Chapter 332: Kaguya Explains the Forces of the Universe!

Naruto raised his hand toward the sky. A surge of sealing power burst forth, wrapped in an inky-black radiance that sent chills through the air.

Rumble—!

The earth trembled.

The sky split.

A pale silhouette formed within the void, slowly approaching until the figure of a woman stepped out of the distortion. Her skin was snow-white, her eyes bright and piercing, her features graceful and cold. And most strikingly—on her forehead sat a Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan, glowing with ancient and oppressive power.

Her moon-white robes flowed like divine silk, and she carried herself with the dignity of a celestial queen.

She looked even more regal and beautiful than the Kaguya Naruto had imagined.

Black Zetsu trembled with excitement.

"Mother! I… finally succeeded!"

Tears slipped down his pitch-black face.

Kaguya sighed softly.

"Black Zetsu… you have worked hard."

Then her gaze shifted toward Naruto. Despite being sealed, she had never been fully blind to the world. Through the moon—her prison and vantage point—she had observed everything.

Her sudden appearance left the entire battlefield breathless.

The progenitor of chakra.

The woman who once consumed the Divine Tree's fruit.

The legendary goddess of ancient times.

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.

Kaguya's eyes drifted over Naruto.

"The Ōtsutsuki Clan is not something your mind can easily comprehend."

Naruto replied calmly:

"Know yourself and know your enemy—only then can you avoid defeat.

Since the Ninja World and the Ōtsutsuki Clan are destined to become adversaries, I'd prefer to understand as much as possible."

Naruto thought of the worlds the Ōtsutsuki had devastated, the countless planets drained of life.

To him—someone who valued the balance of nature—the Ōtsutsuki were nothing less than cosmic parasites.

Kaguya nodded lightly.

"Since you wish to know… I will tell you."

She turned her gaze toward the sky, her voice drifting like a cold wind.

The Cosmic Powers Revealed

"The Ōtsutsuki Clan controls an incomprehensibly vast starfield.

No one knows its full size—it cannot be measured."

"They command countless subordinate races and are one of the apex powers of the universe."

"At the top level of the cosmos stand several supreme races:

the Ōtsutsuki Clan, the Death God Clan, the Mechanical Clan, and the Insectoid Clan.

Each forms its own mighty faction."

"There is also the Trade Alliance—a coalition formed by many races, exchanging resources and technologies.

Although not a single race, its influence makes it a top-tier force."

"Below this level exist numerous other races—lesser individually, but formidable in unity.

Even the Ōtsutsuki Clan avoids provoking too many at once.

They do not wish to turn the entire universe into their enemy."

Her gaze sharpened.

"In the wider cosmos, even the weakest powers rule dozens of small star systems like your own."

She paused, watching everyone's reaction.

To her surprise, only a few shinobi looked shocked.

Naruto, at the center of everything, remained perfectly calm.

Kaguya's brows twitched—slightly annoyed, slightly impressed.

Then someone asked:

"Then what level is our Ninja World, compared to the rest of the universe?"

Kaguya's reply was blunt.

"Hmph. Your Ninja World is insignificant—an aboriginal system not even worth classifying."

The crowd stiffened.

"However…"

Her pale eyes shifted toward Naruto.

"Because he exists, your world can barely be considered an Advanced power."

Murmurs spread among the shinobi.

Naruto absorbed her words silently.

So the Six Paths level was not weak—at least by the standards of the broader universe.

In the Ninja World's history, the Five Kage had been the pinnacle.

Figures like Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara had already far surpassed that ceiling.

And above them stood Kaguya, Hamura, Hagoromo—the progenitors of chakra.

Perhaps that was why the Ōtsutsuki stood unchallenged in the cosmic hierarchy.

Naruto spoke again:

"Tell me more about the Ōtsutsuki Clan."

Kaguya frowned, displeased by the commanding tone.

But she reminded herself: Naruto had released her. Black Zetsu had already signed a binding contract with him.

