The power of the Celestial Beings was overwhelming—majestic and sacred, transcending mortal existence. They were a race that stood at the pinnacle of creation, feeding upon the very life force of planets.
They were the gods of this universe, the supreme predators of the cosmos. Even the Rabbit Goddess of the shinobi world trembled in fear before them.
And yet, at this moment, two of these Celestial Beings furrowed their brows, their pure white eyes locked grimly upon the figure rising from the barren planet below.
"You…!"
For the first time in millennia, Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki's face betrayed a rare loss of composure. In all his countless years of roaming the universe, he had never shown such unrestrained excitement:
"What magnificent energy… what intoxicating flavor! I shall plant the God Tree's seed upon your body—I shall use you to cultivate a chakra fruit beyond compare!"
"You are a treasure bestowed upon me by the heavens themselves, the perfect substitute to fill the void left by Kaguya's disappearance!"
"Kinshiki! Seal the space around us. I will savor this divine feast the Ōtsutsuki gods have delivered into my hands!"
The Ōtsutsuki roamed the universe, feeding upon the natural energy and life force of worlds. Through the God Tree, they distilled these chaotic energies into a form consumable to their kind: the chakra fruit.
But not every planet was capable of producing such a fruit. The energy required was immense, far beyond what most barren, lifeless worlds could provide. The vast majority of planets were useless husks, without value.
Even Kinshiki and Momoshiki, after centuries of plundering, had rarely found planets that could yield a true fruit. Most of the time, all they managed to cultivate were incomplete imitations—mere chakra pills.
Yet now, the aura radiating from Yuki Yoru's body promised something far greater.
If they could devour him, the energy condensed from his being could almost certainly form a genuine chakra fruit!
How could Momoshiki not be delirious with excitement?
His fervent gaze upon Yoru was that of a starving man beholding a banquet fit for kings—impatient, ravenous, desperate to gorge himself.
But in Yoru's eyes burned the very same light.
The eyes of a hunter gazing upon prey.
He stepped forward. The towering pillar of spiritual-flames behind him trembled violently, unleashing a tide of spiritual pressure that crashed forth like a world-breaking flood. The suffocating force silenced the heavens themselves.
The sheer immensity of his aura made even the two Celestial Beings stiffen in alarm. This level of power… even among the Ōtsutsuki, it belonged only to the highest echelon.
"…This power surpasses my own." Kinshiki rumbled, his voice low and grave. "Lord Momoshiki, we must be cautious."
"I know," Momoshiki replied, though his eyes gleamed with something darker. The shock he felt was instantly drowned in greed—an insatiable hunger.
The stronger the prey, the greater the power contained within. The greater the power, the higher the quality of the Chakra Fruit that would be born!
His desire eclipsed all hesitation.
Momoshiki raised his hand, gathering boundless, surging cha kra and unleashing it toward Yoru.
Wind. Earth. Lightning. Fire. Water.
The five basic chakra natures manifested in Momoshiki's left hand, as if forging the very foundations of creation, radiating an overwhelming aura.
In the blink of an eye, under the control of Yin–Yang Release, the five chakra natures transformed into a magnificent sphere of energy capable of extinguishing all things, which then crashed down upon Yuki Yoru, erupting in boundless radiance."
The planet shook violently!
Beside him, Kinshiki's eyes gleamed with exhilaration.
This was the true might of Lord Momoshiki!
As Momoshiki's subordinate, Kinshiki understood better than anyone just how terrifying Momoshiki's power truly was. Even if Momoshiki did not belong to the exalted main branch of the Ōtsutsuki clan, but was merely a high-ranking warrior, his strength was enough to rival even those of the main family.
But soon, the excitement in Kinshiki's eyes abruptly froze. Momoshiki's brows furrowed deeply, his expression turning grave.
The aftermath of the exploding chakra dissipated, revealing everything below.
That seemingly world-shattering strike had not so much as lifted the corner of Yuki Yoru's robe.
