High above in the sky, a figure stood with his back to the warm sunlight, overlooking Yuki Yoru and Uzumaki Hiromi.
His entire body was wrapped in a vibrant green chakra flame. Just standing there, he exuded an overwhelming sense of terrifying power.
Despite his imposing presence, upon seeing Yoru's calm expression—and hearing his somewhat odd tone—Hiromi realized this newcomer might not be the imagined enemy Yoru had been preparing for all along.
But what did he mean by "more or less"?
"Yuki Yoru."
"You dare tamper with the power of souls, devouring the spirits of the ninja world during wartime. Your actions are unforgivable and deserve divine punishment!"
A cold, indifferent voice came from the mouth of the Ōtsutsuki outcast. The arrogance and contempt in his words were undisguised, as if he were interrogating a criminal.
"However, I am merciful and understand that the root of sin does not lie with you, but with this world itself."
"This filthy, degenerate, chaotic, and sorrowful world is beyond redemption. Endless wars and slaughter, treachery and darkness between people… have enraged the great ancestors, who now send divine retribution!"
"This world needs to be cleansed. Yuki Yoru, will you become my blade, and atone through deeds?"
Huh?
Both Hiromi and Yoru were stunned. Hiromi had no clue what this guy was rambling about, but Yoru had gleaned a bit of understanding from his words.
He had a pretty good idea of the man's identity—and his purpose in coming to the ninja world.
Long ago, the Sage of Six Paths, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, and his brother, Ōtsutsuki Hamura, had together sealed their mother away in the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Hagoromo, the elder brother, stayed on Earth to spread Ninshū and establish the ninja world, while Hamura led a younger generation of the Ōtsutsuki clan to live on the Moon, maintaining contact with Earth via the Hyūga clan descended from their branch family.
In the movie canon, the development of the Moon's Ōtsutsuki clan was a turbulent one.
Conflicts between the main and branch families led to brutal civil war. The branch family even created the massive Tenseigan, which annihilated the main family entirely. In the end, only Ōtsutsuki Toneri was left on the Moon.
Clearly, though, this guy wasn't Toneri. He was someone older—likely a predecessor.
But none of that really mattered.
"Hiromi."
Yoru turned to Hiromi, speaking calmly despite the pompous, "main-character-energy" posture of the Moon-born Ōtsutsuki, who looked like he was trying to judge the world itself—making even Nagato look humble by comparison.
"I remember Yukiko hit a bottleneck in her Kekkei Genkai research, right?"
"Uh…" Hiromi blinked, then quickly nodded. "Yes. Yukiko's cultivation work with the Sharingan and Hashirama cells has hit a standstill. Especially with combining White Zetsu cells, Kaguya lineage traits, and Uzumaki cells—it's stuck at a bottleneck…"
"Mm."
Yoru nodded. "From nothing, integration is indeed hard. But if she had a direct ancestral specimen, her work would probably go much smoother."
"You go back to the village and have her prepare for the next research phase."
"Yes!"
At this point, Hiromi fully understood what Yoru meant and left immediately, her expression solemn.
Their nonchalant conversation had already made the veins bulge on the Ōtsutsuki outcast's forehead. Their words only deepened the fury in this self-proclaimed 'heavenly god' and 'overseer of the earthly realm.'
"How arrogant!"
"Arrogant?" Yoru chuckled. "I think you completely misunderstand."
"I was going to be a good host—after all, you're a guest, and you came a long way from the Moon."
"But you waltzed right into my Kirigakure, stole a Byakugan, then showed up here spouting self-righteous nonsense. Tell me... Did you see Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's mighty chakra aura from the Moon—but fail to see the power of Yuki Yoru?"
"Or are you just some impure-blooded Ōtsutsuki…"
"…who thinks my Zanpakutō is weak?!"
Yoru's smile faded. Above Kirigakure, snowflakes began to fall. A biting chill swept through the air. The temperature plummeted.
"How despicable!"
The sudden drop in temperature and the biting cold did not bring fear to the Moon-born Ōtsutsuki's face. On the contrary, this action infuriated him even further.
