The Ninja World.
In the large conference room of the new Konohagakure.
As Konan finished speaking, the expressions of the village leaders shifted from confusion to shock.
And when they started reading the information about the Otsutsuki Clan, they felt an indescribable sense of loss.
Before entering the meeting room, they had just barely accepted the fact that a living god existed in the Ninja World. They had also come to terms with the fact that a terrifyingly powerful man had moved an entire planet here. But at least they found some comfort in knowing that they had interacted with that man before—some had even fought him.
That alone gave them a sense of pride. In the entire Ninja World, they were second only to the Sun God Kingdom and the revered Sun God himself. As the Five Kage, they still held significant status.
But now, after learning where their power truly came from, realizing that their so-called conflicts were merely part of the Otsutsuki Clan's internal struggles, and discovering that the legendary Sage of Six Paths was just an alien who left chakra behind—they finally understood. The current state of Earth was nothing more than the result of the Otsutsuki planting their God Trees here.
This overwhelming realization hit them hard. Compared to beings who traveled across the stars, planting God Trees on different planets, they were no better than ants.
The good news? They now understood the origins of chakra, the true nature of the Tailed Beasts, and the existence of the God Trees and the Otsutsuki Clan.
The bad news? From a broader perspective, they had just gone from being powerful figures who controlled entire villages to nothing more than specks of dust in the universe. This kind of mental shift could easily break a person.
That said, there was even better news—only three of the Five Kage were truly shocked. After all, the Mizukage and the Kazekage were already the Sun God's concubines and had known about some of these secrets for a while.
As for the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Fugaku, he was the Sun God's most loyal follower, so there was no need to even bring him up. The Third Tsuchikage, Oonoki, and the Fourth Raikage, A, had already had their spirits broken long ago when Hyuga Hitoshi crushed them. They weren't exactly in a position to be shocked anymore.
Oonoki, in particular—anyone who knew, knew. After witnessing firsthand how his so-called "Will of Stone" meant nothing in the face of absolute power, his faith had already wavered. Whether he even had a solid belief system left was debatable.
Back when the Sun God Alliance was established and the Sun God Kingdom completely rose above the Five Great Nations, the first Ninja World Conference was held. Oonoki barely survived through sheer luck, losing an arm in the process. After that, he started studying the advanced techniques of the Fifth Hokage and even tried to train local dark-skinned girls from the Land of Earth to join the "Black-Haired and Straight" program. However, the women from the Land of Earth... well, let's just say that didn't go too well. In the end, he shifted his focus to earning contribution points for the Sun God Alliance.
In other words, for the past few years, Oonoki had been a loyal workhorse for the Sun God Kingdom. Thanks to his efforts, the Land of Earth had been developing well, and he had even earned enough points to regenerate his lost arm, solidifying his position as Tsuchikage once again. Recently, he had even set his sights on his granddaughter and signed her up for the maid selection program.
Having fully accepted the Sun God Kingdom's way of doing things over the years, he wasn't too shocked by the revelations about the Otsutsuki, the God Trees, and aliens. The surprise didn't last long for him.
Raikage was in a similar position. He had been the first to kneel and pledge loyalty to the Sun God during the first Ninja World Conference. Over the years, he had been even more devoted than Oonoki. The so-called "Will of Lightning"? That was something he kept to himself. Being a dog for the Sun God wasn't shameful—countless people in the Ninja World wanted to serve him, but most weren't even qualified.
So, just like Oonoki, he hesitated for a moment before cautiously glancing at the White Tiger Consort.
"Uh... We will, of course, fully cooperate with whatever the Sun God asks of us. However, may I ask, Secretary-General, what is the Sun God's plan regarding the Otsutsuki Clan? If it's a classified matter, feel free to ignore my question."
He wasn't sure why the powerful, dominant, and charismatic Konan had the title of "White Tiger Consort"—a name that sounded so fierce and warlike. But since they were in a formal meeting, he had to follow protocol and address her by her official title rather than her personal one.
"There is, of course, a concrete plan," Konan responded seriously. "Just like the current Ninja World Tournament, we will be selecting the most talented individuals and training them in batches. A new ninja academy will be established to nurture the next generation, with the ultimate goal of closing the gap between humanity and the Otsutsuki Clan."
