On the moon, Kaguya's story finally drew to a close.
"After Isshiki escaped," she said quietly, "I wanted to give up on planting the Divine Tree. But the Ten-Tails was already released. Back then, I didn't know any space-time dōjutsu—I could only watch helplessly as the Ten-Tails absorbed the moon's essence and transformed into the Divine Tree."
"With no other choice, I stayed beneath the Divine Tree, never leaving its side. I kept humans away, so their life force wouldn't be drained. Like that, a hundred years passed. The Divine Tree finally bore fruit—right as human wars were raging. I ate the fruit and ended the conflict."
[Note: The anime's Land of Ancestors arc is TV-original, not Kishimoto's manga. Due to setting conflicts, this work does not use it.]
Kaguya's hand drifted to her belly. "After peace returned, the people loved me. They blessed me, and soon after, I became pregnant—then gave birth to Hamura and Hagoromo."
"After that, I don't know why, but I was constantly anxious. I feared my clan's arrival. My whole mindset changed."
Naruto murmured, "Postpartum depression?"
Kaguya shook her head. "I'm not sure. Hagoromo and Hamura split my chakra and made me weaker. That made me uneasy. I desperately wanted more power. I remembered the White Zetsu I saw in Root Solid Island Nation. So I activated Infinite Tsukuyomi, recovered some chakra to make up for what I'd lost in childbirth, and created a batch of White Zetsu. But I only made about a hundred thousand before I released Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Her expression darkened. "But it was those hundred thousand White Zetsu that made Hagoromo and Hamura turn against me."
"For a month, we battled. In the end... I was sealed. Just before the seal closed, filled with hate and resentment, I used the Yin-Yang Release I'd learned from eating the fruit to create Black Zetsu—determined to reclaim all chakra on this land. The rest is the history you know."
Kaguya's transformation before and after eating the fruit confirmed Ryūshiki's suspicion: the fruit carried a curse, turning its eater into a slave to chakra.
But because Kaguya's fruit was defective, the curse was weaker. That left room for her to be persuaded later by Naruto and Kushina.
Still, at her core, Kaguya's original wish was to coexist peacefully with humanity.
Naruto sat in stunned silence, the weight of her story settling over him.
He was shaken by the Ōtsutsuki clan's immense power—and moved by Kaguya's tragic fate.
Once again, he felt grateful for his second chance at life, for choosing a different path than before.
Otherwise, Kaguya—this pitiful woman, this pitiful mother—would have slept forever in a cold stone seal. That would be true despair.
But one detail nagged at him.
Naruto asked, "What happened to the original moon in Tsukimi Nation?"
Kaguya glanced down. "After the Divine Tree absorbed its essence, the moon became a dead star—it crumbled away. The moon you see now was created by Hagoromo and Hamura, using Chibaku Tensei to seal me. It's not the real moon."
Naruto hesitated, then asked, "And... your horns?"
Kaguya touched her head, fingers brushing the horns. "They grew back after I ate the fruit."
"I see."
Naruto was quiet for a long time. Then, softly, he called, "Grandma..."
Kaguya looked up. "What is it?"
Naruto's voice was gentle. "Can I... hug you?"
Kaguya blinked, surprised, then nodded.
Naruto got up, stepped forward, and wrapped her in a hug, his eyes red-rimmed. "You've been through so much..."
Kaguya's eyes shimmered. To say she didn't feel warmth would be a lie. She reached out her small hands and hugged Naruto back.
For a moment, the world was gentle.
Then, Naruto's lips curled into a mischievous smile. Suddenly, he spun and executed a classic "bear hug slam," flipping Kaguya onto the ground!
Kaguya sat there, dazed.
Naruto grinned, holding up a finger. "Surprise attack technique—perfectly executed, dattebayo~~~!"
Kaguya stared, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Naruto scratched his head. "You know, the stronger someone is, the better these tricks work! Hehe~!"
He remembered—his Reverse Harem Technique had nearly sealed Kaguya once.
Kaguya, apparently not angry, sat back up.
Grandmother and grandson faced each other again.
The only casualty was the stone table in the courtyard.
Naruto asked, "Grandma, after you ate the fruit, what rank were you?"
Kaguya thought for a moment. "Right after eating it, I reached Mid God. But giving birth to Hagoromo and Hamura split my chakra—I dropped back to Low God."
"Later, I used Infinite Tsukuyomi to recover some chakra and returned to Mid God. When I was revived again, after you swapped out the Ten-Tails with Indra's, my chakra was depleted and I should've fallen back to Low God. But with the Tenseigan, I probably stayed at Mid God. Still..."
She hesitated. "I'm not much of a fighter. I probably couldn't beat those people."
Naruto's eyes lit up. He blurted out, "How about this, Grandma—let me teach you how to fight!"
Kaguya blinked. "Eh?"
Naruto stroked his chin, serious. "I think your abilities have huge potential. If you use them right, you won't lose to anyone."
Kaguya hesitated. "Where would we train?"
Naruto thought. "Obito's space-time dimension?"
Kaguya shook her head. "I don't like it there. Too many cubes. If I hit the edge, it'd hurt."
Naruto tried again. "Then... the Land of Lightning?"
Kaguya said, "How about my Amenominaka space?"
She felt safer in her own realm.
Naruto nodded. "Perfect! It's settled! After Hinata gives birth, we'll start training!"
Kaguya paused.
Naruto asked, "Grandma, do you think it's too late?"
Kaguya shook her head.
Just then, Kushina walked in. "Mom just wants to hold you and Hinata's baby when the time comes, right~!"
Naruto blinked, turning to Kaguya. "Is that true?"
Kaguya nodded, a little embarrassed. "Is that... okay?"
Naruto thumped his chest. "Of course! Hold the baby as much as you want—even bear hug slams like I just did are fine~~!"
"Bear hug slam... Naruto, what's that about?" Kushina suddenly demanded. "And why is the table broken? You'd better explain!"
Naruto froze, looking to Kaguya for help.
Kaguya glanced away.
Crack! Crack!
Kushina cracked her knuckles, her red hair blazing as she grinned menacingly. "Looks like someone needs a little family discipline..."
Thud! Naruto collapsed to the floor.
Kaguya said calmly, "Kushina, be careful not to get blood on Mom. Otherwise, Minato will have to do laundry again."
"Don't worry, I'm an expert at 'husband-taming and child-rearing'..."
Kushina disappeared into the kitchen and returned wielding a frying pan.
Watching her advance, Naruto broke into a cold sweat. "Scary... angry moms are terrifying..."
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang...!
At the courtyard gate, Minato stood trembling.
What a perfectly chaotic, perfectly loving family...
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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