Konoha.
A full moon night.
The sky turned crimson as nine colossal fiery tails spread wide. The Nine-Tails appeared before the people of Konoha.
It howled, lifting countless boulders with its might.
Houses collapsed everywhere, and crowds scattered in panic.
"It's the Nine-Tails..."
"All elderly, weak, women, and children must go to the shelters."
"Follow me..."
Nearby, a Byakugan boy lying on the ground, clothes covered in footprints, opened his eyes. He stood up, gazing around in confusion.
"I died in a freak accident... How did I end up here?"
Noticing him frozen in place, a Hyuga ninja leading the group swiftly kicked him back into the crowd.
"You wanna die? Get moving!"
Hiroki Hyuga stumbled along with the crowd toward the shelter.
After safely settling them inside, the Hyuga ninja left again to assist elsewhere.
Inside the shelter wasn't calm. Screams from the fighting ninjas and the Nine-Tails' terrifying roars occasionally echoed inside, setting off waves of crying and sobbing.
Within this short time, the Byakugan boy finally figured out his identity.
His original name was Hiroki Hyuga, an ordinary branch member of the Hyuga clan. He lost his parents at age three, received the Caged Bird seal at four, and now at five, nearly died after being trampled during the chaos.
Several hours later, the Nine-Tails' roars weakened gradually until the redness completely vanished from the sky, restoring the night's original color.
"Has it ended?"
Soon after, people began arriving at the shelter to pick up their loved ones.
"Let's go. You can return home now..."
"Dad, I'm so glad you're safe."
"Aji? How is he doing?"
As Hiroki exited the shelter, his confused expression cleared slightly. Following his memory, he returned alone to the Hyuga clan compound.
Fortunately, his house hadn't been damaged by the Nine-Tails' attack.
With a black headband tied across his forehead, the long-haired, white-eyed young figure sat quietly by the window, gazing at the moon above, deep in thought.
"So this is the dangerous Naruto world… the one full of chaos and death."
"What happens to someone like me—someone not even named in the story? Will I make it through?"
"Wait... do I count as already having died once?"
"The origin of everything lies with Kaguya Otsutsuki..."
"That woman..."
An image of Kaguya Otsutsuki formed in his mind when suddenly, the scene before him abruptly shifted.
Before him lay an ancient, magnificent palace. Sitting centrally upon a wide throne was an extremely beautiful woman whose appearance clearly differed from normal humans.
She had pale skin, long blue-white hair, Byakugan eyes and red lips, no eyebrows, horns atop her head, and exuded cold detachment...
This appearance was a perfect match for what he had just been picturing in his mind.
Am I experiencing 'what occupies your mind during the day recurs at night'?
But I was fully awake just now!
Hiroki Hyuga was utterly baffled.
Kaguya Otsutsuki, seated at the central throne, looked even more stunned than he did.
...Who is he?
Someone has managed to breach my inner spiritual world?
So weak... Should I just devour him directly? Kaguya began contemplating.
Hiroki Hyuga opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
Kaguya, gradually regaining her senses, abandoned the idea of devouring him.
A rare living being finally appears; might as well keep him around for some entertainment.
Kaguya's eyes returned to their usual coldness, hiding an unmelting block of ancient frost within. Her vermillion lips barely moved as she spoke in a voice extremely detached.
"Who are you?"
Hiroki was slightly taken aback.
Her presence is really overwhelming. Speaking of which, I'm not into masochism at all. Whatever, since this seems like a dream, I should do things my way.
He concentrated his thoughts.
But nothing changed before his eyes. On the contrary, Kaguya's gaze turned even colder.
"I am speaking to you."
Kaguya's voice came again, carrying with it an irresistible aura that pushed against Hiroki. He was instantly shoved backward several steps and fell on his backside.
"Pathetically weak," she judged.
The pain from sitting down hard felt real. Confusion written all over Hiroki's face, he blurted out, "Where is this place?"
"This is the Kaguya Palace; I am its mistress, Kaguya otsutsuki."
Hiroki became even more perplexed. Wasn't Kaguya supposed to be sealed away? How could she still be here inside some palace?
Like a machine long unused suddenly receiving oil, Kaguya's mind now seemed increasingly agile.
She mused silently: If this spiritual entity has breached this realm, I can track its trail to locate its host... and take control of it.
Looking into his eyes, he must be a descendant of Hamura otsutsuki. Maybe I can use his identity to see what era it is now...
After thinking, part of Kaguya's consciousness entered Hiroki Hyuga's body.
In the Ninja World,
Outside the village of Konoha,
After the Nine-Tails had been sealed away, Obito Uchiha didn't leave immediately. He stood atop a cliff overlooking the village below.
Nearby on the ground, White Zetsu emerged halfway from within a Venus flytrap-like plant, silently watching the silent Obito.
Inside the village,
At the Hyuga clan compound, a certain residence.
In the bedroom, the [Hiroki Hyuga] lying on the bed opened his eyes, filled with ruthless coldness ready to annihilate everything.
"A descendant of Hamura otsutsuki? Yet so weak?"
"This body is too frail, incapable of doing anything."
"If I channel my true power into this vessel, he couldn't withstand it; his body would probably collapse very soon."
"What is this?"
Suddenly, [Hiroki Hyuga] frowned, a flicker of disgust flashing in his eyes as he detected something binding his brain.
"This kind of sealing level..."
Dzeng~
As if a string snapped, a sound rang inside his mind.
Caged Bird Seal has thus become ineffective!
Then, [Hiroki Hyuga] extended his perception across nearly the entire Ninja World.
Land of Demons, Land of Earth, Land of Iron, Land of Lightning, Land of Rain, Land of Wind, Land of Fire, Land of Lightning...
[Hiroki Hyuga]'s eyes narrowed sharply.
How many years have passed by now?
Millennia-long... it exists.
Could those chakra constructs really be scattered across all corners of the world?
Zetsu, you absolute waste of space! Have you done *nothing* all this time?
Something brushed past him. Black Zetsu flinched — shock flashing across his face.
This familiar aura… could it be Mother? But how is that possible?
"Zetsu, what's wrong with you?" Obito Uchiha noticed his odd behavior and looked at him in confusion, asking.
Black Zetsu immediately returned to normal, wearing a calm expression as he replied, "Their crying stirred up some painful memories from long ago."
Freaking nutcase. Obito inwardly muttered.
In the next moment, Black Zetsu was already thinking about something else—where exactly had that aura come from?
Seeing that Obito Uchiha still hadn't moved an inch, he spoke up, "Madara, since things are done here, we should leave now..."
Obito didn't reply but activated Kamui and vanished.
Zetsu melted into the earth, vanishing without a trace.
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