Chapter 26: The Ōtsutsuki Revelation

The air around them grew heavier, charged with the tension of uncertainty. Team 7, Kakashi, Obito, and Guy stood at the edge of Kaguya's domain, still processing everything that had happened since they had arrived. The alliance they had reluctantly forged with Kaguya was fragile, and the looming threat of the Ōtsutsuki was now more terrifying than ever.

Kaguya had been silent for some time, seemingly lost in thought. They knew better than to push her, but Naruto couldn't stand the silence. He stepped forward, his voice serious. "You mentioned the Ōtsutsuki earlier. About how we shouldn't underestimate them. You didn't tell us everything. What do we really need to know?"

Sasuke and Sakura stood close behind him, waiting for Kaguya to answer. The tension in the air only thickened as the seconds stretched into minutes. Then, as if sensing their growing impatience, Kaguya finally spoke.

"The Ōtsutsuki are not a singular threat. There are many of them, each with their own purpose," she said, her voice cold and distant, but with a certain bitterness. "You have met Toneri, but he is not even a true Ōtsutsuki. He is merely a part of their greater plan."

Naruto's brow furrowed. "What do you mean? He's from their clan, right?"

Kaguya's eyes flickered. "He was a part of them, but not truly one of them. He is just an agent—a tool. The real Ōtsutsuki that you will face are much more dangerous."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "How many of them are there?"

Kaguya looked up at the sky, her gaze distant. "There are two primary figures in the Ōtsutsuki hierarchy. One is the one who consumes the chakra fruit—the one who is the 'harvester.' And the other is the one who sacrifices himself so that he may be reborn—he is the 'sacrificial one.'"

Sakura took a step forward. "Sacrificial one? What do you mean? How does he come back?"

Kaguya's expression darkened. "The sacrificial Ōtsutsuki is the most dangerous. He bears the Karma mark, which allows him to revive after death. Once he is sacrificed, his essence is transferred to another, and he can come back stronger than ever. This is a cycle they have perfected over generations."

Naruto's eyes widened as he processed the information. "So... they can keep coming back? What about the one who harvests the chakra fruit?"

"The harvester is just as dangerous. They are the ones who use the Ten Tails to create the chakra fruit. The fruit itself is a manifestation of the planet's chakra, and it is consumed to provide immense power. Once the fruit is consumed, the planet is drained of all its chakra, leaving it a barren, lifeless husk." Kaguya's voice was filled with bitterness. "It is their way of taking everything from a planet to feed their insatiable hunger."

Sasuke clenched his fists. "So they don't just conquer— they destroy everything."

"Exactly," Kaguya replied. "They don't care for the planets they visit. They simply use them to further their own power, draining the life force of entire worlds. Once they consume the fruit, the planet is nothing more than a corpse, and they move on to the next. That is the fate of every planet they visit."

Obito's face grew grim. "That sounds like the exact kind of threat we've been trying to stop."

"That's why we need to stop them," Kaguya continued, her gaze sharp. "The Ōtsutsuki are a plague. If they aren't stopped, they will come for Earth— and they will use your chakra to create their fruit. Then, you'll be nothing but a husk, and the world will be gone."

Naruto's determination flared. "So, what do we do? How do we stop them?"

Kaguya's eyes glinted with a strange, almost malicious light. "You must be prepared for them. They will come for you and your chakra, and they will do everything they can to force you to give it to them."

Sasuke stared hard at her. "What does that have to do with you? Why do you care?"

Kaguya's lips twitched in something resembling a smile, though it was far from warm. "Because, unlike the other Ōtsutsuki, I have no intention of being part of their twisted cycle anymore. I have been used, betrayed, and discarded by my own kin. Now, I fight for myself, and I will fight to make sure the Ōtsutsuki are destroyed."

Sakura stepped forward cautiously, her voice quiet but serious. "But you're still one of them, right? What makes you so different?"

"I am different because I no longer follow their ways," Kaguya said, her tone resolute. "I consumed the chakra fruit once, and I regret it every day. I thought I was doing the right thing—protecting my world, my children. But they twisted it all. The Ōtsutsuki are parasites, feeding off the life of others for their own gain. I refuse to let them take this planet too."

Naruto clenched his fists, his mind racing with the implications. "So, the ones we're up against are even worse than we thought."

Kaguya's expression softened ever so slightly. "They are. And they are coming. You will have to prepare for war, and it will be a war that will decide the fate of this world. If the Ōtsutsuki succeed, Earth will be no more."

The weight of her words hit them all at once, the realization that they were facing an enemy far beyond anything they had ever encountered before.

Sasuke looked at Kaguya, his eyes narrowed. "What about you? What will you do when the Ōtsutsuki come for you?"

"I will not be their pawn again," Kaguya said, her voice full of determination. "I will stop them if I have to—by any means necessary. And you... you must prepare, too. The Ōtsutsuki are not as invincible as they seem. If you fight with everything you have, you can stop them. But you must act quickly."

There was silence for a moment as the gravity of the situation settled in. Team 7, Obito, Kakashi, and Guy all exchanged looks, their faces hardening with the knowledge of the upcoming battle.

"We'll fight," Naruto said, his voice steady. "We'll stop them. For the sake of this world, we'll stop them."

Kaguya gave him a fleeting, almost wistful look. "I hope for your sake you can. The Ōtsutsuki are not an enemy you can take lightly."

With that, she turned away, her presence receding into the mist of her domain. The group stood there for a moment longer, contemplating everything they had just learned.

But one thing was certain: The Ōtsutsuki were coming, and they would stop at nothing to take everything. The war was only just beginning.