"This woman… is called Ōtsutsuki Kaguya," Kaito said, his tone heavy as he recounted the ancient tale. "Long ago, the world was drowning in endless wars. To put a stop to the chaos, she consumed a forbidden fruit born from the God Tree itself."
The air inside the Hokage's office grew tense as Kaito spoke. Tsunade leaned forward, her amber eyes narrowing, but she said nothing yet.
"After eating the fruit, Kaguya gained overwhelming power, enough to silence all conflict. The wars ended, and the people came to revere her. They called her the Rabbit Goddess. And that fruit she consumed… it would later be known as the origin of chakra."
"What? You mean chakra came from her?" Tsunade's eyes widened.
"Yeah," Kaito replied calmly. "Don't interrupt. There's more."
Tsunade smirked faintly, masking her unease. "Fine. Keep going."
Kaito's voice deepened as he continued. "After the wars stopped, Kaguya bore two children—Ōtsutsuki Hamura and Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo. But the power of the God Tree corrupted her heart. Before long, she imposed a tyrannical rule, using her dōjutsu to force humanity into submission. The goddess they once worshipped… became a figure of terror."
Tsunade's smirk faded.
"Her desire grew darker still," Kaito went on. "Kaguya sought to reclaim chakra from her own sons. But Hagoromo and Hamura resisted her cruelty. The battle that followed shook the world. In the end, the brothers combined their strength and sealed her away on the moon."
He paused, letting the weight of the story sink in.
"It should be said," Kaito added grimly, "that after consuming the fruit, Kaguya was no longer human. She became one with the God Tree itself—the Ten Tails' first jinchūriki."
"Ten Tails…?" Tsunade frowned deeply. "Hold on. The world already has tailed beasts, one through nine. Why would there be a Ten Tails?"
"Listen carefully." Kaito's tone was firm, cutting through her doubt. "When Hagoromo and Hamura sealed their mother, the God Tree went berserk. To prevent disaster, Hagoromo sealed its energy inside himself, becoming the Ten Tails' jinchūriki. That power was also the key to maintaining Kaguya's prison on the moon."
Tsunade's lips parted, but no words came.
"Afterwards," Kaito explained, "Hagoromo—whom history remembers as the Sage of Six Paths—founded Ninshū, the predecessor of the shinobi system. Meanwhile, Hamura and his descendants settled on the moon. The Hyūga clan is said to be their branch here on Earth, inheriting the Byakugan from Kaguya."
The office grew quiet as Tsunade absorbed the impossible truths.
"When Hagoromo neared the end of his life, he foresaw the danger of the Ten Tails returning. To prevent that, he used Yin-Yang Release to split its chakra into nine parts. Those nine fragments became the tailed beasts we know today. The Akatsuki's goal is to gather them all, revive the Ten Tails, and create a new jinchūriki to control the world."
By now Tsunade's eyes were wide, her lips parted in disbelief. She looked as if she'd been struck silent.
"Unbelievable…" she muttered after a long silence. "So, the Akatsuki are after the tailed beasts to revive that… thing? The Ten Tails—the God Tree itself?"
Kaito nodded once. "That's right."
Tsunade rubbed her temples and let out a long breath. "Alright… I understand. Leave me for now, Kaito. I need time to digest everything you've said. It's… difficult to accept."
Kaito gave a small bow of his head. "As you wish."
Turning on his heel, he left the office. He knew how overwhelming these revelations were; even he, who had long since learned them, sometimes felt their weight pressing down on him.
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
Terumi Mei, the Mizukage of the Hidden Mist, finally took her leave. She had lingered longer than expected, but as a Kage, her absence would stir rumors back in her own land.
Kaito didn't press her to stay. Instead, he spent the last night by her side, parting without words the following morning. By the time the sun hung high above Konoha's gates, Kaito stood there with Hinata and a few others, watching Mei's figure disappear into the distance.
After brief farewells, Kaito made his way back to the Hokage's office.
Inside, Tsunade lounged in her chair with a lazy expression, though her eyes betrayed that she had been waiting for him.
"So," she drawled, "the babysitter's gone?"
"Yeah," Kaito answered with a nod. "She's already left the village."
He reached into his cloak and produced a scroll, placing it on her desk. "This contains everything I've gathered on the Rinnegan. It's thorough. I'm concerned that whoever possesses it may target Konoha once I leave."
Tsunade's brows knit. "Leave? You just got back, and now you're already planning to run off again?"
"Don't worry," Kaito said lightly. "I'll be back soon. If all goes well, I'll reach a new level."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "A new level? At your stage? Don't tell me you're aiming to surpass the Sage of Six Paths himself."
Kaito only smiled faintly. "Almost. Don't worry about it." He gave a small wave of his hand. "I've already spoken to Hinata. I'll be gone for a while."
Before she could respond, his figure blurred and vanished in an instant.
The dense forests of the Land of Fire stretched endlessly before him. Each step Kaito took carried him hundreds of meters, his speed blurring into streaks of afterimages. His senses spread outward in waves of electromagnetic induction, searching for a place only he remembered—the passage to the moon.
The only way forward for his growth… was the Tenseigan.
He had intended it for Hinata, but the circumstances left him with no other choice. His own path demanded it now.
After half a day of travel, the cave he sought finally appeared within his perception. In a flash, Kaito arrived at its entrance. He slowed his pace, stepping cautiously inside.
The cave stretched into a vast stalactite chamber. Strange symbols, carved in an ancient script, lined the stone walls. Kaito glanced at them but paid little attention. He wasn't here for history lessons.
At the center of the cavern lay a pool of crystalline water, glittering faintly under the dim light. Its surface was calm, yet something about it felt… wrong.
Kaito extended his senses into the depths. The pool did not behave like water at all—it devoured his perception, like a black hole swallowing light. Beyond the first few meters, everything was swallowed by darkness.
Instead of fear, excitement stirred within him. His lips curved faintly.
"This is it," he murmured. "The path forward."
The pool was no ordinary water. It was the gateway.
______
Read chapters in advance on patreon.com/Zphyr_