Kaguya's words might have been enough to fool Sasuke and Naruto, but they didn't work on Hoshiyomi.
Perhaps when Kaguya consumed the chakra fruit, she truly did harbor some intention of protecting this shinobi world. But in the end, the very act of planting the Divine Tree placed her squarely in opposition to the world itself.
Hoshiyomi had no intention of indulging Kaguya. Looking at her lofty, condescending demeanor, he bluntly fired back without restraint. Right in front of Sasuke and Naruto, he laid out the relationship between natural energy, the Divine Tree, and chakra, then asked coldly:
"Your act of plundering this world's energy to strengthen yourself is, at its core, the destruction of this world. What right do you have to call yourself the master of this world?"
After hearing Hoshiyomi's explanation, Naruto suddenly understood:
"So natural energy is the most fundamental power of this world, huh? Hey—doesn't that make you shameless? You're the one who stole the world's original power, yet you still call yourself its master!"
Having her greatest secret exposed by Hoshiyomi, Kaguya was furious. A flush of anger appeared even on her once pristine, flawless face. Ignoring Black Zetsu's attempts to stop her, she shrieked:
"Loathsome creature! I want you dead!"
As she spoke, Kaguya swept her arm and immediately activated the ability she was most proficient in—Amenominaka.
Hoshiyomi and the other two felt their vision blur. In the next instant, everything around them changed, and all three were transported into a world of molten lava.
Hoshiyomi was no stranger to Amenominaka. It was the culmination of Kaguya's spatial abilities, allowing her to instantly shift people and objects into the dimensions she created.
Amenominaka consisted of six major dimensions: lava, ice, extreme gravity, sand, acid, and the origin dimension. Kaguya herself could freely travel between these dimensions and the origin space using Yomotsu Hirasaka.
Kaguya had originally intended to throw Hoshiyomi and the others into the lava dimension and burn them to death, but she was quickly disappointed. Among the three, Naruto and Hoshiyomi could float using Truth-Seeking Orbs, while Sasuke had his Susanoo.
Seeing that the three could effortlessly hover above the lava, Kaguya frowned and attacked once more.
This time, she used Rabbit Hair Needle. Her white hair lashed out like a machine gun, continuously firing senbon formed from strands of hair.
However, Rabbit Hair Needle was just as ineffective. Sasuke could tank it with Susanoo, Naruto formed a shield with his Truth-Seeking Orbs, and Hoshiyomi blocked the attack effortlessly with Mikazuki Munechika in his hand.
Having used three techniques in a row without being able to suppress the three of them, Kaguya was momentarily stunned. Humans in her era had never been this powerful.
While Kaguya froze in disbelief, Hoshiyomi and the others did not hesitate. Without exchanging a single glance, the three charged toward her in perfect coordination.
Sword energy continuously surged from Mikazuki Munechika in Hoshiyomi's hand, forcing Kaguya to hastily condense Truth-Seeking Orbs to block. Her movements, however, were clearly growing frantic.
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a look and immediately formed a plan. They quickly moved behind Kaguya, surrounding her together with Hoshiyomi from the front.
Sasuke struck first, raising his hand to control Susanoo as it fired an Amaterasu arrow. With her Byakugan's 360-degree field of vision, Kaguya easily dodged the arrow.
But in the very next instant, Sasuke activated Amenotejikara, swapping places with the arrow. Appearing right in front of Kaguya, he controlled Susanoo to bring its blade crashing down.
Kaguya's pupils shrank as she hurried to defend with a Truth-Seeking Orb. After blocking the Susanoo's slash, she immediately detonated the orb, blowing the Susanoo back.
But just as she finished dealing with Sasuke, Naruto's and Hoshiyomi's attacks were already upon her.
Hoshiyomi threw the Grass Long Sword, Kusanagi Blade to save the falling Sasuke, then surged forward together with Naruto. One from the front, one from behind, they closed in on Kaguya.
In Hoshiyomi's hand was Mikazuki Munechika, gleaming with blue-silver light. Naruto, meanwhile, held a massive Rasengan infused with senjutsu chakra in his left hand, while his right wielded a Truth-Seeking Orb staff, swinging it fiercely.
Seeing the two figures closing in from the front and back, a clear flash of panic crossed Kaguya's eyes. She didn't dare to take the attack head-on and immediately used Amenominaka to escape.
When Hoshiyomi saw Kaguya flee, he slammed on the brakes in time, but Naruto didn't have such fine control. The massive Rasengan in his hand smashed straight into Hoshiyomi's face, leaving Hoshiyomi with a look of utter helplessness.
While Naruto scratched his head and apologized to Hoshiyomi, within the origin dimension, Kaguya was gasping for breath. The attack just now had nearly scared her out of her wits—how had humans become this powerful?
As Kaguya was still shaken by the pincer attack, Black Zetsu, hidden within her sleeve, spoke up:
"Mother, when those three fight together, it's far too difficult to defeat them. Hoshiyomi is extremely strong, and on top of that, Sasuke and Naruto possess the Yin–Yang Release seals capable of sealing you.
"To deal with them, you must separate them and defeat them one by one…"
Hearing Black Zetsu's small scheme, Kaguya's eyes lit up. She chose to trust this manifestation of her own will.
...
Back in the lava world, Hoshiyomi was explaining Kaguya's abilities to Naruto and Sasuke. The key point was simple: Kaguya could freely travel between the dimensions she created, so they absolutely must not fall for her tricks.
Just as Hoshiyomi was warning the two of them, Kaguya reappeared unhurriedly. Naruto and Sasuke were about to rush forward when, at that very moment, the scene before them changed once again.
The lava world instantly transformed into a frozen realm. Although the three had prepared themselves to avoid being dragged into another dimension, they still found it difficult to adapt to the sudden spatial shift.
In an instant, the molten lava space turned into an ice world, and the three were frozen solid within thick, unyielding ice.
Kaguya herself was unaffected by the frost. Following Black Zetsu's plan, she pressed her hands against Naruto and Sasuke. Yomotsu Hirasaka activated, and she directly threw the two of them into different dimensions.
With that, the three were split apart. Next, she would deal with that detestable Gekko Hoshiyomi first.
As Kaguya was thinking this, she looked up—and was horrified to discover that Gekko Hoshiyomi had completely vanished.
???
Where is GekkoHoshiyomi? He was clearly frozen right here just a moment ago!
As Kaguya stood there, utterly confused, Black Zetsu quickly said:
"Mother, don't worry about Gekko Hoshiyomi. He also possesses spatial abilities—he probably used them to escape.
"The most urgent matter now is to kill either Naruto or Sasuke. As long as one of them dies, no one will be able to defeat you."
Only then did Kaguya belatedly nod. Just as she was about to open Yomotsu Hirasaka and head to the desert dimension to deal with Naruto and Sasuke, a voice suddenly came from behind her:
"Who told you I ran away?"