Everyone, except Hyuga Gakuya, was left momentarily stunned by the overwhelming pressure radiating from Kaguya.
Naruto muttered, "So this is the Ōtsutsuki Kaguya that Gramps told us about…"
"No wonder the Sage of Six Paths gave us this kind of power," Sasuke said, fingers brushing over the crescent mark on his palm.
Kaguya's gaze immediately fixed on Hyuga Gakuya. As she sensed the familiar energy emanating from him, an ominous memory stirred within her. Her voice trembled as she muttered,
"They're here…"
Feeling his mother's fear, Black Zetsu quickly tried to calm her.
"Mother, these are the last remaining shinobi of this world. The two in front of us are the reincarnations of Indra and Asura. The one behind them is just a native of this land. He's not one of the people from your homeland."
But Kaguya frowned, focusing more closely on the aura around Hyuga Gakuya. That Ōtsutsuki chakra… it was powerful—so powerful that in some aspects, it even surpassed her own.
Yet this man clearly wasn't from the Ōtsutsuki Clan. His chakra merely resembled theirs. There was still a difference.
She activated her Byakugan, scrutinizing the immense chakra surging within all three of them. But what truly caught her attention was the familiar energy fluctuation inside Hyuga Gakuya.
"It's chakra from the ... no, it's my chakra."
Without another word, her hair erupted behind her like a tidal wave, whipping toward Gakuya, Sasuke, and Naruto in an instant.
She was trying to reclaim her chakra.
This was how Kaguya viewed chakra.
Her attitude toward her two sons had made that clear from the start. She had created them by gathering the wishes of humanity and molding them into tools of rebellion against her clan.
But once those tools disobeyed her, she saw no reason not to take back what she had given.
Just like when she had ordered them to fight each other.
(Author's note: I always felt that when Kaguya cried after capturing Naruto and Sasuke in the original story, she was actually mourning herself.)
Hyuga Gakuya didn't flinch. With a simple sweep of his hand, he severed every strand of Kaguya's hair that reached him.
Sasuke and Naruto each countered the attack with their own techniques and avoided the strikes effortlessly.
"Congratulations on achieving your goal, Black Zetsu," Gakuya said with a calm smile.
Black Zetsu let out a sinister chuckle.
"Thank you. For reviving Mother, I should really thank you properly. In return, I'll make sure Mother puts your eyes to good use."
He was sure of victory now that Kaguya had returned.
"Since we're handing out congratulations," Gakuya replied, still smiling, "why don't you congratulate me, too?"
A strange chill crept into Black Zetsu's heart. "Congratulate you? On what?"
Gakuya spread his hands.
"On obtaining such excellent nourishment—and securing the perfect opportunity to strike back at the Ōtsutsuki Clan. Isn't that something worth celebrating?"
Even now, he was still playing the role.
Since Naruto and Sasuke had already been misled by false intel, Gakuya might as well keep them in the dark. And watching Black Zetsu panic was just a bonus.
"Did it never cross your mind that I let you revive Ōtsutsuki Kaguya… just so we could erase this threat once and for all?"
"I've been planning this ever since Uchiha Madara became the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki. I had already figured out your true goal back then, which is why I didn't expose you."
Naruto and Sasuke were visibly surprised, but neither of them questioned Gakuya's words.
Even Naruto, usually the bleeding heart, clapped his hands and said, "Then let's finish this! One final threat to the shinobi world!"
"To reclaim her power so our loved ones can return… That's the only way." Sasuke's eyes gleamed with killing intent. He had once again become Gakuya's staunchest supporter.
He was prepared to let Gakuya devour Kaguya—if that meant realizing their shared dream and reviving those he had lost, the right way.
Itachi would support me too.
The others, while surprised, didn't seem shocked. This was exactly the kind of thing Gakuya would do.
He was ruthless when needed. But his methods, however questionable, were always aimed at protecting the shinobi world. And now was hardly the time to argue over morality.
Black Zetsu's thoughts finally clicked into place. He had always believed that Gakuya kept his secret because he still saw him as an ally.
But in reality, he had been manipulated from the start.
His voice quivered slightly, though he still tried to bluff.
"So what? You think you can defeat the progenitor of all chakra?!"
"Letting my mother return was your greatest mistake!"
Gakuya's cold laugh cut him off.
"Oh yeah? Let's find out."
With that, Gakuya activated his Dual Dōjutsu Mode once more. His Tenseigan and Rinnegan gleamed side by side.
It had been months since he fought at full strength.
His body blurred, vanishing as he lunged toward Kaguya like a flash of light. Naruto and Sasuke didn't hesitate—they followed close behind, launching a joint assault.
A flicker of fear crossed Kaguya's face.
From the way he spoke… it was as if she were the prey now.
That familiar power—the Six Paths Yin and Yang energies—they had returned. Was she about to be sealed away again?
She wasted no time. With a single thought, she activated her Amenominaka, instantly warping the battlefield into the lava dimension.
The ground, the air—everything twisted into a blazing hellscape.
This was the power of her Kekkei Mōra: the ability to transfer herself and anyone nearby into one of several different dimensions—lava, ice, gravity, sand, and acid—all connected to the core dimension, the Starting Sphere.
Now, she had switched the battlefield to the lava world.
But it meant nothing to Gakuya.
In the blink of an eye, he suspended his allies mid-air, preventing them from falling.
Then, like a comet, he shot straight toward Kaguya, his body radiating overwhelming power.
Kaguya didn't dare hold back. Countless strands of hair whipped forward like tentacles to intercept him.
But Gakuya didn't even slow down.
The moment those strands neared his body, the chakra leaking from him shredded them into nothingness.
Kaguya raised both hands and unleashed a barrage of violet fists in an instant.
Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack.
Gakuya recognized it instantly. Of course—he was very familiar with this move.
He responded in kind, launching his own Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack, and the two titanic forces collided head-on.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
Fanfic is finished on Patreon (237 chapters in total.)
Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)