he said slowly, "my brother has absorbed chakra fruits without end."
"And for countless years… I have absorbed dark matter."
"I don't know how strong he is now."
"But I do know this—"
Taraine looked straight at Naruto.
"My power has returned to its origin."
"I am no longer stronger than ordinary people."
Naruto was shocked.
"Then how—?"
"But," Taraine continued, "I gained something else."
"I can vaguely glimpse the future."
Naruto frowned.
"The future?"
"Yes," Taraine nodded heavily. "The future of the Ōtsutsuki."
"If my brother continues this path…"
"…the entire Ōtsutsuki clan will perish."
"…and eventually, all life in the universe will be wiped out."
Naruto's heart sank.
"I was devastated when I saw that future," Taraine said. "But in the end…"
"I saw a glimmer of hope."
"There was one person who could change everything."
Taraine's eyes lit up as he stared at Naruto.
"That person is you."
"The Child of Prophecy."
"Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto laughed bitterly.
"The Child of Prophecy?" he said quietly. "I couldn't even save everyone."
Taraine stood up, walked behind Naruto, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't belittle yourself."
"Fate has already chosen you."
"The fact that you are standing here means the future I saw is real."
Naruto lowered his head.
Hinata.
Sasuke.
Jiraiya.
Iruka.
Boruto.
Earth.
"I won't lose," Naruto said firmly.
He raised his head and looked at Taraine.
"Grandpa… tell me what I should do."
Taraine smiled warmly.
"That's the right attitude."
"First, you must recover."
"Live here. Adapt to this world."
"When you are ready… I will teach you how to master dark matter."
Naruto nodded.
Then he tried to sense the chakra in his body.
And froze.
"…What?"
His chakra was gone.
No—more than that.
He rushed to the pool nearby and stared into the water.
The reflection staring back at him—
—was his original face.
No Six Paths power.
No Ōtsutsuki chakra.
No Rinnegan.
No Kurama.
Nothing.
"Grandpa… what happened?" Naruto asked shakily.
Taraine answered calmly.
"Ichiro only reconstructed your original dark matter."
"All external power—Kurama, the Tailed Beasts, Ōtsutsuki chakra, harvested energy…"
"…none of it was restored."
Naruto collapsed onto the ground.
"So… everything is gone?"
Kurama.
The Tailed Beasts.
The power of Urashiki.
All of it.
"…How could it be like this?"
Naruto whispered.
For the first time since his rebirth—
Uzumaki Naruto was truly starting from zero.
Dear Readers
For 60 Advance Chapters Join My Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/NF25
-------
Please Support My Patreon