July 27th.
It had already been ten days since Akira returned to the Peach Blossom Sanctuary.
During these ten days, aside from eating, sleeping, spending time with Hikari, watching the moon and stars, and guiding his disciples… he had spent nearly all his time seated at the Cliff of Quiet Contemplation on the eastern mountain—lost in deep thought over a single question.
How to properly handle the artificial Kaguya body attached to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Only after resolving that could he feed the Nine-Tails into the statue, revive the Ten-Tails, and step into the next stage of his evolution.
The simplest method would be to forcibly strip the artificial body away and freeze it within the Yomotsu Hirasaka time domain.
But that felt… incomplete.
Because what Akira was considering wasn't just the artificial body—
—but Kaguya herself.
"I've always wavered between reviving Kaguya… and erasing her entirely."
"The reason to revive her is simple—she has the potential to be brought to our side. She fears the Otsutsuki clan just as much as we do, and she has already taken action against that threat. Our interests align. In theory, we could form a united front."
"But the reasons to eliminate her… are far more numerous."
"First, the cost of revival is far too high. You'd need to sacrifice someone as the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, then activate the Infinite Tsukuyomi to reclaim scattered chakra. By the time she's revived, the entire ninja world would already be half-destroyed."
"Second… and more importantly—Kaguya is simply too powerful."
"Both times she was sealed, it was because she was fixated on reclaiming chakra. If her goal had been to kill… it would have been effortless."
Akira closed his eyes slightly.
Debates about Kaguya's strength had always been chaotic.
Some claimed she was weaker than fused Momoshiki. Others said she was inferior to Isshiki.
Akira disagreed.
Kaguya's strength had to be understood in stages.
First stage: "Pre-fruit" Kaguya.
Before consuming the chakra fruit. Before awakening her true power.
Even in that state, she ambushed Isshiki and nearly killed him.
Perhaps not his equal in direct combat—but already possessing techniques capable of threatening him.
Second stage: "Awakened" Kaguya.
After consuming the chakra fruit. After gaining the ability to freely cast Infinite Tsukuyomi and reclaim chakra.
This was her true peak.
Her complete form.
Third stage: "Post-birth" Kaguya.
After splitting her chakra between her two sons—Hagoromo and Hamura.
Her power declined.
Even with repeated chakra recovery through Infinite Tsukuyomi, she could never return to her original peak.
The Kaguya sealed by Hagoromo and Hamura…
The Kaguya sealed by Naruto and Sasuke…
All of them were this weakened version.
And yet—even this "post-birth" Kaguya, if she had fought with killing intent, could have easily eliminated Six Paths Naruto and Sasuke.
So how strong was peak Kaguya?
No one truly knew.
But Akira had his own formula:
Peak Kaguya = Post-birth Kaguya + Hagoromo + Hamura.
Chakra wasn't everything—but it was a critical metric.
In Akira's estimation—
Peak Kaguya would absolutely surpass Isshiki in every aspect.
Momoshiki himself had once stated that Isshiki ranked third among the Otsutsuki high council—below Shibai and Ryūshiki.
And if anyone could compare to peak Kaguya…
Only Shibai might qualify.
Akira exhaled slowly.
"There's one more reason I once considered eliminating her."
"She was betrayed by her own children… shattered to the core."
"She no longer believes in others."
"All she wants… are obedient White Zetsu soldiers."
"She has abandoned the idea of nurturing future generations. She only seeks to reclaim her full power… and face the clan alone."
"She believes only in herself."
"And she wants absolute control."
Akira opened his eyes.
"Objectively, she can be recruited."
"But subjectively… achieving that is harder than ascending to the heavens."
That was why he had spent ten days in contemplation.
Now—
He had his answer.
"Kaguya is too valuable to discard."
"Whether it works or not… I have to try."
"I'll revive her—but limit her power to a controllable level."
"At the very least, prevent abilities like Amenominaka—where she can instantly exile us into an acid dimension."
"Then… I'll attempt to talk to her."
"This is the optimal solution after weighing everything."
Akira's thoughts sharpened.
"The artificial body on the Demonic Statue… is essentially a weakened vessel of Kaguya."
"And the 'Rabbit Goddess' I froze within the time domain… contains her soul and part of her power."
"If I can merge the two…"
"I can bypass the Ten-Tails and Infinite Tsukuyomi entirely—and revive her directly."
"Her strength would fall between pre-fruit and post-birth Kaguya."
"Within a controllable range."
He paused.
"The problem is… I lack a technique capable of merging them."
"…So, you've finally made your decision?"
A ripple echoed through his inner world.
In the endless white space of his mind—
Akira turned.
A long-haired man in a white haori approached him.
"…Indra."
The last time they met was when Akira attempted to replicate Kaguya's artificial body using Twin Bloom.
Indra had stopped him then.
Ashura had appeared afterward, teaching him Sage techniques.
Akira asked, "Is it just you this time, senior?"
Indra stopped before him, arms folded. "What? Not satisfied with just me?"
Akira chuckled lightly. "Not at all. I just never properly thanked Ashura for teaching me."
Indra scoffed. "Even without him, you would've awakened that power eventually. He merely gave you a push."
Akira scratched his nose, smiling. "Even so, I'm grateful. Just like I'm grateful to you… for pulling me back when I almost went down the wrong path."
"…I just really want to keep getting stronger."
"Hmph."
Indra closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again.
"Wanting to improve is a good thing."
"Ashura can't help you with your current problem…"
"But I can."
Akira blinked. "You can?"
Indra smirked faintly.
"Who do you think I am?"
He lowered his arms.
"Let me ask you something."
"A forbidden technique… one that can transfer a soul—along with its chakra—into a designated body. No risk. No rejection."
"It can be used on yourself… or on any target within your control."
Akira's eyes lit up.
Indra's smile deepened.
"…Interested?"
"I can teach you."
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