Deep within the lunar core, over a thousand kilometers beneath the surface.
The entrance to Yomotsu Hirasaka opened, and Uchiha Naruto appeared like a phantom, standing in the void and gazing into the distance with his Tomoe Rinnegan.
A crimson river, like the long river of time, stretched boundlessly wide, its mighty waters surging without end.
"Hmm, this isn't the actual moon, but an alternate dimension within Amenominaka." Uchiha Naruto looked as though he had expected this.
Crimson mist churned and drifted endlessly over the river like something alive. Countless insane, chaotic mutterings and whispers assailed the ears like demonic voices, enough to instantly rob anyone of their reason and kill them through mental collapse.
Unmoved, Uchiha Naruto drew a drop of dark red river water toward him with a glance, extracting its soul and reading its thoughts as easily as studying the lines on his palm.
It held the life of a nameless shinobi, from birth to growing up, training, and bloody battles against enemies, until death on the battlefield.
The blood-red river was boundless, and every drop was the blood and tears of a living being.
These were the anguished cries left behind by countless beings, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, across a world and its many planets.
A trace of regret appeared in his eyes. Then Uchiha Naruto followed the blood-red river upstream, tracing it to its source.
Of course, he could have opened Yomotsu Hirasaka and teleported straight to his destination, but he still measured the blood river with his footsteps, paying a brief tribute.
After an unknown length of time-perhaps a long while, perhaps only an instant-Uchiha Naruto stopped and raised his head, his expression calm.
"Long time no see, God of Ōtsutsuki."
At the source of the blood river was the