Chapter 281 – The Eye of the Moon Plan… Cancelled?!
"Whoa, Kakashi-sensei, this place is so—"
"Ruined?"
"Yeah! I've never seen so much sand in my life!"
Naruto's voice echoed through the endless dunes of the Land of Wind, the heat shimmering off the golden expanse.
At first, he'd been thrilled about this mission—his first solo assignment since his parents' return.
He'd been so excited he almost forgot that Kitagawa Gen was now officially the Fifth Hokage.
But after trudging through the desert for hours, the novelty wore off fast.
"Man, this place is nothing like Konoha!"
"Naruto," Sasuke muttered, "you didn't seriously think every country looks like our village, did you?"
"Still," Naruto pouted, "I thought there'd at least be trees!"
Sakumo Hatake—the legendary White Fang—chuckled softly.
"The Land of Wind never changes. Still just sand, sand… and more sand."
He had to wear a mask, same as his son, to avoid drawing attention. But even that couldn't dull his good mood.
After all, this was the first time he'd gone on a mission side by side with Kakashi.
---
"Kakashi-sensei," Sasuke said after a while, curious, "you and Gen-senpai have been here before, right? What happened last time?"
Kakashi rubbed his chin, recalling.
"Hmm… that trip wasn't exactly peaceful. We ran into Orochimaru—and in the end…"
"In the end what?" Sasuke pressed, his eyes bright with interest.
He was determined to learn everything about Gen, the man whose footsteps he followed.
"In the end, Gen defeated Orochimaru…" Kakashi sighed, "but accidentally blew up the entire Rōran Kingdom in the process."
Naruto's jaw dropped.
"Wait, what?! He blew up a whole country?"
Even Sakumo blinked in disbelief.
Orochimaru was one thing—but leveling an ancient civilization fresh out of the academy? That was something else.
"Yeah," Kakashi said dryly. "That was seven or eight years ago. He'd just graduated. Looking back, I still don't understand how that was even possible."
"He's insane," Sasuke muttered.
"Insanely cool," Naruto countered.
"The Rōran Kingdom destroyed, huh?" Sakumo murmured. "No wonder the Sand's been sour about that ever since."
"Pretty much," Kakashi chuckled. "They didn't get a single thing out of it."
Then his eye curved in amusement as he glanced at his father.
"But honestly, Dad, I think your story here is even better."
"Mine?"
Naruto and Sasuke turned toward the older Hatake, curious.
"Oh yes," Kakashi said with mock solemnity. "My father was very popular in the Sand."
He smirked.
"In fact, I'd say… about as popular as Gen right now."
Right on cue—
"You damned Konoha White Fang!"
A furious shout echoed across the dunes as several Sand shinobi rushed toward them.
Leading the charge was an elderly woman—her chakra flaring like a storm.
"I won't mistake you this time! Prepare yourself!"
Kakashi folded his arms, smirking as his father rubbed his temples awkwardly.
Naruto and Sasuke both swallowed hard.
So this is what Gen-senpai meant when he said 'I've met her before'…
"Man," Naruto whispered, "these Sand folks really know how to hold a grudge…"
---
Meanwhile – The Hidden Rain, Akatsuki Headquarters
Obito's expression was grim.
"So what's the plan?" he demanded. "You've been stalling for days! Are we proceeding with the Eye of the Moon Project or not?"
For him, the plan was everything—his only reason for existing.
Without it, there was no meaning to any of his sacrifices.
Black Zetsu, however, looked troubled.
"Calm down. We're not stopping the plan… but we need to be careful."
He hesitated, inwardly sighing.
If this were the old days, he'd be thrilled to see Obito so motivated.
But now?
He wished more than anything that the plan would be cancelled.
Unsealing Kaguya?
Releasing his mother again—
only for her to be devoured by Ōtsutsuki Genshiki as a "step toward godhood"?
Not a chance.
Still, he couldn't afford to crush Obito's spirit completely.
