Killer B's Invitation

Three days after receiving Killer B's report, Lin Ye led a squad to Kumogakure. Besides the usual members-Naruto, Sasuke, and Karin-someone else joined them this time: Kazahana Koyuki. She had made rapid progress studying Sealing Jutsu in Konoha and possessed a special ability to sense ancient ruins, inherited from her mother's Uzumaki Clan bloodline. Tsunade had therefore recommended her for the mission.

Kumogakure stood atop towering mountains, surrounded by lightning year-round. Killer B greeted them at the village entrance, still rapping as always, but with a trace of seriousness in his expression.

"Yo~ Friends from Konoha~ Welcome to Kumogakure~ Lord Killer B~ Here to greet you personally~" Killer B spoke while dancing through a series of bizarre steps.

"Uncle B, get to the point!" Naruto complained.

"All right, all right~" Killer B returned to his normal voice. "The ruins are in the northern Land of Lightning, beneath a cliff near the coast. Our people discovered them after an earthquake shook the entrance open. There are lots of murals inside, and... a coffin."

"A coffin?" Lin Ye frowned.

"Yeah, a huge one. We don't know what it's made of. It isn't wood or metal, and it's covered in strange writing. None of us dared open it, so we asked you to come," Killer B said. "Also, there's some powerful chakra inside the ruins. It feels... alive."

"Living chakra?" Karin activated her Uzumaki Rinnegan to sense it. "How far away?"

"About twenty-five kilometers. If we leave now, we'll get there by evening."

The squad set off with Killer B leading the way. Koyuki remained quiet throughout the journey until they approached the ruins, when she suddenly spoke. "I can feel... sadness. Intense sadness coming from inside the ruins."

"Sadness?" Though Sasuke was blind, his Mind's Eye technique made him sensitive to emotions. "Yes. There's resentment and pain, but the strongest feeling is sadness."

By the time they reached the entrance, night had fallen. It was hidden in a sea cave that could only be entered at low tide. Killer B lit an illumination tag, and they descended along the damp passage.

Murals had been carved into the passage walls. Though ancient, they were well preserved. Lin Ye examined them with his Rinnegan, deciphering their contents.

The first mural showed three figures descending from the sky: two men and one woman. They were Kaguya, Isshiki, and an unfamiliar male member of the Otsutsuki Clan. They planted the God Tree.

The second mural showed Kaguya betraying Isshiki, ambushing and sealing him. But the third Otsutsuki did not join the battle. He watched coldly from the sidelines.

The third mural showed Kaguya swallowing the God Tree Fruit and awakening the Rinne Sharingan on her forehead. The third Otsutsuki turned away and vanished into the forest.

The fourth mural showed the third Otsutsuki appearing again a thousand years later, but in a strange state-he lay inside a coffin, sealed by a group of people in archaic clothing who appeared to be ancient ninja.

The fifth mural showed that everyone who had sealed him bore the Uchiha fan crest on their forehead.

"The Uchiha ancestors... sealed the third Otsutsuki?" Sasuke asked in shock.

"It looks that way," Lin Ye said. "But why is there no mention of this in the Uchiha records?"

"It may have been deliberately erased," Karin said. "Look at the final mural. After sealing him, those Uchiha ancestors all killed themselves. They completed the seal with their lives and didn't want their descendants to know, lest someone undo it."

"So this third Otsutsuki was sealed at the cost of the Uchiha ancestors' lives." Naruto clenched his fists. "Then we have even more reason not to let him out."

They continued deeper and reached an enormous cavern. Sure enough, a black coffin stood at its center, roughly three meters long and two meters wide. It was made of neither metal nor wood, and a dark purple sheen flowed across its surface. Eight skeletons sat around it, all dressed in ancient Uchiha clothing and arranged in a sealing formation.

"These must be those eight ancestors." Filled with solemn respect, Lin Ye bowed to the skeletons. The others followed suit.

