Kaguya's Royal Palace? A Sage's Abode?
After resting for a day, Tōka got up early that morning, which was unusual for him.
Unless something special happens...
As dawn broke, the morning mist still lingered, frost and dew fell on the Rain Pine Forest, and the chill of the early morning made people instinctively wrap themselves tighter in their clothes.
A dark figure walked slowly, holding an umbrella.
"What's Black Zetsu doing? Why isn't he here yet?" Tōka looked around boredly at the pine forest, the pine forest in the rain.
It rains all year round, yet it doesn't seem to worry about drowning; it actually grows quite well.
Sudden!
A dark aura approached, and Tōka immediately spotted Black Zetsu.
Upon closer inspection, a Pitcher Plant was indeed seen slowly emerging from the ground, its leaves a striking contrast of black and white.
"You're late." Tōka glared at Black Zetsu with displeasure. This guy had never been late before. Had something happened?
"I arrived a long time ago, but I just didn't dare to get close," Black Zetsu said helplessly.
"Afraid to approach?" Tōka was slightly taken aback. Could there be something special about this Rain Pine Forest?
"It's not what you think." Black Zetsu glanced behind Tōka and said cautiously, "Konan has been watching you."
From the moment Tōka got up until he left the house, Konan followed behind him, but Tōka didn't notice.
Black Zetsu an expert in this area, immediately discovered Konan's whereabouts.
Black Zetsu didn't appear until after Konan left.
"The Paper Dance is truly a convenient reconnaissance ability!" Tōka secretly became more vigilant; he hadn't noticed anything at all just now.
Rain Pine Forest, is Konan stalking me?
Tsk...
"Let's go." Tōka pulled herself out of her chaotic thoughts and turned to walk out of the Rain Pine Forest.
"Shouldn't we tell Nagato?" Black Zetsu asked, following behind Tōka.
"Tell him?" Tōka sneered. Why should she tell him?
In the Land of Grass, at the ruins of a Miracle Site, two outsiders gradually approached. In the jungle, huge ancient trees with vines as thick as an arm could be found everywhere.
Black Zetsu can freely traverse the earth using the Mayfly Technique, but this journey has left Tōka exhausted.
A loose-fitting casual outfit was covered in withered branches and leaves, and had many tears.
He looked like a refugee, quite disheveled.
"How much further?" Tōka asked with a sullen face, his tone full of impatience.
If it weren't for the increasingly familiar yet strange aura approaching, Tōka would have seriously suspected that Black Zetsu was deliberately messing with him.
A Pitcher Plant emerged from a huge ancient tree beside them, revealing its head, which was black and white, and Black Zetsu gave a mysterious smile.
He stretched out his dark arm and pointed to the ruins of the Miracle Site not far away, "Look, it's right there."
Following Black Zetsu's hand, one could see ancient stones lying on the ground everywhere, and Dark Green moss covering the Broken Cliff.
The magnificent palace has lost its splendor, leaving only a pile of broken stones.
"Is this where Mother once lived?" Tōka stared blankly into the depths of the forest.
From the moment Tōka stepped into this ancient forest, he felt as if his heart was being gripped by an invisible hand, an unusual heaviness.
In that abandoned ruin entangled with countless vines...
No wonder it smelled familiar; it was hidden deep in these old forests.
If they weren't searching for something with a specific purpose, even Rogue Ninja wouldn't choose to come to a place like this, and without Black Zetsu leading the way, it would be impossible for them to get here.
The once most prosperous place has decayed with the passage of time; its former glory is gone, leaving only profound desolation...
"Let's go in." Black Zetsu's voice rang out, interrupting Tōka, who was immersed in the passage of time.
Tōka nodded silently and followed behind Black Zetsu.
The two entered the ruins one after the other. Strange runes were carved on the walls at the entrance, looking like individual characters.
At the weathered and old entrance, two ferocious-looking Stone Beast stand in front of the main gate.
"What are these things?" Tōka reached out and brushed aside the vines that were wrapped around the Stone Beast, revealing their true forms.
Ten-Tails? Divine Tree?
Tōka's pupils suddenly contracted; these two huge creatures were clearly exactly the same as the Ten-Tails!
"You should be able to tell, it's the stone statue carved with Ten-Tails!"
"It really is the Ten-Tails? They actually like this kind of thing as a gatekeeper." Tōka curled his lip speechlessly. Did they think this ferocious creature could make the enemy cry with its ugliness?
With their tense nerves easing slightly, the two of them stepped deeper into the area once more.
