Planting a Divine Tree isn't as simple as burying roots and watering them. The Ten-Tails itself must serve as the sapling, and to cultivate it into a true Divine Tree, there's only one way: the Ten-Tails must devour an Ōtsutsuki.
That's why the Ōtsutsuki clan always attacks in pairs. One sacrifices themselves, letting the Ten-Tails eat them so the Divine Tree can grow; the other guards the tree until the chakra fruit ripens. The sacrificed Ōtsutsuki then reincarnates through Karma, and so the cycle continues—leaving only Mother Earth wounded in the process.
Inside Shinra Cave Heaven, Madara formed a two-fingered seal. The Myōjin Gate, which had been suppressing the Ten-Tails' head, rose up.
"ROARRRR!" The Ten-Tails immediately unleashed a savage roar, its forehead eye locked on Isshiki's dying body.
"Easy, Ten-Tails. You'll get your feast soon enough…" Naruto raised his hand, and Isshiki's battered form floated toward that monstrous maw.
At death's door, Isshiki's awareness flickered back. His hollow eyes found Naruto, dread mixing with resignation. "So this is your plan, Uzumaki Naruto… But you're in for disappointment."
He was right: the Ten-Tails becoming a Divine Tree is only the first step. The chakra fruit may or may not form—just like apples or oranges, quality trees yield quality fruit. And only a young, healthy Ōtsutsuki makes prime food for the Divine Tree.
Isshiki, dying and weakened, would only produce an inferior tree, with inferior fruit—maybe none at all.
But Naruto just smiled. "Relax. After you're eaten, I won't let the Ten-Tails become the Divine Tree right away."
Isshiki's eyes widened. "What?!"
Obito's voice was cold. "I'll use my dojutsu, Danmetsu Sendai, to sever the Ten-Tails' evolutionary chain—compressing its growth, keeping it locked in the Ten-Tails form."
Naruto added, "In other words, Isshiki, you're just the appetizer. The real catalysts will be Momoshiki, Kinshiki, Urashiki… three young, strong, healthy Ōtsutsuki."
Isshiki stared in disbelief. "You're really going this far? What happened to you? Who destroyed your future…?"
Naruto's voice was low and grim. "Ōtsutsuki Kamishiki."
Isshiki's face twisted in shock. "I see! No wonder you're like a walking disaster now. I can imagine what you've been through."
He sneered. "If it had been Ryūshiki instead of Kamishiki, you probably wouldn't even have had a chance to come back."
Naruto's eyes hardened. "Maybe. But I'm here now, and this time, I'm rewriting fate."
CRUNCH! The Ten-Tails' jaws snapped open, swallowing Isshiki whole.
"Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!"
The sound of bones and flesh echoed as Isshiki was devoured, becoming pure nourishment.
BOOM! BOOM!
Dark red chakra surged over the Ten-Tails' body, its small form rapidly swelling. Even the Myōjin Gate suppressing its tail began to crack under the pressure.
Rustle, rustle, rustle… The seed-like structure on the Ten-Tails' back started to morph. An unstoppable force of growth was about to erupt—the Divine Tree was nearly here.
Obito closed his eyes, focusing. When he opened them, his dojutsu flared.
—Danmetsu Sendai!
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle…
Causality itself was severed; the Ten-Tails' transformation into the Divine Tree was forcibly halted. But the Ten-Tails kept its new size, retaining all the nutrients absorbed from Isshiki.
"ROARRRR!" The Ten-Tails howled, its killing intent sweeping through Shinra Cave Heaven.
The three men before it stood calm, like spring breeze in a storm.
Madara frowned. "Leaving this beast here is asking for chaos. Obito, can't you stash it in your dimension?"
Obito shook his head. "That would mess with my intangibility. Having Kakashi around is already a pain—no way I'm adding the Ten-Tails."
Naruto stepped forward, hands weaving seals.
—Six Paths: Sandalwood Guardian!
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Black wooden stakes erupted from the ground, piercing through the Ten-Tails' chest, back, jaws, and tail—pinning its colossal form to the earth.
Madara's eyes sharpened. "Black Wood Release… Even stronger than the Myōjin Gate. That's—"
Naruto nodded. "The unbreakable black stake in Hell Valley's forbidden zone was made with this kind of Wood Release. Back then, I realized the red wood of the Myōjin Gate wasn't the strongest. After I became a Six Paths sage, I finally mastered this technique."
He dropped his hands. "Now it's not going anywhere."
Obito stared at the Ten-Tails, then asked a pressing question. "There's something I don't get. If the Ten-Tails needs to eat an Ōtsutsuki to become a Divine Tree, how did Kaguya's Divine Tree come about? She ambushed Isshiki, but he clearly survived. Naruto, do you know the story?"
Naruto rubbed his chin, thinking. "Honestly, I don't. When we get back, I'll ask Kaguya myself."
Madara walked over to Neji, crouched and opened his right hand, revealing a black diamond-shaped mark. "So this is 'Karma'—a compressed file of Ōtsutsuki life data. When it decompresses, Isshiki will resurrect using this Hyūga kid as a vessel…"
Madara stood, voice dark. "Then getting rid of him would eliminate the threat for good, right?"
Naruto shook his head. "Not necessarily. In the future, Amado develops a purification technique for Karma—turning the black Karma used for reincarnation into a white Karma that just stores power. What you're worried about shouldn't happen."
Madara shot him a look. "You said 'future'—Amado can't do it yet, right?"
Naruto replied, "Karma decompression takes a long time. We've got a buffer. I'll push Amado to finish his research ASAP. Neji stays—both for the big picture and for my own reasons."
Obito nodded. "No problem. If it comes down to it, I'll use the same method I used to stop the Ten-Tails from becoming the Divine Tree to keep Neji from turning into an Ōtsutsuki."
Madara gave a final warning. "Fine for now. But if Isshiki does take over this kid, I won't be holding back."
And so, the Isshiki who once dragged the shinobi world to the brink of despair—along with his Kara organization—was uprooted by Naruto's strength alone.
Leaving Shinra Cave Heaven, Naruto set off for a visit… to the moon.
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