From the night of genocide, marching towards the strongest.

Upon hearing this, Otsutsuki Toneri remained silent for a long time before finally shaking his head and saying softly, "I don't know."

"I was even a little confused about whether or not to destroy the ninja world before. In my memory, it was only after witnessing the Fourth Shinobi World War that I finally made up my mind to destroy the ninja world."

"You don't need to worry that I will interfere with what you're going to do next. I don't have that power right now. Besides, the fact that Ancestor Hamura was able to bestow another Tenseigan upon you means that even if he didn't approve of your next actions, he at least acquiesced to them."

"That's not what I'm worried about, that's why I asked you this question."

Sasuke chuckled and said, "No matter what, whether it's you from the parallel world or you from this world, you've been a great help to me. If you need my help in the future, like cultivating a pair of Byakugan that perfectly suits you, I can help."

"Eye roll..."

Otsutsuki Toneri frowned slightly, hesitant in his heart. Of course, he understood what Sasuke meant by cultivating a pair of Byakugan for him.

It was precisely because he understood this that he hesitated after gaining the memories of another version of himself.

While he hesitated, Sasuke continued to laugh:

"Of course, if you don't know what you want to do in the future? How about I give you a suggestion? Or you can think of it as offering you a job."

"A great undertaking with a bright future and a broad path!"

"Work?"

Otsutsuki Toneri was taken aback and "looked" at Sasuke.

"Yes, a job, this job is called..."

Sasuke nodded, his gaze gradually becoming deep and profound, a smile curving his lips as he slowly uttered a few words.

"Guardian of the Ninja World".

"......"

Upon hearing this, Otsutsuki Toneri's brows furrowed even more deeply.

..............

A day later, the summer sun blazed down, and the temperature soared.

In the giant crater of the Sanctuary, the residents living nearby had already evacuated the site of the incident under the command of officials from the Land of Fire.

At this moment, the Sacred Pit, especially the ruins near the Spear of Heaven Tower, is filled with various intelligence ninjas from Konoha Village, carrying all sorts of tools, trying to find clues about the cause, process, and result of the apocalypse a day ago.

Meanwhile, there was a large group of people on the periphery who claimed to be international charitable organizations and media reporters, but inside were spies from various countries and ninja villages.

They also tried to enter the Sacred Pit in various ways, both overt and covert, to uncover its secrets.

"........"

Near the Heaven's Spear Tower, in mid-air, Otsutsuki Isshiki used Sumina Higana to shrink himself infinitely, turning into a dust particle that perfectly blended into the surrounding air.

At this moment, he was also silently watching the Heavenly Spear Tower, trying to find a way for Sasuke to create Otsutsuki clones.

After yesterday's operation to capture "the weapon" failed, the unwilling Otsutsuki Isshiki secretly returned to the place today using the young Hiko.

Indra in this world can create the bloodline of the Otsutsuki royal family if the characteristics of his rituals are understood.

He might even be able to create his own "weapon" with his Otsutsuki Isshiki, after all, the level of technology he has mastered from the Kara organization far surpasses that of the current ninja world.

With his extensive knowledge and experience, Isshiki Otsutsuki quickly grasped the general principles and methods by which Sasuke created Otsutsuki clones.

"Given the current conditions in the ninja world, it's virtually impossible to find such a vast amount of resources to hold another similar ceremony..."

Ōtsutsuki Isshiki frowned and sighed inwardly. It was precisely because he had figured it out that he was so frowning.

Methods are secondary; resources are the most important factor.

Resources, after all, are still resources!

Behind the birth of each member of the Otsutsuki clan lies countless resources and energy.

This is why, once each member of their race grows up, their power level is comparable to that of a true god on most planets in the universe.

That is why the main family strictly forbids fighting among its members. Even those of lower status who are part of the branch family and are responsible for protecting the main family and feeding the sacred tree must find a "vessel" to leave a wedge mark before feeding the sacred tree in order to be resurrected.

Although their strength will be reduced to less than one-tenth after resurrection, they will eventually return to normal with the help of the Karma seal. Unless the main family is in an extremely dangerous situation, the main family cannot kill the branch family members at will and turn their bodies into chakra fruits to devour them.

The Otsutsuki clan's prohibition is so strict that if an Otsutsuki descendant with atavistic or near-atavistic bloodlines is discovered outside the clan, they cannot be killed arbitrarily; they must be extradited back to the Otsutsuki clan. (For example, Boruto's Toneri.)

Strictly speaking, yesterday's Otsutsuki Tsurugi and Uchiha Sasuke were already considered members of the main clan.

In other words, when Otsutsuki Isshiki attacked Otsutsuki Tsuru yesterday, he violated the main family's prohibition. If the main family finds out, he will be punished in the future.

But Otsutsuki Isshiki clearly didn't care. Not only did his main family not know about it now, but even if they did, he could find a reason to cover it up in the future.

Moreover, compared to the punishment from the main family, the real disgrace would be if the main family found out that he, a genius elite warrior, had fallen to this state.

"Even if such a person still existed in the ninja world today, given my current situation, it would be extremely difficult to find me and successfully perform the ritual, especially since Kaguya's two sons have already discovered me..."