The towering pillars of spiritual-flames had woven together into a mysterious barrier of spirit particles, blocking Momoshiki's destructive attack. When the storm of energy faded, Yoru's cold, indifferent gaze pierced through the void toward them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A tidal wave of spiritual power surged forth like a raging sea. Kinshiki and Momoshiki suddenly felt a suffocating weight press down on them. Under that eruption of energy, the entire planet was dyed a deep, ink-blue hue by Yoru's spiritual power!
In the shinobi world, countless Quincy abruptly doubled over in pain, frowning in horror. To their shock, the spiritual power they had painstakingly converted from chakra was vanishing silently from their bodies, leaving not a trace behind.
The agony was indescribable, so sharp they couldn't even scream. Their lives withered away in an instant—disappearing together with the spiritual power within them.
...
Within Kirigakure.
"No… no, this isn't right! How could this be happening?!"
Under the astonished gazes of the researchers, the Quincy test subjects inside the secret laboratory suddenly curled up in agony. The instruments monitoring their vital signs spat out strings of garbled code.
One after another, in just moments, more than a dozen test subjects all displayed the same condition
"What's happening? How could things turn out like this?!"
The news spread quickly, and Hiromi rushed to the laboratory as soon as she heard.
"We don't know either," one of the researchers stammered, hastily explaining the sudden disaster. "All of the test subjects' bodies reacted at the same time—we didn't even have a chance to try saving them before they lost every sign of life!"
"And… and—"
"And what?!"
"And their spiritual power… it's all gone. Not even the faintest trace remains!"
"Spiritual power—gone?!" Uzumaki Hiromi's pupils contracted sharply. She seemed to realize something. Without another word, her figure vanished from the lab and reappeared in the Mizukage's office.
"What's the matter? Why are you so flustered?"
Yuki Kiri looked up in surprise from her paperwork. In her eyes, although Hiromi's devotion to Yoru was nothing short of fanatic, she had always been the most composed and steady of them all. To see her so panicked—this was the first
"Something has happened. A mass-death event has struck the Quincy test subjects—their spiritual power vanished all at once. It's highly likely that the Emergency Protocol Lord Yoru set beforehand has been triggered!" Hiromi's expression was more solemn than ever. "Summon Miroku and Hikari—immediately!"
Hearing this, Kiri's beautiful eyes widened, and she too realized the gravity of the situation. She pulled out a special crystal from her robes, infused it with spiritual power, and transmitted the message. Moments later, two figures instantaneously appeared in the Mizukage's office.
"There's no time for lengthy explanations. The Emergency Protocol may have been activated. Hikari—channel your spiritual power into Miroku, help her maximize her ability to locate every Quincy currently within the shinobi world!" Hiromi's face was deadly serious. "I authorize you to mobilize all Sternritter in Kirigakure, and to draw upon the spiritual power of every single Shinigami!"
"Understood."
Without another word, Hikari immediately activated his Vollständig and unleashed the Eight Thousand Spears.
At that instant, across Kirigakure, marks of the Eight Thousand Spears appeared on the bodies of both Shinigami and Quincy, and the spiritual power within them was drawn out.
"What is this…?" Uzumaki Kushina, who had been secretly watching Naruto from the shadows, looked in shock at the glowing mark on her arm and the sudden weakness coursing through her body. Her gaze instinctively turned toward the Mizukage's office.
"What's happening all of a sudden…?" In a tavern, Tsunade—drinking heavily after being weighed down by her teacher's words—suddenly shivered. Shizune, who had been carefully tending to her, went pale as she realized her own spiritual energy was vanishing at a terrifying rate.
In the Kekkei Genkai lab, Orochimaru's observation of the test subject paused. Seeing the Eight Thousand Spears mark on his neck reflected in the vessel, his eyes narrowed sharply.
"What a fascinating technique, Uchiha Hikari…"
Countless streams of spiritual power were being drawn out by Hikari Uchiha, but the Shinigami and Sternritter in Kirigakure seemed to understand what was happening. Not one of them raised an objection.
A steady flow of spiritual power was channeled from Hikari into Miroku. In the Mizukage's office, Miroku immediately activated her Vollständig and entered Sage Mode.
Her spiritual power surged. A vast piritual pressure was released from the office. If there was no special barrier in the office, the entire Kirigakure would probably be trembling under Miroku's pressure.
