Chapter Forty-Nine: The Wandering Version of the Moon

The entire moon was cleansed, and Orochimaru nodded in satisfaction—henceforth, the moon belonged to him. He sent out a dozen shadow clones, dispersing them in all directions to begin taking control of the lunar sphere. The true Orochimaru remained behind to meticulously study the body of Shiren Otsutsuki, a corpse of the pure-blooded Otsutsuki clan. Though not as immaculate as Kaguya Otsutsuki’s lineage, it was still far superior to the singular Senju or Uchiha bloodlines.

Orochimaru felt he was on the verge of comprehending the essence of chakra. Once he fully understood, the world of shinobi would undergo an epochal transformation.

“A new era is about to dawn!”

His shadow clones swiftly spread across the moon, taking charge of its facilities. Some found the environmental maintenance control room, which monitored the artificial environment of the moon, filled with data on oxygen concentration, gravity, atmospheric pressure, and water sources. Others discovered the building motion control room, where the movement and suspension of lunar structures could be observed and regulated. Yet others located the propulsion control room—the center that harnessed the power of the Tenseigan to drive the moon’s movement, serving as the moon’s energy hub.

One clone sat in the propulsion control room, gazing at the instrument panels, utterly fascinated.

“Using the Tenseigan’s power as the core, bridging it with various technological methods, projecting its energy to generate thrust and propel the moon forward!”

This was an aspect Orochimaru rarely considered—technology was, after all, an external force, and he had focused solely on biology. Yet, on a grand scale, especially in the realm of space, the technology of planetary movement was vital. In future ventures into the cosmos, he could hardly send a single person to push a planet forward.

The moon had broadened Orochimaru’s horizons.

His clone sat in the propulsion control room, determined to unravel the secrets of moving the moon.

At this moment, according to Shiren Otsutsuki’s previous settings, the moon was still advancing toward Earth, while the people of Earth remained blissfully ignorant.

…

On Earth, night had fallen. Three figures were pitching tents in the forest, the atmosphere quiet and subdued.

They had been traveling stealthily for days and were finally about to reach their rendezvous point.

Anyone from the original Leaf Village would instantly recognize them: Nara Shikamaru, Haruno Sakura, and Rock Lee, formerly genin of the Leaf.

Shikamaru and Rock Lee shared a tent. Shikamaru sat cross-legged, eyes closed, fingers pressed together—a habitual pose for thinking. Rock Lee sat beside him, lost in thought.

After a long silence, Shikamaru opened his eyes and sighed.

Rock Lee immediately asked, “Well? Do we have a chance?”

The three had secretly escaped from the Village Hidden in Sound, having learned that a moving fortress was nearby—the powerful nation known as Utopia. They hoped to ally with Utopia, coordinate attacks inside and out, and destroy the Village Hidden in Sound.

“The odds are slim. Utopia doesn’t possess the high-level combat strength to match the Village Hidden in Sound,” Shikamaru replied.

They had exchanged letters and intelligence with Utopia. The nation’s ruler, Lord Hyde, was proud and arrogant, convinced he could kill Orochimaru.

But Shikamaru was not optimistic. Based on his collected intelligence and analysis, Orochimaru was considered the strongest shinobi alive today.

He was unbeatable.

Rock Lee clenched his fists. “Even if there is only the faintest hope, we won’t give up!”

The Leaf Village had been destroyed; their elders had become prisoners and test subjects. Only the younger generation—protected by their seniors—lived relatively freely. Like Naruto, their aim was to overthrow the Village Hidden in Sound and restore the Leaf.

Shikamaru rubbed his brow, troubled. There was virtually no chance of victory, and that slim hope depended entirely on Utopia’s ruler defeating Orochimaru.

It was truly a faint hope.

“Perhaps surrender is the wisest choice,” Shikamaru murmured, lowering his head.

He spoke quietly, and Rock Lee didn’t catch it.

“Shikamaru, what did you say?” Rock Lee asked.

Shikamaru shook his head. “Nothing.”

Rock Lee said, “I’ll take the first watch.”

They had pitched two tents; Sakura had her own, while Rock Lee and Shikamaru shared one and alternated night watches. Rock Lee took the first half of the night.

Rock Lee stepped out of Shikamaru’s tent, gazing up at the night sky. When would they be able to rebuild the Leaf Village?

Among the younger generation, only Rock Lee remained unwavering in his resolve to restore the Leaf. He never dwelled on the hardships ahead; by not thinking about them, he avoided confusion. In his mind, there was only the determination to keep going until they succeeded.

The others, however, could not help but worry, and each time they did, the pressure weighed heavily on their hearts.

It became suffocating.

Suddenly, Rock Lee’s eyes widened. The moon looked enormous and perfectly round!

It was not merely the size of a disk—it resembled a giant lid, as if the moon hovered very close to the Earth.

“What’s going on?”

Rock Lee, lacking the ability to train in chakra and specializing in taijutsu, possessed exceptional observational skills. He stared at the moon, eventually concluding that it was drawing closer to Earth!

He quickly called Sakura and Shikamaru outside to look at the moon.

In fact, it wasn’t just the three of them; elsewhere on Earth, people began to notice that something was wrong with the moon that night.

Countries capable of tracking and recording lunar data convened emergency meetings of experts, ultimately concluding: the moon was on a collision course with Earth.

“Earth is doomed!”

This news spread among the upper echelons.

Compared to their panic, ordinary citizens and shinobi were oblivious, delighted and amazed by the unusually large and round moon.

As the whole world buzzed about the moon, Orochimaru’s shadow clone finally deciphered some of the controls needed to drive the moon.

A transparent console appeared before him, with buttons for turning, accelerating, and decelerating the moon in all directions.

Orochimaru experimented with the functions, and sure enough, the moon began to move according to his commands.

He drove the moon like a racing car.

On Earth, those gazing at the moon exclaimed in astonishment—as they watched, the moon, as large as a cauldron lid, began to move across the sky.

At first, the movement was subtle, but it grew more pronounced, and soon it appeared to be running.

The moon’s path was chaotic, darting across the sky: from east to west, then north to south, and sometimes making sharp turns, as if drifting.

The people and shinobi were dumbfounded; they had never seen the moon behave like this.

Nor were the upper echelons immune to shock—the moon, which had hung in the sky for countless years, was suddenly moving?

They were completely confounded.