Despite the efforts of Tsunade, Uchiha Sasuke, Naruto, and a host of other ninjas to slow the meteor's descent, it continued to fall rapidly, bearing down on Konoha and weighing heavily on everyone's hearts like a great mountain.
The people below watched the burning giant rock in the sky with trepidation, the atmosphere heavy with tension, as if a giant stone also weighed on their chests, making it hard to breathe.
Jiraiya, Asuma, Hyuga Hiashi, and anyone else who could help stepped forward to try to stop the meteor from falling.
Might Guy, who had just recovered, didn't hesitate to open the Seventh Gate, pressing his arms firmly against the rock. The veins bulged from his skin, his face turned red, and the blue steam around him burned like a fierce flame.
For a moment, countless people gathered beneath the meteor, shoulder to shoulder like a swarm of ants.
Finally, through everyone's combined efforts, the meteor began to slow in its descent with a series of rumbling noises. People breathed a sigh of relief and exchanged grateful glances, knowing that if the meteor had fallen, Konoha might have ceased to exist.
But just as everyone relaxed, they felt a sudden weight in their hands, and an irresistible force pressed down on them. They looked up in shock and were stunned by what they saw.
Above the meteor they had been holding back, another even larger meteor came crashing down. This new meteor was even more massive, at least half again as large as the first, and it nearly blotted out the entire sky.
Everyone strained with all their might to stop the meteor, but the combined weight of the two was immense, easily tens of thousands of tons. Their energy had already been severely depleted, and their chakra nearly exhausted.
They gritted their teeth, trying to hold on, their faces flushed with effort, and sweat poured down in streams, soaking their clothes. The Nine-Tails form that Naruto had taken had dimmed significantly, and Sasuke's Susanoo showed signs of cracking.
As the meteor pressed down, those below struggled more and more. The combined weight of the two meteors was easily tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of tons. It was incredible that they had held out for so long.
Despair spread through the crowd as they realized the difficulty of stopping even one meteor before, let alone two combined.
"Can't we just break the meteor apart?" an upper-level ninja couldn't help but ask. "If we shatter it, we might be able to stop it."
"No," said a masked man with white hair firmly. "If we shatter the meteor, the resulting debris will cause even more destruction."
The speaker was Kakashi.
"But, Kakashi-senpai," the upper-level ninja said urgently, large beads of sweat on his brow, "if the meteor falls, the entire village might be destroyed!"
Kakashi frowned, and even through his mask, the heaviness in his heart was apparent. With his Sharingan, he had observed the meteor closely; no one understood better than he did the consequences of their actions. Shattering the meteor might save the village, but the flying debris would also cause significant casualties.
"It looks like there's no choice but to use this method," Kakashi sighed inwardly. "Losing some is better than losing everyone. If only she were here..."
For some reason, an image of a stunning figure flashed through Kakashi's mind. If she were here, with her power, maybe...
At that moment, a graceful figure appeared out of thin air. Kakashi's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the person in the sky.
She raised her snow-white arm, aiming at the massive meteor in the sky, and her eyes focused as an invisible force burst forth, tearing through the air in an instant.
The meteor, which had been blocking out the sun, suddenly made a thunderous noise and came to a halt in mid-air.
To the people below supporting it, the weight in their hands suddenly felt lighter, and they were shocked to see the meteor not only stop but begin to rise slowly back into the sky.
It was then that everyone noticed a silver-haired girl floating in the air not far away, her long hair flowing gracefully.
"What's this…"
Naruto was shocked, his eyes widening as he gazed at the distant figure. He had thought he would never see her again, yet here she was at such a critical moment.
Sasuke let out a cold snort and turned his head away.
The people below were also dumbfounded, staring at the silver-haired girl they had not seen in a long time. Then a wave of joy swept through them, and cheers erupted as they were filled with the feeling of having narrowly escaped disaster.
Kaguya was slightly confused by the enthusiastic crowd below. She remembered that while she was possessed by Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, she had killed many shinobi on the battlefield, including many from Konoha. She was surprised that they didn't drive her away.
Why were they so happy to see her?
What Kaguya didn't know was that, due to the deliberate concealment by the leaders of various countries, not many people knew about that particular episode. Most were aware only of her triumphs over Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Madara, and the Ten Tails, as well as how she had saved the world from the brink of destruction.
Many had not personally experienced the Fourth Great Ninja War or seen Kaguya in action, but rumors spread like wildfire, and people began to see her as a goddess who had descended to save the world. Some places even established shrines in her honor.
This outcome was unexpected not only to the daimyo and leaders of the nations but even more so to Kaguya herself.
However, Kaguya's attention wasn't focused on the people below but rather on the giant meteor overhead. As her chakra surged, the repulsive force from her palms increased dramatically, and the meteor began to lift slowly, rising higher and higher into the sky.
The meteor's speed continued to increase, and under the astonished gazes of everyone, it transformed into a streak of light, shooting up into the sky.
The meteor, which had taken the combined efforts of everyone to barely hold back, was effortlessly flung into the sky by Kaguya. Was this a power that a human could possess?
Initially, people were skeptical of the rumors that this silver-haired girl was a goddess. However, now their doubts began to waver. In the towns affected by the impact outside Konoha, the superstitious townsfolk were already prostrated on the ground, their eyes filled with fervor.
"Boom!"
In the starry sky, the enormous meteor exploded with a thunderous roar, shattering into countless smaller meteors that scattered like a celestial shower. As they fell, the meteors burned upon contact with the air, transforming into beautiful fireworks that streaked across the sky, illuminating the dark night.