Kiyohara watched Kaguya's semi-transparent soul hovering faintly beneath the moonlight.
"You don't have to treat me as some kind of outsider."
Kaguya stopped in midair, her pure white eyes filled with a trace of confusion.
"I am also an Otsutsuki now."
The moment those words fell, Kaguya's eyes widened.
Kiyohara's thoughts shifted, and he took the initiative to reveal the aura of his chakra.
"Who exactly are you?"
"I come from a world that is almost the opposite of this one."
Kiyohara withdrew his chakra.
Hearing this, Kaguya finally understood why Kiyohara had said that he had "come to this world" rather than simply saying that he had come to this planet.
"In that world, there is also an Otsutsuki Kaguya. She is very similar to you, but she is not exactly the same. She was once the Rabbit Goddess, but later became a forbidden existence sealed within the moon."
Kaguya fell silent.
She floated in midair, her pure white eyes fixed intently on Kiyohara.
What in the world? In that other world, she had actually been sealed?
"What is the other me like?"
"She is very powerful."
Kiyohara answered honestly.
"But she is also very lonely, and very afraid. She is afraid that the main branch of the Otsutsuki clan will find her. She is afraid that she will eventually become nothing more than a sacrifice offered to others so that they can harvest the Chakra Fruit. She did many wrong things in that world, but fundamentally, her circumstances are not all that different from yours."
Kaguya lowered her eyelashes, and her pure white eyes were partially concealed beneath her translucent eyelids.
Her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she merely let out a soft sigh.
"I see."
Her voice regained some of its ethereal quality.
"In that other world, was I unable to stop Hagoromo?"
"No."
After hearing his answer, Kaguya did not know what to say.
"Then, Kiyohara."
"Fight me once."
Kiyohara looked at her.
"I want to personally experience the level of strength possessed by the powerful people of that other world. You said that you are also an Otsutsuki, which makes me even more curious about your strength. I want to know just how far your power has reached."
Kiyohara looked at her pure white eyes, which had once again become firm and resolute, and the corners of his lips curved upward slightly.
"All right."
He pushed open the window and extended his hand toward Kaguya.
Kaguya glanced at his hand before placing her own hand upon it.
Her palm was semi-transparent. The instant her fingers touched Kiyohara's hand, he felt a cold stream of chakra flowing from her soul and into his body.
"This place isn't suitable. Let's go somewhere else."
Flying Thunder God Technique.
The figures of the two disappeared simultaneously from the guest room window of the Hyuga clan compound.
Approximately one hundred kilometers north of Konoha, in an uninhabited mountain range.
Moonlight spilled over the jagged rocks, dyeing the mountain ridges a silvery white.
Kiyohara released Kaguya's hand.
Under the moonlight, her soul appeared even more illusory. Her white robes fluttered gently in the night breeze, while her long hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall.
Her bare feet hovered half a meter above the ground.
"My current condition is far inferior to what it was at my peak."
Kaguya raised her right hand, and a gray, bone-like spike appeared in her palm.
All-Killing Ash Bones!
The tip of the bone spike glimmered with a sinister, icy light. Beneath the moonlight, it had an ominous grayish-white color.
"I know. That is why I don't intend to use my full strength either."
Kiyohara nodded, indicating that Kaguya could make the first move.
A flash of light passed through Kaguya's Rinne Sharingan.
Her figure vanished from where she stood. Her soul left behind a faint blue trail in the air as she thrust the All-Killing Ash Bone in her right hand directly toward Kiyohara's chest.
Kiyohara turned sideways and avoided the attack, allowing the bone spike to scrape past his yukata.
The pressure created by the bone spike sliced a narrow crack through the rock beneath Kiyohara's feet, sending fragments of stone flying in every direction.
Kiyohara immediately countered with a knife-hand strike aimed at her wrist.
Rabbit Hair Needle!
Kaguya's white hair suddenly lengthened. From the ends of her hair, countless white needles as fine as the hairs of a rabbit split apart and shot toward Kiyohara's face from every direction. Each needle carried a cold, rigid chakra glow.