Truly contemptible earthlings, and mere low-class natives who only received a meager chakra blessing, without even ancestral bloodline!
Indeed, the world created by the Great Ancestor had long lost its meaning. This group, whose minds were filled only with war and slaughter, this world full of filth and depravity, should be directly purged and cleansed!
Vibrant green chakra flames surged around the Ōtsutsuki outcast's body. A majestic aura burst forth from him, dispelling the cold while also isolating the wind and snow.
Hatred and contempt burned on his face as he raised a hand toward Yoru.
"Stubborn fool!"
"If you dare to wield the power of souls—then let this island become your eternal prison!"
He clenched his palm. Yoru immediately felt a subtle shift in the structure of the space above.
The next instant, a colossal humanoid statue plummeted from the sky—like a thousand-armed Buddha—hurtling toward Yoru.
This statue was bizarre, resembling an aged elder with two small horns on its forehead. Its features were stern, its body inscribed with countless magatama-like patterns.
It was the statue of Ōtsutsuki Hamura—worshipped by his Moon-descendant clan. It possessed self-restoring capabilities and sealing power strong enough to suppress even the Nine-Tails!
BOOM!
A thunderous crash shook the island as dust filled the air.
Seeing Yoru completely crushed beneath the statue, the Ōtsutsuki outcast smiled coldly.
Ignorant fool of the Earth—be sealed forever by the power of the ancestors!
And as for the rest of these rabble…
"ROAR!!"
A growl echoed nearby. The Ōtsutsuki outcast's eyes flashed with disgust.
Without warning, grotesque black monsters surrounded him.
These creatures were twisted in form, bearing pure white masks and giving off no chakra—but their presence was unsettling.
Kirisumi Island was one of the islands within Hueco Mundo, and naturally, Hollows were never in short supply there.
Previously, due to Number One and Black Crow Shisui, the Hollows didn't dare enter Kirisumi Island lightly—fearing they'd be caught in the battles of apex predators atop the food chain.
But now, Number One had been devoured by Black Crow Shisui, and Black Crow Shisui had been sealed by Yoru. There were no longer any top-tier Hollows on Kirisumi Island. Instead, there was the Ōtsutsuki outcast, radiating a sweet and savory aura.
How could those starving Hollows possibly resist the craving in their hearts?!
"ROARRRR!!!"
One of the more humanoid Adjuchas let out a shriek. A surge of dark spiritual energy gathered in its mouth, and a pitch-black Cero exploded forth—hurtling straight at the Ōtsutsuki outcast.
"How dare you!"
The Ōtsutsuki outcast roared, raising his palm. His chakra surged, and the Byakugan in his eyes flashed brilliantly.
A massive repulsive force exploded outward, knocking the Cero away and blasting a crater into the ground.
But rather than being intimidated, the Hollows were provoked. Like a lit fuse, they all charged at the Ōtsutsuki outcast at once.
His eyes narrowed.
These twisted monsters lacked chakra—but at his level, the Ōtsutsuki outcast knew that chakra wasn't the only form of energy in existence.
The Ōtsutsuki outcast had brought with him to the Moon nearly all of the ninja world's recorded knowledge at the time they left—including comprehensive data on the various energy systems that once existed across the shinobi world.
Among these, natural energy, spiritual energy, and soul energy were especially emphasized. And from a certain perspective, once mastered, any of these forces could rival high-level chakra in raw power.
The Ōtsutsuki outcast could clearly sense that while these twisted, lowly creatures had no chakra, their bodies brimmed with immense soul energy and spiritual energy. Some even carried faint traces of natural energy.
A handful of them posed no threat to him individually—but in such numbers…
"Hmph!"
The Ōtsutsuki outcast's mind stirred. The Giant Tenseigan, far away on the moon, glowing faintly, brightened further.
A torrent of pure Tenseigan chakra poured into his body. In an instant, an overwhelming burst of repulsive force exploded outward, launching all the Hollows into the air.
As they were flung away, he swept his white, magatama-patterned sleeve outward. Glimmering spheres of Tenseigan chakra scattered into the sky, each one trailing after the airborne Hollows.
