"Then we can make a simple inference. Karma should be a technique, or perhaps a tool, or some other kind of ability that enables a higher-level form of reincarnation," Uchiha Itachi muttered as he wrote and sketched on paper. "In other words, the known members of the Otsutsuki Clan likely have extremely long lifespans. They are suspected to be gods. And even if something goes wrong, they can use this technique called Karma to seize another body and reincarnate. So their projected lifespan might be immortality, or at the very least several hundred years.
At that point, even if they are not gods, they are close enough.
As for this idea of roaming the stars, it should mean traveling between different worlds. That raises another question. Their physical bodies must be terrifyingly strong.
There is also another piece of evidence. Kaede Kitahara once referred to Uzumaki Naruto's child, Boruto. At first, he called him Uzumaki Boruto, but on one occasion, he called him Otsutsuki Boruto instead. How was it written back then?
'Standing before you now is Killing Intent Naruto, No-Pretense Sasuke, Go-Home Minato, Intel Jiraiya, Healthy Itachi, Experienced Kaguya, Itachi's bounty, pain beyond Pain, Naruto's Talk Release, combined with Sasuke's aura, Naruto's looks, Kakashi's calm, all rolled into one super villain… Otsutsuki Boruto!'
Before, my attention was on other details, but now it seems the real hidden core is this Otsutsuki Boruto.
Why did he change from Uzumaki Boruto to Otsutsuki Boruto? Because he was possessed by Karma. Most likely by a future member of the Otsutsuki Clan, which is why he ends up in such a bizarre state."
Itachi spoke softly to himself, recording every hypothesis as it formed.
"So the fundamental reason Uzumaki Boruto becomes so powerful three years later is because he was taken over by an Otsutsuki?"
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
If that was the case, many things suddenly made sense. It explained how Uzumaki Boruto could reach Super Kage Level at fifteen or sixteen, a realm once occupied only by Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama. Even the leader of Akatsuki, the elusive Nagato, had only barely touched that level.
"So Karma can really be that absurd?" Itachi could only marvel at the conclusion.
Orochimaru's Cursed Seal allowed for repeated reincarnation, but it clearly had limits. For example, it could not carry over Kekkei Genkai from one body to the next.
If it could, Orochimaru would not need to do anything else. By endlessly reincarnating, he would quickly become a monster stacked with countless bloodlines.
But Karma could do exactly that.
Although the mechanism was unclear, it was obvious that the innate talents of the Otsutsuki Clan could be transferred wholesale into a new body.
That must be how the Otsutsuki achieved immortality.
The technique was simply too monstrous.
And if someone could reincarnate endlessly, one hundred years, two hundred years, three hundred years later, how terrifying would they become? It was impossible to imagine.
"So that is why they call themselves gods and refer to us in the shinobi world as inferior lifeforms." Itachi's expression darkened as he read the diary.
Then he gave a faint, bitter smile.
So what if they were gods? They were still beaten by these so-called inferior lifeforms. Some of them even died here in the shinobi world.
If Kaede said it, then it must be true.
But then there was this line about becoming living batteries like the Tailed Beasts.
He did not know what a living battery was, but linking it to the context, he thought of how the Tailed Beasts were sealed inside Jinchuriki and used as weapons by the villages.
That meant some Otsutsuki members had ended up in a similar state. Like that one called Momorama.
In that case, his full name should be Otsutsuki Momorama.
The more Itachi understood, the more unsettled he felt.
Knowing too much only made the world seem more dangerous.
It even made him feel something unexpected.
For a moment, he did not want to die.
He still needed to pave the way for Sasuke's future. He still wanted to protect Konoha.
The future world was dangerous, but it was also dazzling.
Unfortunately, this was no longer up to him. With his physical condition, he could not last many more years. And the accusations of his slain clansmen, haunting his dreams, gnawed at him without pause, steadily dragging him down.
"Kara?" Hatake Kakashi rubbed his temples. One Akatsuki was already a headache. Now Kara had appeared as well.
Like Itachi, he had also noticed how frequently the Otsutsuki Clan appeared in Kaede's diary.
So far, four individuals with the Otsutsuki prefix had been mentioned.
The first was Otsutsuki Ichiraku, which clearly seemed like a joke.
The second was Otsutsuki Kaguya. At the time, it had not left much of an impression, but in hindsight, she was clearly terrifying.
