Under the night sky of the Land of Wind, Naruto raced through a raging sandstorm.
Three hours earlier, the Great Toad Sage had revealed a prophecy so shocking that it had nearly shattered his mind. But as the feverish emotions in his head gradually cooled, several lingering doubts surfaced.
"I don't get it. I really don't get it! If Uchiha Jin's true identity is an extraterrestrial Otsutsuki, then why did he warn us about Isshiki? What possible benefit could that have brought him!?"
As he ran, Naruto clawed at the grains of sand tangled in his hair.
"Damn it! I can't figure it out! I could scratch my scalp bloody and still not understand! If only Shikamaru were here with me right now!"
"Using one blade to kill another."
The Sage of Six Paths' voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Huh?" Naruto's eyes widened.
Hagoromo spoke with certainty.
"The heavenly fiend—Uchiha Jin—has the same objective as my mother. He intends to use the God Tree to harvest all the chakra on this world."
"In that case, Isshiki, who was already lurking on this planet, would naturally be his competitor."
"So the answer is obvious. Eliminating his rival and monopolizing the planet's resources is the logical course of action."
Naruto considered it seriously, then nodded.
"That makes sense."
Hagoromo continued.
"But as fellow Otsutsuki, a direct confrontation between them would inevitably come at a heavy cost."
"So, unwilling to pay that price himself, Uchiha Jin devised another plan."
"He chose to use the two strongest natives of this world—you and Sasuke—as his weapons."
"He intended to borrow your hands to eliminate Isshiki."
Naruto's eyes lit up.
"Ah! So that's it!"
In an instant, the tangled knot of confusion in his mind unraveled.
"That explains everything!"
"That explains why Uchiha Jin never killed us, even after clashing with us so many times!"
"Why he repeatedly stepped in to save Konoha!"
"He was trying to win our trust!"
"Then, step by step, he lured us into the lies he had prepared in advance!"
"He claimed he wanted us to become stronger!"
"That must be why he somehow manipulated Kabuto Yakushi into transplanting these Mangekyo Sharingan into me while Sasuke and I were unconscious, and replacing Sasuke's missing arm with one made from Hashirama's cells!"
"His real intention was to turn Sasuke and me into sharper, deadlier weapons against Isshiki!"
"But what he never expected was that, when we were on the verge of death, we would meet the Sage of Six Paths again and receive power far beyond his calculations!"
Naruto let out a bitter laugh.
"Hah. As if he was ever planning to fight Isshiki himself."
"What he wanted was for us and Isshiki to tear each other apart."
Hagoromo nodded.
"As expected of you. One hint was all you needed."
Naruto lowered his brows again. But as one mystery was solved, another immediately emerged.
"Wait…"
"Six Paths Grandpa, if Isshiki was his competitor, then why did Uchiha Jin revive Kaguya?"
"She also wants to reclaim the chakra of this world."
"She should be his rival too, shouldn't she?"
Hagoromo stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"Naruto, this is how I see it."
"I'm listening."
"The Otsutsuki possessing Uchiha Jin likely has some deep connection to my mother, Kaguya."
"A connection?"
"Yes."
"Even someone as powerful as my mother did not come into existence from nothing."
"As a living being, she must have had parents."
"Perhaps siblings."
"And even if she herself had none, her parents would still have had relatives of their own."
"This heavenly fiend may be one of her blood relatives."
"That relationship means they would not necessarily be enemies—at least not for now."
He paused.
"And Naruto, have you forgotten one crucial detail?"
"The Great Toad Sage said the heavenly fiend possessed an Uchiha."
"Possession."
"What does that mean to an Otsutsuki?"
Naruto's eyes widened.
"It means he branded Uchiha Jin with a Kāma!"
"Just like Isshiki did to Kawaki!"
"Jin is the vessel!"
"Exactly like Jigen!"
Hagoromo nodded.
"That part is obvious."
"But what I want to emphasize is this: when does an Otsutsuki search for a vessel?"
Naruto thought for a moment.
"When they're close to death…"
"Exactly."
"Just as humans prepare their affairs when death approaches, Otsutsuki are no different."
"That heavenly fiend is nearing the end of his life."
"His body is in poor condition."
