On Blue Moon Island, Sasuke returned safely as everyone eagerly awaited him.
Itachi said with concern, "Even here on Blue Moon Island, I felt that deep, ominous chakra coming from beyond the moon. Could it have been..."
"Yes, Princess Kaguya. She devoured Toneri's Tenseigan and a little of the Ten-Tails' chakra, then fought me to the death out among the stars..."
Sasuke spoke lightly, but everyone who heard him grew solemn.
A fight to the death... With Sasuke's current strength, was Kaguya really powerful enough to fight him on those terms?
None of those present had personally experienced the threat Kaguya posed. Even those who had witnessed it through genjutsu lacked the experience of actually being there.
They had no concrete understanding of just how powerful Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was.
Now, they had gained at least some sense of it.
"Where's Hanabi?"
"I already sent her back to Konoha."
As he spoke, Sasuke lowered Hinata from his shoulder.
Sakura stepped forward to check her for injuries.
"Be careful. She's Kaguya's 'Vessel' now."
"What!?" His words sent everyone into an uproar.
Sakura steadied herself and asked, "More importantly, did you achieve what you went there to do?"
"Yes." Seeing Sasuke nod, she finally looked relieved.
Orochimaru stared at Sasuke's hands without a word.
Late that night, at Blue Moon Island's highest-level research facility.
The sensing apparatus connected to the Mechanical Cables emitted the distinctive beeps of machinery at work.
In front of a glowing, pillar-shaped chamber, Amado stared at a computer screen with a cigarette pressed to his lips. Complex text and data flickered across his rectangular lenses.
Only after a long while did he bury the lover between his fingers in a glass ashtray and remark, "I never imagined your technology had already reached this level..."
A raspy voice came from