Chapter 16

The Chamber of Secrets

The massive doors groaned as they fully opened.

A deep darkness spread from within, the air unnaturally cold.

Naruto squinted inside. "I've got a really bad feeling about this."

Sasuke stepped forward, his Rinnegan glowing as he scanned the chamber. The walls were lined with massive stone tablets, each one covered in the Ōtsutsuki language.

Gaara touched the ground, his sand spreading inside. "The energy here… it's not like anything I've felt before."

Onoki floated forward, eyes narrowed. "That's because this place wasn't built for mortals."

The shinobi moved deeper inside.

Then, they found it.

The Forbidden Tablet

At the very back of the chamber, there was a massive black stone tablet, twice the height of a human. Unlike the others, this one was sealed in golden chains, covered in powerful runes.

Mei crossed her arms. "Well, that doesn't look suspicious at all."

Tsunade studied the markings. "Why would the Ōtsutsuki seal their own knowledge?"

Sasuke stepped closer, running his fingers across the inscriptions. His Rinnegan flared as he translated the ancient text.

"The One Above All. The Devourer of Worlds. The True Ōtsutsuki."

Naruto frowned. "The hell is that supposed to mean?"

Sasuke kept reading.

"Those who consume, shall be consumed. Those who reach the pinnacle, shall awaken Him. The One who has slept since the beginning of time."

A silence fell over the room.

Naruto's throat felt dry. "...So you're saying there's some kind of Ōtsutsuki god?"

Sasuke nodded grimly. "That's exactly what this says."

The Origin of the Ōtsutsuki God

The shinobi gathered as Sasuke deciphered more of the tablet.

"Long before Kaguya, before Isshiki, before all the Ōtsutsuki we know… there was a being of pure hunger. A God among gods. The first of their kind."

"The lesser Ōtsutsuki spread across the stars, planting God Trees to harvest power… but they do not keep it. They are merely servants. Collecting chakra to awaken the one who sleeps."

Naruto's stomach tightened. "Wait. You're telling me that all of this—the God Trees, the chakra fruit, Kaguya's entire story—was just part of some bigger plan?!"

Sasuke's face was tense. "It seems like the entire purpose of the Ōtsutsuki Clan is to feed this god."

Tsunade's hands clenched into fists. "And if this thing ever wakes up…?"

Sasuke's voice was quiet. "It will devour everything."

The shinobi stood there, staring at the ancient warning.

For the first time in a long while, Naruto felt something he hadn't felt since he was a kid.

Fear.

The Final Line

Then, they reached the last part of the inscription.

The text was older, written in a more primitive form of the Ōtsutsuki language.

Sasuke read aloud:

"Beware the moment the cycle is broken. Beware the one who stands outside fate. Beware the one who should not exist."

Everyone looked at each other.

Mei frowned. "What does that mean?"

Naruto exhaled. "Whatever it means… it ain't good."

Gaara stared at the last part of the inscription.

"Beware the one who should not exist."

His gaze slowly turned to Sasuke. Then to Naruto. Then—

To the empty space where Kaguya once stood.