Kaguya let out a deep sigh of relief; being entangled with someone as persistent as Naruto was truly unpleasant. Although she somewhat understood Naruto's feelings and was somewhat moved, the problem was that Naruto had no idea what was going on. His actions would only disrupt her plans.
"Wood Style: Silent Strangle Jutsu"
The trees in the forest began to grow rapidly, vines sprouting from the branches to form a large net, attempting to ensnare Kaguya in mid-air.
On the ground, Kakashi and Naruto, with the help of Naruto's shadow clones, launched themselves into the air. On one side was Kakashi's Lightning Cutter, and on the other was Naruto's Rasengan, both aimed at Kaguya.
"Rabbit Hair Needle"
Kaguya's moist eyes were as cold as moonlight. Her silver hair suddenly lengthened, transforming into silver needles that shot toward the two in the air, densely covering them like a storm, about to pierce them through.
Kakashi closed his left eye, then suddenly opened it, revealing the shape of the Mangekyō Sharingan. An invisible force of will instantly erupted.
"Kamui"
The space in front of him twisted, and the silver needles seemed to be swallowed by the distorted space, disappearing without a trace.
During this time, Naruto and Kakashi quickly closed in, almost reaching Kaguya.
Kaguya, feeling troubled, frowned and decided not to continue tangling with them. She raised her arm, and the chakra gathered in her palm burst out, forming countless powerful fists that rained down like a phantom, covering the ground below.
"Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack"
"Boom"
A continuous series of deafening explosions erupted, like popping beans, one after another. The resulting shockwave swept through everything around, causing the air to roll and the dust to swirl.
When the dust settled, the ground was a scene of devastation, filled with pits and craters. The once lush forest had been leveled, and the ground was full of enormous holes and trenches.
Naruto, Kakashi, and the others were lying on the ground, injured and unable to move. Kaguya hadn't intended to kill them, so their chakra pathways were merely sealed, temporarily preventing them from using chakra again. Had Kaguya intended to kill them, they would have been either dead or severely injured.
"Done," Kaguya clapped her hands, glancing at the two lying on the ground. "In an hour, you'll regain your mobility. Don't bother me again, or next time I might kill you."
Though Kaguya's words were light and pleasant, they sent chills down the spines of those lying on the ground. They couldn't shake the feeling that this beautiful girl might actually follow through on her threat.
"Yamato, stop pretending. I know you're fine," Kaguya turned her head, looking at Yamato, who was secretly hiding behind a rock.
Yamato shivered, cold sweat forming on his forehead. He jumped out, holding a kunai and staring at Kaguya intently.
"Don't be nervous," Kaguya said, walking towards Yamato with light steps. "I won't hit you."
Seeing the beautiful girl before him, Yamato felt awkward. He was technically Kaguya's senior and older than her, but her terrifying strength made him and his team no match for her. It was truly frustrating.
What saddened him even more was that when the girl said she wouldn't hit him, he felt a sense of relief.
"You, make sure to watch over these fools. Don't let someone else take advantage of them. I don't want to be blamed for it, understand?" Kaguya said, gesturing with her finger.
"Got it, got it," Yamato responded with a sweaty smile.
"Oh, by the way," Kaguya said, stopping mid-walk and turning back, "Jiraiya went to Amegakure. He will be in great danger. If you go to save him now, you might still make it."
Feeling that Kaguya truly had no malicious intent, Yamato finally relaxed.
However, his eyes held a look of regret, as if lamenting that such a talented and beautiful person would take the path of a rogue.
This made Kaguya very unhappy. She resisted the urge to punch him and turned away to leave.
"Kaguya!" A hoarse voice sounded from behind, as mournful and lingering as a cuckoo's cry. It was unmistakably Naruto's voice, just like when he called out to Sasuke.
Kaguya shuddered, goosebumps rising all over her body. Overcome with a wave of disgust, she quickly ran away like a rabbit, disappearing from sight.
After running for over ten kilometers, Kaguya finally stopped, hands on her knees, panting lightly. She couldn't stand Naruto's sappy gaze and wondered how Sasuke could tolerate it.
"Who's there?" Kaguya suddenly called out to an empty spot nearby. "Come out; no need to hide."
"Your perception is as sharp as ever." The space twisted and distorted, revealing a man wearing an orange spiral mask.
"Obito, what are you doing here?" Kaguya's delicate eyebrows arched slightly.
Years ago, Kaguya had detected the true identity of the masked man pretending to be Tobi, calling him out inadvertently. They had a fierce battle, resulting in a draw, and eventually reached an agreement not to interfere with each other.
"If I didn't come, how would I discover your problem?" Obito said in a deep voice. "Kaguya."
"What problem?" Kaguya had a sense of what he was getting at.
"I didn't expect you still held fantasies about Konoha." Obito snorted coldly.
"What do you mean?" Kaguya turned her head, her gaze sharp and piercing.
"You could have killed them all just now," Obito said gravely. "Why did you let them go?"
"Foolish," Kaguya played with a lock of her hair with her alabaster fingers. "If I killed them now, it would surely alert Konoha. Not just Konoha, but even the surrounding nations would be on guard, which would be detrimental to our plan."
"Really?" Obito replied skeptically, his eyes flashing with amusement.
"You can choose to believe or not," Kaguya said, letting go of her hair and looking at Obito. "The result will be the same. Or, do you want to test my current strength?"
Kaguya coldly stared at Obito, her eyes as beautiful as a starry nebula.