Walking deeper through the dilapidated gate, the palace was not completely collapsed; some paintings could still be clearly seen on the walls inside, which were less exposed to wind and sun.
It seems to record events from a thousand years ago.
Time has flowed on for generations, and a sense of antiquity and antiquity is palpable.
Tōka stood in front of a mural, lost in thought. Due to its age, the details on it were no longer clearly visible.
I don't know why...
Tōka had a feeling that this painting depicted the scene of Kaguya giving birth.
"Come here, what you want is here." Black Zetsu's voice came from the deep passage, sometimes near, sometimes far, not so clear.
Genjutsu?
Tōka was slightly taken aback; he sensed an illusory aura.
Black Zetsu's voice?
No, Black Zetsu isn't that boring.
Is that due to the illusion here? Even after a thousand years, Kaguya's palace still possesses a self-protective mechanism?
Tōka's eyes narrowed, and his chakra suddenly stopped.
The illusion shattered instantly, exploding into countless shards of glass.
A long tunnel connects to the depths of the earth, but due to its age, many parts of the tunnel have collapsed and are no longer passable.
"How are we supposed to get through this?" Tōka frowned, pointing to the narrow gap between several boulders. It was only about the size of a palm, and a normal person couldn't possibly get through.
Moreover, it's impossible to use Ninjutsu to blast open this passage. If the other pillars in the passage are shattered, the entire underground of the palace might collapse.
Black Zetsu's figure emerged from the stone wall, glancing at Tōka with an expression as if he were looking at an idiot.
"You transform into Shuriken, and I'll throw you over there."
Turn it into Shuriken and throw it? Tōka's eyes lit up; that was a good idea.
But something just feels off.
"Fine, Transformation Technique!"
Tōka clasped his hands together in a mudra, and with a bang, a cloud of White Smoke rose up. Tōka's body transformed into a delicate Shuriken and fell from the White Smoke.
Black Zetsu reached out and caught it, then threw it out violently.
Call out!
The Shuriken flew through the air, passing directly through the palm-sized aerial attack.
You won't believe it until you see it, and what you find will shock you.
The collapsed rubble marks the end of the passage; beyond that lies a magnificent basement.
The word "empty" was the only word that came to Tōka's mind.
Judging by its size, it exceeds 1,000 square kilometers, and this is just the basement of a palace!
No, it's more like an underground plaza than a basement!
Although underground, there was no feeling of darkness at all; on the contrary, it was very bright yet not dazzling. Was the soft glow due to the shimmering gems on the walls?
"What's this place for?" Tōka stared intently...
The entire underground plaza was found to be divided into five distinct areas, with elements exposed to the air clearly visible.
Even though a thousand years have passed, one can still feel that restless energy.
Black Zetsu's figure rose from the ground, a strange smile spreading across his face.
"Here..."
Sudden!
A powerful mental shockwave appeared without warning, transforming into an invisible blade that shot straight toward Tōka.
Feeling the terrifying power, like a storm, Tōka trembled all over.
It wasn't that he was afraid, but rather that his body began to tremble involuntarily.
Buzz!
A terrifying mental storm swept through Tōka's mind, completely engulfing him.
A flash of white light appeared, Tōka's body transformed into a bright lamp, emitting a dazzling white light.
Countless memories flashed by, like a slideshow, crystal clear, giving Tōka a sense of being there.
A thousand years ago...
Since the dawn of humanity, there has never been a ceaseless struggle between people, leading to an era of war and chaos.
The earth was thus stained with blood, as if it were trying to absorb all of it.
A giant Divine Tree that has always existed at the center of the earth has not been involved in the conflict, but has always been worshipped as a divine pillar.
Time flies by, like a fleeting moment in the blink of an eye; the scene flashes by.
Suddenly, on this day, everything stopped, and a fruit appeared on the Divine Tree!
Although people did not understand the meaning behind this, no one dared to disobey the ancestral precepts and touch the fruit of the Divine Tree.
The Ōtsutsuki Clan originated from a distant land. Kaguya, the clan's princess, was born with the Byakugan. She came to this land in order to obtain the fruit of the Divine Tree.
After consuming the God Tree Fruit, Kaguya became the Progenitor of Chakra, awakened the Rinne Sharingan in her forehead, and possessed god-like power. She single-handedly quelled the wars in the world.
Since then, Kaguya has been known as the Rabbit Goddess.
After the war, Kaguya gave birth to twins— Hagoromo and Hamura —both children possessed chakra from birth...