Otsutsuki Isshiki, described by Kaede as invincible, had still been taken down by Otsutsuki Kaguya. No one knew why two members of the same clan would turn on each other, but that alone meant Otsutsuki Kaguya's strength could not have been far behind.
"What she lacks is probably experience," Kakashi judged quietly. "Or maybe she was a pampered noblewoman with little combat experience. Otherwise, Kaede would not have mentioned an Experienced Kaguya."
The third was Otsutsuki Isshiki himself, the supposedly invincible one who could easily defeat peak Naruto and Sasuke together in the future.
The fourth was Naruto's future son, who somehow became Otsutsuki Boruto.
There was also Momorama, who might properly be called Otsutsuki Momorama, apparently sealed away and turned into something like a Tailed Beast.
But if Kaede was right, if the Otsutsuki Clan truly saw themselves as gods and all life in the shinobi world as inferior, then there was a pressing question.
Who among these inferior lifeforms could actually defeat the Otsutsuki?
Whose subordinate was brave enough to pull that off?
"Beat my peak self until my defenses shatter?" Uchiha Sasuke's first reaction was disbelief.
At his peak, he would at least have the Mangekyo Sharingan. Once Susanoo was activated, it would form a skeletal frame around him.
Protected by that structure, it seemed almost impossible for any jutsu to harm him directly.
So how would the enemy break through Susanoo?
And that was not even counting peak Naruto, that idiot dead last.
Were the Otsutsuki Clan really that strong?
Stronger than the Uchiha Clan?
For Sasuke, who valued the pride of the Uchiha Clan above all else, that was unacceptable.
Still, why did the number of future enemies keep increasing? The future felt more and more dangerous by the second.
Just as everyone stared at the diary, hoping Kaede would record more about Kara and explain what Super Kage Level really meant, Kaede abruptly shifted tone, as if everything before had been nothing more than an offhand rant.
[But it is still too early to worry about all that. Akatsuki is still in its low-profile phase, and Kara's active period is even further away. The immediate priority is the upcoming Chunin Exams.
As for the next major arc, I dare say that in all the years of the Hokage and all the Chunin Exams, there has never been one this exciting. So many monsters are mixed in.
Especially after this battle, even the Third Hokage will fall. He just gave me the Sword of the Thunder God. Should I remind him about Orochimaru's Konoha Crush Plan?]
Kaede paused after writing this.
It was not that Kaede had no wariness toward the Third Hokage. After all, he had only just been hunted by a Root squad. Even though he knew it had been Shimura Danzo's doing and not the Third Hokage's order, Kaede carried far too many secrets that could not see the light of day.
He was afraid that the Third Hokage might dig too deeply. If that happened, even if he did not want to leave, he would have no choice.
Being captured was never an option. He had feelings for Konoha, but not so deep that he would surrender himself.
That said, he did not harbor resentment or ill will toward the Third Hokage either.
The Third Hokage did not understand him and assumed Kaede had grievances against Konoha after suffering losses.
In reality, Kaede knew far more than the old man realized. He knew Shimura Danzo was behind it, so there was no reason for resentment.
Under those circumstances, receiving the Sword of the Thunder God out of nowhere greatly improved Kaede's impression of the Third Hokage. He even considered whether he should warn him about Orochimaru's Konoha Crush Plan.
But this sudden shift in Kaede's writing made everyone's pupils quake.
The Third Hokage.
Would fall.
The Third Hokage would die during the Chunin Exams. More precisely, this was not even a hint anymore. It was practically stating outright that he would die at Orochimaru's hands.
"No… that can't be right." Sasuke's pupils shrank as he stared in disbelief.
This was completely outside his understanding.
So even a kage could fall?
He had never lived through an age of war. In all his upbringing, the kage had been taught as the five most powerful people in the world.
And yet the Hokage, that lofty existence, could die?
The Fourth Hokage did not count. He had died not long after Sasuke was born. But the Third Hokage was someone Sasuke had grown up watching.
Even for a member of the Uchiha Clan, was there truly no longing for the Hokage's position?
So even for Sasuke, learning that a future Hokage would die shook him to the core.
He was not yet the cold, detached White Robe Sasuke of the future. And even that version of him, beneath the indifferent exterior, still retained a trace of humanity and kindness that had never fully disappeared.