Chapter 194: Momoshiki and Kinshiki

The lives of ordinary people in the ninja world had changed dramatically.

There were no longer any borders between nations—everything was now part of the Federation.

Beneath the Federation, the land was divided into eight provinces, each containing over forty cities.

Each city oversaw dozens of towns, and below that were countless villages.

The armies once controlled by the daimyō had been disbanded, replaced by the Federal Guard and Federal Police.

With a steadily improving system and the establishment of schools, this land had begun to brim with new life.

Time passed peacefully—and quickly.

Danzo opened his eyes.

Aside from calming the many women around him, he had spent most of this time developing the power of his new body and the eye it now possessed.

He glanced at the black mark in his palm, a satisfied smile playing at the corners of his lips.

As for running the Federation?

He only set the broad direction for development. The rest was left to those under him.

Otherwise, what was the point of having so many government positions in the first place?

You had to give others a chance to shine.

As a result, many civilians in the ninja world believed that the highest authority in the Federation was the Secretary-General.

Only those within the inner circle knew of the existence of the Federation's true leader.

...

Three more years slipped by.

Far above the ninja world, in the depths of space, two figures pierced through the atmosphere, gazing down at the planet below.

"This is the planet the distress signal came from?"

"Yes. This territory was assigned to Otsutsuki Isshiki and Otsutsuki Kaguya," Kinshiki replied respectfully.

"Those two? No wonder we haven't heard from them in over a thousand years." A slight sneer curled on Momoshiki's lips.

"Kaguya might not be much of a fighter, but Isshiki's combat strength wasn't weak."

Momoshiki shot Kinshiki a sidelong glance at his reminder, but then his expression suddenly sharpened.

With a swift gesture, he reached out his hand—Banshō Ten'in—yanking Kinshiki away from their position.

A massive pillar of light engulfed the space they had just occupied.

In the center of Momoshiki's palm, the Rinnegan pulsed with eerie life, drawing the pillar of light inward and devouring it.

"Got away, huh? I was hoping to take out the weaker one first."

Danzo appeared at the spot where Kinshiki had just stood.

"Who are you? You carry the scent of a God Tree fruit… A native?" Kinshiki asked in his deep, echoing voice—serving as Momoshiki's mouthpiece.

Suddenly, the space around them twisted.

It was as if the three had been pulled into a world of pure ice and snow.

"Kaguya?" Momoshiki muttered.

This power was all too familiar—Amenominaka, Kaguya's signature ability.

Kinshiki immediately stepped in front of Momoshiki, adopting a defensive stance.

Even Momoshiki's expression lost its earlier arrogance.

Kaguya had clearly betrayed the Otsutsuki clan—and this so-called native, the one standing before them, was far from weak.

Their arrival had clearly been anticipated. In fact, Momoshiki now suspected that the so-called distress signal had been nothing but bait.

"Crunch... crunch..."

Several ice shelves began to rise from the ground. Four towering ice giants emerged around the pair.

Each wore sculpted ice armor, wielded massive black swords formed from Truth-Seeking Balls, and bore patterns of tomoe etched into their necks.

Two of the giants even carried enormous black shields, and their armor was marked with even deeper, more ominous patterns.

The hulking figures loomed over them, every inch radiating overwhelming pressure—and their chakra seemed faintly intertwined with the very fabric of this world.

"Enjoy this world," Danzo said coldly.

With his words, the ground began to quake violently. Cracks split the earth as ice crystal continents surged up from below.

What had once been a vast, frozen expanse had suddenly transformed into a deep, chasm-like ice cavern.

"Kaguya! Are you really going to betray the Otsutsuki clan?" Momoshiki shouted to the space around them.

He knew all too well—in Amenominaka, Kaguya was the dimension itself.

Unless her chakra was completely exhausted, she would be immortal and omnipresent in this space—a massive threat.

And the native standing before him... his power rivaled even Momoshiki's own.

Before he could speak further, Danzo cut him off.

"Enough reminiscing."

Two of the giants melted into the ground.

Danzo unleashed a Rasengan, launching it high above the two invaders, then shot up after it.

"Zzz..."

Suddenly, the entire space warped—rising and sinking around the two intruders like shifting waves.

The ice beneath Kinshiki surged upward while the ground beneath Momoshiki dropped away.

Before they could react, the rising ice slammed Kinshiki into the path of the Rasengan.

At the same time, two massive swords extended from nearby ice steps and turned toward Momoshiki, while countless icicles fired from all directions, forcing him into evasive maneuvers.

"Crunch... crunch..."

BOOM.

The ice slammed shut.

Momoshiki and Kinshiki had been split apart—now isolated on two opposing layers of the battlefield.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

Momoshiki's expression turned grim.

He could still feel his portion of the dimension sinking, and above him loomed an impossibly thick layer of ice.

...

Upper Layer

Boom.

Kinshiki's body smashed into an ice wall.

From within the ice emerged a massive hand, gripping a giant shield. The towering form of an armored giant stepped forward, holding Kinshiki's battered body in its grasp.

"You're tough, I'll give you that," Danzo muttered, the tomoe in his eyes glowing vividly.

But close-quarters combat wasn't the smartest idea against him.

The runes etched into the giant's body began to writhe, as if alive, flowing down its arm and into Kinshiki.

"Come now. Let me see the loyalty buried deep in your soul."

Danzo floated in front of the immobilized Kinshiki. The tomoe in his eyes began to spin once more.

"...Lord Momoshiki… it's time… to use my power…" Kinshiki mumbled, eyes vacant and voice distant.

Light began to radiate from his body, slowly condensing into a glowing red chakra fruit.

RUMBLE—

Even through the thick layers of ice, the fiery glow from somewhere deep below could still be seen, flickering like molten lava.

"Your turn."

With a touch of satisfaction, Danzo tucked away Kinshiki's fruit. A trace of longing filled his gaze as he looked downward.