The moment Naruto saw Jigen, a powerful sense of crisis surged through him.
The calm expression he always wore vanished. Staring at the figure before him, Naruto asked in a slightly shaken voice,
"What… are you?"
Naruto didn't take offense at this being's presence. Instead, he asked calmly,
"Can a fragment of the Divine Tree truly possess the power of the Ōtsutsuki Clan? How much information about the Ōtsutsuki do you retain in your memories?"
In truth, Naruto could already tell that although the Ninja World was currently in chaos, there were very few genuine Ōtsutsuki Clan members.
Over thousands of years, only two or three waves of Ōtsutsuki had descended upon this world.
And at present, the only Ōtsutsuki Naruto could interact with directly was the one residing inside Boruto.
Strictly speaking, the others who wielded Ōtsutsuki-related power were still native beings of the Ninja World.
Since the Jigen before him had been born from the Divine Tree, its consciousness should contain memories related to the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Facing Naruto's questioning, Jigen fell silent for a moment. Then, a pained expression appeared on his face.
"You are extremely powerful," Jigen said slowly. "If it means survival, I am willing to obey your commands. But… I don't know. Just thinking about those things makes my head hurt."
Sigh…
Naruto let out a soft sigh. His gaze lingered briefly on Boruto, startling the Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki inside him.
Jigen continued,
"However, we possess instinct. Toward the Ōtsutsuki Clan, we harbor complex and extreme emotions—fear… and desire."
Naruto nodded lightly.
"I see…"
His thoughts turned to the relationship between the Divine Tree and the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
The Ōtsutsuki planted the Divine Tree in order to harvest its fruit.
It was natural for the Divine Tree to fear them. As for desire…
It was very possible that some lower-ranking Ōtsutsuki deliberately allowed themselves to be devoured, imprinting that distorted yearning into the Divine Tree's consciousness.
While Naruto was deep in thought, two more beings nurtured by the Divine Tree arrived.
Boruto's pupils shrank when he saw one of them.
"Master…?"
The figure resembling Sasuke glanced at Boruto indifferently, devoid of any emotion.
However, 'Sasuke' did not attack immediately. It seemed as though he was recalling something.
The other monster, however, was far more aggressive.
Bug's massive form descended from the sky. Its enormous mouth stretched open as it lunged straight toward Eida, attempting to swallow her whole.
"Is that the one?"
Eida narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly. She showed no fear at all. Instead, she calmly pulled her brother in front of her.
Daemon blinked.
"Huh?"
Bug was a Divine Tree mutant, but Daemon's ability originated from the Ōtsutsuki God. The moment they collided, Bug was blasted backward.
With his usual lifeless expression, Daemon asked,
"So… what now?"
In truth, everyone present was extraordinarily abnormal.
Daemon and Eida were cyborgs.
Bug, Jigen, and Sasuke were Divine Tree mutants.
Naruto was a transmigrator.
Kawaki and Boruto were hosts to Ōtsutsuki parasites.
Someone like Sarada—an Uchiha—would have been considered a protagonist-level existence decades ago. But in an era dominated by cyborgs and monsters, she seemed almost ordinary.
For reasons she couldn't explain, Eida felt an instinctive fear toward Bug.
Her Shinjutsu activated involuntarily, attempting to erase Bug from existence.
But it failed.
As a Divine Tree evolution, Bug clearly possessed intelligence. After being repelled by Daemon, he instantly shifted position, trying to bypass him and strike at Eida again.
Kawaki had seen enough.
He raised his hand and activated Daikokuten. A massive iron block descended from the sky, smashing violently into Bug.
But even that wasn't enough.
Bug roared furiously, struggling to continue the attack.
Naruto was getting irritated by the noise.
Jigen, who had been observing Naruto closely, noticed the change in his expression and subconsciously stepped back.
Sasuke continued to watch Naruto in silence.
"There are plenty of targets here," Naruto said flatly.
"Losing one loud one won't change much."
As he spoke, chakra surged through his body.
Three golden chains materialized instantly, binding Bug tightly in mid-air.
Even while sealed, Bug continued to struggle, further irritating Naruto.
Naruto raised his palm.
A black sphere condensed rapidly.
The sphere slammed into Bug's chest and shot straight into the sky.
Bound by the Adamantine Sealing Chains, Bug was completely unable to resist.
About half a minute later, the sky suddenly blazed with light.
A sun-like explosion erupted in the heavens.
Everyone stared upward in stunned silence.
Moments later, a crushing shockwave descended, creating the terrifying illusion that the sky itself was collapsing.
Jigen's mouth twitched. He turned instinctively, preparing to flee.
But Naruto was already watching him.
Just before Jigen could escape, Naruto asked calmly,
"And where exactly do you think you can run?"
Jigen froze in place.
Inside Boruto, Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki sensed the scene and felt genuine terror.
"It seems… I still underestimated this being. Without the host's cooperation, he will capture me sooner or later… I need to plan ahead."
The proud Momoshiki—an Ōtsutsuki—found himself thinking such thoughts about a mere human.
That alone said everything.
After the shockwave subsided, Naruto's gaze returned to Jigen.
"Since you can't recall the Ōtsutsuki's information," Naruto said,
"then I'll recall it for you."
"What—?!"
A sense of dread surged through Jigen.
The next instant, his consciousness collapsed, and his body fell from the sky.
But just before hitting the ground, Jigen's eyes snapped open. A flash of clarity passed through them.
Suspended in mid-air, he murmured,
"So that's why… No wonder even thinking about it caused such pain…"
Naruto had used the Yamanaka Clan's secret technique.
Logically speaking, someone with Ōtsutsuki blood and a Rinnegan should have been immune to it.
But logic no longer mattered.
After all, the one performing the technique was Naruto.
Enduring the splitting headache, Naruto briefly searched through Jigen's mind.
Once he obtained the information he wanted, Naruto returned control.
Naruto opened his eyes, silently processing everything.
So that was it…
Before this, Naruto had not known the Ōtsutsuki Clan's full plan. But through Jigen's memories, everything became clear.
The two-person team system.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
And the Ōtsutsuki method of reincarnation through Karma.
"And among the Ōtsutsuki 'souls' that came to this world…" Naruto murmured,
"…are only Code and the one inside Boruto left?"
Sensing Naruto's gaze, Code panicked immediately.
"Lord Isshiki is completely gone!" Code shouted. "I'm just me! I have nothing to do with the Ōtsutsuki Clan!"
Then that leaves only—
Boruto?
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