Konoha.
Kaede floated calmly above the Hokage Tower.
The radiant light of the Infinite Tsukuyomi pierced through everything, yet it could not pass through his body.
Rumble, Boom!!
The power of the Divine Tree had spread across the entire Shinobi World. Near Konoha, it burst from underground, with massive roots rising skyward and attempting to penetrate the village.
But just then, a glint of blue light flashed in Kaede's eyes. A radiant pattern appeared, and a surge of ocular power burst forth.
"All that work building up Konoha…"
"Don't go destroying it so casually."
His voice was calm and composed.
The life-and-death power of the Rinne-Tenseigan activated. The trembling ground of Konoha stabilized instantly, and the cracked earth sealed itself up again.
The massive roots of the Divine Tree that tried to pierce into the village were forcibly suppressed. Those that had already breached from the outskirts withered under Kaede's gaze, instantly losing all vitality and crumbling into dust.
"Kaede!!"
Voices rang out, Yuhi Kurenai, Mei Terumi, and others had gathered.
No one knew exactly when they had arrived, but the rooftop of the Hokage Tower was now crowded. The inside of the tower remained untouched by the Infinite Tsukuyomi's light.
That blinding glow from the moon had been completely blocked by Kaede's small frame, floating in the air. Though his body didn't seem large, it was enough to shield the entire Hokage Tower from harm.
"W-What is happening?" Mei looked around in shock. All of Konoha's streets were frozen, every person she could see was standing still, eyes glazed over with Rinnegan-like ripples.
Hinata, who had earlier fled because of Mei's teasing, had stopped at the Hokage Tower's front door. Her instincts screamed that the white light outside was dangerous. Her earlier embarrassment had been replaced by alarm and confusion.
After a brief pause, she turned and quickly ran back up.
By the time she reached the rooftop, many shinobi had already gathered, Yuhi Kurenai, Tsunade, Konan, Nara Shikaku, and others who worked inside the Hokage Tower.
"Sensei…"
Hinata looked up, seeing Kaede's silhouette blocking out the brilliant sky. His not-so-tall frame felt like a mountain, standing firm between them and the world. It filled her with a deep sense of peace.
Shikaku, scanning the changed state of the village, turned to Kaede. "Hokage-sama, what's going on?! What happened to everyone?!"
"This is the technique known as Infinite Tsukuyomi, a genjutsu cast across the entire world using the moon as a medium," Kaede answered from above, voice steady. "It draws people into their ideal dreamscape, so there's no need to worry. Once I defeat the caster, the illusion will be lifted."
The ocular power of his Rinne-Tenseigan was on par with the Rinne Sharingan with nine tomoe. It could not only cast Infinite Tsukuyomi, but also dispel it. Still, Kaede hadn't interfered.
It was already late, after all.
Letting the people of Konoha dream a little might not be so bad. A nice dream never hurt, though the Divine Tree definitely wasn't welcome. Reconstruction would be a pain if it went too far.
His calm tone soothed everyone present. Since Kaede could block the technique's light from reaching the Hokage Tower, then surely, he could also stop the one who cast it.
That was the faith they had in Kaede.
After all,
He was the strongest Hokage.
Time passed.
Eventually, the brilliant white light began to dim, and the sky gradually returned to darkness. The illusion cast from the moon vanished.
Kaede, bathed in a soft golden glow, hovered in the dark night sky. He glanced upward, tilted his head, and said quietly,
"So… she went to Kakashi, huh?"
Whoosh!
With those words, a pitch-black space portal opened beside him, and he vanished within it.
Back on the rooftop, Kurenai, Tsunade, and the others stood silently, still gazing toward the sky with lingering worry.
=============
Somewhere high above the Shinobi World.
"So you can block my Infinite Tsukuyomi after all…"
Otsutsuki Kaguya opened her Byakugan, her gaze sweeping across the world until it landed on Konoha. Across the distance, her eyes briefly met Kaede's.
There were roughly forty thousand shinobi affiliated with Konoha now, around ten thousand stationed within the village, another ten thousand on missions throughout the world, and the remaining ones scattered across former Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and other locations, working on the construction of Konoha's second and third branches.
Though the Konoha shinobi had all fallen into Infinite Tsukuyomi, the Divine Tree couldn't penetrate the village thanks to Kaede. The power she needed could not be harvested from there.
"No matter. The others are more than enough."
Kaguya whispered to herself. The vast Divine Tree stretching across the world began drawing chakra from the planet's various leylines, and from the thousands of shinobi wrapped in its tendrils.
A surge of chakra burst from the earth and merged with her body, deepening her presence and expanding her power until it felt as vast as an abyss.
Finally,
The last strand of chakra was absorbed.
As the Infinite Tsukuyomi's glow dimmed, Kaguya's eyes caught another anomaly, a place beyond Konoha where a tremendous chakra force was resisting her genjutsu.
"…Hagoromo's chakra?"
The thought flickered through her mind.
A spatial rift opened beside her. Without hesitation, she stepped through, and reappeared high above the capital of the Land of Fire.
There,
Kakashi was still maintaining his full-body Susanoo, floating in the air with massive blue wings outstretched. The moment the dark rift opened above, his expression shifted.
He immediately sensed the chakra, it wasn't Kaede's.
And sure enough, the figure that emerged wasn't Kaede.
It was a woman in a flowing robe, with long white hair draped down her back. Her chakra was vast and unfathomable.
"Otsutsuki… Kaguya."
Kakashi's voice was low as he spoke her name.
Kaguya said nothing. Her expression was cool and detached. She slowly reached out her hand toward him.
HUMMMMM!!!
Kakashi's pupils contracted in alarm.
The world shifted instantly. The capital of the Land of Fire vanished, and in the blink of an eye, he found himself in a realm of ice and snow!
This wasn't an illusion.
It wasn't a genjutsu.
It was a completely different world!
The technique of the Rinne Sharingan with nine tomoe,
Amenominaka.
It didn't just teleport people. It moved the entire battlefield in an instant!
"A genjutsu? No…"
"…This is a real world!"
Kakashi looked down at the towering ice peaks surrounding him. Even with his current power, he was shaken.
This wasn't anywhere on the Shinobi Continent.
It was another dimension entirely.
The power to rewrite reality itself…
So this…
This was the power of the Progenitor of Chakra, Otsutsuki Kaguya.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria