Autumn, Konoha Year 54.
Six months remained until the Otsutsuki Fleet arrived.
At the Shinobi World Alliance headquarters, the sky fortress Akatsuki Moon hovered above the Land of Fire. A culmination of the Five Great Nations' technology and ninjutsu, it was a mobile war fortress-and the future home port of their space fleet.
Lin Ye stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows of the command center, gazing down at the miniature Konoha below. Three years had passed, and Konoha had grown several times larger. High-rises filled the skyline, maglev trains raced along elevated tracks, and ninjas carried out missions in new chakra armor. Peace had brought prosperity, but the shadows had never been far away.
"Lord Ye, the scans of the Cave of Myriad Forms are back." Karin pushed open the door and entered. Dressed in a white researcher's uniform with her red hair tied in a ponytail, she looked brisk and capable. Her Uzumaki Rinnegan glimmered behind specially made glasses. "Just as the Eye of Prophecy showed, there are powerful life signs deep inside the cave. And... faint traces of Otsutsuki chakra."
"What about the antibody?" Lin Ye turned. He had grown much taller over the past three years, his frame straight and strong, his black hair reaching his shoulders. Beneath the bangs on his forehead, his Rinnegan seemed deeper than ever. He usually wore a black blindfold, removing it only in battle.
"Preliminary scans indicate that the antibody is inside an intact Otsutsuki corpse. But a powerful seal protects the body, and opening it requires someone of the Senju Clan's bloodline." Karin handed him a tablet displaying a 3D scan of the Cave of Myriad Forms. "We've also finished simulating the treatment for Sasuke's eyes. We'll use the Otsutsuki antibody to stimulate cell regeneration, then rebuild his eyeballs with Hashirama cells. The success rate is... sixty-eight percent."
"That's enough." Lin Ye nodded. "Notify Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura. We leave in an hour. Also, have Orochimaru and Sasori prepare the medical equipment. We may need to operate on-site."
"Yes."
An hour later, at the entrance to the Cave of Myriad Forms.
The Cave of Myriad Forms lay in the deepest part of the Forest of Death and was forbidden ground belonging to the Senju Clan. Massive trees entwined around its entrance, forming a natural gateway. Hashirama Senju had once trained here-and buried certain secrets here as well.
"This is it," Sakura said. She was now the director of Konoha Hospital and the Alliance's chief medical officer. Her long green hair fell over her shoulders, and her bearing was composed. "According to the notes Lady Tsunade left behind, the Cave of Myriad Forms has three levels. The first is a training ground, the second a sealing chamber, and the third a burial chamber. The Otsutsuki corpse should be in the burial chamber."
"Let's go." Sasuke was the first to step inside. Black cloth still covered his eyes, but after three years of training his Mind's Eye, his perception reached a thousand meters, leaving his combat ability unaffected. A new sword hung at his waist-a Chakra Blade specially forged in the Land of Iron, capable of being infused with Lightning Release.
Naruto followed him, wearing an orange-and-black combat outfit beneath a white ceremonial cloak embroidered with the words "Seventh Hokage candidate." He had achieved perfect control over Nine-Tails Mode and even developed "Nine-Tails Senjutsu." His strength was unfathomable.
Lin Ye brought up the rear, keeping watch. His Rinnegan could see through every trap, and the cave's seals appeared to him as a transparent network.
The first level was a spacious cavern with smooth stone slabs underfoot. The Senju Clan's crest and notes on training were carved into its walls. It was safe, and the group passed through quickly.
The second level was a sealing chamber covered in all manner of sealing formulas. To Karin, however, they were child's play. She dispelled them with ease, revealing a staircase leading down.
The third level-the burial chamber.
The burial chamber was vast. A stone coffin stood at its center, with a sword thrust into it-the Kusanagi Sword. Four skeletons knelt around the coffin, dressed in Senju Clan clothing. They were its guardians.
"Forgive the intrusion." Lin Ye bowed to the skeletons, then approached the coffin. The moment his hand touched the Kusanagi Sword, all four skeletons moved.
