Naruto: Uchiha Destroys Konoha at the Start.

Under the starry sky, Kaito and Kaguya sat facing each other.

A simple table and two chairs had been conjured from Kaito's portable space a precaution from long ago that had finally found its purpose.

Kaito studied Kaguya carefully. Despite the coldness in her gaze, her face was strikingly delicate. For a moment, he found himself lost in it. But as he observed her longer, he noticed something subtle: her eyes weren't emotionless. They reflected someone unfamiliar with expressing what they felt.

After a long silence, Kaguya spoke first.

"You possess chakra... Are you from the Ōtsutsuki clan as well?"

Kaito immediately noticed her clenched fists beneath the table, subtle but telling.

She was nervous.

And he understood why. She had just turned against her comrade, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. Now, confronted by another chakra-wielding stranger, her guard was up.

Kaito gave a small, neutral nod.

"Relax. I'm not one of them."

The moment the words left his mouth, Kaguya's fingers began to loosen. Her shoulders eased, if only slightly.

Kaito tilted his head.

"Then again, you believed that fast."

Kaguya stiffened. Her eyes narrowed.

"What?"

He chuckled—dryly, without malice.

"Just pointing out that trust shouldn't come so easily, especially after betraying your own partner."

Her expression darkened.

"He was no partner. He was a watchdog."

Kaito leaned back, studying her anew.

"Fair enough. Still... be more careful."

Her fingers twitched, but she didn't respond to the bait. Instead, her voice turned cold.

"Then who are you?"

"Someone who also has a problem with the Ōtsutsuki," Kaito replied, his tone growing serious.

"I saw what you did to Isshiki. That makes us temporary allies—at least for now."

Kaguya didn't relax, but she didn't argue either.

Kaito poured tea from the set between them, letting the steam curl into the crisp night air.

"I don't know much about the Ōtsutsuki clan. Care to enlighten me?"

For a moment, Kaguya remained silent. Then, reluctantly, she answered.

"I don't know much either."

Kaito raised an eyebrow.

"You're one of them, aren't you?"

"Technically." Her voice was bitter.

"But I was never truly one of them."

She began to explain haltingly at first, then more steadily, about her lineage. Her mother, a high-ranking Ōtsutsuki, had fallen in love with a mortal. Kaguya's birth had been seen as a disgrace. Her mother had died to protect her, only for Kaguya to be treated as an outcast despite her immense power.

"They sent me here to tend the Sacred Tree," she said.

"But they never trusted me. Isshiki was placed here to watch over me."

Kaito listened silently. When she finished, he exhaled slowly.

"So you struck first."

"I had to." Her voice was quiet but unwavering.

"If they discover this world's potential, they'll destroy it. Just like they did to my father's planet."

Kaito tapped his fingers against the teacup.

"And now you're alone."

Her gaze flickered. She didn't deny it.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Kaito set his cup down.

"You're right not to trust easily. But for now, our goals align."

Kaguya studied him, searching for deception.

"And what is your goal?"

"Survival," Kaito answered simply.

"And making sure the Ōtsutsuki regret ever crossing paths with me."

Something in his voice made her pause. For the first time, she looked at him not as a threat, but as something else. A variable. An unknown.

Finally, she gave the barest nod.

"Then we'll work together. For now."

Kaito smirked.

"That's all I ask."

The night stretched on, the stars above indifferent to the fragile alliance forming beneath them.

After a moment, Kaguya added quietly:

"Even with everything my mother prepared… I could only manage to seriously wound him."

"I can't finish him off unless I gain power equal to hers."

Kaito nodded silently. He had no intention of interfering with Isshiki—at least not yet. The future version of Isshiki remained critically injured. Unless he absorbed a Ten-Tails, it would take him years to recover.

And thanks to how carefully Kaito had faked his death, Isshiki likely believed he was gone for good.

That worked to his advantage.

Let him crawl through the next thousand years.

"Looks like the enemy we're up against won't be easy."

Kaito frowned slightly. He hadn't been able to get much useful information out of Kaguya, which surprised him. The Ōtsutsuki clan was his ultimate threat; he needed every scrap of insight he could get into their power.

