Chapter 368: Kaguya Breaks Free!
Chapter 368: Kaguya Breaks Free!
Nagato's gaze swept over the two living individuals who could still move. He had already anticipated this.
One of them, Shizuka, was under his direct protection through the power of his Rinnegan.
As for Hyuga Miyuki… was it because of Hyuga Fuji's dojutsu?
As expected, an ocular power on par with the Rinnegan would be unaffected by Infinite Tsukuyomi.
"Then… why hasn't Hyuga Fuji shown up?"
Nagato frowned in thought but found no immediate answer. He decided to set the question aside.
Even though a few Edo Tensei reanimations and Hyuga Miyuki remained, none of them were strong enough to stop him!
"Divine—Birth of the World of Trees!"
With a low shout, Nagato quickly formed hand seals. A torrent of chakra surged through his body, flooding into the earth.
In an instant, the ground shook violently. Massive cracks spread like a spider's web, and from within these fissures, overwhelming chakra burst forth, transforming into enormous vines and branches.
The vegetation grew at an astonishing speed, intertwining and spreading outward. In mere moments, a dense forest had taken root.
As Infinite Tsukuyomi continued its influence, countless vines extended toward the people caught in its genjutsu. These tendrils wrapped around their bodies with an eerie gentleness, lifting them into the air.
The forest's reach kept expanding, its edges extending far into the distance.
Feeling the immense energy surging within the newly formed Divine Tree, Nagato's lips curled into a faint smile. These trees would absorb the chakra of those ensnared, providing him with an endless source of power for the next phase of his plan.
With this thought, Nagato turned his gaze toward the one he had personally protected—Shizuka Otsutsuki.
"It's your turn now."
Kaguya nodded, suppressing her inner excitement.
She was preparing to activate her divine ability—"Almighty".
Just then, the Edo Tensei shinobi and Hyuga Miyuki evaded the attacking vines and charged toward them.
Nagato frowned.
"Fools. You think you can stop me?"
In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished, streaking toward them at a speed so fast that only a fading afterimage remained.
The Third Raikage, his body surging with violent lightning chakra, met Nagato's charge like a raging beast.
"So you're the one who controlled my son?! Die! Hell Stab—One-Fingered Assault!"
On the battlefield, he had sensed something was off when fighting his son. The boy had attacked without hesitation, with a relentless killing intent.
While such behavior wasn't necessarily unusual in war, the complete lack of words, the immediate aggression—it wasn't normal. He had tried asking about the Land of Lightning's situation, but his son never responded.
Then the truth had revealed itself.
When Infinite Tsukuyomi was cast, his son's eyes had transformed into Rinnegan, but unlike the others, he hadn't fallen into slumber. Instead, he remained active, his power eerily similar to Nagato's.
The realization was undeniable.
The man with the Rinnegan before him had taken control of his son!
"…"
Nagato watched the Third Raikage charge toward him, expression unreadable. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the others preparing to unleash their jutsu. He calmly raised a hand.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Boom!
The Almighty Push exploded outward, sending the Edo Tensei shinobi flying.
Hyuga Miyuki, however, used the power of her Tenseigan to resist the shockwave, counterattacking at the perfect moment.
But none of this had anything to do with Kaguya.
At that moment, Kaguya stood motionless, her eyes closed. A single branch from the Divine Tree connected to her, allowing her to absorb its power while focusing on her divine technique. Her expression was serious.
This was her one and only chance. She could not afford to fail.
"Almighty" was the ability to manifest anything, to turn thoughts into reality—to make one's deepest desire come true.
And right now, the only desire in Kaguya Otsutsuki's heart was to escape from the Moon's prison!
Her will merged with her divine technique.
"Almighty," Kaguya whispered.
Instantly, an immense wave of power erupted. The energy radiated outward at blinding speed, distorting the very air, making space tremble with a deep, resonant hum.
Kaguya could feel it—a deep connection forming between her and the world itself. At that moment, her consciousness seemed to break free from the limits of her body, spreading across the cosmos.
This was the power of a god—the ability to create an entire world.
Meanwhile, deep within the Moon's prison, the unbreakable seal that had bound her for centuries began to weaken.
Kaguya's true form sensed the shift and felt a surge of joy—this was proof that her "Almighty" technique was working!
She prepared to break free.
But suddenly, a powerful opposing force erupted from the Moon itself!
A counterforce of equal strength pushed back against her divine technique, triggering a deafening explosion that echoed through the heavens.
"Hamura… Even after a thousand years, even in death, you're still trying to stop me?"
Her voice, filled with suppressed rage, resonated through the space via chakra.
"No matter what, I will leave this place today!"
She focused all her energy, pouring everything into her divine technique, clashing against the force blocking her escape.
The entire Moon trembled under the strain of their battle. Massive energy waves rippled outward, setting off an unstoppable chain reaction. The ground cracked, mountains crumbled, and rivers changed course—as if the very end of the world had come.
Then, at last—
A deep, weary sigh echoed through space.
The opposing force… vanished.
Crack.
A blinding fissure split open in the Moon's surface, glowing brilliantly.
From within, Kaguya's form began to emerge.
The once-impossible Six Paths Chibaku Tensei seal had been undone.
The unbreakable prison had been shattered by the power of Almighty.
Kaguya had finally broken free!
"I'm out… I'm finally out!"
For the first time in centuries, a smile flickered across her normally cold face.
But then—
"Mother! Now is not the time to celebrate! Retrieve your power immediately!"
Black Zetsu's urgent message rang through her consciousness, instantly snapping her back to reality.
He was right.
There was no time to celebrate.
Not until she reclaimed the Ten-Tails and killed Isshiki Otsutsuki, would she truly be safe.
Without hesitation, Kaguya reached out through Black Zetsu and established a connection with her Hyuga clone, transferring all of her chakra to her earthly vessel.
That clone possessed divine techniques and the Tenseigan—it was a perfect body, one she could not afford to lose.
As her chakra transferred, her presence on the Moon grew faint, while her earthly form grew stronger.
Until finally—her presence in the Moon's prison disappeared entirely.
At long last, Kaguya Otsutsuki was completely free!
(End of Chapter)