Kiyohara raised his left hand.
Repulsion.
An invisible repulsive force spread outward from him as its center. Every Rabbit Hair Needle that entered the area within a foot of him seemed to slam into an invisible wall and was instantly deflected in all directions.
Kaguya used the opportunity to drift backward and widen the distance between them.
Chakra surged from within her body and condensed behind her into dozens of fist-sized purple chakra spheres.
Within each chakra sphere, a pattern of tomoe slowly rotated.
Dozens of chakra spheres were fired simultaneously.
Kiyohara's figure moved between the purple spheres, weaving through their attacks with astonishing speed. The hem of his yukata fluttered violently in the waves of air created by their passage.
This seems to be a new technique.
Kiyohara thought to himself.
The Kaguya from his world certainly did not know this technique.
Kiyohara suddenly remembered that Naruto's Wind Release: Rasenshuriken had even transformed into Big Rasengan Wheel in another world.
He dodged a chakra sphere that came straight toward him from the front. Then he raised his right hand.
Five dark green truth-seeking balls appeared in his palm, spinning at high speed as they condensed into a golden chakra sword.
Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!
The golden sword descended from the sky.
Several chakra spheres radiating terrifying power were cleaved in half by the golden blade.
Kaguya raised both arms, and a black chakra shield condensed into existence before her.
It was a temporary defensive barrier constructed through Yin-Yang Release. Tomoe patterns flowed across the surface of the shield.
The golden chakra sword struck the black shield and erupted with blinding white light.
The shock wave spread in every direction, shattering all the rocks within several hundred meters.
When the white light finally faded, Kiyohara stood among the rubble.
"You lost."
Kiyohara withdrew his chakra. His bare feet stepped over the shattered stones as he walked toward her.
The hem of his yukata had been torn in several places by the shock wave from the previous attack, but he himself was completely unharmed.
Kaguya nodded and withdrew the bone spike back into her body.
The Yin-Yang Release black shield before her transformed into countless points of chakra and dissipated into the night breeze.
"I lost."
Her voice had returned to its usual calmness, and there was no resentment or unwillingness in her tone.
"During that final attack, I could tell that you had held back half of your strength. If you had used more power, my soul would probably have been completely dispersed."
She lowered her eyelashes and remained silent for a moment.
"Kiyohara, I have a request."
"Tell me."
"If one day Hagoromo is truly resurrected, I hope you will stand on my side."
Kiyohara looked into her pure white eyes beneath the moonlight, then nodded slightly.
"All right."
After receiving this promise, the corners of Kaguya's lips moved ever so slightly.
Then her soul began to grow transparent. The blue glow around its edges became increasingly faint.
The battle just now had consumed a tremendous amount of the chakra she had brought out from the Pure Land. Her spiritual body was already unable to maintain its complete form in the living world.
"Then, can I go to that other world and take a look?"
Kiyohara considered Kaguya's question for a moment before answering.
"That is possible as well, although I can't guarantee that I will be able to accomplish it."
After receiving Kiyohara's answer, Kaguya said, "That is good enough."
She had originally thought that Kiyohara would reject her outright. The fact that he was willing to say that it was possible had already exceeded her expectations.
What she mainly wanted was to see the version of herself from that other world.
She wanted to know just how evil that other Kaguya had become and why she was the one who had ended up being sealed instead.
It was obvious that she herself was kind!
"I need to return to the Pure Land to replenish my chakra."
Kaguya's figure became increasingly transparent beneath the moonlight.
"I'll come find you next time."
After the final word left her lips, her soul completely disappeared into the night sky.
Several pale blue particles of chakra slowly drifted downward and landed upon the rubble. They emitted a faint glow for a moment before gradually extinguishing.
At the exact moment Kaguya's soul disappeared, in another corner of the world, something else was happening.
Black Zetsu's figure slowly emerged from a mass of viscous darkness.
"Mother, you finally don't have the time to keep watching over the shinobi world."
Black Zetsu had sensed the weakening of Kaguya's power.