"Intruders must die." The skeletons spoke in mechanical voices, green flames igniting in their eye sockets. They rose, chakra bursting from them-they were actually Kage Level!
"They're puppets powered by natural energy, created with a modified version of Impure World Reincarnation," Karin analyzed. "Leave them to me."
She formed hand seals. "Sealing Jutsu: Four Symbols Sealing Formation!"
Red chains erupted from the ground and wrapped around the four skeletons. But the skeletons possessed tremendous strength. They snapped the chains and charged.
"Let me." Naruto created four shadow clones, each taking on a skeleton. "Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan!"
Four Rasengans slammed into the skeletons' chests at once, blasting them apart. But their fragments quickly reassembled, and they rose again.
"Regeneration?" Sakura frowned.
"Seal them completely with Sealing Jutsu." Sasuke drew his sword and infused it with Lightning Release. "Chidori Stream!"
Lightning spread like a net, engulfing the four skeletons. At the same time, Karin completed her sealing formula. A massive Uzumaki Clan Crest appeared on the floor, dragging the skeletons underground and sealing them away.
"Done." Naruto dusted off his hands.
Lin Ye gripped the Kusanagi Sword and pulled hard. The instant the blade left the coffin, its stone lid slowly opened.
Inside lay an intact Otsutsuki corpse.
The corpse was male, with pale skin, two horns on his forehead, and white robes. A gaping hole in his chest showed that his heart had been torn out, killing him. Yet his body remained perfectly preserved, with even a faint current of chakra still flowing through it. Most striking of all was the vial of red liquid clasped in his hand-the antibody.
"So this is the Otsutsuki antibody?" Sakura carefully retrieved the vial and examined it with Medical Ninjutsu. "It's highly active, but it needs Hashirama cells as a carrier before we can use it. Sasuke, are you ready?"
"Yes." Sasuke removed his blindfold, exposing his empty eye sockets. After three years, he had long since grown used to darkness. But he still looked forward to seeing the light again.
"Then let's begin the operation. Ye, Naruto, stand guard."
Sakura injected the antibody into the Hashirama cell culture medium she had brought, then injected the mixture into Sasuke's eye sockets. Karin used Sealing Jutsu to stabilize his chakra, Naruto supplied vitality through nine-tails chakra, and Lin Ye kept a vigilant watch on their surroundings.
The surgery went smoothly. Sasuke felt heat building in his eye sockets as new eyeballs rapidly grew. But just then, something changed.
The Otsutsuki corpse's eyes suddenly opened.
They were golden Rinnegan.
"Watch out!" Lin Ye immediately used Shinra Tensei to push everyone away. The corpse sat up, the gaping hole in his chest healing rapidly. He looked at Lin Ye and gave an eerie smile.
"At last... a suitable vessel."
The voice came not from the corpse's mouth, but from the void. At the same time, two figures emerged from Yomotsu Hirasaka-Kinshiki and Urashiki.
"Well, looks like we arrived just in time." Urashiki swung his fishing rod. "We deliberately left this corpse as bait. Who knew we'd actually reel in such a big catch? The Uchiha Orphan, the Uzumaki heir, the reincarnations of Indra and Asura... truly perfect sacrifices."
"Sacrifices?" Lin Ye said coldly.
"Lord Momoshiki needs a powerful body to serve as the vessel for his arrival. You four will do nicely." Kinshiki raised a hand, and the black ring behind him transformed into a weapon. "Surrender, and you can spare yourselves some suffering."
"Dream on." Naruto entered Nine-Tails Mode, golden chakra blazing like flames.
Although Sasuke's eyes had yet to recover completely, he drew his sword and stood. Sakura and Karin readied themselves for battle.
"Then let's fight." Lin Ye removed his blindfold, activating his Rinnegan and Jōgan simultaneously. "This time, you won't escape."
Battle was about to erupt.
What they did not know was that, far away among the stars, Momoshiki Otsutsuki stood on a ship's bridge, watching a live feed of the Cave of Myriad Forms on a screen. His lips curved into a cruel smile.
"The game has begun."
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