Destroyed.
Momoshiki had reduced Karasuki to rubble, clearly intending to trap me in the past.
It was also a failsafe in case he lost to me.
"Weak, but ridiculously smart."
Now, he was forcing me to seek out this era's Karasuki.
If I did, it would mean that Momoshiki had never found Karasuki, preventing him from traveling to the past. And if that never happened, our battle—where I ended his life—would have never taken place.
In other words, if I used Karasuki from this time to return to the future, Momoshiki would still be alive.
Nothing would change for me. The only difference would be that, during the Chūnin Selection Exams, Momoshiki wouldn't have Karasuki in his possession.
That would be the only change.
"How annoying..." I muttered, bringing a hand to my face.
Behind me, Delta placed her palm on my back, tracing small circles in an attempt to soothe me.
It didn't work, but I appreciated the gesture nonetheless.
Killing Momoshiki again wasn't an issue. In fact, it was almost a gift.
I could turn him into Red Earth once more.
My Chakra reserves and physical capabilities would increase again.
Or... I could have Konan consume Momoshiki instead. She would become a true Ōtsutsuki.
I left the decision for when the time came.
For now, the only thing on my mind was the best way to finish him off.
And honestly, fighting in my current state of mind wasn't a good idea.
I needed to relax.
...
With a simple Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique), Delta and I began to wander through the old Konohagakure.
There was no rush. We could take our time in this era before returning.
The idea had been Delta's. I simply went along with it to make her happy.
I knew how she felt about me, but I would never betray Konan's trust—the woman I love.
After heartbreak, pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.
I was sure that, someday, Delta would find the right person.
In the end, time heals all wounds. No one hurts forever.
As we walked through the streets of Konohagakure, I smiled. Everything was peaceful.
No one remembered what had happened just minutes ago in the village.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi's carved face on the mountain had been restored.
"Kaguya-sama, stop worrying. Everything will be fine, you'll see," Delta said softly.
"You're right," I smiled back. "Let's have a good time. We deserve it."
Our first stop was the old Ichiraku Ramen stand.
All these years in this world... and I had never tried this food made by the gods!
It was, without a doubt, the best thing I had eaten in a long time. The best ramen of my life.
To my surprise, as we ate, Iruka and Naruto sat beside us.
The boy already wore his ninja headband. He had graduated from the academy.
We finished eating quickly and left.
Staying too close—any kind of interaction—could be dangerous. Everything could change forever.
Even so, we made two final stops.
First, we went to Amaguriama, a popular sweets shop in Konohagakure.
I had always wanted to try the famous dango that Anko was constantly eating.
We hadn't interacted much, but in my few, brief visits to Konohagakure, every time I saw her, she had dango in her hands.
Now, at 43 years old, after consuming absurd amounts of dango over the years, she had gone from an attractive woman… to terribly overweight.
A real waste, honestly.
Finally, we ended the day at Konohagakure's Hot Springs, the village's public baths.
Fortunately, they were divided by gender with a wall. Otherwise, we wouldn't have even entered.
Even so, I set up some protections. I knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi himself could spy on the hot springs with his crystal ball.
Or even Jiraiya, sneaking around to peek over the wall.
I wasn't taking that risk.
The day ended when we finally went looking for Karasuki.
...
I injected large amounts of Chakra into Karasuki to wake him from his slumber as soon as I found him.
I had no intention of wasting more time in this era.
For a moment, I considered visiting the old Amegakure. However, knowing its current state, I probably wouldn't be able to bear it and would end up making changes I might regret.
Besides, Nagato and his Six Paths of Pain—Pain—were there at this very moment.
I preferred not to take the risk.
Not even I could hide from the Rinnegan.
I didn't want to face him only to be forced to erase her memory later.
And so...
"Activation confirmed. I am the ritual instrument, Karasuki," a mechanical voice echoed.
"Proceeding to recite warnings regarding my use."
"Reviewing activation procedure. An error in the sequence could affect the result."
"Lady Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, to use me, you must charge me with Chakra. Once the process is complete, select your displacement."
Once Karasuki finished his explanation, I injected even more Chakra—this time with the intent of returning to my own time, not just waking him up.
A blinding light engulfed us.
In an instant, Delta and I vanished from there.
...
When I reappeared in my time, I found myself back in Konohagakure, in the stadium used for the Chūnin Selection Exams.
Just as I remembered, everything was destroyed. Smoke clouds rose around me, while flashes of light moved across the battlefield—ninjas aiding the wounded and clearing the debris.
And there he was.
Momoshiki.
His frantic gaze swept over the chaos until it landed on me.
"You..." he murmured, eyes wide. "The fate of all these people has suddenly changed..."
His expression twisted in fury.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" he roared.
Amused, I extended my hand, revealing Karasuki without a word.
Momoshiki understood everything instantly.
"I..." he whispered, staring at me in disbelief. His jaw clenched.
"Did I lose?"
The silence shattered with his scream.
"IMPOSSIBLE!"
He lunged at me in blind rage.
I didn't move.
His Bō came down with force, but I dodged it with ease. His attacks were slow. Much slower than I remembered.
Only now did I realize how much my physical abilities had increased.
We separated.
Our gazes locked, and in an instant, the distance between us vanished.
I moved first.
CLANG!
My Chakra scythe descended with a crimson gleam. Momoshiki raised his Bō in a desperate attempt to block, but the power difference was overwhelming.
The impact sent him skidding back, his feet digging trenches into the ground as he struggled to stay upright. He barely had time to recover before I was already at his side, driving a blow straight into his abdomen.
BOOM!
The air exploded from the force of the impact. Momoshiki doubled over, his body shooting like a projectile. He crashed into the mountain where the Hokage faces were carved, shattering the rock into a thousand pieces.
But I didn't give him a chance to breathe.
I appeared above him in the blink of an eye, my scythe already descending once more.
Momoshiki barely managed to turn his Bō to deflect the weapon's trajectory, but his arm cracked under the force of the clash.
"Too slow."
I spun with fluid precision, driving my knee straight into his face.
CRACK!
A sickening sound echoed as his nose shattered, blood spilling instantly.
He never stood a chance.
With a final movement, I raised my leg—and brought it crashing down onto his skull.
The ground beneath us fractured from the impact.
Momoshiki's body lay completely still.
Dead.
No emotion in my eyes, I raised my hand, watching as his body crumbled into Red Earth.
I stored his essence within my Daikokuten's space.
I'd decide what to do with it later.
For now, I turned to Delta.
"Gather all the wounded... and the fallen. I will take care of them."
The Ōtsutsuki problem was over.