"Kageyama thought he was controlling me, but in reality, I was controlling him." The voice was mocking. "He thought he was the warden, but in reality, he was just my test subject."
"You're the thing that was sealed on the moon?"
"Part of it," the voice said.
"A fragment of my consciousness that I left inside him. I intended to wait until he grew strong enough, then devour his body and regain my freedom."
"..."
"But you failed."
"Yes, I failed." The voice sounded unconcerned. "Because of you and that Nine-Tails brat. You destroyed his system and turned him into a blank slate. And this fragment of my consciousness was trapped in this darkness."
"So you want me to set you free?" Sasuke's tone was full of mockery.
"No." The voice spoke calmly. "I want you to kill me."
Sasuke froze.
"Kill you?"
"Yes," the voice said. "This fragment of my consciousness has no reason to exist anymore. Rather than remain trapped here and slowly fade away, I'd rather you give me a quick end."
"Why should I help you?"
"Because I can tell you something important," the voice said. "Information about the Ōtsutsuki main family."
Sasuke's gaze sharpened.
"Talk."
"The Ōtsutsuki Clan isn't what you imagine," the voice said slowly. "They aren't visitors from another planet, nor are they gods. They're just a group of fugitives."
"Fugitives?"
"Yes," the voice said. "Long, long ago, the Ōtsutsuki Clan ruled over a powerful civilization. But they were too greedy. They wanted eternal life and boundless power, so they conducted an experiment."
"What experiment?"
"They tried to create a god."
The voice paused.
"And they succeeded."
"They created a being with godlike power. But the moment it was born, it betrayed them and destroyed their entire civilization."
"The survivors of the Ōtsutsuki