Let's keep our attention on Otsutsuki Yuki. He can hardly fight in person anymore, and his useless subordinates are no match for Uchiha Sasuke, who has awakened the Rinnegan and Rinne Sharingan.

Let's talk about collecting resources. Putting aside whether such resources still exist in the ninja world, even if they do, given that the Hamura and Hagoromo brothers have already discovered him, it's almost impossible for him to make any big moves in the ninja world. At most, he can only collect them little by little.

The new millennium is just around the corner, and if nothing unexpected happens, those who will succeed him will be Momoshiki from the main family and Kinshiki from the branch family.

If they knew their current situation, while they wouldn't necessarily kill themselves, they would likely feed their remaining half of their bodies to a new Divine Tree. (In Boruto, Momoshiki and Isshiki both want to feed the other to the Divine Tree.)

Although Momoshiki and Kinshiki are not as strong as he is at full strength, he cannot fight at full strength for long. If the two of them are determined to drag it out, he will be in great danger.

In this way, he would become a complete disgrace to the Otsutsuki clan, and it would be very difficult for him to recover.

Otsutsuki Isshiki's face was as still as water; no matter how he thought about it, it seemed to be a dead end.

Another thousand years?

When Momoshiki and Kinshiki arrive, I won't show myself, so they'll mistakenly think I'm already dead?

wrong!

Kaguya has already eaten the fruit of the Divine Tree. If the two of them come here, they will definitely plant a new Divine Tree, which will inevitably lead to conflict with Kaguya's two sons.

So, does that mean I have to stand up and stand with the two of them?

only.....

And who knows how much Uchiha Sasuke and his clone will grow by then? Will the three of us be a match for them?

And how can we guarantee that Momoshiki and Kinshiki won't turn their backs on us after the victory?

Damn it!

Is it really true that we have to wait another thousand years?

For a moment, Otsutsuki Isshiki felt only agitated and inexplicably irritable.

"Ok?"

At that moment, Otsutsuki Isshiki seemed to sense something and looked towards the crowd. A mysterious figure completely wrapped in a black hooded robe blended into the crowd, seemingly investigating something as well.

"Another ant trying to covet the realm of gods, but compared to Uchiha Sasuke, you really don't know your own limitations."

This guy, I know Otsutsuki Isshiki.

"Hehe, things are getting more and more interesting."

...............

a few days later.

Cold, shivering...

Was the ceremony a success?

A spark of consciousness seemed to ignite from the depths of darkness, and such a thought flashed through my mind.

No, the ceremony failed...

I'm already dead...

As Kabuto's confused consciousness began to return, the last scene of his lucidity flashed through his mind, and he sighed inwardly. At that moment, a calm and cold voice came from behind him.

“Indeed, you are the best among all the people you have received wedges from.”

Upon hearing this, Kabuto was startled. He slowly opened his bewildered eyes and subconsciously looked toward the source of the sound. He couldn't see the scenery clearly; everything was blurry and dreamlike.

A moment later, Kabuto Yakushi realized that the person who spoke was a man dressed in a white robe, with an ordinary appearance, hair gathered on top of his head, and a long braid at the back of his head. He was sitting on a high platform, resting his chin on his hand, looking at him with great interest.

"who are you?"

"Think about it carefully, and it should tell you everything."

Chapter 357 The Fruit of the Divine Tree: The Ladder to Godhood.

(A heads-up before reading: This chapter contains the author's extensive expansion of the original world-building, as well as his own interpretations of the Divine Tree and the Otsutsuki clan.)

"Think about it carefully, and it should tell you everything."

In the mysterious and unknowable underground palace, Otsutsuki Isshiki sat on a high platform, looking at Yakushi Kabuto's left hand with great interest and spoke.

He did indeed have some impressions of this mortal who was trying to peek into the realm of the gods.

More than two years ago, the contemporary Indra accidentally entered the giant tree in Takigakure Village and touched the core branch of the divine tree, which attracted the attention of Otsutsuki Isshiki.

After that, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki repeatedly focused his attention on the contemporary Indra, trying to observe the actions of this extraordinary Indra reincarnation.

As someone who assisted Sasuke in managing the village and served as his top assistant in research experiments after Sasuke killed Orochimaru and took over his legacy in Otogakure, Kabuto was naturally no stranger to him.

He even knew about the bet between the two.

A few days ago, the black-clad, hooded man he saw hidden among the crowd in the giant crater of the Sanctuary was none other than Kabuto Yakushi.

Without a doubt, Kabuto Yakushi was also trying to find out what Sasuke Uchiha had done back then, in order to increase his chances of winning in his future showdown.

Knowing yourself and knowing your enemy can help you win a hundred battles.

As a former spy, Kabuto Yakushi clearly understood the importance of intelligence better than anyone else.

When he spotted Kabuto Yakushi mixed in with the crowd, the aura emanating from him also caught the attention of Isshiki Otsutsuki.

This guy actually had both the Byakugan and Sharingan transplanted at the same time, and his body didn't experience any strong rejection.

This discovery piqued the curiosity of Isshiki Otsutsuki, after all, he was Sasuke Uchiha's experimental assistant.

Afterwards, Otsutsuki Isshiki secretly followed Yakushi Kabuto and discovered more things that piqued his curiosity.

The Seven-Tails Jinchuriki is unconscious.