He had waited far too long for this moment.
For a thousand years, Kaguya's soul had remained in the Pure Land, keeping the seal of the Sage of Six Paths firmly suppressed.
Black Zetsu had tried countless times.
Every time he approached the seal, Kaguya would sense his presence through her chakra. Every time he attempted to damage the seal, she would return in time to stop him.
But this time was different.
Her soul had gone to the living world to pursue that outsider.
Furthermore, during the battle just now, she had consumed an enormous amount of chakra. For a short period of time, she would be unable to keep watch over the shinobi world.
This was an opportunity that came only once in a thousand years.
Dozens of black tendrils split away from Black Zetsu's body. At the end of each tendril was a fuinjutsu seal.
These seals were things he had spent a thousand years gathering from all over the shinobi world.
One tendril after another was inserted into the gaps within the sealing formation, and black chakra surged along the tendrils and poured into the seal.
The spatial rift began to shake violently.
From within the rift came the sound of chains breaking, one after another.
With every chain that snapped, the rift expanded another fraction, and the chakra pouring out from within became increasingly violent.
Black Zetsu's body trembled violently.
Breaking the seal came at the cost of his own vitality, which was being drained at an alarming rate, but he did not care.
His eyes burned with an almost fanatical determination.
It was the resolve of a child willing to sacrifice everything in order to resurrect his father.
"Brother, you will soon return to this world."
As his words fell, the spatial rift suddenly exploded.
An enormous amount of chakra surged out from the rift, powerful enough to distort space itself. The entire Pure Land shook violently beneath its force.
Black Zetsu was sent flying by the tremendous force and crashed heavily into a rock dozens of meters away.
Because at the very heart of that violent chakra storm, a tall figure was slowly taking shape.
The Sage of Six Paths.
At the same time, Kiyohara's figure appeared outside the gates of Konoha.
During his battle with Kaguya just now, he had felt something inside his body loosen.
It was the chakra of the Dragon Vein.
Earlier, when he had been in his world, he had already fused with part of the Dragon Vein's power.
However, now, inside this alternate world created by Limited Tsukuyomi, after fighting an Kaguya who was completely different from the one he knew, the seal suppressing that power had begun to thaw.
He could feel the Dragon Vein chakra actively merging into his chakra pathways and producing a subtle resonance with his Six Paths-level chakra.
Kiyohara sank his perception into his body and carefully examined the condition of his chakra network.
The speed at which the Dragon Vein chakra was fusing with him was much faster than before.
At this rate, it would not take long for him to completely master this power.
When that happened, his control over space-time ninjutsu would rise to an entirely new level.
Kiyohara might even be able to attempt resonating with the Dragon Vein chakra of the planet itself, allowing him to draw upon an even greater amount of chakra.
He withdrew his thoughts and reached into his clothes, taking out the crystal ball.
The light on the surface of the sphere had already recovered somewhat. It had naturally absorbed energy during the several days he had spent in this world.
The remaining chakra was enough to activate Limited Tsukuyomi for the return journey once.
He injected chakra into the crystal ball.
That black crack once again appeared in the center of the sphere.
The crack expanded and rotated, eventually transforming into a black vortex roughly the size of a fist.
A tremendous force of suction came from within the vortex.
White light once again swallowed everything.
The living world.
Kiyohara opened his eyes and discovered that everything around him was exactly the same as when he had left.
After returning to the Hokage's office, Kiyohara found that the pile of documents on the desk had grown even thicker than before he left.
The document at the very top was a report from Shikaku concerning the latest movements of the Kumo and Iwa allied forces.
Footsteps came from the hallway.
They were hurried and forceful.
The owner of those footsteps stopped briefly outside the office door before pushing it open.
Tsunade stood in the doorway.
"Kiyohara, where have you been these past few days?"
Her voice was suppressed in her throat, but there was no way she could completely hide the anger in her tone.
Tsunade stood at the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest. Her brown-gold eyes swept over Kiyohara from head to toe.
"Did you just go out somewhere to have fun?"
