Urashiki stared fixedly at Naruto, his pale blue eyes narrowing as though he were trying to see straight through him.
He truly could not understand this boy.
Naruto Uzumaki seemed to know him far too well.
Whether it was the function of his fishing rod, the existence of his chakra fish basket, or even his greatest trump card—his ability related to time and space retracing—Naruto spoke as if he were already familiar with everything. And earlier, both Toneri and Sasuke had clearly known of his name, even asking Naruto to confirm it.
All signs pointed to one conclusion.
This Naruto was abnormal.
After giving it some thought, Urashiki felt a faint but growing sense of danger. Judging from the current situation, it would be extremely difficult to extract chakra from these two people. If he continued to linger, something unexpected might truly happen.
No.
I have to leave.
If I stay here any longer, I will definitely get myself into serious trouble.
With that decision made, Urashiki calmly withdrew his fishing rod and looked at Naruto with a relaxed smile. Seeing this, Sasuke snorted coldly, his Sharingan still fixed on Urashiki.
"What are you planning to do?" Sasuke asked sharply.
Urashiki shrugged casually. "I suddenly remembered that I have something important to attend to. I'm afraid I can't continue playing with you two."
Then, his gaze shifted slightly, and his tone became meaningful.
"However, let me give you a small piece of advice. I may be relatively easy to talk to, but the two adults who will arrive soon are not nearly as accommodating."
As he spoke, Urashiki turned his attention back to Naruto, his smile widening.
"Little Nine-Tails brat, I'll let you off for now. When you truly fall into trouble, I will come and harvest you myself."
With that, Urashiki leapt downward toward the Earth. His body twisted unnaturally, space rippling around him, and in the next instant, he vanished without a trace.
Before disappearing completely, his cold voice echoed faintly through the void.
"Be careful. I can strike from the shadows at any moment and take your chakra."
And then, he was gone.
Sasuke's expression darkened. Without hesitation, he stepped forward, intending to pursue him, but Naruto raised an arm and stopped him.
Sasuke turned sharply, confusion and irritation flashing across his face. "Why did you let him escape? Don't you understand how dangerous that man is? Kinshiki and Momoshiki are troublesome, but at least they fight head-on. This one prefers attacking from the shadows. If he interferes while we're fighting them, what then?"
Naruto smiled faintly, his expression calm. "I've already thought about that. Don't worry. Urashiki will never cooperate with Momoshiki and Kinshiki."
Sasuke frowned. "On what basis?"
Naruto looked toward the distorted space where Urashiki had disappeared and said slowly, "The Otsutsuki clan usually operates in pairs—one guardian and one protected individual. Just like Momoshiki and Kinshiki. But Urashiki always acts alone."
"That means he either failed to become a proper guardian or wasn't qualified to be a protected one. No matter which it is, in the rigid hierarchy of the Otsutsuki clan, he's an outlier."
Naruto paused, then continued, "If we compare it to our ninja system, he hasn't officially graduated yet. He's more like an academy student—an apprentice. Because of that, Momoshiki and Kinshiki definitely look down on him, and he looks down on them in return. There's no way he'd willingly cooperate with them."
Sasuke listened quietly, considering Naruto's words. After a moment, he nodded slightly. The reasoning did make sense.
Still, doubt lingered in his eyes.
"Even so," Sasuke said, "we clearly had the advantage just now. Why didn't we take him down while we had the chance?"
Naruto answered without hesitation. "Because if we seal Urashiki here, Momoshiki and Kinshiki will immediately realize that the three of them are connected through us."
He turned to face Sasuke fully. "Even if Momoshiki looks down on this world, he isn't stupid. Once he realizes one of his own kind was sealed by us, he'll become cautious. If he judges that he can't defeat us, he might retreat immediately."
"And if that happens," Naruto continued, his tone growing serious, "it could attract even more Otsutsuki."
Naruto fell silent for a few seconds before speaking again.
"Sasuke, if too many Otsutsuki arrive at once, I don't have the confidence to defeat all of them. That's why I let Urashiki go."
Sasuke clenched his fist slightly. "But did you hear his last words? He said he would attack from the shadows. Even if we're safe, what about the people on Earth? Our families? The Five Kage?"
Naruto thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Based on what I know about Urashiki, he won't recklessly act on Earth."
"He'll go straight to Momoshiki and Kinshiki," Naruto said calmly. "His goal is to use them to fight us. If they succeed, he benefits. If they fail, he still benefits."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
Naruto sneered slightly. "If we defeat Momoshiki and Kinshiki, Urashiki becomes the only one responsible for Earth. The Otsutsuki clan will have no choice but to raise his status."
"At that point," Naruto continued, "he could finally become the protected one instead of a guardian."
Naruto took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Someone as cunning as Urashiki would never willingly sacrifice himself to plant a God Tree. He wants power, not death."
Sasuke nodded slowly. Naruto had explained parts of this to him before.
Within the Otsutsuki clan, the relationship between guardian and protected was eerily similar to the relationship between the main family and branch family of the Hyuga clan.
The branch family existed solely to protect the main family, even at the cost of their lives.
As Naruto spoke, his thoughts drifted unconsciously to Neji.
Back during the Chunin Exams, Neji had believed he was nothing more than a bird trapped in a cage, destined to be sacrificed, his fate decided at birth.
It was Naruto who shattered that belief with his fists and his words, telling Neji that destiny was something one carved out for oneself.
Just like Hyuga Hizashi.
Hizashi had chosen to die—not because the elders forced him to, but because he made that decision himself. He had willingly given his life for his brother, Hyuga Hiashi, and for the village.
He was not a bird in a cage.
His fate was his own.
Naruto slowly lifted his gaze and looked at the moon beneath their feet.
The outer shell sealing Kaguya and the Ten-Tails lay hidden there.
Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Once, she had believed in love.
But she was feared and hunted by the king's ministers, branded a monster. She had watched with her own eyes as the maid who served her was killed while protecting her.
That was the moment her heart changed.
Naruto reflected quietly. If Kaguya had truly been heartless, she would never have attacked Isshiki in the first place. She would never have married the human king, nor borne children.
And in the previous life, when she had dragged Naruto and Sasuke into the lava dimension, holding their chins in her hands with tears in her eyes—she hadn't tried to kill them outright.
She had seen them as her sons.
As Hagoromo and Hamura.
Naruto let out a soft breath. Throughout his life, he had changed countless people with words alone.
If he wanted to truly understand the Otsutsuki clan—and defeat them—then Kaguya might very well be the key.
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