Howling winds swept across the entire Ice-Snow Space, surrounded by towering, icebound cliffs.
Sharp ice spikes densely studded the rock faces. The cold bit to the bone, and the deathly silence was suffocating.
Young Naruto wore a grave expression, his azure eyes fixed intently on his surroundings, the chakra throughout his body tensed to its limit.
Beside him, Kakashi looked equally solemn, his eyes working rapidly.
His gaze swept warily across the entire frozen region, not daring to relax for even a moment.
"Kurama, can you sense Kaguya's presence?" Naruto steadied his mind and asked the Nine-Tails inside him in a low, inward voice.
The Nine-Tails slowly closed his eyes. His immense sensory power instantly spread out, sweeping through the entire frozen Alternate Space. A moment later, he replied gravely, "I can't sense a trace."
"Her presence has completely merged with this ice. She's hidden every trace of herself. I can't pinpoint her at all."
The entire ice field was silent. An invisible killing intent had already quietly enveloped the six-person battlefield.
Hidden within the ice, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki watched everyone ahead with indifference.
Black Zetsu's low, sinister voice slowly sounded in Kaguya's mind. "Mother, I suggest dealing with that masked stranger first."
"This person has never appeared throughout the Shinobi World's history. His origins and strength are unknown. He poses an enormous risk."
"To prevent any complications, we must eliminate him first and rule out every possible mishap."
"As for Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, you only need to kill one of them. They'll completely lose the ability to seal you together and pose no further threat."
Kaguya stood silently, considering this for a moment before tacitly accepting Black Zetsu's battle plan.
The next second, her figure dissolved completely into the freezing air, merging perfectly with the entire frozen region