NRAO: Chapter 414/415

Chapter 414

The black rods condensed from the Truth-Seeking Orbs had the ability to disrupt chakra.

Even the Ōtsutsuki clan wasn't immune to this interference.

Moreover, their bodies consisted purely of chakra, without an independent life force like that of the Tailed Beasts.

As a result, once immobilized by Orochimaru, they wouldn't even have the chance to resist.

"Leave him alive. He'll be useful later."

"Understood!"


---

Two hours later…

This wasn't the same square where the teleportation portal had been located earlier.

This was a proper town square, one that truly belonged to this settlement!

The plaza was so vast that its boundaries were impossible to see at a glance.

Ordinarily, it would appear empty, stretching endlessly into the distance.

But now, surprisingly, a large crowd had gathered.

At a rough estimate, there were at least several thousand people.

Most of them wore tattered clothes, their appearances reflecting a life of hardship.

There was no doubt—they were ordinary humans, kept in captivity by the Ōtsutsuki clan.

Living under the rule of a race that relentlessly pursued power, their lives were naturally miserable.

At this moment, the captives had formed a loose circle, murmuring amongst themselves as they observed the scene at the center.

Their expressions varied—fear, anxiety, shock, disbelief, hope—an array of emotions flickered across their faces.

"Wait… aren't those two from the Ōtsutsuki clan? Why are they…"

"Yeah, he actually killed his own kind! What's going on?"

"Is this going to affect us?"

"Who knows… maybe they're here to help us?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki's power is far beyond anything mere mortals can resist!"

"Exactly! If anything, we should be afraid…"

"Wait… that woman… she looks familiar. Where have I seen her before?"

"Huh? Now that you mention it, she does look familiar!"

"Ah! I remember! That's Ōtsutsuki Kaguya! I've seen her portrait before! She was once a princess of the Ōtsutsuki clan!"

"What?! A princess of the Ōtsutsuki clan?!"

"Yes! And I've heard that she was… different from the others."

"Is she here to save us?"

As the crowd whispered among themselves, Orochimaru, seated at the center of it all, paid them no mind.

At the moment, he was leisurely sipping tea.

Two chairs, a table, and a tea set rested before him.

Pouring himself another cup, he casually slid one in front of Kaguya.

"Want a drink?"

"I'm not thirsty," Kaguya replied coldly.

With her divine body, she no longer needed to eat or drink. It wasn't a lie—it was simply unnecessary.

"Even a god should know how to enjoy life." Orochimaru smirked. "And as for our situation… don't be nervous. We will win this battle."

"Are you that confident?"

Kaguya cast him an indifferent glance.

She possessed the purest Byakugan, yet even she couldn't see the source of Orochimaru's power.

Could he really help her kill these clan members without using chakra?

It was utterly incomprehensible.

"Of course." Orochimaru's lips curled into a grin. "If I didn't have that level of confidence, I wouldn't have come here."

"Orochimaru… you truly are a peculiar man."

Expressionless, Kaguya lifted the teacup and took a sip.

"You've said that many times." Orochimaru chuckled. "What? Have you become my admirer?"

"Not even close," Kaguya replied flatly.

"Then tell me, what are you thinking about right now?"

"Nothing in particular."

"Hah… you really are a cold and boring woman." Orochimaru laughed, shaking his head before rising from his seat.

In the center of the square, a massive wooden cross stood tall.

Nailed to it with black rods—like some kind of blasphemous effigy—was Ōtsutsuki Takeshi, completely drained of chakra.

At the foot of the cross, eight lifeless bodies lay scattered across the ground.

As Orochimaru stood, the chattering of the onlookers came to an abrupt halt.

The massive square fell into eerie silence.

Orochimaru gazed at Takeshi, who now looked no better than a dying dog, then smirked and casually raised a hand toward a disheveled man in the crowd.

Before the man could react, Orochimaru lifted him into the air with ease.

"If you don't want to die, leave immediately!"

With that, he tossed the man aside.

Orochimaru hadn't lowered his voice, ensuring that everyone in the vicinity heard him loud and clear.

These ordinary humans had never even considered resisting the Ōtsutsuki clan.

The sight of all those corpses had simply been too shocking, drawing them in despite their fear.

But now, upon hearing that their own lives were at risk.

How could they possibly stay?

Within moments, the square emptied as the terrified captives fled in all directions.

However, a handful of bolder individuals chose to remain, watching cautiously from a distance, eager to see what would happen next.

Before long, a spatial rift tore open.

Several robed Ōtsutsuki clan members stepped forth.

"Hahaha! Finally, they've arrived!"

Orochimaru chuckled softly, completely unbothered by their appearance.

Kaguya, too, remained seated, expression calm as she gently blew on her tea.

After spending half a year on Earth alongside Orochimaru, she had come to understand chakra and natural energy better than ever.

The difference between chakra infused with natural energy and chakra without it was like night and day.

Back then, even when Hagoromo and Hamura had only received a fraction of her chakra, their power had surged after learning the Senjutsu of Mount Myōboku, allowing them to rival her in battle.

And now, facing these Ōtsutsuki clansmen, who had never learned Senjutsu, even in her current weakened state, she was confident in her ability to defeat them.

Let alone Orochimaru, who possessed Senjutsu-enhanced chakra!

The newly arrived Ōtsutsuki members, however, did not attack immediately.

Instead, they remained standing in place, their heads slightly lowered, as if awaiting the arrival of someone of great importance.

Then, emerging from the spatial rift.