"The chakra inside the coffin... is still alive," Koyuki said, trembling. "It's very faint, but it's definitely alive. And he's crying."

"Crying?" Killer B asked, puzzled.

"Yes. I can feel him weeping in sorrow." Tears glistened in Koyuki's eyes. "He doesn't want to be sealed, but he doesn't want to hurt anyone either. He's... deeply conflicted."

Lin Ye approached the coffin and scanned it carefully with his Rinnegan. The seal was extremely complex, combining an Uchiha Forbidden Jutsu with some kind of Otsutsuki technique. It had already begun to weaken, but it could hold for a while longer.

"Should we reinforce the seal?" Karin asked.

"No. We're going to open it." Lin Ye's words stunned them.

"What?!" Everyone froze in shock.

"Big Brother Ye, have you lost your mind?" Naruto shouted. "There's an Otsutsuki in there!"

"Hear me out," Lin Ye explained. "This seal is already weakening. It'll hold for another year at most. After that, he'll break out on his own, and we might not be prepared. Better to open it ourselves now and deal with the problem while he's at his weakest."

"But he's an Otsutsuki. Even weakened, he might be more than we can handle," Sasuke reasoned calmly.

"That's why we need to prepare," Lin Ye said. "Karin, set up a barrier around him with your strongest Sealing Jutsu to prevent him from escaping. Naruto, Sasuke, be ready to use Tailed Beast Mode and Susanoo at any moment. Uncle B, guard the perimeter in case anything unexpected happens. Koyuki, stay with me and use your sensing ability to monitor his emotions. If he loses control, tell us immediately."

"What about me?" a voice called from the entrance.

It was Kakashi. No one knew when he had followed them.

"Kakashi-sensei? What are you doing here?"

"Lady Tsunade was worried, so she sent me to check on you," Kakashi said. "Looks like I arrived just in time. Ye, what are our chances?"

"Fifty percent," Lin Ye answered honestly. "But if we wait for him to break free himself, we won't even have a ten-percent chance."

Kakashi fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "Then let's do it. But before we open it, I want to examine the writing on the coffin. I've studied ancient texts. Perhaps I can translate it."

Kakashi carefully studied the writing on the coffin, his expression growing increasingly grave.

"It says: 'My name is Otsutsuki Yu Ye. I came in pursuit of truth. I took no part in the conflict between Kaguya and Isshiki. Yet the humans of this planet gave their lives to seal me, and I bear them no hatred. If someone in a future age opens this coffin, please heed my words: beware of Isshiki. He is not truly dead. Beware also of...' The rest has worn away."

"Otsutsuki Yu Ye..." Lin Ye repeated the name. "He says to beware of Isshiki, but we know Isshiki was destroyed. What was the other warning about?"

"We don't know, but at least this suggests he isn't hostile toward us," Kakashi said.

"Prepare to open the coffin." Lin Ye made his decision.

Karin set up a simplified Four Red Yang Formation-the four-person version. Naruto entered Kurama Mode, and Sasuke activated Susanoo. Though blind, he still retained the eye power imprint and could manifest its skeletal form. Killer B used Complete Tailed Beast Transformation and guarded the cave entrance, while Kakashi activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.

Lin Ye pressed both hands against the coffin lid. His Rinnegan spun as he unraveled the seal. The lid slowly opened, revealing what lay inside.

A man with long white hair lay within. His youthful face looked no older than twenty, with two short horns on his forehead, tightly closed eyes, and pale skin. He wore the white robes of the Otsutsuki Clan. A massive wound marked his chest, but black chakra sealed it shut. Most striking of all were the tear tracks at the corners of his eyes.

He really was crying.

"Otsutsuki Yu Ye, wake up." Lin Ye stimulated him with chakra.

Yu Ye opened his eyes. They were a pure blue, neither Rinnegan nor Byakugan, just like an ordinary person's eyes. He looked around blankly, then noticed the eight Uchiha skeletons.

