The name "Kaguya Otsutsuki" hung in the damp air like a curse.
For most of the Akatsuki, the name meant absolutely nothing.
It was just a collection of syllables.
They exchanged glances that ranged from "Who?" to "Do I get paid to care?"
But for one entity in the room, those syllables were like a tailed beast ball.
Black Zetsu, the sentient shadow clinging to the white plant-man, felt his non-existent heart stop.
'Who the fuck is this guy?'
Black Zetsu's mind was racing at a million miles an hour. He had spent a millennium—literally one thousand years—playing the long game. He had manipulated Indra. He had corrupted the Uchiha clan. He had whispered in Madara's ear, tricked Obito, and steered Nagato.
He was the author of shinobi history, the ghost in the machine!
He had never taken a partner. He had never shared his true plan.
To him, humans were just tools—disposable batteries to be used and discarded.
And now, some random civilian from the future walks in, lights a cigarette, and casually drops the name of his mother?
The name that had been erased from history?
'He knows,' Black Zetsu realized, panic rising like bile.
As if hearing the screaming panic inside Zetsu's head, Makoto didn't immediately elaborate on Kaguya.
He took a drag from his cigarette and addressed the room's confusion first.
"Right, I see the blank stares. Let me reintroduce myself properly," Makoto said, dusting ash off his sleeve.
"I am Makoto. I'm an archaeologist from twenty years in the future, and currently, the acting leader of Amegakure."
"Future?" Hidan just looked annoyed. "What kind of bullshit is that? Twenty years?"
"You can ask Pain and Konan-nee. I've already submitted my proof," Makoto said, shrugging effortlessly.
All eyes turned to the Leader.
Pain stood on the statue's finger, his Rinnegan glowing ominously in the gloom.
"He speaks the truth," Pain said, his voice devoid of doubt. "I have confirmed the authenticity of his claims. There is no need for suspicion."
"Confirmed" was a strong word.
In reality, Nagato had looked at some photos and read a few letters.
A smarter man would have used the Human Path to rip the memories out of Makoto's skull.
But Nagato... well, let's just say he had a bad habit of trusting charismatic strangers with big dreams.
It happened with 'Madara,' it would happen with Naruto, and it was happening with Makoto now.
"Okay, so the boss says you're legit. Whatever," Hidan grumbled, leaning on his scythe. "So, who is this Kaguya chick? Is she strong?"
"The name Kaguya might be unfamiliar," Makoto said, pacing the floor like a professor addressing a class of delinquents.
"But you all know the Sage of Six Paths, right?"
Everyone nodded.
That was Fairy Tale.
"Kaguya Otsutsuki," Makoto said, dropping the bomb, "is the mother of the Sage of Six Paths."
A ripple of shock went through the room.
"The Sage had a mom?" Deidara blinked. "I thought he just, un, materialized out of pure chakra or something."
"Nope. She gave birth to him. And then," Makoto paused for dramatic effect, "he and his brother sealed her away in the moon."
"Sealed his own mother?" Deidara frowned, stroking his chin. "That is harsh, hmm. Why? Did she try to destroy the world?"
"More or less," Makoto nodded.
"Hah! I knew it!" Deidara pointed a finger at Hidan. "See? Even I have intuition!"
"Wait, wait," Hidan looked genuinely offended. "You're saying the 'God of Shinobi' sealed his mom because she was evil? That's messed up. Family is family, man. Unless she refused to sacrifice people to Jashin. Then she deserved it."
"To be precise," Makoto corrected, "Kaguya was preparing to cast a spell that would convert every human on the planet into a mindless biological weapon. She wanted an army without free will."
"Huh?!" Hidan's jaw dropped. "That is... that is pure evil! That's disgusting! Why the hell would we want to unseal a monster like that?"
The irony was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Here was Hidan, a man who ritualistically murdered people for a cult, taking the moral high ground against world domination.
"Don't get your panties in a twist, Hidan. Let me finish," Makoto waved him down.
