Within the Origin Dimension, Kaguya—her body covered in wounds—lay collapsed on the ground, gasping heavily for breath.
Feeling the numb, itchy sensation as her injuries slowly regenerated, Kaguya angrily smashed a distant mountain peak with a single punch.
"Damn you, Gekko Hoshiyomi! I swear I'll tear you to pieces!"
Just as Kaguya was venting the fury in her heart, that devil-like voice sounded once again behind her:
"Were you just talking about me?"
Hearing that voice, Kaguya's body trembled instinctively. She hurriedly turned her head, only to see Gekko Hoshiyomi standing there with a broad smile, though she had no idea when he had appeared.
"Y-you damned bastard! How did you break into this place?!"
Kaguya was so furious that even her voice had changed. To be fair, being able to drive a goddess to this state meant Hoshiyomi was truly without equal in the ninja world.
Hearing her question, Hoshiyomi didn't bother hiding anything this time. He shrugged and said:
"Same kind of power you use—space-time abilities. You're not the only one who can do that."
In truth, entering the Origin Dimension had been Hoshiyomi's real objective all along. His earlier suppression of Kaguya had been intended to force her, in her panic, to flee into this very space.
When Kaguya had detonated three Truth-Seeking Orbs in desperation to create an opening for Yomotsu Hirasaka, Hoshiyomi had continuously activated Dance of the Startling Swan, dodging the explosions and charging into the Origin Dimension at the very last second.
As for why he wanted to enter the Origin Dimension—naturally, it was to rescue Naruto and Sasuke.
At present, the only ones in the entire shinobi world unaffected by Infinite Tsukuyomi were Hashirama, Tobirama, Naruto, Sasuke, and himself—five people in total.
Hashirama and Tobirama were being suppressed and unable to exert their full strength, nor could they enter the dimensions created by Kaguya. Therefore, the only way to seal Kaguya rested on the combined power of the three of them.
Yet they now faced an awkward predicament: Hoshiyomi had been separated from Naruto and Sasuke, and none of the three possessed the ability to freely traverse the dimensions of Amenominaka.
Thus, the only way for Hoshiyomi to reunite with Naruto and Sasuke was through the Origin Dimension, which connected all five major dimensions.
The Origin Dimension coexisted with the five other dimensions. As such, if disturbances or spatial rifts appeared within it, corresponding abnormalities would inevitably manifest in the five connected dimensions as well.
Hoshiyomi's plan was precisely this—to use fluctuations in the Origin Dimension to locate Naruto and Sasuke.
As for how to affect the Origin Dimension, that naturally relied on the final active skill he gained upon entering the Sword Saint realm: Ten Thousand Swords Become One.
Ten Thousand Swords Become One was the strongest sword technique provided by the system. Once unleashed, it could even cleave space itself. Hoshiyomi intended to use this move to wreak havoc within the Origin Dimension.
Seeing the malicious grin on Hoshiyomi's face, Kaguya instinctively tried to flee. But just as she was about to use Yomotsu Hirasaka, she despairingly discovered that a powerful gravitational force was restraining her.
Kaguya turned her head in shock and saw a terrifying red vortex appear in Hoshiyomi's left hand at some unknown moment. A dreadful pulling force surged from within the vortex, constantly trying to drag her toward Gekko Hoshiyomi.
This was none other than Ultimate: Soul-Devouring Demon-Sealing Slash!
If it were the ordinary version, Kaguya could have broken free. But faced with the enhanced gravitational vortex—and given her excessive chakra consumption from earlier battles—even Kaguya could only be restrained temporarily.
Though it couldn't pull Kaguya all the way over, it was already more than sufficient. Under the control of Ultimate: Soul-Devouring Demon-Sealing Slash, Hoshiyomi easily flew straight toward her.
Seeing this, Kaguya immediately recalled the terror of being completely dominated earlier. She didn't dare hesitate, intending to repeat her previous tactic—detonating the Truth-Seeking Orbs in a near self-destructive attempt to escape.
