Hours after Danzo was laid to rest, at the entrance of Konoha Village, Malrick crossed his arms and spoke, "Are you two sure you want to leave with me? Naruto, aren't you going to find Tsunade? Sasuke, aren't you going to look for Itachi?"
"Meh, Granny Tsunade doesn't need me anyway. Kakashi-sensei and the others will handle it," Naruto replied casually, waving his hand.
Sasuke nodded silently, "As you said, finding Itachi and having him repopulate the Uchiha clan will take time. No rush."
"Then don't even think about leaving us behind to stop Black Zetsu alone, Big Brother Malrick!" Naruto clenched his fists, brimming with passion. "How can the future Sixth Hokage be absent from protecting the World of Shinobi?"
Malrick scratched his cheek, a sly smile on his face. "Even if you say it so passionately, I'm actually preparing to release Ōtsutsuki Kaguya."
Naruto and Sasuke froze.
"And the Kaguya in the illusion? I strengthened her myself. Even if you fight her now, you might not win—but at least you won't lose."
The two stared, wide-eyed.
A short time later, they arrived on the Moon.
"Wow, people actually live on the Moon," Naruto said, hands behind his head, surveying the ancient, timeworn buildings.
Malrick pointed casually toward the distance. "This is where the descendants of the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother, Ōtsutsuki Hamura, reside."
As a group of puppets approached, they instantly turned to ash. A white-haired boy with hollow eyes floated in place, restrained.
"Intruder, you won't—mmph mmph mmph!" The boy tried to protest, but Malrick sealed his mouth immediately.
"This is Toneri, the last descendant of Ōtsutsuki Hamura on the Moon," Malrick explained, drawing Chakra from him. After a moment's study, he pressed his palm to Toneri's forehead, infusing six-colored divine power. Using Hyuga genes collected from Konoha, Malrick perfected Toneri's genetic structure.
When the power faded, Toneri's gouged eyes were restored and evolved into a brilliant deep blue.
"Those eyes...?" Sasuke sensed immense pressure.
"This is the Byakugan's ultimate form, the Tenseigan," Malrick replied, withdrawing his hand and releasing his control. Toneri, newly empowered, became remarkably quiet, following behind the three in awe.
Malrick had a clear goal. After studying Toneri's genes and observing the Moon's giant Tenseigan, he led the team to a plaza.
"Are we releasing Ōtsutsuki Kaguya here, Big Brother Malrick?" Naruto asked. "Maybe I can communicate with Kurama again. Since leaving the illusion, it's easier to talk to him. I might fully transform soon!"
Malrick smiled. "Your Tailed Beast transformation isn't needed. Just watch." He extended his hand, tearing open space beneath the Moon.
Suddenly, a phantom-like old man appeared. White-robed, with two horns and surrounded by Truth-Seeking Balls, he reached out to stop Malrick.
"Please, young man, stop. You don't understand what you're doing."
Naruto and Sasuke were stunned.
The old man was Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths, whom they had seen in Malrick's illusion.
Malrick's eyes scanned him. "Hagoromo, I thought you'd be observing. Good, now I can study you."
Before the Sage could resist, Malrick immobilized him, drawing Chakra for study. After a few seconds, he returned it, commenting, "Not bad. The bloodline is purer than Asura and the others."
Through Hagoromo, Malrick gained a purer Ōtsutsuki bloodline and deduced numerous Yin-Yang Release techniques. "After this, I can expand the God Realm Dimension Spells."
Without pause, Malrick opened another spatial passage and pulled out a cold, white-haired woman.
"Mother!" Hagoromo exclaimed, shocked to see his mother drawn out by her horns.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya had been in deep slumber. Her consciousness hazy, she opened her eyes, first seeing her son Hagoromo and then Malrick, playfully holding her horns.
"Presumptuous! You—mmph mmph mmph!"
Her mouth was instantly sealed by Malrick's spatial control. Despite Naruto's marvel-style perspective, Malrick's realm allowed localized manipulation of universal rules, enough to restrain a planetary-level being.
The Sage could only watch as Malrick studied Kaguya, extracting a small sample of her blood. With it, he mastered all her bloodline powers—no Ninjutsu secrets were necessary; all her abilities came from her lineage.
"Thank you for your assistance," Malrick said casually, releasing mother and son.
For a moment, neither spoke. One was a filial son who sealed his mother a millennium ago; the other, a lonely, resentful presence on the Moon. Both stared at Malrick, unsure of his next move.
Naruto remained carefree. "Wow! Kaguya isn't as powerful as in the illusion. Big Brother Malrick even strengthened her!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Idiot, even if she wasn't strengthened, you still couldn't beat her."
"Well, even if you say that... she doesn't look too bad if she doesn't want to destroy the World," Naruto laughed, oblivious to the hash mark forming on Kaguya's forehead.
The Sage of Six Paths chuckled, while Kaguya's attention focused solely on Malrick.
"Next, let's pull Ōtsutsuki Isshiki and Urashiki over for a look," Malrick announced.
Cold sweat ran down Kaguya's back.