"The truth is," Zetsu continued carefully, "we need to address one problem first—Ōtsutsuki Genshiki."
"That man again…" Obito frowned. "He's strong, yes—but if we have the Ten-Tails and Kitagawa Gen, it should be fine."
He paused, almost mentioning his own secret ambition—to become the next Ten-Tails Jinchūriki—but thought better of it.
"True," Zetsu nodded. "But why rush? We could use Genshiki to eliminate some of our enemies first."
"You mean… use the shinobi world itself to fight him?"
"Exactly."
Madara's eyes glinted.
"The plan remains—but before that, we must find the relics of the Sage's younger brother. You've speculated about them before, haven't you?"
"Yes, but we've found nothing so far," Obito admitted. "You mean you've discovered something new?"
"Indeed," Madara said. "The relics have an order. The Senju relic preaches reconciliation with Ashura's descendants. Once achieved, it reveals the Power of All Creation."
"I awakened the Rinnegan near my death," Madara added coldly. "Meaning the next relic must belong to the Sage's brother… before the Eye of the Moon can proceed."
Zetsu nodded.
"That relic may hold the truth about the Ōtsutsuki themselves. So our priority now is to find it."
"Only after that," Madara said, clenching his fist,
"will we settle things with Genshiki."
Obito's heart sank.
He finally understood.
They were delaying—no, postponing—the plan.
Maybe even cancelling it altogether!
His fists trembled.
He had sacrificed everything—Rin, his ideals, his humanity—
all for this single dream.
And now they wanted to pause it because of one alien god?
"No… I won't accept this," he thought, jaw tightening.
A dangerous glint flickered in his eye.
"If you want to use the shinobi world to fight Ōtsutsuki Genshiki," he muttered under his breath,
"then fine. I'll help you."
"But I won't wait any longer."
"I'll end this… my own way."
---
Meanwhile – Akatsuki Laboratory
"Fascinating…" Orochimaru murmured, watching the boy before him.
Kimimaro stood silently, his pale eyes steady.
Since the mission in the Land of Water, his recovery had been astonishing.
Not only had his health improved—his power had skyrocketed.
His Shikotsumyaku had evolved, balanced by the dormant Byakugan within him.
A perfect fusion of yin and yang chakra.
"How did you achieve this?" Orochimaru asked, curiosity gleaming.
"I don't know, Lord Orochimaru," Kimimaro replied respectfully. "Ever since that injury, something within me awakened. It keeps growing stronger."
"Growing… stronger?" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, intrigued.
"How long do you think this will continue?"
"I'm not sure. But I feel that fighting accelerates it."
"Interesting…" Orochimaru smiled darkly. "Then I'll make sure you have plenty of battles."
Kimimaro bowed deeply.
"I won't disappoint you, Lord Orochimaru."
Then, after a moment of silence, he looked up.
"Lord Orochimaru… when will you take my body?"
Orochimaru blinked, then grinned slowly, licking his lips.
"There will be a day," he purred. "Patience."
"My only wish," Kimimaro said solemnly, "is to prove myself… and to become your vessel."
Inside his body, another presence stirred—
a cold, mocking voice.
"Hmph. A lower lifeform wants to become my vessel?"
It was Urashiki—his consciousness sealed deep within Kimimaro's body.
"Still," Urashiki sneered, "if this fool wants to devote himself entirely, that suits me just fine. After all… a container is a container."
He smirked to himself.
"So he's realized that fighting releases more of my Karma's power, has he? Excellent."
His smile faded into a grim line.
"I just have to hold out until Momoshiki and Kinshiki arrive…"
"Once they're here… I'll be safe again."
---
Back in Konoha
Gen sat quietly at home, deep in thought.
"So you still can't confirm?"
Kaguya's voice echoed faintly in his mind.
"The situation was… complicated," she admitted. "But without a Ten-Tails, how do you intend to grow a Divine Tree?"
Gen didn't answer immediately. He leaned back, rubbing his temples.