Thanks to the title of "White Tiger Consort"—which only she and Hyuga Hitoshi knew the true meaning behind—Konan had gained a lot over the years. She had undergone the fastest mental transformation, evolving from merely protecting the Land of Rain to assisting smaller nations within the Sun God Alliance, and finally, to overseeing the entire Ninja World under the Sun God Kingdom.
Even Hyuga Hitoshi was pleasantly surprised by Konan's growth. She had become one of his most reliable and loyal subordinates within the Sun God Kingdom, and she genuinely enjoyed her work, excelling at it.
Before answering the question, Konan briefly recalled what the Sun God had mentioned the previous night while she and Yugito were serving him. Then, for some reason, she suddenly thought of Yugito's frustrated expression when she couldn't reveal her little ears and tail after losing her Two-Tails. And then she remembered how Hyuga Hitoshi comforted her by letting her use her—
*Cough.*
Her thoughts had wandered.
She quickly regained her composure. Though her mind was a bit scattered, outwardly, she maintained her usual cold and dignified demeanor. With a calm and serious expression, she spoke again.
"As for how to close the gap, the Sun God has already held an emergency meeting with Minister Orochimaru and others. They have a general direction, so there's no need for concern."
"Additionally—"
Taking a deep breath, the White Tiger Consort's face became solemn.
"The most important message of this meeting is the Sun God's stance. As the supreme leader of the Sun God Kingdom and the guiding force of the Ninja World, the Sun God will lead the fight against the Otsutsuki Clan to the very end. He will never allow them to do as they please with Earth or the Ninja World!"
In simple terms—
"Protecting the Ninja World and resisting the invasion of the Otsutsuki Clan is a duty that none of us can ignore! Your task during the Ninja World Tournament is to spread this spirit among the people. However, information about the Otsutsuki Clan must be revealed gradually—step by step."
Konan frowned slightly. She had refrained from explicitly reminding the Five Kage to be discreet when spreading this information because she knew it wasn't realistic. After all, human rulers had always believed they were the center of the universe. Deep down, they might reject the idea that they were nothing more than insignificant pawns.
It was a collapse of their worldview—an inevitable mental shock. Konan had discussed with Hyuga Hitoshi whether the truth should be revealed slowly over time, but his answer was simple:
To achieve true enlightenment, the timing of such realizations didn't matter much.
Terumi Mei gently brushed her hair aside, set down the documents, and slowly spoke.
"Interstellar colonization, plundering energy resources from planets… If a planet is drained dry, it turns into a dead star. If something like that happened to Earth, I'm afraid..."
It would cause panic.
This concerns all of humanity. If the Otsutsuki clan succeeds, everyone will die due to resource depletion, and Earth might no longer sustain life.
"Actually, there's no need for everyone to worry too much."
Sensing the heavy atmosphere, the Fifth Kazekage, Hyuga Sora, who was deeply respected across the ninja world, finally spoke.
She paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled warmly.
"I know that guy very well. Since he decided to share this information and treat the Otsutsuki clan as an enemy, that means he's absolutely certain of victory. It's also a sign of his confidence in his own strength. There's not much more I can say due to my position, but I can quietly share some good news with you all."
She raised her hand and pointed to the sky outside the window, where the Sun God Star was now fully stabilized and visible to the naked eye.
"Not long ago, the Sun God Star had actually been drained of energy by the Divine Tree and had turned into a dead star. Think about it—this is the worst-case scenario for the ninja world. But he used his own power to restore that planet."
Restore a planet?!
The Sun God Star used to be a dead star?
The Tsuchikage and Raikage, who had barely recovered from their shock, were stunned all over again.
"Kazekage-sama, are you saying that in this battle, we are already in an undefeatable position?"
In public, Fugaku knew how to conduct himself—he wouldn't casually call Hyuga Hitoshi his "brother Hitoshi," nor would he rudely call a Divine Consort "sister-in-law." That would be inappropriate. But at the same time, he understood Hyuga Hitoshi very well, so he immediately grasped the meaning behind Hyuga Sora's words.
"I see. Even in the worst-case scenario—if Earth is completely drained and loses the battle—His Majesty the Sun God still has a way to restore it and bring stability back to humanity!"
