Even after changing bodies, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki could still sense Isshiki Ōtsutsuki's presence within another host. She was intimately familiar with his chakra, his essence—his aura.
As for why Isshiki was pursuing Nagato, the answer was not difficult to guess. Kaguya deduced after a moment's thought that Isshiki was after another Ten-Tails—or at least a fragment of its essence.
Now that she had confirmed his presence, Kaguya had no intention of allowing Isshiki's plan to succeed.
Her original scheme—harvesting chakra from Earth—would continue. But now, she moved far more cautiously to avoid detection from Isshiki below.
In secret, she interfered with Nagato's link to the Ten-Tails, subtly manipulating it from behind the scenes. Her goal was simple: use the beast to complete a mysterious transaction with someone known as Kawaki Aoba.
However, her control over the Ten-Tails was limited. The immense chakra required for such manipulation came with time restrictions.
She had to act swiftly.
How conspicuous was a rampaging beast of legend? The people living in the Land of Wind could now tell you: it was a once-in-a-lifetime, terrifying experience.
The earth trembled beneath the behemoth's stride. Dust clouds veiled the sun as its massive form charged past the outskirts of the town. Civilians dropped in fear, paralyzed by the sheer pressure of its presence.
Fortunately, the monster passed by without attacking.
It seemed uninterested in them. If not, even with the presence of shinobi, the entire settlement would have been annihilated.
Above, Nagato, empowered by the Rinnegan, soared through the sky, tracking the Ten-Tails closely. His presence was visible to many, yet he ignored the growing fear and confusion below.
At first, the Ten-Tails seemed to be moving aimlessly. But now, Nagato had a clearer sense of its intent.
Its direction was unmistakable: Sunagakure.
His suspicion was soon confirmed.
The massive beast could be sensed from miles away. The remaining shinobi of Sunagakure, though lacking their village's former strength, responded according to protocol—similar to when Shukaku once went berserk.
But the Ten-Tails was faster than expected.
Before they could fully mobilize, the beast arrived—and then came the carnage.
"You damn monster, don't destroy our village!" some shinobi shouted, launching futile attacks.
But against a creature of this scale, their resistance was tragically symbolic.
The difference in power was overwhelming. Their jutsu had no effect. Contact meant death, resistance meant annihilation. Once the casualties reached a critical threshold, morale collapsed entirely.
From above, Nagato continued to channel his Rinnegan, trying to re-establish his bond with the Ten-Tails. But it was like trying to pull the strings of a god.
He glanced down at the chaos in Sunagakure—fire, screams, destruction. Despair was everywhere.
Many looked up at him, eyes full of hatred.
Nagato noticed it—and dismissed it.
These were the same kinds of shinobi who had once turned their backs on his pain. Sunagakure, like many other villages, had blood on its hands. Their suffering did not move him.
"A village like this being reduced to rubble… is fitting," he murmured coldly.
As for why the Ten-Tails had targeted it? Perhaps remnants of the Tailed Beasts' consciousness still lingered within the monster—resentment, perhaps, toward those who had once imprisoned them.
Nagato considered the possibility.
The destruction of Sunagakure was only the beginning. Once reduced to ruins, the Ten-Tails turned and thundered forward—toward Iwagakure.
"As I thought," Nagato reflected, "the Ten-Tails lacks rationality, but retains the hatred of the nine beasts toward the shinobi villages."
Yet even with this realization, he was powerless to stop it. All he could do was follow—an observer to devastation.
At least, he thought, the beast had not turned toward Konoha.
Nagato would not have minded seeing the Leaf burn, but he knew better. Kawaki Aoba—a powerful anomaly in the shinobi world—resided there.
Nagato didn't believe even the Ten-Tails could contend with him. If the two met, the Ten-Tails would likely become a mere offering.
Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—the two had not crossed paths. Whether due to the Ten-Tails' speed or the delay in intelligence reaching Kawaki, the monster's rampage continued unimpeded.
It reached Iwagakure.
The tragedy there mirrored that of Sunagakure. Destruction. Screams. Collapse.
One more great village was wiped from the map.
Nagato did not intervene. His heart remained unmoved.
Next, the Ten-Tails shifted course—toward Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning.
Here, resistance was fiercer. The remaining shinobi of the Cloud fought bravely—far more prepared than the previous two villages.
But would it matter?
That remained to be seen.
However, before the overwhelming might of the Ten-Tails, resistance was meaningless.