"That is why he turned Uchiha Jin into his vessel."
Naruto's thoughts raced.
"That makes sense!"
"But…"
"What exactly is the relationship between the fiend and Uchiha Jin?"
"A vessel should only lose their will after reincarnation, right?"
"Jin hasn't displayed any obvious Otsutsuki traits so far."
"That means the reincarnation hasn't happened yet."
"So he should still retain his own consciousness."
"Then whose will is driving all of this?"
"The fiend's?"
"Or Jin's?"
Hagoromo replied, "You're focusing too much on Kawaki and forgetting Jigen."
Naruto slapped his forehead.
"Jigen!"
"Right!"
"How did I forget him!?"
"Jigen hadn't been fully reincarnated either."
"But his will was clearly already overwritten by Isshiki!"
Hagoromo stroked his beard and nodded.
"Precisely."
"So the idea that a vessel always retains their will before reincarnation is not absolute."
"Uchiha Jin is likely like Jigen."
"Not yet fully reincarnated, but his consciousness has already been completely replaced."
"Which brings us back to what I said earlier."
"The Otsutsuki's power would gradually increase as the Kāma thawed."
"Before the thaw was complete, his strength would still be limited."
"That is why he needed my mother as an accomplice."
"But he dared not revive her at full power."
"Because a fully restored Kaguya would be too strong."
"If he himself had not yet fully thawed, their positions would not be equal."
"He would risk being devoured by her instead."
Naruto suddenly recalled something.
"Wait, Six Paths Grandpa!"
"The Great Toad Sage said the heavenly fiend was more dangerous than Kaguya!"
"Even if he wasn't fully thawed, why would he fear her?"
Hagoromo nodded.
"He did say that."
"But danger does not necessarily equal power."
"In terms of raw strength, I do not believe this so-called fiend surpasses my mother."
"His true threat lies in his ambition and schemes."
Naruto's eyes brightened.
"That's right!"
"He said dangerous—not stronger!"
"Now I get it!"
"Experience really does matter."
"How did you figure all this out so quickly, Six Paths Grandpa?"
Hagoromo smiled.
"So. No more doubts?"
Naruto clenched his fist.
"None."
"I understand everything now."
"We were wrong."
"The real Uchiha Jin…"
"He's just an innocent victim."
"A pitiful man possessed by a heavenly fiend."
Hagoromo's expression turned solemn.
"Exactly."
"The true source of all evil is the unknown Otsutsuki who seized Uchiha Jin's body and will."
"He is closely related to my mother, Kaguya."
"Though weaker than her in power, his ambition and cunning are far greater."
"If those two join forces, the shinobi world will face an unprecedented catastrophe."
"Naruto…"
"What must be done next should be obvious."
"The vessel's power grows stronger as the Kāma continues to thaw."
"If we wait until this Otsutsuki fully reincarnates, then with my mother at his side, we may never be able to stop them."
Naruto's eyes hardened.
"I know exactly what I need to do."
In the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, the Child of Prophecy would lead everyone into the fiend's lair.
Who was the Child of Prophecy?
Itachi's words still echoed clearly in Naruto's ears.
It is not those who become Hokage who earn the people's acknowledgment.
It is those who are acknowledged by the people who become Hokage.
Then…
"It's not that the Child of Prophecy is destined to save the world."
"It's the one who saves the world that becomes the Child of Prophecy!"
"I'll inform the Five Kage about the Great Toad Sage's prophecy!"
"Then I'll rally every shinobi of the Five Great Nations and lead them, just as the prophecy foretold, in an assault on Dark Hidden Village—the fiend's lair!"
Through the swirling sand, the towering cliffs of Sunagakure came into view.
Naruto's eyes blazed.
"The first Kage I'll persuade…"
"Will be Kazekage Gaara."
"My best friend, second only to Sasuke."
…
After Kakashi evacuated the surviving members of Konoha, the mountain basin was left silent and deserted, nothing but broken walls and scattered ruins.
Then, without warning—
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
The earth began to tremble violently.
Mountains shook.
Forests quivered.
A dark purple torrent burst through the ground.
The Rinnegan in its eyes flickered with a profound sense of unreality.
"I truly never imagined…"
"That I would survive Isshiki's attack in such a way…"
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