Konoha's night was quiet and deep. Atop Kage Rock, the evening breeze carried a slight chill as it brushed past two figures sitting side by side.
Tsunade gently rested her head on Shinichi's shoulder, savoring this rare moment of peace that belonged to them alone.
Above them, the stars glittered like diamonds, and a bright moon hung high, spilling its cool radiance over the earth.
"Shinichi," Tsunade said, her voice drifting in the night breeze, "that guy called Tenshiki, and that Takama-ga-hara place backing him... are they really that... unbeatable?"
Shinichi slipped an arm around Tsunade's shoulders, letting her settle more comfortably against him.
He looked up at the moon, his gaze distant, as though he could see through layer upon layer of nebulae to the edge of the universe.
"Not necessarily unbeatable." Shinichi's voice held his usual drowsy drawl, as if he could never quite wake up, yet there was an unmistakable certainty beneath it. "Just a bit troublesome. They're a professional 'cosmic demolition crew,' after all. Experienced, well equipped, and with a built-in aura of 'divinity.' That alone makes them sound harder to handle than a half-baked amateur like Isshiki."
He paused, then changed the subject, pointing at the moon with a teasing curve to his lips. "Speaking of which, Tsunade, doesn't tonight's moon look especially round and bright? Doesn't it look like a gigantic... sealing vessel?"
Tsunade followed his finger. The moon in the night sky was indeed bright and flawless, giving off a cool, mysterious glow.
She frowned slightly, puzzled. "A sealing vessel? You dragged me up here in the middle of the night just to tell me that?"
"Well, more or less." Shinichi chuckled, deliberately making himself sound mysterious. "You know the Rabbit Goddess, Kaguya Otsutsuki, right? Back in the day, her two dutiful sons