"Isn't Otsutsuki Toneri already captured by you? Just kill him and the crisis is over. As for future threats… won't someone strong just step up when the time comes?"
From the despairing crowd, someone suddenly shouted.
Everyone instinctively looked toward Naruto.
Their eyes lit up.
That's right.
Every major threat so far— had already been handled by him.
Nagato? Under Naruto's control.
Obito? Captured.
Black Zetsu? Captured.
Madara? Completely sealed.
Even Toneri—who overwhelmed the Five Kage—
Was now tied up like livestock awaiting slaughter.
With Naruto's strength— even future threats didn't seem like a problem.
Relief spread through the crowd.
Some even began to look at Naruto like a savior.
"The future of the ninja world is in your hands."
They didn't say it out loud— but their eyes said everything.
Expectation.
Dependence.
Even… silent coercion.
Good people are expected to carry the burden.
If you stand for justice— then you should protect the world.
Naruto saw right through it.
"What if… I don't feel like helping?"
His voice was calm.
But cold.
The entire crowd froze.
This wasn't the cheerful boy they imagined.
This wasn't someone they could control.
Naruto wasn't naive.
Power had shown him the truth of the world.
Its darkness.
Its selfishness.
Justice?
Peace?
Destiny?
"All of that… is meaningless."
"I'll act because I want to."
"Not because I have to."
This world—
Was nothing more than a testing ground for him.
Trying to bind him with morality?
Ridiculous.
Silence fell.
Fear replaced expectation.
Only now did they realize—
The smiling blond boy…
Was the most terrifying existence in the entire ninja world.
Naruto waved his hand casually.
"Forget it. Most of you don't matter anyway."
"The real decisions are made by the strong."
"Now…"
"Let me show you what a true Otsutsuki is."
His hands formed seals.
Chakra exploded outward.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
The air itself felt heavy.
Black Zetsu's face twisted in horror.
Toneri's eyes widened.
They both realized—
What Naruto was about to do.
"No… he wouldn't…"
The crowd murmured nervously.
"The real Otsutsuki?"
"Who does he mean?"
"Idiot… of course it's her."
"The ancestor of chakra… the mother of the Sage of Six Paths…"
"Otsutsuki Kaguya!"
"But she's just a legend!"
"At this point? Nothing would surprise me anymore."
Naruto completed the final seal.
"Planetary Devastation… Release."
The moon trembled violently.
A terrifying presence—
Began to awaken.
Even Hashirama and Madara froze.
They could feel it.
Something far beyond them.
"Impossible…"
Then—
A voice echoed.
Cold.
Ancient.
"Hagoromo… Hamura…"
"You've finally let me out…"
Chakra gathered in the sky.
Endlessly.
Until—
She appeared.
A tall woman.
Long pale-blue hair.
White robes marked with black tomoe.
Byakugan eyes.
No eyebrows.
Horns on her head.
Otsutsuki Kaguya.
Her gaze swept across the battlefield.
"Ashura… Indra…"
"Hamura's descendant…"
Her eyes paused—
On Hashirama.
On Madara.
On Naruto and Sasuke.
On Toneri.
Only those few interested her.
"Mother!"
Black Zetsu screamed.
"You're finally free!"
Naruto stepped down—
Crushing Black Zetsu underfoot.
Kaguya's gaze shifted to him.
Cold.
Naruto smiled.
"You're not at full strength yet."
"No Ten Tails chakra."
"But…"
"Let's see how you handle today's ninja world."
With a wave of his hand—
Hashirama and Madara appeared beside her.
Madara's seal broke instantly.
His power returned.
A massive red barrier expanded—
Sealing them inside.
"Mada… looks like we're teaming up."
"Don't slow me down."
They grinned.
No hesitation.
No fear.
"Wood Style: Wood Dragon!"
The massive dragon surged forward.
"Universal Pull!"
Madara's Rinnegan activated—
Pinning Kaguya in place.
Perfect coordination.
But—
Kaguya sighed.
"Ashura… Indra…"
"Even you oppose me?"
She raised her hand.
"Eighty Gods Vacuum Strike."
BOOM.
The Wood Dragon shattered instantly.
The battle began.
The audience could barely follow.
Only flashes.
Afterimages.
Explosions.
"This… this isn't even human anymore…"
"This is beyond the Five Kage…"
Hashirama and Madara fought at full power.
Forests erupted.
Fire pillars soared.
Susanoo roared.
Space itself cracked.
But slowly—
They began to lose ground.
Kaguya adapted.
Her space-time abilities—
Made her untouchable.
Even worse—
Her gray bone attacks.
One touch—
And everything turned to dust.
Madara barely escaped one.
His Susanoo disintegrated instantly.
Cold sweat dripped down his face.
"This is insane…"
Naruto watched calmly.
"She's still this strong… even without the Ten Tails."
"She really is… something else."
In the original future—
Even Naruto and Sasuke couldn't kill her.
Only seal her.
That alone proved—
She was fundamentally different from other Otsutsuki.
Naruto stepped forward.
In an instant—
He appeared in the battlefield.
Kaguya was about to finish them—
But Naruto caught her attack midair.
"Relax."
"No need to go that far."
He smiled casually.
As if chatting.
For the first time—
Kaguya looked at him seriously.
An equal.
Naruto tilted his head.
"It's been a thousand years."
"The world has changed."
"Don't you want to… take a look?"
Kaguya rolled her eyes slightly.
She had just been attacked the moment she arrived—
And now he wanted to talk?
Below—
Hashirama and Madara caught their breath.
They looked up.
At Naruto.
At Kaguya.
And felt something they hadn't felt in years.
Powerlessness.
"Mada…"
"This isn't our era anymore."
"…Yeah."
"Getting dragged back just to face monsters like this…"
"What a joke."
The two legends stood silently.
As the new era— stood far above them.
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