Exactly. That's only if the worst happens. And with the Sun God Kingdom, the ninja world isn't necessarily going to lose to the Otsutsuki clan!
Pakura's words were like a shot of adrenaline to everyone present.
How should they put it?
As expected of the First Divine Consort—she knows so much.
"Also, let me share another secret with you."
Pakura blinked, as if recalling something. Her cheeks turned slightly red as she thought about that absurd night a few days ago.
Otsutsuki? Goddess of the Rabbit? What nonsense.
She wasn't even half as strong as Kurenai. She picked a fight with a man, got herself into trouble, and ended up dragging Pakura out of a deep sleep to clean up her mess. If it weren't for Pakura helping put out the fire, that woman wouldn't even know how she died!
A bunch of weaklings. Not even close to being on Hyuga Sora's level!
"That Kaguya whom His Majesty recently took in—her full name before marriage was Otsutsuki Kaguya. Yes, the same 'Goddess of the Rabbit' you saw in those documents."
Pakura spoke calmly, but beside her, Terumi Mei and Konan both opened their mouths slightly in shock.
Oh my god. Even though this wasn't exactly a secret, was it really okay to just say it out loud like that?
Setting aside the issue of seniority, with His Majesty's... capabilities, even if he became the ancestor of an entire lineage, it wouldn't be surprising. That part could be ignored.
But the problem was, once the Otsutsuki situation became public, hostility would naturally spread. If people found out that His Majesty's wife was an Otsutsuki…
This was bound to have some impact.
But Pakura just gave them a small smile, signaling that they didn't need to worry. After all, she wasn't finished speaking yet.
"It's actually thanks to Consort Kaguya that the ninja world has survived until now without being drained dry. That's the only reason we still exist today. In that sense, calling her the 'Goddess of the Rabbit' wasn't wrong."
Pakura spoke slowly, and her words made everyone realize a crucial fact.
Yes, if not for Consort Kaguya, Earth would have been doomed a thousand years ago. Forget making it to today—she was an undeniable hero in this regard!
"Of course, I'm not saying this just to glorify Consort Kaguya. I simply want to tell you all a truth."
Pakura's expression was calm as she spoke again.
"The truth is, even a clan as powerful as the Otsutsuki is not invincible. Our great Sun God has an overwhelming charm—if he can win over one Otsutsuki, he can win over a second. He can make them stand on Earth's side and fight against their homeworld. It's not impossible."
So in other words…
Hearing this, Fugaku's face turned serious.
So from now on, the selection criteria for beauties can't be limited to Earth anymore? They have to include extraterrestrial humanoid species too?!
Damn it. He had always criticized his son for thinking too small, but now he realized his own vision hadn't been broad enough either.
No, I still have to learn from Brother Hitoshi's advanced thinking. Otherwise, I'll definitely fall behind in this new era.
Species?
No, no, in the future, we have to expand to planetary species!
But that was just Fugaku's personal understanding. Not far away, Tsuchikage and Raikage both let out a sigh of relief. Since His Excellency Sun God was confident, there was nothing for them to worry about. It seemed that after returning, they had to focus on spreading the greatness of His Excellency to stabilize their troops' morale.
And just like that, a rather unusual Five Kage Summit came to an end. In the past, such a meeting would have caused a huge stir, but now, with Sun God Kingdom as the real power in the ninja world, the Five Kage Summit, while still important, was nothing compared to the grand conferences held by the Sun God Kingdom.
This Five Kage Summit was mainly for Sun God Kingdom to convey key ideas and future plans so that the five Kage could lead their villages accordingly. There was no need for Hyuga Hitoshi to attend personally.
Aside from news about the Otsutsuki Clan, the biggest change in the ninja world's power structure compared to the past was in the upper levels of the hierarchy. The lower ranks remained the same—Genin, Chunin, Special Jonin, Jonin, Elite Jonin, and Kage-level, which was commonly recognized as the village leader tier.
But above Kage-level, things had changed significantly.
In the past, there was no clear definition for those beyond Kage-level. But now, they had a rough classification.
