The Dark Forest

After a long interstellar journey, Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and Urashiki finally arrived in the Ninja World to rendezvous with Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.

Their goal was clear: replant the God Tree, harvest the Chakra Fruit, and plunder the resources of the Ninja World.

However, no sooner had they begun scouting the Ninja World's movements than they were detected by Uchiha Ying Yue.

Ying Yue did not wait for them to initiate an attack; he took the initiative himself.

He stood high in the sky, looking down at the four extraterrestrial Ōtsutsuki, his immense chakra radiating outward like a surging tide.

Momoshiki's pupils constricted as he stepped forward with a sneer: "So you are the Uchiha Ying Yue who sent Isshiki fleeing in such a sorry state? Your presence is indeed extraordinary."

"Enough talk," Ying Yue said, his gaze cold and his Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan flashing with an icy light. "I will not allow anyone to come to the Ninja World to plant the God Tree and destroy our peace."

Momoshiki stood toe-to-toe with Ying Yue, arrogantly declaring, "Our Ōtsutsuki Clan has conquered countless planets; never has a native been able to block our path. You are nothing but a strong ant, Ying Yue!"

As Momoshiki finished speaking, he, Kinshiki, Urashiki, and the partially recovered Ōtsutsuki Isshiki stood in formation, their powerful chakra converging into four astonishing energy fluctuations.

The four members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan joined forces, their killing intent soaring as their combined chakra whipped up a tempest across the battlefield.

Facing their joint assault, Ying Yue remained completely unfazed.

The Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan in his eyes flashed with a mysterious light, and with a wave of his hand, he summoned the Perfect Susanoo, which stood between heaven and earth like a colossal god of war.

Ying Yue said calmly, "You will eventually understand that the Ninja World is not a place where you can act as you please."

The fierce battle erupted instantly. Ying Yue controlled the Susanoo to swing its giant blade against Momoshiki, who channeled his own power to form a massive energy shield out of rotating chakra, desperately holding off Ying Yue's onslaught.

At the same time, Kinshiki transformed into a streak of golden light, launching a surprise attack on Ying Yue with massive energy condensed into his fists.

Ying Yue let out a cold snort and activated his Rinnegan ocular technique. Time seemed to freeze for an instant, and Ying Yue countered with lightning speed. His Rinnegan's "Amenominaka" folded space, nullifying Kinshiki's attack, and in a flash, Ying Yue struck Kinshiki from the side, blasting him back hundreds of meters.

As the battle raged on, Ying Yue consistently suppressed the four of them with his superior combat skills and astonishing Rinnegan ocular techniques.

However, facing these four formidable enemies, Ying Yue's strength far exceeded their expectations.

Not only did Ying Yue possess incredibly powerful chakra, but he also wielded absolute spatial control and extraordinary combat experience.

The combined attacks of Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and Urashiki were almost useless before Ying Yue.

Ying Yue easily fought all four at once, using his powerful Space Slash technique to dismantle their attacks one by one.

After several exchanges, Ying Yue began to take the offensive.

He first used the spatial distortion of Amenominaka to reflect the four's attacks back at them, forcing them into a passive position.

Next, Ying Yue used his "Space Slash" to rapidly break through their coordination, relying on absolute speed and power to defeat them one by one.

After Momoshiki was struck by a Space Slash, Ying Yue quickly absorbed his chakra, suppressing his power to below the Six Paths level; Kinshiki and Urashiki could not escape either, having most of their power disintegrated directly by Ying Yue's Space Slash.

The battle ended with the four lying on the ground, their chakra exhausted and their bodies too weak to move.

Ying Yue stood before them and said coldly, "The Ōtsutsuki Clan is nothing more than this."

Momoshiki stared fixedly at Ying Yue, his eyes filled with resentment and fury: "Do you think this is the end? The power of our Ōtsutsuki Clan spans the stars; even if we are defeated here, more of our kin will come—"

Ying Yue's expression remained unchanged, though his eyes held a coldness that looked down upon the stars: "Then I will wait for their arrival and defeat them with my own hands."

Immediately, Ying Yue used his Rinnegan to forcibly control the minds of the four, sealing them within a special prison in the Ninja World.

Afterward, Ying Yue employed his ocular technique to delve deep into their memories, mastering the detailed location of the Ōtsutsuki Clan's home planet and related information.

Ying Yue learned that the Ōtsutsuki planet was located in the deep reaches of the stars, far beyond the imagination of the Ninja World.

This planet possessed vast chakra resources and was the source from which the Ōtsutsuki family propagated.

Although the current strength of the Ninja World was enough to suppress them, Ying Yue knew well that this ancient interstellar race might hide immense power, and perhaps even more unimaginable experts existed on their home world.

The Ōtsutsuki Clan was not only powerful in combat but also a predatory race with an interstellar civilization; they plundered planets rich in natural energy throughout the universe, planting God Trees to strengthen themselves with Chakra Fruits.

Such predatory behavior was exactly like the "Dark Forest" theory Ying Yue had seen in the work The Three-Body Problem from his past life, full of cruel laws of survival.

Ying Yue understood that there was intense competition between interstellar civilizations in the universe, and the "Dark Forest Theory" from The Three-Body Problem was the key to resolving interstellar threats.

The core of this theory was that every interstellar civilization must hide its location, because any exposed civilization would be annihilated due to the risks of "chains of suspicion" and "technological explosions."

To avoid being wiped out by a hostile civilization in one fell swoop, the only choice was to maintain mutual deterrence and use information asymmetry to achieve relative safety.

A complete plan gradually formed in Ying Yue's mind—he would use the coordinates of the Ōtsutsuki home planet to establish a mechanism of mutual destruction to ensure the safety of the Ninja World.

This plan would be named the Dark Forest Plan.

Ying Yue decided to entrust this plan to the Ninja World's Science Department, led by Orochimaru for research and implementation.

Ying Yue personally found Orochimaru and conveyed his train of thought in detail.

"Orochimaru, although the Ninja World currently has the ability to resist the Ōtsutsuki Clan, we cannot determine their true strength.

Relying solely on the power of the Ninja World to fight an interstellar predatory race is ultimately unfeasible." Ying Yue's gaze was deep and cold. "I intend to adopt a new strategy, using a form of cosmic broadcast to make the location of their home planet public. This method is like exposing them to the dark forest of the universe."

After hearing Ying Yue's plan, a flash of surprise crossed Orochimaru's eyes.

He had never seen Ying Yue so decisive, calmly plotting an interstellar deterrence strategy.

The core idea of the Dark Forest theory was the extreme chain of suspicion, requiring every civilization in the universe to remain silent to avoid inviting catastrophe.

Ying Yue, however, intended to use this theory to threaten the Ōtsutsuki Clan through "exposure," ensuring they would not dare to act rashly.