Naruto: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 337: The Thief!

The oppressive aura that once covered a hundred miles has dissipated, and the distant sandstorms have gradually calmed.

In mid-air.

Bathed in the moonlight, Hagoromo Gengetsu, dressed in the white robes of the Six Paths, looked at his hands that no longer belonged to a mere mortal. As he clenched them, feeling the immense power that now coursed through him, his lips first curled, then lifted, and finally, he couldn't help but burst into a loud, unrestrained laugh:

"Hahahahaha!"

Since his first encounter with chakra, he had endured the bloody and brutal Warring States period; met his demise in the Valley of the Gods; found a glimmer of hope decades later during the Chunin Exams; and then lived a second life, continuing his exploration of the path of chakra, taking control of the Akatsuki, initiating the Shinobi World War, and casting Infinite Tsukuyomi. Ultimately, he seized the planet's chakra, completed himself, and achieved the Bloodline Encompassing and true Six Paths level!

From the end of the Warring States era to the era of the Hidden Villages, spanning nearly eighty years.

Finally!

Here! Now!

Hagoromo Gengetsu had realized his lifelong pursuit, a goal he was willing to sacrifice everything to achieve.

He had officially transcended mortality!

If he wished, the immortality that countless heroes had sought after, both in his past life and present, was now within his grasp.

Even the planet beneath his feet would become his possession.

Of course, the precondition was dealing with its former owner.

Hagoromo Gengetsu turned his head, his Rinnegan gazing across a thousand miles, capturing the ongoing battle—a clash at the Six Paths level.

...

Naruto was still fighting with all his might.

Even without Hagoromo Gengetsu's encouragement, facing Kaguya Otsutsuki—the ancient goddess who had become the "demon" feared by all—for the sake of the shinobi world, he would give everything in this battle.

But for the moment, he couldn't overcome Kaguya Otsutsuki.

Though Kaguya wasn't at her peak, she still had the Ten-Tails within her, and after absorbing a small portion of the planet's chakra earlier, her strength was on par with a normal Six Paths level.

For Naruto, who had forcibly elevated himself to the Six Paths level, dealing with her alone was still too much.

"Mother, we can't waste too much time with Naruto," Black Zetsu, hidden within Kaguya's sleeve, reminded.

Hagoromo Gengetsu had been gone for a while.

"I know."

Kaguya Otsutsuki looked around at the dense army of Naruto's shadow clones rushing toward her, her expression indifferent.

Black Zetsu immediately understood.

Knowing was one thing, but doing was another.

Compared to Kaguya, who had been isolated for thousands of years, Black Zetsu, with far more experience and insight, quickly offered a suggestion:

"Mother, you can use those people below to lure Naruto away. Asura's reincarnation has always been fond of people."

Kaguya nodded in agreement.

She glanced down at the people who had just awakened from the Infinite Tsukuyomi world, still in shock, confusion, and weakened states. Her long blue-white hair, over ten meters in length, spread out like a peacock's tail.

In the next moment.

Countless rabbit-hair needles shot down like a torrential rain, covering the ground.

The piercing sound of them tearing through the air continually echoed, startling the people on the ground.

"Everything that just happened..."

Tsunade's dazed eyes refocused.

She had just seen Nawaki, Dan, her grandfather, and the entire Senju clan.

She had been dominating in a casino, winning an immeasurable fortune.

There was no war, no killing, everything was so peaceful.

She wished she could stay in such a world forever.

But at some point, she suddenly opened her eyes, and in her field of vision, she saw the demoralized, disheveled remnants of the Allied Shinobi Forces.

So, it was all an illusion!

A trace of nostalgia flashed through Tsunade's eyes.

Though only a short time had passed, for those caught in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, it had felt like an eternity.

If only that dreamlike world could become reality.

Many others at this moment shared the same sentiment as Tsunade.

However, the harsh reality quickly snapped them back. The rabbit-hair needles were already descending like a storm.

Hearing the noise, Tsunade suddenly looked up, her pupils shrinking.

"Watch out!!"

She shouted a warning, quickly gathering her chakra.

But—

"Why do I have so little chakra?" Tsunade was shocked.

The same thing was happening to everyone present.

"My chakra!!!"

"How could this happen?"

"It's too little! I can't even perform a single jutsu!"

"..."

Seeing the rabbit-hair needles about to fall, with no way to resist, everyone could only wait for death in despair.

Just then, golden figures suddenly appeared, either punching or using their bodies to shield everyone.

"Naruto?"

Tsunade looked up at the all-too-familiar figure.

"Naruto!!!"

Sakura, Hinata, and Rock Lee shouted excitedly.

"Naruto... Welcome back!!"

In another area, Kakashi looked up at Naruto, who had returned to the world, shining with golden light, and sighed with deep emotion.

"Don't worry! Leave this to me!!"

Covering nearly the entire sky, tens of thousands of Naruto's shadow clones turned back, greeted their familiar friends, and then single-handedly blocked Kaguya Otsutsuki's attack for everyone.

As Black Zetsu had said, Naruto would never stand by and watch as people, whether he knew them or not, died one by one before him.

While Naruto was focused on protecting everyone.

A black portal opened in front of Kaguya.

She quickly flew inside.

Not long after.

In the desert of the Land of Wind.

Sensing something, Hagoromo Gengetsu turned his gaze back just as a small black portal, about the size of a bowl, appeared before him.

As it expanded, the portal quickly grew larger until someone emerged from the other side.

The moment Kaguya Otsutsuki arrived, she knew she was too late.

She looked at Hagoromo Gengetsu, who was also dressed in white robes and exuding the aura of the Six Paths. Her expression turned cold as she uttered two words:

"Thief!"

Hagoromo Gengetsu remained calm, his Rinnegan gazing at Kaguya Otsutsuki's Byakugan, which was much purer than those of the Hyuga clan, as well as the Rinne Sharingan on her forehead. He smiled slightly and said:

"Speaking of thieves, Kaguya, you're more qualified, having stolen the chakra fruit."

In terms of lineage, Kaguya Otsutsuki was his ancestor.

But after a thousand years and so many generations, their blood relationship had long since diluted, and Hagoromo Gengetsu had no interest in acknowledging her as an ancestor.

Kaguya didn't care either.

Though she disliked that Hagoromo Gengetsu had taken most of the chakra that should have been hers.

But now that he had become an existence on the same level as her, the customs and rules of mortals no longer applied.

Kaguya already regarded Hagoromo Gengetsu as an equal.

At this moment, hearing him accuse her of stealing the God Tree's fruit, an unnatural expression flickered across Kaguya's face.

"It seems you know many secrets."

Kaguya's Byakugan stared at Hagoromo Gengetsu as she spoke in a deep tone.