Chapter 103: What Otsutsuki Clan? More Like the Black Dog Bloodline

Itachi’s brows furrowed slightly, his gaze deep and distant. He looked quietly at Naruto, then began to speak in a slow, measured voice:

“Naruto, you probably can’t even imagine the kind of despair that drowned me when I gradually uncovered information about that clan.”

The Otsutsuki clan hails from a distant planet; their lives are unimaginably long, with each individual living for thousands of years. But that’s not all—the people of the Otsutsuki clan also wield a mysterious technique called the “Karma Seal.” With it, they can convert their very lives into data, allowing them to transfer this digitized existence into other living beings, thus achieving reincarnation.

With such a miraculous and bizarre secret art, the Otsutsuki clan has, in a sense, transcended the boundaries of death itself. Their activities across the universe are like locusts swarming from planet to planet, plundering and devouring wherever they go.

And yet, despite their overwhelming power, the depths of their hearts still harbor their own obsessions and desires.

“Don’t tell me—they want to become gods?” Naruto broke in, unable to help himself. “In all the second-rate novels I’ve read, the ultimate obsession of villains this powerful is always godhood. Are the Otsutsuki really that clichéd?”

Naruto had only meant it as a joke, but he was surprised to see Itachi’s expression twist as if he were suffering constipation.

“Wait… was I right?” Naruto asked, uncertain.

Itachi nodded helplessly.

At that moment, Itachi felt more than a little frustrated. He’d thought the Otsutsuki’s ambition to become gods was profound, almost grand, yet hearing it from Naruto’s mouth made it sound so… lowbrow.

“To become omniscient and omnipotent gods would surely require an immense amount of energy,” Naruto mused, frowning. “So that’s why they keep traveling to other planets? Is it to steal all the energy they need for their apotheosis?”

“Exactly. They descend upon a planet and drain every ounce of energy and information from it,” Itachi replied gravely. “And the tools they use for this plunder are none other than the God Tree and the Tailed Beasts.”

Once they’ve finished draining a planet, the Otsutsuki leave without a second thought, hurrying on to the next world to continue their greedy cycle of destruction.

Their method is to plant a unique entity known as the God Tree on the surface of the planet. This is no ordinary tree; it is massive beyond comprehension, its thick roots burrowing deep into every part of the earth, greedily absorbing the chakra of every living being.

When the God Tree has consumed all there is, every life form on the planet perishes. The God Tree then bears an enormous Chakra Fruit, within which immense energy and rich genetic information are condensed. Consuming this fruit allows the Otsutsuki to evolve further.

This is the cruel means by which their clan has ceaselessly advanced.

As for the nine Tailed Beasts that now exist in the Shinobi World, they all originate from a single being known as the Ten Tails. The Ten Tails is both the vanguard of the Otsutsuki’s invasions and the root of the God Tree.

At this, Naruto couldn’t help but glance inward, toward the Nine Tails sealed within him. The beast looked supremely annoyed, burying its massive head beneath its fluffy tails as if it wanted nothing more than to shut out the conversation. Naruto understood—this was the Nine Tails feeling guilty.

“Kurama, don’t blame yourself for any of this,” Naruto whispered. “You are you, and the Ten Tails is the Ten Tails. You’re not the same.”

The Nine Tails snapped irritably, “What nonsense are you spouting, brat! I’m not thinking about anything!”

After a few more words of comfort, Naruto turned his attention back to Itachi’s story.

It turned out that the Otsutsuki would first plant the Ten Tails in the earth, letting it gradually grow into the God Tree, which then began to devour everything on the planet.

However, for the Ten Tails to fully transform into the God Tree, a special condition had to be met: it had to devour a living Otsutsuki.

The Otsutsuki clan was ruthless, not only to others but to themselves as well. Their society was strictly stratified, with different members assigned as warriors, scientists, rulers, or living sacrifices.

Whenever they planted a God Tree, two Otsutsuki would always travel together—one to serve as the sacrifice to feed the Ten Tails, ensuring the God Tree’s birth; the other to guard the tree as it grew until it bore the Chakra Fruit. The one designated as the living sacrifice would prepare a “vessel” using the Karma technique in advance, enabling their eventual resurrection.

Even the Chakra Fruits varied in quality, with young and healthy Otsutsuki being the most suitable sacrifices for the Ten Tails.

Over the course of thousands of years, the Otsutsuki clan has ceaselessly consumed life across countless worlds, forever evolving with the ultimate goal of becoming unrivaled, unique, and supreme beings—until they become gods. This is the so-called “Otsutsuki Will.”

In ancient times—so long ago that the number of millennia has been lost—Kaguya, mother of the Sage of Six Paths, and her partner Isshiki, formed a pair and came to the Shinobi World to oversee the God Tree.

The original plan was simple: Kaguya would serve as the living sacrifice to feed the Ten Tails, while Isshiki would remain to watch over the God Tree until it bore fruit. Once the Chakra Fruit ripened, Isshiki would take it back to the Otsutsuki homeworld.

To ensure the Ten Tails’ successful transformation into the God Tree and the fruition of the sacred fruit, Isshiki meticulously prepared a ritual as prescribed by the Otsutsuki elders. During this ceremony, Kaguya was to offer herself as the sacrifice. Yet, at the critical moment, unwilling to become the Ten Tails’ meal, Kaguya launched a surprise attack on Isshiki. Caught off guard, Isshiki was gravely wounded, brought to the brink of death.

In a shocking turn, Kaguya then offered the wounded Isshiki as the sacrifice instead.

At the very instant the Ten Tails was about to devour him, Isshiki used his secret art, “Daikokuten,” to shrink his body and narrowly escape a grisly end. Nonetheless, half his body was eaten. After consuming Isshiki’s lower half, the Ten Tails flourished into the God Tree later guarded by Kaguya.

From then on, Kaguya alone watched over the God Tree, which had been formed from Isshiki’s lower body.

“I understand all that,” Naruto said, scratching his head in confusion, “but what does any of this have to do with the organization you mentioned before? Don’t tell me… the leader of the group you joined is that lucky alien who escaped death? That Otsutsuki… what’s-his-name, Isshiki?”

No sooner had Naruto finished speaking than he noticed Itachi’s face darken, as if he’d swallowed bitter melon or was once again suffering from constipation.

“No way, did I guess right again?” Naruto exclaimed in astonishment. “These are just plot twists I picked up from dime-store novels! And yet they’re true? What is with this Otsutsuki clan, anyway? It’s like they’re the Clan of Ridiculous Clichés! Why do they keep doing things that only happen in third-rate stories?”