"Not enough."
Kaguya's voice carried neither joy nor anger—only unquestionable resolve.
The Heavenly Screen accelerated once more.
Kaguya's figure began appearing across every corner of the world.
With unmatched power, she moved like a precise and merciless engine of suppression. Wherever she went, conflicts ceased, warlords collapsed, and the old order of kingdoms was crushed beneath her will.
She redrew the vast lands, establishing new nations and appointing obedient rulers. She laid down iron laws:
No war of any kind would be permitted between nations.
Furthermore, every country was required to form an elite military force—but supreme command over those forces would rest solely in her hands: Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
She did not intend to wage conquest.
These armies would serve as pillars of the "peace" she imposed—barriers against internal strife, and perhaps one day, shields against threats from beyond.
Under the overwhelming pressure of her absolute might, the world entered an unprecedented era of "peace"—a peace so rigid it seemed frozen in place.
Old hatreds were forcibly suppressed.
Sparks of conflict were extinguished at birth.
Whether the rulers of each nation felt reverence, terror, or suppressed resentment, none dared reveal it.
But for the countless civilians who had endured endless warfare—displacement, starvation, the constant shadow of death—this enforced peace was a true blessing.
No more sudden invasions.
No more homes reduced to ashes overnight.
Life remained harsh—but it was livable.
Gradually, gratitude began to replace fear.
The people did not know who this white-robed woman of godlike power truly was, nor where she came from.
They only knew that she had ended the chaos.
She had established order.
Spontaneously, they began calling her the Rabbit Goddess, worshiping her as the divine bringer of peace and stability.
—
Beneath the God Tree, Kaguya listened as Black Zetsu reported the reverence spreading across the lands.
Her expression remained unchanged.
She simply held Hagoromo and Hamura a little tighter—
And lifted her gaze once more to the sky that filled her with constant unease.
The "peaceful world" she built was less an ideal kingdom and more a colossal, carefully constructed fortress—
Built to protect her children.
To accumulate strength.
To prepare for the unknown punishment of her clan.
—
Across the shinobi world, viewers watched this forcibly unified era with conflicted hearts.
They saw the value of peace.
They also saw the suffocating control beneath it.
And they saw, hidden beneath Kaguya's cold exterior, an anxiety like someone walking along the edge of a cliff—a mother's fear intertwined with dread of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
War had ceased.
Refugees returned home.
Nations maintained fragile balance under divine pressure.
Common people bowed before statues and portraits of Kaguya, offering thanks to the Rabbit Goddess for the tranquility they now enjoyed.
"Peace… just like that?" a young shinobi murmured, staring at the projection in disbelief.
Only moments earlier, the world on screen had been hell itself.
"Yes," an older companion sighed, expression complicated. "It's enforced peace. But look at those civilians… their gratitude is real."
"As long as there's no more war—even if a blade hangs over their heads—that's paradise to them. Compared to our Five Great Nations constantly checking each other with endless minor conflicts… this looks… cleaner."
At that moment, someone in the crowd muttered thoughtfully:
"Doesn't this feel… familiar?"
The words rippled outward like a stone dropped into still water.
Absolute power used as deterrence.
All wars forcibly ended.
Peace guaranteed by supreme violence.
The model sounded strangely recognizable.
—
Land of Rain — The Tower
Deep within the tower of Amegakure, Nagato stared at the Heavenly Curtain through the Rinnegan of the Deva Path.
Earlier revelations—showing his defeat by Naruto Uzumaki and his ultimate self-sacrifice—had shaken his convictions and plunged him into despair.
But now—
A near-maniacal clarity replaced doubt.
"Do you see?" the Deva Path's voice echoed through the tower, trembling with suppressed intensity. "Kaguya… she succeeded. She ended the age of chaos."
Nagato's thoughts raced, comparing her actions with his own philosophy.
Kaguya wielded unmatched individual power.
He possessed the Rinnegan—the power of a god.
Kaguya made the rulers of nations fear her, preventing war.
He planned to create Tailed Beast weapons to make the great nations feel pain—so they would fear war.
The result?
Peace.
Civilians saved.
Gratitude from the masses.
This—this was the ultimate goal of Akatsuki.
A distorted smile curved across the Deva Path's lips. The Rinnegan shimmered with renewed cold resolve.
"So this is it… I was right all along."
"Kaguya's path… is my path."
"Use absolute power to create fear. Use fear to extinguish war. Let the peace born of suffering nurture hope."
"This is the cure for a world drowning in hatred."
The self-doubt born from witnessing his "future failure" was now overturned by a powerful historical precedent.
"I did not fail because my path was wrong…"
"I failed because I was not strong enough."
"Naruto… the so-called Child of Prophecy… He could shake my resolve because he defeated me."
The Deva Path slowly raised a hand and clenched it into a fist.
"If I possessed power like Kaguya's—power capable of suppressing the entire world in an instant… No—if I possessed even something close to that…"
"Who would dare wage war?"
"Who would dare spread hatred?"
"Peace would come naturally."
The scenes of civilians reverently worshiping Kaguya stirred something deep within him.
He could almost see it—
After he forced the world to taste pain, after fear brought peace—
The common people, weary of war, would come to understand him.
Accept his method.
Perhaps even revere him as a new god.
The thought rekindled the fire in his cold heart.
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