Unfortunately for her, this time…
Hoshiyomi had no intention of giving her that chance.
The final strike of Ultimate: Soul-Devouring Demon-Sealing Slash was unleashed. A massive X-shaped blade of energy tore the Truth-Seeking Orb apart a split second before it detonated, and at the same time carved a huge wound into Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's body.
Watching Hoshiyomi rapidly closing the distance, Kaguya knew in her heart that if she allowed him to get close again, nothing good would come of it.
With that thought, a flash of resolve crossed her eyes. Terrifying ocular power surged forth from the Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan on her forehead.
At this point, she no longer cared whether it would cause unbearable pain or whether she would suffer backlash from the Ten-Tails. She, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, also possessed dignity. She would rather endure immense agony than continue to be humiliated by Gekko Hoshiyomi!
Besides, with the Divine Tree supporting her, she was immortal. Even if gravely injured, she could recover quickly. She refused to believe that Gekko Hoshiyomi could regenerate the way she could.
Gritting her teeth, Kaguya extracted all the chakra from her body. As she made a motion of lifting both hands upward, a Truth-Seeking Orb instantly appeared in her palms and began to expand at a visible, alarming speed!
Staring down at Hoshiyomi below, Kaguya snarled viciously:
"This technique possesses the cycle of creation and destruction power sufficient to create and annihilate worlds! Gekko Hoshiyomi, I will make you vanish forever within this Origin Dimension!"
Facing Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's hoarse, hysterical roar, Hoshiyomi's expression did not change in the slightest. Calmly gazing up at her, he gently slid Mikazuki Munechika back into its scabbard.
"The realm of Zen is boundless, and so is the ultimate realm of the sword. This is the sword of finality, the peerless sword path: Ten Thousand Swords Become One."
As Hoshiyomi recited the incantation, the Mikazuki Munechika at his waist slowly slid from its sheath. At that moment, the blade shed its former blue-silver radiance, returning to its most fundamental, pure silver-white hue.
The strike appeared plain and unadorned—yet within it seemed to reside immeasurable, infinite power.
Floating in the air while condensing the expanding Truth-Seeking Orb, Kaguya stared blankly at the Mikazuki Munechika at Hoshiyomi's waist. It was clearly nothing more than an ordinary sword, seemingly devoid of any special energy.
And yet, Kaguya felt as though some unfathomable force clung to the blade. As she watched it slowly leave its sheath, she had the strange sensation that all the colors within the Origin Dimension were being swallowed by that streak of pure white along the blade.
The sky above, the earth beneath her feet, even… the expanding Truth-Seeking Orb in her hands—everything seemed to undergo some terrifying change because of this single sword.
And yet, it also felt as though nothing at all had happened.
Just as Kaguya was gripped by confusion, a faint cracking sound suddenly reached her ears.
It was so subtle it felt as though it had never existed—yet it rang clearly in her hearing.
What… was that?
The sound jolted Kaguya awake. She lowered her head in a daze and saw Hoshiyomi standing silently where he was, his right hand resting on the hilt of Mikazuki Munechika.
The sight made it impossible for her to tell whether he had drawn his sword—or never drawn it at all.
Was what just happened merely my own hallucination?
Instinctively, Kaguya raised her head to look at the expanding Truth-Seeking Orb in her hands.
The instant she did, her Byakugan contracted sharply.
Because she suddenly realized that the Truth-Seeking Orb she was holding had developed something abnormal.
A sword mark—so fine it was nearly invisible to the naked eye.
TL:N
Hi guys, sorry if I haven't been able to update consistently and if things feel a bit limited lately, since I currently only have 3-4 stories. I'm currently focusing on my studies because my exams are coming up on February 4th, 5th, and 6th. I actually mentioned these exams last year, and now they're right around the corner.
So I apologize if updates are sometimes delayed or if I can't update for a day or two. But don't worry—once my exams are over, I'll be adding new fanfics and going full-time again with regular updates.
Thank you for your patience and support. Please bear with me a little longer, guys!