"Counting the days, you two have reached this point too."
Namikawa Yū looked at the two children before him, unable to keep a smile from his face.
Many years had passed in a flash, yet his appearance remained unchanged, fixed by Kaguya's chakra in the youthful form he had possessed back then.
But before him, his two children had already grown up and were now youths on the verge of adulthood.
As his and Kaguya's children, the Hamura Brothers had inherited pure Otsutsuki blood, and their own talents were exceptionally outstanding.
With Namikawa Yū devoting his full efforts to their upbringing, they had grown rapidly over the past dozen or so years.
By now, it was about time for them to travel and train.
"If you want to leave, then go."
Namikawa Yū said, "You have long lives ahead of you. There's nothing wrong with getting out more while you're young and seeing different sights."
"Father, you agree?"
Hearing Namikawa Yū's reply, the Hagoromo Brothers were immediately delighted.
They had wanted to venture out for a long time and had asked several times before, only for Namikawa Yū to refuse each time on the grounds that they were too young.
When they came to ask again this time, they had expected the same result, never imagining they would receive such a pleasant surprise.
"I didn't let you leave before because you were still very young. It wasn't time for you to travel yet."
Namikawa Yū smiled as he spoke. "But things are different now."
"In another year, you'll be adults. Counting the time, you're due to go out and see the world."
"Father..."
At his words, the Hagoromo Brothers were filled with excitement.
In fact, by the Ninja World's local standards, they were already old enough to be considered adults.
In some families, people their age might already have married and had children.
But Namikawa Yū was their father, after all.
As their father, he still hoped his children could stay by his side a little longer. It would not be too late for them to leave once they could clearly distinguish right from wrong.
And now, that time had clearly come.
The Hagoromo Brothers promptly took their leave of Namikawa Yū and went back to pack.
In the days before their departure, they visited various places, bidding farewell to their teachers and friends.
But when they reached a certain palace, hesitation and caution appeared on their faces.
This was none other than Kaguya Palace, where Otsutsuki Kaguya resided.
As Otsutsuki Kaguya's palace, it was decorated with regal splendor, every corner brimming with luxury and grandeur.
Everything within was adorned with the very best.
Walking through the palace, Hagoromo and Hamura could not help frowning at the decorations around them.
Mother is still far too extravagant...
The thought could not help crossing their minds.
Although they were husband and wife, Namikawa Yū and Kaguya had different styles.
Namikawa Yū himself lived simply. So long as his basic needs were met, he did not demand much in the way of living conditions.
Kaguya, however, was different.
As a member of the extraterrestrial Otsutsuki Clan, Kaguya naturally held herself high above others.
To put it bluntly, throughout the entire Ninja World, apart from a handful of people such as Namikawa Yū and the Hagoromo Brothers, everyone else was nothing more than an ant in Kaguya's eyes.
Even as she spent more time with Namikawa Yū, her views had changed little.
With such a mindset, naturally, everything she used was the very best.
Everything in the world was hers for the taking.
Without Namikawa Yū, this attitude of hers would inevitably have brought about a tremendous catastrophe.
After all, given Kaguya's temperament, she would simply take whatever she wanted without any regard for anything else.
As for how many people beneath her died, that mattered even less.
Fortunately, with Namikawa Yū there, these things had not had too great an impact on the outside world.
Even when taking from others, different methods produced different results.
In this regard, Namikawa Yū was clearly far more capable than Kaguya.
Just as with growing the God Tree, Kaguya could only think of sacrificing the Ninja World, while Namikawa Yū could employ methods that had everyone in the Ninja World willingly contribute chakra, practicing sustainable exploitation and harvesting.
So long as the methods were good enough, it was always possible to harvest without greatly affecting ordinary people outside, and even to make everything develop in a positive direction.
This was also one of the reasons the Hagoromo Brothers revered Namikawa Yū so deeply.
By contrast, the Hagoromo Brothers' feelings toward Kaguya were far more complicated.
As she was their mother, they naturally loved and cared for Kaguya.
Yet beneath that love, they also had quite a few criticisms of her other practices.
So many chakra crystals spent merely on decoration...
Hagoromo looked at the decorations all around him and the garden outside, where flowers were in full bloom, and could not help frowning inwardly.
Had it merely been an ordinary degree of extravagance, no one would have said anything, given Kaguya's position.
After all, in terms of status, Kaguya was the empress of the Land of Ancestors. With such an exalted position, it was only right for her to use the finest things in the world.
But too much was as bad as too little.
As a member of the Otsutsuki Clan, what Kaguya loved most was not earthly jewelry and the like, but various kinds of pure chakra.
Thus, creations made from pure chakra crystals were everywhere in her palace.
Inside the palace, there was even a statue of Kaguya carved from pure chakra crystals.
The chakra crystals consumed by this statue alone were equivalent to the amount a million people extracted in a year.
Behind the palace was also an enormous chakra garden, planted with all manner of chakra plants that lived by absorbing chakra. There was no telling how many chakra crystals it consumed each year.
With all this, plus the amount Kaguya herself absorbed, there was no telling how many people's annual chakra output was spent merely on supporting Kaguya alone.
And if those resources could be put to proper use, there was no telling how much could be accomplished.
Walking deeper into the palace, the Hagoromo Brothers found Kaguya in the garden.
After learning why the Hagoromo Brothers had come, she said little and remained as indifferent as ever, as though she felt not the slightest ripple of emotion.
To her, the entire Land of Ancestors was like her own family's territory.
Traveling within one's own territory was like making an inspection tour, so naturally, there was little to say.
As for danger, it was even less worth mentioning.
With the Hagoromo Brothers' current strength, no one in the entire Land of Ancestors would be able to harm them.
"Once you've had your fill of fun, remember to come back soon."
She spoke flatly without saying anything more, simply continuing to gaze at the flowers blooming before her.
From beginning to end, Kaguya's tone and expression remained indifferent and calm, forming a sharp contrast to Namikawa Yū's concern.
Before her, the Hagoromo Brothers looked at Kaguya, wanting to speak but hesitating.
In the end, however, they said nothing and quietly withdrew.