"You disappeared for several days this time without even saying anything. The documents in the Hokage building are piled higher than a person, and Shikaku is practically worrying himself gray."
She walked up to Kiyohara and poked him in the chest with one finger.
"If you do this again next time, I'm confiscating all of your Flying Thunder God kunai."
Kiyohara smiled and reached out to hold the finger she had pressed against his chest.
Tsunade's finger was caught in his grasp. She tried pulling it back once, but when she failed, she simply allowed him to keep holding it.
"So you came looking for me in such a hurry, and it isn't just because you're here to complain about having too many documents, right?"
Tsunade's expression changed slightly.
She pulled her hand out of Kiyohara's palm and stepped backward. Then she placed both hands on her hips and raised her chin slightly.
The gesture carried a hint of pride and even a little desire to show off.
The corners of her mouth unconsciously curled upward, while her brown-gold eyes shone with eager anticipation.
"I went to Shikkotsu Forest."
Kiyohara raised an eyebrow slightly.
"I learned Sage Mode."
Those words genuinely surprised Kiyohara.
He leaned against the edge of the desk and looked Tsunade over once again.
The chakra within her body had indeed undergone some changes. Both its quantity and quality had improved compared with before. Kiyohara simply had not carefully sensed her chakra when she had first entered the office.
Now that he focused his perception, he could sense an unfamiliar natural energy deep within her chakra pathways.
"How did you manage that?"
Kiyohara asked.
"It wasn't that difficult."
Tsunade pulled over a chair and sat down, crossing one leg over the other.
"Is that so?"
Kiyohara smiled faintly.
In truth, this achievement could not be separated from the nourishment he had provided her day and night.
From that perspective, Tsunade should probably be thanking him.
"Very impressive."
Even so, Kiyohara still praised Tsunade a few times.
Tsunade chuckled happily.
She stood up from the chair, walked two steps forward, and stopped directly in front of Kiyohara.
"Since you think I'm so impressive, shouldn't you give me a reward?"
"What kind of reward?"
Tsunade crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head slightly to the side. A faint blush spread across the tips of her ears.
"It's simple. Spend some time with me."
Kiyohara looked at her.
She was clearly embarrassed, yet she insisted on pretending that she was completely justified in making the request.
"Just spending time together?"
Tsunade's ears became even redder.
She raised her hand and pushed Kiyohara lightly on the shoulder. The force was not particularly gentle, but once her palm touched him, she did not take it away again.
"You little brat. We haven't seen each other for only a few days, and you've already gotten even thicker-skinned."
"My skin was never thin to begin with."
Kiyohara reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist.
Tsunade did not struggle. Instead, she naturally leaned into his embrace, resting her forehead against the hollow of his shoulder.
"While you were gone, I spent all this time training in Shikkotsu Forest."
Tsunade's voice came from his shoulder, slightly muffled.
"It was only a few days, but you were gone for all of them. It felt like something was missing. When you were here before, even if you spent the entire day inside the Hokage Tower dealing with documents, at least I knew you were somewhere in this building. These past few days, you weren't here, and I didn't even have the motivation to gamble."
Kiyohara lowered his head and looked at her.
Tsunade rarely said things like this.
Normally, she was either fierce and intimidating or deliberately acted as though she did not care. Only on very rare occasions would she reveal this soft side of herself.
"So how do you want me to spend time with you?"
"For the rest of today, you are not allowed to deal with official business, and you are not allowed to see anyone."
Tsunade raised her head.
Her brown-gold eyes stared directly into his, carrying a domineering determination that left no room for negotiation.
"Just stay with me."
She paused before adding another sentence.
"Come home and stay with me."
Kiyohara looked into her brown-gold eyes.
"All right."
Kiyohara released the arm around her waist and walked toward the door.
There was no harm in spending some time with Tsunade.
Although the flow of time in the two worlds was roughly the same, time in this world was still faintly faster.
Kiyohara only needed to return to the Limited Tsukuyomi world a few hours later, once dawn arrived.
(End of Chapter)