A familiar yet unfamiliar figure stepped forward, radiating authority, like the stars surrounding the moon.

"Kaguya? So it really is you?"

A sinister chuckle echoed through the square.

"Heh… I never thought that a coward who only knows how to run away would actually dare to return!"

(To be continued.)

Chapter 415

A calm and elegant voice reached the ears of the two.

The disdain and mockery in his tone were unmistakable.

Immediately after, a young man in a white robe, his pale gray-white eyes gleaming, slowly stepped out of the spatial rift.

The white robe was the standard attire of the Ōtsutsuki clan, though it lacked the six-tomoe pattern that adorned Kaguya's.

Behind him stood a burly man, wielding a massive red battle-axe.

There was no doubt—Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki and Ōtsutsuki Kinshiki had arrived.

Even Kaguya feared these beings.

As Momoshiki emerged, he instinctively scanned the surroundings. The moment he took in the situation, his brows furrowed.

The eight clan members stationed here were all dead.

And Ōtsutsuki Takeshi was barely clinging to life?!

"S-save… help me!"

Takeshi, sensing Momoshiki's arrival, hoarsely cried out for aid.

His chakra had been completely drained by Kaguya, his body impaled by black rods and suspended midair. Every so often, Orochimaru would send a blade slashing through him from a distance.

This torture had lasted for hours.

Life at this point was worse than death.

Had the Ōtsutsuki not been immune to genjutsu, Orochimaru could have simply used a technique like Tsukuyomi, sparing himself the effort.

But that wasn't an option.

"A new face?"

Momoshiki completely ignored Takeshi's plea, his attention instead shifting to Orochimaru.

"He doesn't seem to be of the Ōtsutsuki clan, yet his power isn't weak…"

Momoshiki grinned, then turned to Kaguya.

"So this is why you dared to return? Because of him?"

Kaguya ignored him completely.

"Where is my father's grave?" she asked coldly.

When she was still an innocent girl, she had fled to Earth to escape the civil war within the Ōtsutsuki clan.

She had watched her parents perish before her very eyes.

One of her reasons for returning was to find their remains.

Even if all that was left was a humble grave.

But the moment Momoshiki heard her words, he burst into laughter.

"Your father? Hah! Who knows?"

The sight of Momoshiki alone filled Kaguya with a mixture of fear and hatred.

She had only been suppressing it because of Orochimaru's presence.

But now, at his words.

She could no longer hold herself back.

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

Kaguya's chakra surged violently.

A gray bone materialized in her palm. Without hesitation, she launched an All-Killing Ash Bone straight at Momoshiki!

A lethal move from the very start.

Although the All-Killing Ash Bones weren't particularly fast, about the same as a kunai, their devastating collapse-inducing properties, combined with Kaguya's high-purity Byakugan predicting the enemy's movements, made them one of her strongest attacks.

But despite being an Ōtsutsuki himself, Momoshiki showed no concern whatsoever toward her attack.

He didn't even bother dodging.

Instead, he casually waved his hand.

And an invisible force distorted the air.

The gray bone veered off course inexplicably.

Bang!

The bone impaled the ground behind Momoshiki, instantly reducing a large portion of the land to dust.

"Thousands of years have passed, yet you're still this naive."

"An attack like this? Hmph. Child's play."

Momoshiki's voice dripped with contempt.

To ordinary shinobi, All-Killing Ash Bones were an ultimate technique.

To Momoshiki, they weren't even worth acknowledging.

Watching Momoshiki effortlessly redirect the attack, Orochimaru finally understood.

This was why Kaguya feared him.

This man's power was on a completely different level.

"Die!"

Momoshiki's words only fueled Kaguya's rage.

Her hair billowed wildly.

She raised both hands, her palms manifesting more gray bones, ready to strike again.

But at that moment.

A hand grasped her wrist.

"Wait."

"Orochimaru?"

Kaguya turned, only to see Orochimaru looking at her with his signature sinister smirk.

"Don't get so worked up. Leave him to me."

Momoshiki's gaze sharpened.

"So it was you who used Takeshi to lure me here."

He had been meditating in his own domain when Takeshi's distress signal reached him.

And then—

He had sensed the master-servant connection between them sever.

Clearly, someone had orchestrated this.

Without overthinking it, he had come immediately.

Yet now, looking at Orochimaru.

His chakra wasn't even on Kaguya's level.

And yet, this man had defeated Takeshi and his eight subordinates?

It didn't add up.

This made no sense.

Orochimaru chuckled.

"It doesn't matter whether I did or didn't. You're here now, aren't you?"

"Haha! That's true!"

Momoshiki laughed.

"Well then… since you have the nerve to return, hand over the power of the God Tree."

Orochimaru's smirk deepened.

"That depends on whether you have the strength to take it."

Casually raising his hand.

Boom!

The Truth-Seeking Orbs on Takeshi's body instantly activated, reducing him to nothingness.

Momoshiki's expression darkened.

Just as he was about to speak, the scenery around him shifted instantly!

A space-time technique?!

Momoshiki's brows furrowed.

Was Kaguya trying to protect the insignificant mortals in the square?

His gaze swept across the barren, moon-like landscape that now surrounded them.

A sneer tugged at his lips.

Protecting mortals?

To Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki, such a thing was utterly foolish.

Slowly, he raised his hands.

Various elemental chakra began swirling around him.

Sensing this, the other Ōtsutsuki clan members quickly took to the skies, distancing themselves from the battlefield.

"A mere lowly creature dares challenge the majesty of a god?"

(To be continued.)