His sensory perception was exceptional—especially after obtaining the surprisingly strong Byakugan from Kirigakure, which allowed him to absorb the power of the Giant Tenseigan more efficiently. His perception had risen dramatically.
In just that instant, he had already detected the truth: these grotesque, lowborn creatures had an extraordinary regenerative capacity, and their energy consumption was minimal.
To prevent a battle of attrition—or a scenario where sheer numbers overwhelmed him—he had to eliminate every possibility of resistance.
BUZZ!
Special chakra spheres struck the Hollows, suppressing their regeneration. Their wounds no longer healed.
The Ōtsutsuki outcast unleashed another repulsive wave.
Moments ago, the Hollows had been frenzied and clawing for blood. Now, all of them were dead—disintegrated into pure spiritual particles, absorbed back into Hueco Mundo.
"Twisted soul-beasts."
He snorted.
These mindless soul-beasts were no true threat. The real disease of this twisted world lay with its people—humans, corrupted in thought and ideology.
Moreover, by his perception, these soul species were numerous and strange—some capable of rapid regeneration, others moving in ways comparable to space-time ninjutsu. Completely purging all of them in this region would take far too much time and effort.
He had no intention of wasting that.
First, he would cleanse the utterly evil humans. That was the true priority.
"I'll start with Kirigakure," The Ōtsutsuki murmured. "Of the Five Great Nations, it is ruled by Yuki Yoru—an evil shinobi village. Open on the surface, but conducting dark experiments in secret. Human experimentation. Soul experimentation. Since the time of their previous Kage, it has reeked of blood and death."
"A den of corruption hidden across the sea… The cleansing of the ninja world begins her!"
"Were you watching Kirigakure's calendar from the Moon or something? How the hell do you know so much?"
Pfft!
A sudden sound rang out from behind the Ōtsutsuki.
A wave of frigid cold swept through his body. He jerked forward, coughing up blood, his eyes widening in disbelief as he looked down—at the blade piercing cleanly through his chest.
Bathed in the faint glow of refracted light, the sword's edge shimmered with a chilling brilliance.
Yuki Yoru?!
The Ōtsutsuki immediately perceived the identity of the person behind him.
But… how?
He had just sealed Yoru beneath the ancestor statue!
Although it wasn't as overwhelmingly powerful as the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, the statue was imbued with Ōtsutsuki Hamura's unique chakra. Its sealing strength was so great that not even a top-tier Tailed Beast could escape its suppression.
The ancestral statue was clearly untouched—so how could Yoru have broken free from its seal?!
"So you've been spying on the ninja world, staring at Kirigakure—just flipping through calendars or something, huh? Found whatever trash reasons you needed to justify your ideology. But you never bothered to study my abilities, did you?"
Yoru chuckled, speaking casually as if chatting over tea, while twisting his Zanpakutō, Hyōrinmaru—utterly destroying the Ōtsutsuki's heart.
"You really don't understand a thing, Ōtsutsuki."
Hyōrinmaru's Four World Freeze ability could ignore even sealing techniques like the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's Nine-Tails Sealing Technique. Compared to that, the ancestor's statue was a joke.
"You… actually had this kind of power…"
"With his heart pulverized by Yoru, the Ōtsutsuki outcast spat blood, his chakra crashing. He murmured, 'So in the end, I really couldn't underestimate you. You are, after all, someone capable of drawing forth the Ancestors' power.'"
"Hm?"
Yoru raised an eyebrow.
Suddenly, an enormous shockwave burst from the Ōtsutsuki's body, forcing Yoru to flicker away in an instant.
Hovering in the sky, still gripping Hyōrinmaru, Yoru looked down.
The Ōtsutsuki outcast took a deep breath as an immense tide of Tenseigan chakra surged into his body like a flood.
Tenseigan chakra sealed the Ōtsutsuki's wounds. Under his control, his shattered heart, blood vessels, and internal organs—crushed to pulp by Hyōrinmaru—were instantly restored.
"Truly a convenient power," he muttered.
Yoru snorted quietly at the sight, unsurprised.
Chakra really was a universal cure-all. And for the Ōtsutsuki clan, it could even reverse death itself. A mere mortal wound meant nothing.