"You... finally came..." Yu Ye spoke in a weak but gentle voice. "I've waited so long..."

"Who are you? Why were you sealed here?" Lin Ye asked.

"I'm Otsutsuki Yu Ye, the younger brother of Isshiki and Urashiki Otsutsuki," Yu Ye said. "But I'm different from them. I don't seek the God Tree Fruit or power. I came to this planet to find a 'heart.'"

"A heart?"

"The Otsutsuki Clan is powerful by nature, but we lack emotion. We don't cry, laugh, love, or hate. I wanted to know what it felt like to have a 'heart,'" Yu Ye said. "So I came to this planet to observe humans. But I was caught in the battle between Kaguya and Isshiki and gravely wounded. The Uchiha ancestors found me, mistook me for an invader, and sacrificed their lives to seal me. I don't blame them. They were protecting their home."

"What do you want to do now?"

"I want to... see the world as it is today." Yu Ye struggled to sit up. "But my injuries are too severe, and the seal consumed most of my power. I may... not have much time left."

Koyuki suddenly stepped forward. "You're lying."

"Hmm?" Yu Ye looked at Koyuki.

"There's sadness in your chakra, but no malice. Still, you're hiding something," Koyuki said. "What are you afraid of?"

Yu Ye fell silent. Only after a long while did he speak. "I'm afraid... that my elder brother, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, isn't dead. His Kāma still exists on this planet, and one day he will return to life. Kaguya hasn't been completely sealed either. Her will still lingers somewhere. But more terrifying than either... our father, Otsutsuki Yame, is on his way to this planet."

"Otsutsuki Yame?!" None of them had heard the name before.

"Isshiki, Kaguya, and Urashiki are all his children. I'm his youngest son," Yu Ye said. "Father is the true king of the Otsutsuki Clan. He has the power to destroy planets. He sent us here to plant the God Tree and harvest the Chakra Fruit. But Kaguya betrayed him, Isshiki failed, Urashiki disappeared, and I lost contact as well. Father will surely come to investigate in person. When that happens, this planet... will be destroyed."

The sheer amount of information left everyone stunned.

"How much time do we have?" Lin Ye asked.

"I don't know, but not long. Perhaps a few years, perhaps a few decades," Yu Ye said. "That's why I want to help you before I die. I have little power left, but I can pass my knowledge on to you. Especially you, Uchiha Orphan. The Rinnegan within you is only one final step from perfection. I can help you."

"Why help us?"

"Because... I like the humans of this planet." Yu Ye smiled, a smile of pure sincerity. "You cry, you laugh, and you sacrifice yourselves for others. That's beautiful. I don't want to see such a beautiful world destroyed."

Lin Ye looked into Yu Ye's blue eyes. There truly was no malice in them, only sincerity.

"I believe you," Lin Ye said. "But we need more evidence. Can you tell us Otsutsuki Yame's weakness?"

"Father has no weaknesses, at least none that I know of." Yu Ye shook his head. "But he has one habit: he never personally sets foot on a planet he intends to destroy. He sends his subordinates to clear it out first. If we display enough strength when they arrive, he might abandon this planet, deciding it isn't worth intervening personally."

"Subordinates? How many more Otsutsuki are there?"

"Many. The Otsutsuki Clan is an enormous family scattered across many planets. Father has twelve 'Guardians' under his command, all supreme fighters. If they come, he'll send two or three first to test us."

"Understood," Lin Ye said. "Then what we need to do now is grow stronger and prepare for another Otsutsuki invasion."

"And gather every piece of information we can about the Otsutsuki Clan," Kakashi added.

"I can tell you everything I know," Yu Ye said. "But in exchange, I want to see this world freely before I die. May I?"

Lin Ye looked at the others. Naruto nodded, as did Sasuke, Karin, and Koyuki.

"Yes. But we need to place a seal on you to ensure you won't endanger the world."

"No problem." Yu Ye accepted without hesitation.