The only comforting thing was that the casualties of this war were still within acceptable limits. Counting the enemy forces wiped out in the final cleanup, this was clearly a decisive victory.
"Then let's bring a perfect end to this."
Tobirama Senju, encased in his majestic blue Susanoo, once again drew back his ethereal bow and loosed an arrow of pure chakra. This time, the arrow fractured into a cascade of energy projectiles, like a meteor shower falling upon the battlefield.
Every last remaining enemy shinobi was eradicated.
That was Tobirama's final punctuation on the battlefield.
Descending slowly, he deactivated the complete Susanoo—a feat that only a few had ever seen from him. Though known as the creator of many jutsu and a master of space-time ninjutsu, this Susanoo was something... new.
(Author's Note: In canon, Tobirama never awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and therefore cannot use a Susanoo. However, if this is an AU with transplanted Uchiha eyes or modifications, this power can be explained that way.)
"The battle on our end is finished. The rest depends on Aoba."
---
Outside the gates of Konoha, Tobirama and his unit, fresh from battle, encountered a returning Konoha recon squad.
Four figures approached, headed in their direction. Their presence felt familiar.
"Kurenai?" Tobirama turned as Yuhi Shinku stepped forward. "You're back already? Was the mission in the Land of Craftsmen completed? Where's Aoba?"
Kurenai Yuhi, calm despite the exhaustion in her eyes, nodded. "Yes. The mission went smoothly. Aoba used his space-time ninjutsu to send us back to the village safely."
"But… he didn't return with us. He said he had something more important to do."
Her voice softened.
"But before he left… he revived all the Konoha civilians and shinobi who had died for the sake of this plan."
---
Earlier that day, Kawaki Aoba had done the unthinkable.
Through the power of ancient talismans—specifically the Sheep Seal talisman, which he had distributed in secret throughout Konoha—he had preserved the spiritual essence of every marked civilian and shinobi. Isolated inside a barrier, the chakra seals remained dormant until he returned.
Upon reentering the village, Aoba activated the Horse Seal talisman, restoring the physical bodies of the dead. With both soul and vessel intact, life was reawakened in those thought lost.
However, Aoba was not a god. This resurrection was limited only to those who had died as part of his operation. Death from natural causes, illness, or battles outside the village fell outside his jurisdiction.
He had accepted responsibility for those sacrificed under his command. This, he believed, was the least he could do.
The villagers were stunned by his miracle. And across Konoha, a new wave of Aoba fervor began to spread.
---
But while the village buzzed with hope, Kawaki Aoba was far away—seated in an old manor deep in the Land of Fire. Across from him sat the most powerful woman the ninja world had ever known.
Not Tsunade. Not Mei. Not even Kushina Uzumaki in her prime.
No—this was Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, progenitor of all chakra.
Her expression betrayed her calm facade. Eyes wide, shoulders tight. The silence between them stretched like a taut wire.
She looked less like a fearsome goddess and more like a wary child who had met a beast in the woods.
Granted… a child who had ruled the world millennia ago.
Powerful. Timeless. Yet frightened.
Aoba blinked. Was he truly so terrifying?
Even he couldn't understand her alarm. After all, this was just a fragment of Kaguya—a projection from the moon where her true body remained sealed.
Surely, she wouldn't panic over the loss of a clone?
Still, he remained silent, letting the pressure build. And to his surprise, Kaguya began to sweat—beads forming along her porcelain brow.
At last, she broke.
"Who... exactly are you?"
Her voice trembled.
"You carry Hamura's bloodline—but you are not his descendant. You're not from this world. And you are certainly not one of us—an Ōtsutsuki. Who are you?"
Aoba stayed silent, deadpan. Seriously? I stay quiet for five minutes and I get accused of being extraterrestrial?
He understood now. She was reacting to his strange bloodline. The Saiyan traits, especially the tail coiled behind him, made his chakra and biology unreadable to even a goddess.
That tail… it was proof enough that he was no longer fully human, at least not by this world's standards.
Her fear? Justified.
But for Aoba, it was advantageous. A fearful Kaguya meant leverage.
He placed his teacup down with quiet finality, fingers tapping the wooden table.
Then, with calm precision, he began to speak.
"Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. Branch family of the main Ōtsutsuki line. You betrayed Isshiki Ōtsutsuki thousands of years ago and consumed the Chakra Fruit from the God Tree."
"You bore two sons—Hamura and Hagoromo. Yet later, driven by paranoia and divine instinct, you were sealed by your own children."
"Before your defeat, you spawned an incarnation of your will—Black Zetsu—who for centuries has manipulated history to revive you through the Ten-Tails and the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
"And now, that plan is nearing fruition."
He looked up, his eyes unreadable.
"Am I wrong?"
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki remained silent. She couldn't see through Kawaki Aoba at all. His motives were a mystery, and the fact that he knew so much unsettled her. Left with no better choice, she held her tongue.
Seeing her hesitate, Kawaki Aoba reaffirmed his conviction.
He had deliberately kept the details about Kaguya's past vague. After all, the original records—both myth and historical—held conflicting accounts about the origin of her sons.
One claimed Kaguya bore her sons with the ruler of the Land of Ancestors. The other claimed she gave birth to Hagoromo and Hamura after becoming the first to eat the chakra fruit, blessed by the divine tree itself.