Kaguya, sensing his frustration, lowered her gaze slightly and said apologetically, "I'm sorry. I truly don't know much about them."

"It's fine," Kaito replied with a calm smile, shaking his head.

Then, a flicker of confidence crossed his face. "As long as I fight them head-on, my strength will speak for itself."

"No matter what their clan is like, I'll surpass it."

Kaguya furrowed her brows slightly. "But… your current strength…" From what she could sense, Kaito was undoubtedly stronger than her. Yet, when it came to the Ōtsutsuki, that wasn't saying much. Even a mid-tier Ōtsutsuki could obliterate someone at their level with a flick of the wrist.

Kaito shrugged nonchalantly."Sure, I'm not at my best right now," he admitted."I'm operating at maybe 10% of my original strength."

He met her gaze evenly.

"Let's just say... due to certain circumstances, most of my power is sealed. But in time, it'll return. And once it does… I won't be any weaker than the best of them. Not even close."

Kaguya gave a small nod at his words. Whether she fully believed him or not, only she knew.

Just then, a thought struck Kaito.

"By the way, how strong is Isshiki compared to the rest of the Ōtsutsuki clan?"He leaned forward slightly, his curiosity piqued.

Kaguya paused, thinking it over.

"Aside from the elders of the main family, whose power is largely unknown, there are only a few long-lived elites stronger than Isshiki. Maybe three or four at most."

"In terms of ranking, Isshiki would likely be among the top fifteen in the entire clan."

Kaito's eyes sharpened.

That confirmed it. His suspicions were correct. The planet where the Shinobi World existed was uniquely powerful. Even a partially ripened God Tree fruit from this world could yield more power than thousands of years' worth of gathering across other planets.

After all, it had taken two shinobi—Naruto and Sasuke, empowered by fragments of that divine chakra, to defeat three Ōtsutsuki invaders. The implications were clear.

"Move it, hurry up!"

Suddenly, a faint, chaotic noise reached them.

Kaito and Kaguya turned their heads toward the sound. A few hundred meters away, a large group, nearly a hundred people, was approaching, their torches flickering in the night.

"Interesting," Kaito murmured, taking a sip of tea and saying nothing more.

A few minutes later, the group arrived, stopping just a few dozen meters from them.

From among them, a young man stepped forward. His clothes were ornate, his posture polished, and his expression that of someone used to power. A classic noble's demeanour.

He glanced at the unconscious soldiers who had been subdued by Kaito's earlier genjutsu. His brows knit briefly before his eyes shifted, landing on Kaguya.

A flicker of awe passed through his gaze.

His expression changed immediately. The anger that had risen vanished, replaced by a forced gentleness. He smiled.

"I am the Daimyō of the Ancestral Nation. This land falls under my domain. The men lying there are my soldiers."

"I do not know who you are… but surely, this is a misunderstanding."If there is any issue between us, I suggest we resolve it peacefully, over a conversation."

Kaito said nothing to the noble. Instead, he turned to Kaguya with a smirk.

"I think this guy's got his eye on you."

Kaguya blinked."What do you mean?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow and grinned."It's obvious. He's captivated by your beauty.""Look at him—showing off his 'noble' identity, acting all gracious despite us being unknown threats?"

"Enough."

Kaguya interrupted sharply, her expression darkening as she turned to glare at the Daimyō.

She didn't need further explanation. She understood exactly what Kaito meant now. After everything she had been through within the Ōtsutsuki clan—used, judged, monitored—she had no patience for men with hidden agendas.

Kaito didn't count. She already saw him as an ally.

In fact, despite having met him only about an hour ago, Kaguya… trusted him.

Kaito, who could easily read her emotions, understood this well.

He realized then beneath her power and poise, Kaguya was someone who had never truly been shown trust. Or perhaps, never allowed herself to offer it.

"You two—!"The Daimyō of the Ancestral Nation scowled, his tone rising.

He was the sovereign here, yet they dared ignore him. A moment ago, he had lowered himself to speak politely. But now, seeing their blatant disregard, he was furious.

"This is my land!" he barked."You've injured my soldiers! You owe me an explanation!"