With the combined efforts of Naruto and the new generation of shinobi world powerhouses, the remnants of the Ōtsutsuki Divine Cult in the shinobi world were swiftly hunted down to a dangerously low number.
Even though Momoshiki controlled his lunar followers to bombard the shinobi world with a chakra cannon, it had little effect. Instead, it only pushed the two forces to unite even more tightly.
Driven to madness, Momoshiki decided to unleash his divine power for a devastating strike on the shinobi world. However, just as he began constructing a chakra cannon capable of concentrating his godly might, the Slug Sage sensed it.
Such an act clearly broke the unspoken rule of the shinobi world — god-level beings were not allowed to directly intervene.
What's more, if this chakra cannon that could absorb Momoshiki's divine power were to be completed, even the shinobi world itself risked being pierced through. Neither the gods nor the sages of the shinobi world would allow such a thing to happen.
At that moment, a dragon vein quietly extended into the second moon, and an endless force of rules poured in to join in strangling Momoshiki.
Even though Momoshiki was a peerless prodigy among the younger generation of the Ōtsutsuki, he was powerless before the Slug Sage, whose level of existence was far beyond his own. The moment his body regenerated, it was instantly torn apart into pieces, never to be reformed again.
The second moon trembled violently. In an instant, Momoshiki went from a patient predator to a life hanging by a thread.
He no longer had the time or strength to concern himself with what was happening in the shinobi world.
Even his followers on the second moon were manipulated into worshiping him, continuously pouring strength into him in a desperate attempt to keep him alive.
Without Momoshiki's protection, the Ōtsutsuki Divine Cult in the shinobi world was completely wiped out.
...
During this process, Boruto also learned that his father, Naruto, had not died, but had been living on in another form all along. For reasons unknown, he had only revealed himself now, when the shinobi world was already in this state.
Boruto's feelings toward Naruto were complicated — there was the bond between father and son after years apart, but also deep resentment.
If Naruto hadn't suddenly vanished and faked his death, perhaps Sasuke and Neji wouldn't have been forced into a desperate situation, becoming the core of the seal on Momoshiki.
If Naruto had been alive and present, no one would have dared to dissolve or fracture the once-united shinobi alliance.
Then the nearly decade-long dark age of Ōtsutsuki rampage and rule might never have come.
The shinobi world wouldn't have become the way it is now.
Such tangled emotions could not be put into words.
Boruto chose to turn it all into anger, activating his Sage Mode and clashing endlessly with the resurrected Naruto amidst the ruins.
...
Naruto, for his part, felt guilt in his heart. But unfortunately, upon his return, though he had learned many secrets among the gods — such as the impending arrival of the Ōtsutsuki clan's fleet and an unprecedented crisis known as the Great Cataclysm, an unknown future of destruction — he could not speak of them.
Only by keeping silent could he, in this brief window of time, draw out many future stars from the shinobi world, readying them to face the coming Ōtsutsuki threat, and thus leave a sliver of hope for the world.
With that in mind, Naruto stopped resisting. If Boruto wanted to vent, he would let him.
Boruto was no longer the naive young master he once was — he was now the core pillar of the entire shinobi alliance. Naruto believed that once the flames of anger subsided, Boruto would understand everything.
...
Naruto now inhabited a body custom-made by Orochimaru, no longer a mortal's frame.
Though he hadn't stepped into the realm of the gods, his arsenal of Kekkei Genkai and near-limitless chakra allowed him to stand on par with the naturally gifted Ōtsutsuki in many ways.
Even with Six Paths Sage Mode activated, Boruto could not inflict fatal wounds on Naruto. The defenses formed from Magnet Release and Wood Release were unbreakable, not to mention Naruto was still holding back the Adamantine Sealing Chains within him.
Eventually, Boruto grew exhausted.
The father and son sat together in what was once the Valley of the End. Now, after endless war, only two broken statues remained, and a small waterfall.
Yet this place had recorded several great turning points in shinobi history — from Hashirama's battle with Uchiha Madara, to Naruto's two duels with his rival Sasuke, and now to the battle between father and son.
Even Konoha had long since become ruins, the shinobi alliance collapsing and re-forming once more.
...
Naruto received word from the Slug Sage, and so subtly voiced his view of the future. He suggested that the second moon should now serve as the training ground for the shinobi alliance, and that this was the perfect moment to completely eliminate Momoshiki.
Boruto agreed.
Thus, under Boruto's leadership, the new generation of shinobi world powerhouses stepped forward — Boruto with Six Paths Sage Mode, Sarada with her Mangekyō Sharingan, Mitsuki with Perfect Sage Mode, and many other Kage-level fighters who had risen in the battles against the Ōtsutsuki Divine Cult.
The new generation had finally grown up — their strength and potential rivaled that of the old guard.
Alongside them were the surviving veterans like Tsunade and Kakashi. Though their power was not what it once was, the blood and fire they had endured had honed them into blades ready to shine one last time.
There was also the artificial human army — technologically enhanced to jōnin level, composed of wounded shinobi and ordinary people who hated the Ōtsutsuki with all their being.
Once again, the shinobi world launched an expedition to the second moon.
...
This time, the prepared shinobi alliance learned from the past, equipping their ships with protective shields captured from the Ōtsutsuki Divine Cult.
They relied on Naruto, Boruto, Mitsuki, and Sarada to employ various defensive measures aboard the flagship.
The fleet left the shinobi world, closing in on the second moon.
Even in his near-death state, Momoshiki was forced to send out forces to intercept.
Dozens of chakra cannons locked onto the fleet and opened fire. The shinobi world's chakra cannon technology was already incredibly powerful, rivaling the full-force strikes of super-Kage. With the enhancement of Ōtsutsuki tech, the blasts easily shattered the alliance's shields.
A towering Susanoo suddenly manifested, holding two pitch-black suns to block the assault — Sarada's power.
But even she could barely endure it. The chakra cannons on the second moon were backed by Momoshiki's god-tier chakra. No matter how incredible Sarada's space-time abilities were, she could not hold out for long.
...
At that moment, a phantom of violet light appeared. The shadow waved its hand, turning Truth-Seeking Orbs into a shield. Boruto activated his Six Paths Sage Mode and harnessed the power of Truth-Seeking Orbs to withstand the onslaught.
Boruto's Jōgan kept pulsing, as if something within it was awakening in the midst of this clash. Yet he still could not hold out long against the chakra leaking from Momoshiki — this was the gap between mortals and gods.
Just as they were about to falter, Naruto stepped in.
Using Magnet Release, he took over the Truth-Seeking Orbs Boruto had conjured, while hundreds of golden chakra chains shot from his back, spreading across the fleet.
They wove themselves into a barrier, cleverly dispersing the endless cannon fire. Drawing on the sealing arts, the barrier allowed mortals to stand against the Ōtsutsuki and gods.
During his rebirth, Naruto had not been idle — he had crammed knowledge of sealing and barrier techniques from Orochimaru and even from the sages of the sacred lands, to better wield the innate power of the Uzumaki clan.
At the same time, the new generation of shinobi quickly recovered and poured their strength into the barrier's key points. A massive shield enveloping the entire fleet took form, rendering the chakra cannon bombardment harmless.