To Kawaki Aoba, both versions seemed implausible.
The daimyo of the Land of Ancestors was a native of Earth. How could a cosmic-level being like Kaguya Ōtsutsuki—an alien from a spacefaring clan—have borne children with a mere mortal? Even if Kaguya had chosen such a partner, Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, her superior from the main branch of their clan, would never have permitted it.
Besides, Kaguya, even before consuming the chakra fruit, had the strength to travel through the cosmos unaided. How could a mortal possibly overpower, let alone impregnate her?
As for the second version—divine blessing—that sounded more like myth than truth. He found it even less believable than a child born from a kiss.
Rather than trust these tales, Kawaki Aoba preferred a simpler theory: that Kaguya had created Hagoromo and Hamura on her own, perhaps through some form of Ōtsutsuki reproduction unknown to humanity.
Unaware that he was closer to the truth than he realized, Kawaki Aoba spoke again, more confidently this time.
"Kaguya, I won't stop your resurrection. But as a condition, I need you to do something for me in return. Agreed?"
He paused before continuing.
"As someone who has consumed the fruit of the Divine Tree, you should be able to control the Ten-Tails, correct? Once it's revived, I need you to keep it under control…"
Kaguya narrowed her eyes but did not speak. In her view, Kawaki Aoba was clearly not a native of this world. That he would make use of the Ten-Tails without regard for the lives of the locals was unsurprising.
Yet what puzzled her was: if this man was powerful enough, why not control the Ten-Tails himself? Why enlist her?
Was this a test? Was he probing her loyalty? Her usefulness?
The situation reminded her bitterly of the old days—when she, a member of the branch family, had to bow her head before the Ōtsutsuki main house. She despised that feeling.
But now, Kaguya was clearly the weaker party. Resistance would be foolish. She had no choice but to comply—for now.
"…Very well," Kaguya finally said, her voice cold. "I will control the Ten-Tails and eliminate the natives for you."
Kawaki Aoba smiled at her compliance. In a good mood, he decided to share more.
"Good. Since you've agreed, I'll give you some information in return—about Isshiki Ōtsutsuki."
Kaguya's face tightened at the name.
"Yes, the same Isshiki who came with you to this world centuries ago. He didn't die when you ambushed him. Instead, he implanted a Karma mark onto a native and has remained in this world ever since, in hiding."
"He hasn't resurrected yet, because he still hasn't found a suitable vessel. But I've received word that he may be planning to interfere with the Ten-Tails' resurrection."
Kaguya's expression darkened. She had long suspected Isshiki hadn't truly died—but to think he had survived this long, operating from the shadows? That was a dangerous unknown.
And given Isshiki's cunning, she had no doubt he'd attempt to sabotage her own return.
She grew anxious. The Ten-Tails was crucial to her resurrection, and now it might be compromised.
But Kawaki Aoba wasn't done.
"Don't get ahead of yourself. There's more—something even more pressing. The Ōtsutsuki clan has sent others to this world. A team. Their names are Kinshiki, Momoshiki, and Urashiki."
Kaguya's face turned grave.
If her complexion weren't already ghostly pale, it would have drained of color.
If Isshiki were the only threat, she might have dealt with him. But three more Ōtsutsuki—on a direct mission from the clan? That changed everything. Kaguya no longer had thoughts of fighting back.
Now, her only thought was escape.
After resurrecting, she'd flee this cursed world and disappear into deep space. The farther from the Ōtsutsuki clan's reach, the better.
As for the chakra farm she had planned to harvest—if she could get it, fine. If not, so be it. Survival mattered more.
She was also now certain of Kawaki Aoba's origin: he wasn't from Earth. What planet he came from, she didn't know—but he was no native.
Kawaki Aoba observed her carefully. He had revealed this information on a whim, curious to see her reaction.
He hadn't expected her to break down so thoroughly. But with his Observation Haki pushed to its highest level, he read her emotions clearly.
And all he sensed was a single, overwhelming urge: run.
This woman didn't even care about her plan anymore. She just wanted to get away.
Kawaki Aoba's expression grew strange. Had he gone too far? Right now, Kaguya felt like a rabbit terrified of the hawk overhead.
But it was too late to backpedal. The only option now was to move forward.
Let her carry out their deal first.
Whether he let her leave afterward… that would depend.
"Thank you for the information," Kaguya said, rising. "I'll fulfill our agreement. But for now, I'll be going."
Without another word, Kaguya left the manor she had claimed.
Kawaki Aoba just chuckled quietly. So, Kaguya wasn't as naïve as she once seemed. At least she could read the room. Even her speech had shifted, no longer using the imperial "I" as before.
Good. If she had truly been some soft-hearted idealist, she would've been eaten by the Ten-Tails long ago.
"Let her play the villain for now," Kawaki Aoba muttered, reclining lazily. "Let her control the Ten-Tails, do the dirty work. Before the final battle comes, all I need to do is… enjoy the show. Or rather, rest."
He stretched, relaxing into his seat. Now that Kaguya was gone, he let his posture slump.
But his Observation Haki remained fully active, covering the entire shinobi world like a vast, invisible net.
"Alright then," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "Let the show begin."
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