And she needed Naruto's power to survive what was coming.

So she exhaled softly and complied.

Naruto noticed her discomfort.

That only made him smirk internally.

Kaguya had clearly been praised too much throughout her life; in simple terms, she carried the temperament of someone with a "princess complex."

After all—she had once been worshipped as the embodiment of the Divine Tree.

Being treated as a goddess for millennia would distort anyone's sense of self.

Suppressing her discomfort, she continued speaking:

"The Ōtsutsuki Clan is divided into two major lineages—

the Tenseigan Lineage and the Rinnegan Lineage."

Her voice held a trace of bitterness.

"I was once considered part of the Tenseigan lineage… but since betraying the clan, I am no longer acknowledged. To them, I am already a traitor."

Her tone grew cold.

But beneath that coldness was fear.

Because no one—goddess or not—truly wished to die. For the sake of survival, she had betrayed her clan.

Ōtsutsuki Clan Power Structure

"Those born with the Tenseigan or Rinnegan are high-ranking members.

They have the qualifications to participate in clan councils."

"The Ōtsutsuki Clan does not have many members, but their elite combat strength surpasses your entire Ninja World."

Her gaze swept across the shinobi.

"To explain it in your terms—

your so-called Five Kage?

In the Ōtsutsuki Clan, they are merely infants.

Comparable to students at your Ninja Academy."

A stunned silence fell over the battlefield.

Gasps followed.

If the Five Kage were nothing but children in the larger universe…

then what did that make ordinary shinobi?

Of course, Naruto and a few others were exceptions—they carried hints of Ōtsutsuki heritage or influence.

Kaguya went on:

"That Wood Release boy—Senju Hashirama—who inherited a fragment of my bloodline…

and Uchiha Madara…

Their strength represents the baseline combat power of the Ōtsutsuki.

They are equivalent to standard core warriors."

The crowd was shaken once again.

"Only those who reach the Six Paths level are considered upper-middle-tier powerhouses."

"And even among the Six Paths… vast differences exist."

"The universe's top-tier forces are top-tier because they possess true gods.

Only those blessed by a god's protection can stand at the summit."

She paused.

"But true gods—those beings who transcend reason—are not something an ordinary Ōtsutsuki like me could ever meet."

Kaguya's voice carried sarcasm… and fear.

The reason she created an army of White Zetsu was simple—the pressure of the Ōtsutsuki Clan was too immense.

In truth, even if the clan discovered her betrayal, they would not panic.

At most, they would dispatch a single member to eliminate her.

Her status in the clan was not noble.

She had been little more than a disposable pawn.

Naruto's brows furrowed.

So there were beings above the Six Paths level?

The Ōtsutsuki truly were terrifying.

The Nature of the Divine Tree

Naruto asked:

"Then what exactly is the Divine Tree?"

Kaguya replied:

"The Divine Tree is a sacred organism belonging to the Ōtsutsuki Clan. It absorbs a planet's vitality to produce the Chakra Fruit—a perfect stimulant for unlocking the full potential of an Ōtsutsuki's bloodline."

"If anyone other than an Ōtsutsuki consumes the fruit…unpredictable mutations occur."

"Not every world can grow a Chakra Fruit. But your planet… barely qualifies as a high-quality one."

Her tone shifted.

"Outsiders call the Divine Tree the Demon Tree, and its fruit the Demon Fruit."

The shinobi murmured at the unfamiliar term.

Kaguya continued:

"It is rumored that some Ōtsutsuki once cultivated a true Demon Fruit Divine Tree, one capable of granting a portion of a god's power. But such power carries a curse. Whether the legend is true… no one knows."

Naruto understood the explanation, but something inside him tensed.

Demon fruit. Curse. Mutations.

This was far too similar to something from his previous life.

An unsettling possibility rose in his chest.

If that world also existed somewhere in this universe…

Then things might become far more interesting.