The Ōtsutsuki home planet was a place recorded in Orochimaru's memories, yet it had never been seen before.

The architecture of this world appeared ancient on the surface, but inside, it was extraordinarily lavish.

Two members of the Ōtsutsuki clan stood guard over the teleportation array, their expressions shifting to surprise when they saw Orochimaru and Kaguya suddenly materialize within it.

This teleportation array allowed the Ōtsutsuki clan to travel between planets that hosted a God Tree, using different spatial coordinates. After the clan seized control of this planet, all entries and exits were strictly recorded.

In other words, the two guards had no idea who these intruders were.

Yet, judging by the newcomers' demeanor, it was clear that they knew exactly where they were. This only deepened the guards' confusion.

Then, their gazes landed on Kaguya, her pale, gray-white pupils triggering a vague sense of familiarity within them.

"Kill," Kaguya commanded coldly.

The moment the word left her lips, Orochimaru's figure vanished.

Of course, Orochimaru had prepared thoroughly before coming to this planet.

The Ōtsutsuki were a clan that wielded spatial abilities and possessed lifespans far exceeding those of ordinary beings. They were regarded as gods within this universe.

However, there was a stark difference between ordinary Ōtsutsuki and those who had consumed a God Tree's chakra fruit. Those who partook in the fruit gained divine bodies, rendering conventional techniques and weapons ineffective against them.

On the other hand, Ōtsutsuki who had never consumed the fruit were, aside from their spatial powers and longevity, no different from shinobi of Earth.

A well-placed sword strike could still take their lives.

The Flying Thunder God Technique, developed by the Second Hokage after countless battles, enabled instantaneous spatial jumps.

Even though the two Ōtsutsuki guards possessed space-related abilities, Orochimaru's sudden attack gave them no chance to react. Two black rods pierced straight through their hearts.

Shinobi, above all, specialized in assassination.

After the Sage of Six Paths founded the Ninja Sect, the prolonged wars on Earth gave rise to shinobi combat strategies that emphasized ambush and surprise attacks.

Conversely, the Ōtsutsuki home planet had been ruled by the clan for thousands of years following the civil strife a millennium ago. With no wars ever reaching their lands, only Momoshiki and his faction obsessed over the pursuit of power.

As a result, these two battle-inexperienced Ōtsutsuki were easily eliminated by Orochimaru.

Longevity did not equate to invincibility.

After inspecting the corpses, Orochimaru glanced at Kaguya. "With your strength, disposing of these should be easy, right?"

"I can," Kaguya responded icily.

With a casual wave of her right hand, the bloodstains on the corpses vanished.

Ordinarily, space-time travel required an immense amount of chakra. However, using the teleportation array significantly reduced the energy consumption.

Thus, even now, Kaguya retained plenty of strength.

She cast the two corpses into the lava-filled space, and just as Orochimaru was about to speak.

"Someone's coming!"

Kaguya's cold voice cut through the air.

As soon as the words left her lips, Orochimaru suddenly found himself standing in a vast space filled with towering hills.

Beyond the hills, fierce winds kicked up waves of sand.

"With a separate dimension that we can enter at any time, infiltration missions just became much easier," Orochimaru remarked with a faint smile.

"If they discover us, this place won't be safe," Kaguya stated calmly.

Other members of the Ōtsutsuki clan, those who possessed the Rinnegan, could forcefully enter Kaguya's dimensions at a cost.

Therefore, her Sphere Spaces were not absolutely secure.

Orochimaru nodded in understanding.

—Elsewhere—

Not long after the two disappeared, the space near the teleportation portal distorted, and a dark rift split open.

Two middle-aged men, clad in the same white robes, stepped out.

Both possessed gray-white pupils, but one was tall and thin, while the other was short and stout.

Judging by their attire, they too belonged to the Ōtsutsuki clan.

The taller man frowned upon arrival, veins bulging on his forehead as his gaze swept across the area.

"Strange... The two of them have vanished without a trace. How could this be?"

The shorter man hesitated before suggesting, "Could it be an enemy attack?"

"Enemy? That's impossible! Those two have guarded this place for nearly a thousand years without incident!"

"Something's off. Regardless, we should report this to the higher-ups first. You stay here and keep searching—I'll be back soon."

Hearing this, the taller man nodded, activating his dōjutsu to scan the surroundings once more.

Meanwhile, the shorter man stepped into the space-time rift and vanished.

—Elsewhere, in a massive town—

Two figures strolled forward at a leisurely pace.

Orochimaru, having arrived via Yomotsu Hirasaka from the First Sphere Space, frowned slightly.

The houses lining both sides of the street had their doors and windows tightly shut. The roads were eerily empty and silent.

Although the surrounding architecture was relatively new, the stark contrast from Kaguya's descriptions made the stillness feel unsettling.

It felt eerily similar to the Blood Mist Era of Kirigakure…

With that thought, Orochimaru's frown deepened.

He crouched down, closing his eyes. The next moment, green markings spread across the corners of his eyes.

In the shinobi world, sensory techniques typically detected living beings with chakra.

However, by harnessing natural energy, Orochimaru could perceive all life forms within the town.

"In this town, nine people possess chakra, one of them has even more chakra than you do right now. There are many ordinary civilians, but they're all inside those sealed houses."

"…I see them."

Kaguya's gray-white veins surfaced around her pupils as she observed the town, her expression cold.

"Orochimaru, what do you plan to do?"

"Let's not rush. First, we find someone to interrogate."

(To be continued.)

***

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