"Based on my archaeological research, the Sage of Six Paths was an impatient idiot. He overreacted. If you actually use your brain—which I know is hard for some of you—you have to ask: Why did she need soldiers?"
Makoto looked around the room.
"If she turns everyone on Earth into her army... who is she fighting? Herself?"
The cave went silent. It was a solid point. If you conquer the world and enslave everyone, the war is over. You don't build an army after you've already won.
"She wasn't building an army to conquer humans," Makoto explained. "She was building an army to protect them."
"Protect them from what?" Sasori asked, his interest piqued.
" Aliens," Makoto said flatly. "Her own kin. The Otsutsuki Clan. They are celestial parasites that travel from planet to planet, eating life. Kaguya betrayed them to save this world, and she knew they would eventually come back for her."
Makoto gestured to the group.
"Now, consider the era. Back then, there were no ninja. No ninjutsu. Chakra belonged to Kaguya alone. Humans were just farmers with pitchforks. Turning a weak farmer into a biological weapon was a massive upgrade. It turned a peasant into a Chunin. Strategically, it made sense."
Makoto walked over to Deidara, looking him in the eye.
"But look at us now. The Shinobi World has evolved. We have Kage. We have Jinchuriki. We have the Akatsuki. Each one of you is a one-man army capable of slaughtering thousands of those biological weapon."
Makoto spread his hands.
"So, from a logical standpoint... if we unseal Kaguya today, why would she turn you into mindless drones? It would be turning a Kage into a Common Shinobi. It's a downgrade. It's a waste of resources. Kaguya isn't stupid. She doesn't need mindless soldiers anymore; she needs generals. She needs us."
The Akatsuki members exchanged looks.
The logic held up.
Why turn Deidara or Hidan into a generic foot soldier?
'Slick bastard,' Black Zetsu thought, narrowing his eye.
Zetsu was torn.
On one hand, Makoto was spewing bullshit. Kaguya didn't care about "generals." She wanted her chakra back. She wanted to absorb everything.
The Infinite Tsukuyomi was a harvest.
But on the other hand... Makoto was convincing them.
He was aligning the Akatsuki with Zetsu's goal, even if his reasoning was flawed.
"So," Deidara mused, "our goal changes from 'World Peace through Fear' to 'Reviving an Alien Goddess to fight other Aliens'? That sounds... way more artistic. It's grander in scale! hmm!"
"I don't know," Konan interjected, her voice laced with worry. "The Tailed Beasts are hard enough to control. This Kaguya.... If we revive her, are you certain she won't just kill us all? Are you sure she will cooperate?"
"Don't worry about her personality," Makoto waved his hand dismissively. "History books are very clear on this."
He leaned in, grinning.
"Kaguya Otsutsuki is basically a simple-minded sweetheart. She's a shut-in with severe social anxiety and a mother complex. If you approach her nicely, flatter her a bit, and show her you're strong? She's a total pushover. Easy to manipulate."
Konan's eye twitched.
A simple-minded sweetheart? He was talking about the Progenitor of All Chakra like she was a lonely housewife.
"I... see," Konan muttered, deciding to shelve that absurdity for later. "So, how do we do it? Reviving a god cannot be simple."
"It's not," Makoto admitted. "There are two ways to revive Kaguya. Plan A and Plan B."
"Plan A," Makoto raised a finger. "Is the classic route. We collect the Nine Tailed Beasts."
In the shadows, Black Zetsu froze.
Two ways?
Black Zetsu's yellow eye widened in genuine shock.
'Wait. What does he mean, two ways?'
For a thousand years, Zetsu had scoured the earth. He had read every stone tablet, deciphered every rune, and manipulated every bloodline.
He had engineered the entire history of the ninja world to facilitate the revival of the Ten-Tails.
That was the only way.
If there was a second way, Zetsu would know about it.
'Is he bluffing?' Zetsu thought, staring intently at Makoto. 'Or... is there something in the future that even I couldn't predict?'