Inside the Hokage Office, the atmosphere was unbearably tense.
After learning in quick succession that Imu had lived on for ages and that two Otsutsuki were lurking in the Shinobi World, Naruto and Sasuke were already overwhelmed with shock and questions.
Naruto steadied himself and looked at Lucci before him, his voice solemn. "Explain everything from beginning to end."
"Tell us everything you know about Ōtsutsuki Isshiki and Hara in detail. Don't leave anything out."
Lucci nodded slightly, gathered his thoughts, and slowly began to reveal the cruelest, darkest underlying rules of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
"Then I'll start with Ōtsutsuki Isshiki."
"Isshiki and Kaguya were ordered to descend upon the Shinobi World together to plant the God Tree and harvest its fruit. And remember this: Isshiki outranked Kaguya in status, standing, and strength. He was in charge of the mission."
"Also, you know about the Ten-Tails, right?"
Naruto nodded. "We do. The Ten-Tails is the embryonic form of the God Tree. It takes root in the earth and devours everything, eventually producing a Chakra Fruit."
Lucci's gaze sharpened as he revealed a horrifying truth that overturned everything the two of them knew.
"You only know half the story."
"An immature Ten-Tails is merely an ordinary savage beast. Only after being fed enough offerings, followed by the sacrifice of a pure-blooded Otsutsuki, can the Ten-Tails fully mature and transform into a towering God Tree."
"Only a God Tree that has received the sacrifice of one of their own produces fruit powerful enough to interest the Ōtsutsuki Clan."
"What?!"
Those words sent a shudder through Naruto and Sasuke. Their expressions changed abruptly, their eyes filled with disbelief and horror.
Naruto couldn't help crying out, "The Otsutsuki... feed it their own people?!"
"They sacrifice one of their own alive for a single fruit?