The battle was short-lived. Kumogakure fell, just like Sunagakure and Iwagakure before it.
According to the current trajectory, the Ten-Tails' next target would likely be either Konohagakure in the Land of Fire or Kirigakure across the sea in the Land of Water.
But Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, the origin of this chaos, had different plans.
Night had fallen. The moon, partially eclipsed with a corner missing, hung silently in the sky—directly above Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
Her pale eyes shimmered. Without hesitation, she commanded the Ten-Tails to act.
Chakra swirled intensely in the Ten-Tails' mouth as it began to form a massive, blood-red Tailed Beast Ball—far more potent than any formed by the other nine Tailed Beasts.
This sudden change immediately alerted Nagato. He had seen Tailed Beast Balls before, but never one of such magnitude.
What began as a sphere the size of a fist rapidly expanded—soon matching the size of a large house—with no signs of stopping.
More terrifying was the density and purity of chakra compressed within. It surpassed anything Nagato had encountered, even during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
A deathly chill crept over him. If that Tailed Beast Ball was aimed anywhere near him, it would mean instant annihilation.
Nagato had no idea why the Ten-Tails was doing this—and worse, he couldn't stop it.
Even Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, hidden in another dimension and observing carefully, was unsettled. He didn't understand the purpose behind the Ten-Tails' sudden preparation.
Ever cautious, Isshiki remained ready to escape through his dimensional jutsu. This was not something even he dared to take lightly.
But their unease was misplaced.
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was now fully awakened. She had pinned her hopes on this massive Tailed Beast Ball—her one shot at destroying the celestial prison that sealed her.
When the orb was complete, it was roughly the size of Shukaku, the One-Tail.
Then, under Nagato's horrified gaze, the colossal Tailed Beast Ball slowly floated upward.
A surge of chakra burst from the Ten-Tails. Despite its size, the orb launched into the sky like an arrow loosed from a drawn bow.
Its target—was the moon.
Nagato's expression twisted in shock.
He hadn't cared where it went—so long as it didn't fall on him. But this? The moon?
The scale of such an impact would shake the very world.
Across the elemental nations, shinobi and civilians alike looked to the heavens in disbelief, witnessing the crimson orb soaring skyward. The Ten-Tails' location was now completely exposed.
As Nagato pondered his next move, a sudden shift caught him off guard—he could feel his Rinnegan syncing with the Ten-Tails again. He could control it!
Overcome with surprise and urgency, he ignored the how and why. This was his chance to seal the Ten-Tails inside himself—to become its jinchūriki.
But Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, lurking nearby, scowled.
The meaning was now clear. Even if the Ten-Tails' previous actions had seemed autonomous, the firing of this Tailed Beast Ball was clearly orchestrated.
Kaguya. It could only be her.
"That cursed woman…" Isshiki growled internally, watching the orb rocket toward the heavens. He considered intercepting it.
But his current vessel was too frail.
"She got lucky," he muttered bitterly. "But if she breaks out… her two precious sons won't stay quiet."
In the end, he chose not to act.
Elsewhere, a powerful figure also stood by.
Kawaki Aoba, once a child lost to karma and now a force in his own right, observed the sky with interest.
"Kaguya Ōtsutsuki... clever woman," he muttered. "Using a massive Tailed Beast Ball to destroy the seal on the moon. I never thought of that."
He suspected Kaguya had only recently devised this plan. Now he was genuinely curious about what would come next.
If she returned… certain gods would not remain idle.
For now, Kawaki Aoba was content to observe. As for the mysterious Netherworld Pure Land, he had only scratched the surface. There was still much work to be done to find it.
Perhaps, if he was lucky, even Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki might appear again.
The Tailed Beast Ball reached its target.
A violent, thunderous explosion rocked the heavens as it struck the moon. Everyone watching saw it—a cataclysmic detonation that lit the night like day.
Chunks of the moon were blasted into space. Nearly one-twentieth of its mass disintegrated or fractured, scattering across the sky.
Yet, surprisingly, the moon held together.
The true impact, however, was not its partial destruction—but the shattering of the ancient seal upon it.
What had once been only cracked and weathered was now barely holding together.
That the moon had not split in half was miraculous.
But its trembling was visible—even from Earth.
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki… was stirring.
From deep within the Pure Land, the Sage of Six Paths opened his eyes.
His calm face now bore a trace of concern.
Things were beginning to deviate from the future he had once envisioned.
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