On the moon, four massive pieces of flesh from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path lay beside parts of six Tailed Beasts.
A Space-Time Passage opened, and Fugaku stepped out. He released the seal on his abdomen, and countless root tendrils extended from it.
They wrapped around all the flesh in an instant, drawing a vast surge of energy into his body.
The Rinne Sharingan appeared on Fugaku's forehead of its own accord. His body floated into the air, and an aura began to radiate from him.
That aura rapidly grew stronger. The pieces of flesh were soon pulled into his abdomen, and Fugaku sat cross-legged on the moon as his power continued to rise.
Time passed slowly. A month later, Fugaku opened his eyes, and his aura gradually settled.
He had spent most of that month digesting the flesh of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, the husk of the Ten-Tails and the true body of the God Tree.
The flesh held an enormous amount of energy, and digesting it had taken considerable time.
Fugaku opened a Space-Time Passage before him and stepped through. When he emerged, he was in a forest in the Land of Fire.
A few uses of the Flying Thunder God Technique brought him back to Konoha, where the village was as lively as ever.
As Konoha had developed, its influence across the Shinobi World had grown, leaving the Four Great Ninja Villages far behind.
At home, Mikoto was teaching Itachi to speak. Delight lit up her face when she saw Fugaku.
"You're back. How long can you stay home this time?"
"Thank you for everything you've done. I've taken care of nearly everything I needed to, so I can stay with the clan for a long while and spend time with you