The black cubes fused back into the moon, forming spiral patterns across its surface like Naruto's seal markings.
The moon returned to its original form.
Even Toneri's palace—the enormous structure where generations of Otsutsuki Hamura's descendants had been buried—was perfectly restored, exactly as it had been before.
On the surface, nothing looked different from the original moon at all.
Otsutsuki Toneri stared blankly at the scene before him, tears streaming down his face.
Meanwhile, Otsutsuki Kaguya and Isshiki looked at Naruto with horror in their eyes, their fear deepening several times over.
Planetary Devastation.
It was one of the signature techniques of the Otsutsuki clan.
A terrifying sealing jutsu with unbelievable power. The stronger the caster, the more powerful the technique became.
Nagato's Planetary Devastation had been enough to seal a tailed beast.
But to seal something stronger, a far greater user was required.
Back then, the Sage of Six Paths and his brother had joined forces to seal Kaguya herself for thousands of years.
That alone showed how terrifying the technique truly was.
Yet no matter which Otsutsuki used Planetary Devastation, the result was always rough and natural.
The technique absorbed surrounding matter and formed a massive sphere.
Every sphere was different.
Even the same person could never create two identical ones.
And once activated, Planetary Devastation absorbed everything indiscriminately except the caster.
Anything within its gravitational range became part of the seal.
But Naruto's version was completely different.
He could precisely select what would be absorbed and what would remain untouched.
People, buildings, irrelevant matter—everything stayed perfectly intact.
Even after restoring the moon, it looked no different from before.
If not for the black rings on the lunar surface, Toneri would have suspected everything that happened earlier had only been a nightmare.
In Naruto's hands, a crude sealing jutsu had become something as delicate as embroidery.
Its precision was terrifying.
No wonder Kaguya and Isshiki felt chills run down their spines.
More importantly—
Both of them vaguely sensed a horrifying power hidden inside the restored moon.
If triggered, it would likely become countless times more terrifying than Planetary Devastation itself.
"This monster…"
Isshiki's expression stiffened.
"Even if you searched the entire universe, you probably couldn't find another person like him."
"How exactly did he become this powerful?"
"It's terrifying…"
"He's more frightening than the entire Otsutsuki clan."
Isshiki glanced toward Kaguya.
For the first time, these two mortal enemies felt a strange sense of shared fate.
Even their hatred for one another lessened slightly.
Back in the ninja world—
Countless people looked up at the sky.
The moon had become whole again.
Bright moonlight illuminated the land so clearly that even the night looked almost like daytime.
People stared at the ruined world around them while watching the black meteor cubes rise back into the sky one after another.
Everyone shivered subconsciously.
Naruto's earlier words still echoed in their minds.
Celebrate?
The disaster was over.
The ninja world had returned to peace.
Logically, that should have been worth celebrating.
But after witnessing everything—
After realizing the same force hanging above the world could destroy everything again at any moment—
No one could truly feel joy.
Ruins.
Blood.
Confused survivors.
And empty hearts.
Ordinary civilians didn't have time to think too deeply.
To them, this was simply another catastrophic ninja war.
They silently endured the losses and began rebuilding.
Cleaning debris.
Searching for supplies.
Treating the wounded.
Recovering bodies.
But the powerful figures of the ninja world remained frozen in place, staring at the moon in silence.
Even the most rebellious ninjas no longer had the slightest desire to resist.
The meteor disaster had already been horrifying enough.
Everyone had fought desperately just to survive.
Yet Naruto—
With casual ease—
Had repaired the moon itself.
He effortlessly reversed the catastrophe the entire ninja world had nearly died trying to stop.
That sight completely shattered everyone.
It was terrifying.
Terrifying beyond words.
The strength Konoha displayed during this crisis was overwhelming.
Whether it was Tsunade and Jiraiya…
Kakashi and Guy…
Nagato…
Uchiha Itachi…
Or even Uchiha Sasuke suppressing the reanimated powerhouses—
All of it revealed the terrifying depth of Konoha's power.
The entire ninja world finally realized something.
Konoha's strength wasn't merely superior.
It was absolute.
Until now, many people still held onto hope.
They believed that if they worked harder…
If they trained longer…
If they waited patiently for the right opportunity…
One day they could surpass Konoha.