Above Kage-level was the "Super Kage" tier, reserved for ninja like the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama—those capable of reshaping landscapes and single-handedly taking on entire armies. These ninja were now categorized as Super Kage.
And beyond Super Kage, a new tier had been introduced. If a technique coulcontrol the elements on a grand scale or tap into a portion of the power of the Chakra Fruit—akin to the strength of the legendary Sage of Six Paths—it would be classified as "Ancestor-level." This referred to those who wielded the power of the ancestors but had not yet reached their level.
Nearly all Kekkei Genkai in the ninja world originated from the Chakra Fruit. Above the Ancestor-level was the tier of the "Goddess of the Rabbit," referred to as "First-Stage Otsutsuki." However, to differentiate from the Otsutsuki Clan's own ranking system, Hyuga Hitoshi casually named this level "Budget Deity"—with first, second, third, and fourth stages corresponding to Otsutsuki's four phases. After fusing with the Chakra Fruit, he himself was already pushing toward the seventh stage, starting to evolve into a true deity.
Although, for now, most ninja could only reach Chunin or Jonin, as training methods improved, it wouldn't be long before Kage-level ninja became the majority. This would raise the overall strength of the ninja world and reshape their understanding of power. They would realize that even reaching the level of the Sage of Six Paths was not the final limit, giving them a goal to strive toward.
It might sound like a far-fetched dream, but unlike those who only make empty promises, Hyuga Hitoshi actually provided a clear path for others to follow.
For example, right now.
At Konohagakure, during the preliminary phase of the grand ninja tournament, various qualifying matches had begun. After giving a brief speech, Hyuga Hitoshi immediately returned to the research department, continuing his experiments on mass-producing budget Chakra Fruits using Sun God Star.
"Our approach is correct, and your theory is truly astonishing. Accelerating the growth of a planet to cultivate a God Tree and produce Chakra Fruits, then using restoration powers to revive the planet—this kind of time manipulation is beyond my understanding."
At the new research base on Sun God Star, Orochimaru, dressed in his familiar white lab coat, adjusted his glasses and looked at Hyuga Hitoshi with admiration.
"To prevent damaging the foundation of Sun God Star, reducing the Ten-Tails' absorption power to prematurely ripen Chakra Fruits does indeed enhance strength. They can be considered budget Chakra Fruits. However, I must admit, even though they're only budget versions, I still can't suppress the negative emotions contained within them."
Orochimaru regretted this limitation. In this world, gaining power always came with a price. While budget Chakra Fruits could lay the foundation for new training methods, if a user couldn't resist the negative emotions, they might just end up becoming a dangerous extremist with immense power.
"Not a big deal."
Hyuga Hitoshi waved his hand dismissively. The budget Chakra Fruits could still be purified and refined using Tenseigan's power. However, since they were artificially ripened, even after purification, their energy wasn't as stable as the real deal. To refine this power further, another method was needed.
It was well known that in the ninja world, mental strength played a crucial role in one's abilities. When someone's willpower was strong enough, they could control even the most difficult powers.
This time, Hyuga Hitoshi planned for ninjas to evolve both mentally and physically at the same time.
But how could one's mental strength be sharpened, allowing them to solidify their beliefs, stand firm against the unstable energy of the budget Chakra Fruits, and resist corruption?
Simple.
A trial using a budget version of Infinite Tsukuyomi. The goal was to observe whether someone could maintain their true self in an illusionary world, see through the deception, and even influence those around them with their own beliefs and determination.
This was Hyuga Hitoshi's experimental approach to spiritual training through limited Tsukuyomi. He figured the scripts he had prepared would finally come in handy.
Right in front of Orochimaru, Hyuga Hitoshi opened a folder filled with bizarre titles that made Orochimaru break into a cold sweat.
"The Naruto Who Was Mentored by Kakashi and Traveled to a Parallel World"
"Reborn as Uchiha Madara"
"One Blink, and I Was Resurrected by Orochimaru's Edo Tensei"
"This Sasuke Is a Little Different"
"This Time, I, Danzo, Will Never Step Down"
Well, well, well.
Orochimaru wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Now, he finally understood what true spiritual strength meant.
Clearly, this was going to be a legendary trial. Anyone who underwent it would have their mental strength pushed to the absolute limit!