As she released her piritual pressure, Miroku's delicate eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and her body trembled. But she was still trying her best to release her power, doing her best to track down all the Quincy in the entire shinobi world.
As time passed, Miroku's brows furrowed ever tighter, and her pretty face grew full of solemnity. Seeing this, Hiromi clenched her hands even tighter, her expression tense with worry.
After a long time, Miroku slowly opened her eyes."
How is it?!" Hiromi asked immediately, unable to contain herself.
"The situation is still within control," Miroku replied in a low, steady tone. "Some Quincies have indeed perished, but if we act quickly, the damage should remain minimal."
She continued, "I've pinpointed the exact locations where incidents occurred. Send people immediately to contain the fallout and prevent the influence from spreading further."
Yuki Kiri gave a slow nod, though the worry in her eyes refused to fade.
As Hiromi had feared—the Emergency Protocol had been triggered.
The so-called Emergency Protocol was a series of contingencies set down by Yuki Yoru. Under normal circumstances, they were practically nonexistent, only activating under specific conditions.
The contents included, but were not limited to: mass Quincy casualties, catastrophic destruction of Kirigakure, loss of control over spiritual power, and so on
For each scenario, Yoru had prepared a detailed response plan. What Kiri, Hiromi, and Miroku were executing now was the protocol for mass Quincy casualties.
But Yoru had also made it clear: if any of the protocols were ever triggered, it would mean that something truly monumental was unfolding—and that every single one of those scenarios was deeply tied to him, the master of souls.
In a way, the Emergency Protocols themselves reflected Yuki Yoru's very state of being.
Now, with his whereabouts unknown and the protocols already in motion, the pressure weighing upon the people of Kirigakure was nothing short of immense.
"Stay calm, everyone."
Yuki Kiri drew in a deep breath, her voice low and steady:
"We must believe in Lord Yoru. No matter what happens, we cannot lose our composure!"
"Have Kisame take a squad. This must be handled cleanly—decisively!"
"Yes!"
...
Countless spiritual particles continuously interwove and gathered, rendering the area around Yuki Yoru like a vast starry sky, like the supreme divine kingdom of a god.
"How can this be… such a level of power!"
Ōtsutsuki Kinshiki's pupils contracted uncontrollably. Yoru's power was still rising—within moments, compared to when they had just fought, the intensity of his aura had nearly doubled!
If Yuki Yoru's power before was at the level of having just stepped into the Kekkei Tōta realm, his intensity would have been on par with Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki.
But now…
Just this pressure alone completely surpassed Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki and was even more terrifying than some of the strong people from the main family of the Ōtsutsuki clan!
And this level of increase was clearly not displayed by some secret technique or special method. Momoshiki could feel it clearly—this was growth from the very source of Yoru's being!
"BOOM!!"
The heavens and the earth trembled!
The overwhelming spiritual pressure seemed endless.
This pressure did not take the form of any kido or techniques—it simply spread and spread, until the entire planet was dyed in Yoru's color. And at the very heart of that sea of power stood Yuki Yoru—the one and only king of this world!
When his unleashed power reached its peak, it churned into a raging tidal vortex, crashing straight toward Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki.
Momoshiki raised his right hand with all his might, attempting to use his Rinnegan's absorption technique to devour the vast power. But Yoru's spiritual power was endless. Even if Momoshiki absorbed a portion, against the whole it was meaningless.
A sponge can absorb water, but facing the vast ocean, the only outcome is to become soaked oneself—there is no other end.
"This is impossible!"
Momoshiki was forced to raise his left arm, releasing the spiritual power he had absorbed to counter Yuki Yoru's power.
But he quickly realized that even the spiritual power he had absorbed, strengthened by the Takamagahara no Kami, was far from enough to shake the vast canopy of spiritual power that Yoru was releasing!
The surging power was like an unbroken, boundless ocean. Whether he was a river or a lake, at best he could only create ripples on the surface of that ocean.
In an instant, the spiritual attack released by Momoshiki was completely swallowed by Yoru's overwhelming power…