But after seeing Naruto's power—
That hope shattered instantly.
Destroying Momoshiki like a god.
Reuniting the moon effortlessly.
Reversing a world-ending catastrophe with a single technique.
Only now did everyone finally understand the true meaning behind the title:
The Strongest Ninja.
"Ōnoki…"
The Second Tsuchikage sighed.
"Stop struggling so much. If Iwagakure surrendered, then it surrendered. The ninja world is unified now. There won't be wars between villages anymore."
"That's a good thing."
"It really is."
"Ay…"
The Third Raikage placed a hand heavily on the Fourth Raikage's shoulder.
"Don't provoke those people from Konoha anymore."
"If the Cloud Village disappears, then it disappears."
"It doesn't matter anymore."
Tears streamed uncontrollably down his aged face.
Kirigakure's former Mizukage sighed as well.
"If Hashirama and Madara had been more decisive back then…"
"Maybe we wouldn't have needed so many deaths to reach this point."
Meanwhile, the Kazekage of Sunagakure actually looked relieved.
"The Land of Wind has always been terrible."
"Maybe after unification, things can finally change."
"We've lived in sandstorms for nearly a century."
"It's time for a different way of life."
"Madara…"
Senju Hashirama walked through the ruins while watching civilians slowly rebuild their homes.
His expression was complicated.
"Did we do something wrong back then?"
Madara was silent for a long moment.
Then he answered quietly.
"If you'd asked me decades ago, I would've said yes."
"I would've said we should've united the ninja world by force."
"But now…"
"I think I was wrong."
"I was too impatient."
"At the time, even if we had forcibly united the world, it would've fallen apart eventually."
"The hatred back then was like a volcano."
"It couldn't be suppressed."
Madara finally understood.
The one-country-one-village system had already been an improvement over the Warring States Era.
The contradictions of countless clans had gradually been reduced into conflicts between only five major villages.
Over decades of war, the ninja world's chaos had slowly condensed into a manageable shape.
Then Naruto appeared.
And with overwhelming strength—
He crushed all resistance.
Only then did true unification become possible.
"Madara… hearing you say something this thoughtful feels weird."
Hashirama burst into laughter.
Madara's face darkened immediately.
But this time—
He didn't argue.
The appearance of the Otsutsuki clan…
The strength of Konoha's younger generation…
Naruto's overwhelming power…
All of it had shattered Madara's pride.
And after calming down—
His temperament had changed as well.
"The ninja world now has everything needed for peace," Tobirama said softly while standing among the ruins.
"Except for one thing."
This disaster.
Even though the casualties were small compared to the population of the entire world—
Every death still mattered.
A grain of sand in history became a mountain on someone's shoulders.
The dead had become a stain on Naruto's otherwise perfect legacy.
And if that stain wasn't resolved—
It would remain a regret forever.
"Naruto…"
"Naruto-kun…"
"Lord Hokage…"
"Fifth Hokage…"
Sasuke, Hinata, Uchiha Shisui, Nagato, and countless Konoha shinobi looked up at the moon with mixed emotions.
The ideal of the Red Sun Society was finally within reach.
The ninja world was unified.
Peace had almost arrived.
Yet Naruto had intentionally allowed such suffering to occur.
Even they didn't know how they should feel.
Then suddenly—
Everyone in the ninja world sensed something.
They looked up.
Naruto descended slowly from the moon.
Behind him floated Kaguya, Isshiki, and Toneri.
Bathed in moonlight, his figure looked as towering as a god.
Every person in the ninja world could see him clearly.
Soft green lights drifted down from the sky.
The entire world was enveloped in a vibrant aura full of life.
"Huh…?"
"What happened?"
"Why am I alive?"
"My body… it changed!"
"My leg… my leg grew back!"
"Wasn't I dead?"
"I clearly remember half my body being crushed by a meteor!"
"My pain is gone…"
"It doesn't hurt anymore…"
Cheers erupted across the ninja world.
The green light healed everything.
Pain vanished.
Injuries disappeared.
The dead revived.
Laughter spread across the world.
All grief.
All sorrow.
All despair.
Vanished completely.
Naruto smiled faintly.
"See?"
"First you hit them with a stick."
"Then you give them a carrot."
"Once people experience loss and regain what they lost…"
"They become grateful."
Everything remained completely under his control.
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