"And this is where Hagoromo and Hamura trained?!" Tōka suddenly realized, staring blankly at the huge Rock in front of him.
"You were able to wake up from the illusion; it seems you really are your Mom's child." A fanatical glint appeared in Black Zetsu's eyes.
His gaze was fixed intently on Tōka, as if he were seeing Otsutsuki Kaguya!
They look so alike, so incredibly alike...
As Tōka grows up, her noble princess-like temperament and captivating beauty make her look exactly like Kaguya!
All of Black Zetsu's doubts vanished at that moment, replaced by pure joy, which greatly increased the chances of reviving his Mom.
"If it's a place like this, why didn't you bring me here sooner?" Tōka narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint in them, and stared at Black Zetsu with an unfriendly expression.
If this is where Hagoromo and Hamura trained as children, then when he landed on Earth, wouldn't he have come straight here...?
I actually lived in constant fear for four long years!
Staying in Konoha, next to the Hokage Building, Tōka almost never had a good night's sleep.
Even on the Battlefield, Tōka felt much more relaxed.
The atmosphere suddenly became oppressive. Tōka's face was tense as he hesitated, wondering whether he should kill Black Zetsu.
Just because others can't deal with Black Zetsu doesn't mean he can't!
"Come on, don't get excited, let me explain." Sensing Tōka's anger, Black Zetsu quickly waved his hand and began to explain.
"You don't have the Sharingan or Byakugan, so coming here is pointless."
Black Zetsu also wanted to prove Tōka's identity as soon as possible. It wasn't that he didn't want to bring Tōka here, but even if he had brought Tōka here four years ago, it would have been useless.
But things are different now, Tōka is different now...
"What do you mean?" Tōka stared coldly at Black Zetsu. He didn't have the Sharingan or Byakugan yet, so how could he prove that Kaguya's child?
"You must have felt a strange power when we were in the palace just now," Black Zetsu said with a mysterious smile, pointing to the ceiling.
"The power of the palace? You mean Genjutsu?" Tōka asked in a low voice.
"That's right! Even though it's abandoned, the protective illusion set up back then still exists!" Black Zetsu nodded affirmatively. The protective illusion set up by his Mom to protect the palace!
In other words, if Tōka hadn't awakened the Genjutsu- type Kekkei Mōra: Six Harmonies Divine Technique, he wouldn't have been able to get in at all.
The Sharingan is also known as the eye of Genjutsu, while the Byakugan is directly immune to any Genjutsu.
Without possessing either of the two prerequisites, Tōka was able to arrive here thanks to the Six Harmonies Divine Technique!
Listening to Black Zetsu's story, Tōka arrived at the very center where the five areas intersected, where Taiseki, several people tall, stood.
"What about this? What is it?"
The Stone Tablet was engraved with strange symbols, some like words, some like patterns, but Tōka didn't recognize a single one!
Black Zetsu's lips curled slightly, and a fleeting, obscure glint One Flash in his eyes.
"This requires the Sage Eye to decipher."
As soon as he finished speaking, Black Zetsu's attention fell on Tōka. Tōka inherited Kaguya's Sage Body, but did not possess the Sharingan or Byakugan.
What will happen next? Tōka...
This Stone Tablet records a shocking secret of the Ōtsutsuki Clan!
"The Sage Eye?" Tōka raised an eyebrow. The Sage Eye are not just the Rinnegan; the Tenseigan also belongs to the true Sage Eye.
However, he doesn't even possess the most basic Sharingan and Byakugan, so how could he evolve them into the Rinnegan and Tenseigan?
Tōka turned his head and glared at Black Zetsu with displeasure. "You should know what's on it, right? Why didn't you just tell me?"
"No, that won't do!" Black Zetsu shook his head helplessly. "This is a stone tablet recording the Stone Tablet of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, with runes carved by my Mom herself."
In other words, this Stone Tablet is not Six Paths that kid Stone Tablet could leave behind in a half-baked way; it could be altered.
Upon hearing this, Tōka's heart stirred even more. This Stone Tablet...
It was as if a mysterious voice was calling to him; perhaps this was the reason why he was born on the moon.
The Sage Eye...
Dojutsu!
"If you have enough Dojutsu, you can decipher this Stone Tablet, is that what you mean, Black Zetsu!" Tōka stared intently at Black Zetsu, carefully observing every subtle expression on his face.
"Hmm..." Black Zetsu pinched his chin, pondered for a moment, and then raised his head.
"You could say that."