She was too curious for her own good—
especially about where he planned to plant the tree,
and how he'd obtained the Ten-Tails in the first place.
She didn't yet realize he already had something far more dangerous prepared.
"What a headache," he sighed.
"Tell me," he asked finally, "can a Divine Tree grow from an Ōtsutsuki corpse—one completely drained of energy?"
Kaguya hesitated.
"Theoretically… yes," she said slowly. "But it depends on how the tree responds."
Gen's lips curved into a faint, knowing smile.
"Good," he murmured. "Then we'll find out soon enough."
Kaguya didn't hide anything this time. Her voice remained cool and measured as she recounted what she knew.
"The Divine Tree I fed only consumed half of Isshiki's body. If its energy is sufficient, it shouldn't be a problem… but if not—"
"So it still comes down to an energy problem, huh?"
Gen rolled his eyes, though his curiosity got the better of him.
"What about planetary energy, then? The life force of an entire world—doesn't that count? Isn't that enough power for the Tree?"
Kaguya's pale eyes flickered.
"Perhaps," she admitted. "But to produce a fruit suitable for one of our kind, the Tree still needs an Ōtsutsuki to act as the seed."
She hesitated, then frowned slightly.
"Strange… you really don't remember this? Information like that should've been imprinted within our chakra inheritance."
Gen shrugged.
"Beats me."
In truth, he really didn't know.
Kaguya hadn't been much help in the tree-planting department, but when it came to filling the gaps in his Ōtsutsuki fundamentals, she'd been surprisingly valuable.
She'd even guided him through refining his bloodline limit fusion—
though her methods were, frankly, a little terrifying.
Still, progress was progress.
And he had a feeling she'd be useful for more than just history lessons.
---
"If you're that curious," Kaguya said suddenly, "then instead of theorizing, why not acquire a Ten-Tails and test it yourself?"
Gen raised an eyebrow.
"Once you have a Ten-Tails," she continued evenly, "you can attempt to grow the Divine Tree directly. Bloodline unification is far easier through the fruit's chakra than through your own experiments."
"I told you—I already have a plan."
Gen shook his head, narrowing his eyes at her faintly amused tone.
Sometimes he suspected this woman wanted him to plant the Tree on Earth—
just to spite her sons and the world they'd built.
Sorry, princess, he thought drily. This is my turf. I'm not turning it into a corpse planet just to make you feel better.
He wasn't interested in repeating history.
All he wanted was to understand how the energy system worked—
so he could cultivate his own Tree safely, inside the Amenominaka.
Still…
"You're right about one thing," he murmured. "To grow something stronger, I'll need more energy sources."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
And then—his expression shifted.
"Oh?"
His lips curled into a faint smile.
"Looks like we've got company."
---
"Company?"
Kaguya's tone tightened instantly.
"Who? Ōtsutsuki?"
"Mm."
Gen stood, turning his gaze upward—
through the clouds, beyond the sky, past the veil of the atmosphere.
He could already feel it—
two vast, cold signatures descending from beyond the stars.
"Definitely Ōtsutsuki," he said quietly.
"And this time… there are two of them."
Kaguya froze.
Her calm façade cracked ever so slightly.
"Two…?"
Even one Ōtsutsuki's arrival was enough to spell disaster.
But two—
two descending together—
that meant a harvest expedition.
Her voice dropped to a whisper, heavy with unease.
"This isn't good…"
Because she knew—
somewhere on this planet, there were still two incomplete Karma marks pulsing in secret.
If those resonated with the newcomers…
"This world," she breathed, her voice trembling with fury and dread,
"is about to face another hunt."
Gen smiled faintly, though his eyes glimmered with something sharp and knowing.
"Then it looks like it's time," he murmured. "Let's see what kind of gods the heavens sent us this time."
And somewhere high above, beyond the thinning clouds—
two blazing comets streaked across the void, trailing divine light as they fell toward the world below.
Momoshiki and Kinshiki had arrived.