A desolate planet.
Ōtsutsuki Leishiki arrived first, lightning flickering faintly around his body as he descended onto the barren surface. Not long after, space distorted again, and Ōtsutsuki Hitoshiki, the Head of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, arrived with several elders and elite members following closely behind.
"Master, it's a locator."
Leishiki bent down, dug into the loose soil, and pulled out several spatial locators. He handed them respectfully to Hitoshiki. Hitoshiki glanced at them, snorted coldly, and immediately understood the situation.
"It must be Inoshiki," Hitoshiki said calmly. "He fled in secret and deliberately left his locator behind. After that, that low-level creature and Urashiki must have gathered the locators of the dead and placed them here as well, trying to confuse us."
Leishiki nodded.
"Yes, Master. From this point onward, both Inoshiki and that low-level creature performed spatial jumps. Their chakra signatures end here."
Ōtsutsuki Hoshiki frowned deeply.
"This is troublesome."
At that moment, Hitoshiki slowly narrowed his eyes.
"Unfortunately for them," he said coldly, "they overlooked one thing."
His aura suddenly changed.
An invisible pressure swept across the planet, forcing even the surrounding space to tremble slightly.
"The one leading the pursuit this time… is me."
Hitoshiki raised his hand and closed his eyes. Slowly, the eye on his forehead opened.
It was not an ordinary Byakugan, nor was it a standard Rinnegan.
This was an evolved ocular power—
The Heavenly Eye, an ability that allowed its wielder to peer into the secrets of heaven and earth.
Within a vast range of star fields, this eye could search every corner, tearing through space itself to locate any lingering trace of its target.
Hitoshiki focused.
The Heavenly Eye swept outward, crossing countless star paths and spatial folds. Finally, in a distant region of space, faint but unmistakable traces appeared.
Naruto.
Urashiki.
"Hmph," Hitoshiki said coldly as he closed the Heavenly Eye. "You thought you could hide by fleeing far away? Ignorant."
He turned sharply.
"Follow me."
Without hesitation, the group moved out. Under Hitoshiki's lead, space itself folded repeatedly as they jumped, accelerated, and crossed vast distances at terrifying speed—closing in on Naruto and Urashiki without either of them realizing it.
Far away.
After traveling for several days, Naruto and Urashiki finally chose to temporarily settle on a planet that appeared… pleasant.
"This planet is nice," Naruto said with genuine excitement.
From orbit, the scenery reminded him faintly of Earth. A glowing sun hung in the sky, bathing the surface in warm light. The planet lacked intelligent humanoid life, but it was rich in mountains, rivers, seas, and dense forests of towering shrubs.
Urashiki glanced around calmly.
"Intelligent life could be born here," he said. "But it would take tens—if not hundreds—of thousands of years."
Naruto was surprised.
"Oh?"
He looked around again with new eyes.
"Urashiki, do you usually plant God Trees on planets like this?"
Urashiki shook his head.
"No. Planets like this are only marked. When intelligent life emerges and develops to a suitable level, we return to harvest. Otherwise, the chakra fruit produced here would not be favored by the God of Ōtsutsuki. Consuming it would barely aid evolution."
Naruto nodded slowly.
During this time—after hunting five or six Ōtsutsuki groups and consuming multiple chakra fruits—Naruto's understanding of life in the universe had undergone a qualitative transformation.
A chakra fruit did not merely provide raw chakra.
It carried everything about the planet—
the birth of life, its evolution, its prosperity, its decline, and its death.
These insights were the true reason the Ōtsutsuki bloodline continued to evolve.
The closer one came to understanding these processes, the closer one stepped toward the realm of gods.
Yet as Naruto absorbed this knowledge, unease grew in his heart.
For the sake of his homeland…
he was consuming the life fruits of other worlds.
Was this really right?
Previously, when hunting Ōtsutsuki members, Naruto had comforted himself by thinking that the chakra fruits had already been harvested—he was merely stealing them back.
But now, he understood.
He was no different.
He, too, had become part of the system he hated.
Naruto did not know the answer.
After a long silence, he exhaled.
"Urashiki, let's go down and rest for a while."
Without waiting, Naruto descended toward the surface. Urashiki followed behind him. The two chose a tall mountain and landed on a flat cliff near its peak.
"I'll cut a tree."
Naruto jumped down the cliff, landed lightly, and kicked a thick tree cleanly from its roots. Carrying it effortlessly, he returned.
Urashiki laughed softly.
"You're cutting firewood? Planning to burn it at night?"
Naruto grinned.
"You guessed it."
Perhaps longing to relive memories of Earth, Naruto went to a nearby river. After searching for a while, he caught several fish that vaguely resembled those from his home world.
As night fell, a bonfire crackled to life.
"Here."
Naruto handed a fish to Urashiki.
Urashiki hesitated but accepted it when he saw Naruto's bright smile.
"Hm… the taste is average," Naruto said cheerfully while eating. "But it works."
Urashiki looked slightly conflicted.
"I still don't understand you Earthlings," he said. "You eat creatures weaker than yourselves. I truly don't understand this behavior."
He stared at the fish for a few seconds, then took a bite.
The taste was… unpleasant.
Naruto laughed.
"Even though the Ōtsutsuki clan is powerful, you lose a lot of fun on the road to power."
Urashiki ate a few bites, lost interest, and tossed the fish into the fire.
"For example?" he asked.
Naruto did not answer.
He simply looked toward the horizon.
The planet's sun was setting, dyeing the sky in endless shades of red and gold.
"What a sunset," Naruto murmured. "It's beautiful."
Urashiki followed his gaze and nodded.
"The energy of this star is intense. Unfortunately, the Ōtsutsuki clan cannot transform such beauty into chakra."
Naruto chuckled.
"See? You always measure everything in chakra. That's where you differ from us."
Urashiki smiled faintly.
"Perhaps."
Naruto extended his hands toward the fire.
"This planet gets cold at night. The temperature difference is huge."
Urashiki raised an eyebrow.
"Are you still afraid of the cold now?"
In the vacuum of space, temperature was meaningless—and Naruto's current strength allowed him to endure even absolute zero.
Naruto smiled softly.
"I just want to feel warmth again."
For a moment, he wished he could separate Kurama and talk with him.
But he couldn't.
After adding more firewood, Naruto looked at Urashiki.
"I'll sleep for a while. Don't let the fire go out."
Urashiki hummed quietly.
Since leaving Earth, Naruto had barely closed his eyes. The constant evolution of his bloodline meant he didn't truly need rest—Ōtsutsuki physiques could remain active for absurd lengths of time.
Yet soon, Naruto fell asleep.
He slept deeply.
Urashiki watched him for a moment, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
"So… you really trust me, Earthling."
After tossing a few more logs into the fire, Urashiki closed his eyes as well.
The two slept peacefully atop the mountain.
They did not know—
Far away in the depths of space,
Ōtsutsuki Hitoshiki was already leading his people toward this very planet, cutting through space itself with relentless precision.
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