"It isn't quite what you think."
Before them, Namikawa Yū shook his head, then said softly, "I love your mother. There is no question about that."
"But caring for someone doesn't mean always going along with them."
"Correcting someone's mistakes in time and bringing her back from the wrong path is also a way of caring for her."
"The same goes for you," he said softly.
"Young children will grow up eventually, just as you did."
"Since you already have ideas of your own, go ahead and act on them."
"Taking that step is also a necessary part of growing up."
He spoke softly as he said this.
"Father..."
The Hagoromo Brothers were moved, unsure what to say at that moment.
"Go and do whatever you want to do."
Namikawa Yū smiled. "But don't forget that this is your home."
"While you're working hard out there, don't forget to come back and visit now and then."
"Yes."
The Hagoromo Brothers nodded respectfully, then slowly withdrew and left.
Namikawa Yū stood where he was, quietly watching them leave.
Only when the Hagoromo Brothers disappeared from view did Namikawa Yū let out a long sigh.
"Are you just going to watch without doing anything?"
At one point, he suddenly spoke, looking to the side.
A white-haired woman appeared there and stood quietly.
She had long white hair and a pair of horns on her head, and, like Namikawa Yū, she was gazing into the distance.
The Hagoromo Brothers' figures were reflected in her Byakugan as she continued watching them.
"What should I do?"
"They don't want to see me," Kaguya said flatly.
"Isn't it that you're unwilling to talk to them more?"
Looking at Kaguya beside him, Namikawa Yū felt rather helpless. "You... you clearly miss them too. Why don't you go to them yourself?"
Kaguya did not speak. She simply stood quietly, saying nothing.
Namikawa Yū came up from behind and slowly took her into his arms.
He approached from behind, pressing his body close to Kaguya's, as though carefully taking in her presence.
"Yū..."
Kaguya lowered her head and looked at Namikawa Yū before her, her gaze gradually softening.
Many years had passed, yet on the surface, she seemed unchanged from back then.
Only in Namikawa Yū's presence would she reveal her tender side instead of being as cold as usual.
"Whatever the case, the children have goals of their own and are willing to work toward them. That is a good thing, after all."
"The other Otsutsuki from beyond this world will come eventually," Namikawa Yū said softly. "Rather than waiting until then to start working hard, we might as well give them a goal now."
"At least that will keep them from wasting their time."
"It's useless."
Kaguya's expression was calm. "Whatever they do, it will be of no use."
"They cannot defeat me."
She was very confident in her own power.
No matter how hard Hagoromo and Hamura worked, or how long they struggled, they could never defeat her.
Even among members of the Otsutsuki Clan, whether one had consumed a Chakra Fruit was an important distinction.
An Otsutsuki who had not consumed a Chakra Fruit could not defeat her.
Kaguya had ample confidence in that.
Moreover, because of the Ninja World's rich foundations, the Chakra Fruit she had consumed was far superior in quality to ordinary Chakra Fruits.
Under these circumstances, even if Hagoromo and Hamura joined forces, they could never be her match.
"I wouldn't be so sure."
Namikawa Yū smiled. "If you keep thinking that way, perhaps they'll surprise you. You never know."
Whether in the original storyline or other storylines, Kaguya would be defeated by the Sage of Six Paths and his brother after their training, and ultimately sealed away.
Moreover, in most versions, the Kaguya whom the Sage of Six Paths and his brother defeated was an enhanced version who had consumed the Chakra Fruit and sealed the God Tree, the Ten-Tails, within herself, becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki.
That was enough to show that the Hagoromo Brothers possessed enormous potential. As long as they could unlock it, it would be enough to defeat Kaguya, the Progenitor of Chakra.
Compared to the Kaguya of the original storyline, the Kaguya before him had only consumed the Chakra Fruit. She had yet to extract the Ten-Tails and seal him within herself, so she was even somewhat inferior in terms of raw strength.
As long as the Hagoromo Brothers could wield the strength they possessed in their original storyline, defeating her would be no problem at all.
Of course, Kaguya did not believe that in the slightest at present.
People could not imagine things they had never seen.
To Kaguya, growing stronger through one's own training was still far too unbelievable.
Within the Otsutsuki Clan, the primary means of growing stronger was consuming Chakra Fruits or devouring other members of their clan.
She had never witnessed anything like training to improve oneself.
Precisely because of this, she could not imagine just how much potential an Otsutsuki willing to train hard might possess.
"There's still plenty of time."
Namikawa Yū took her hand and said softly, "Let's wait and see."
Kaguya nodded without saying anything more.
Beside her, Namikawa Yū wanted to say something else, but his face suddenly turned pale, and he began coughing violently.
At that moment, his face became deathly pale, and layers of markings covered the surface of his entire body.
"The Karma has begun to backlash..."
A trace of worry appeared in Otsutsuki Kaguya's eyes.
The Otsutsuki Clan's Karma could slowly transform others, but the risks involved were also considerable.
Kaguya had already been very careful in this regard, but Namikawa Yū's current body was simply too weak. Even bearing a fraction of the Karma's power was a strain.
This was what had caused the backlash, leaving him looking rather unwell overall.
Of course, there was a solution as well.
The Chakra Fruit...
Kaguya stood where she was, the image of the God Tree reflected in her Byakugan.
Although the compatibility between the Karma and Namikawa Yū was very low, the prolonged transformation had still given Namikawa Yū a faint trace of an Otsutsuki constitution.
Next, as long as he consumed a Chakra Fruit, that trace of Otsutsuki blood within him could be fully awakened, turning him directly into a full-fledged member of the Otsutsuki Clan.
When that happened, all the problems with his body could be resolved, and he could gain an ageless, undying life just like Kaguya's.
That was precisely why Kaguya was so anxious to have the second Chakra Fruit ripen as soon as possible.
If the Divine Tree Fruit could not ripen before the lifespan of Namikawa Yū's body ran out, the outcome would be terrible.
At that thought, she turned around, various thoughts flashing through her mind.
"Don't overthink it."
Namikawa Yū's voice sounded beside her.
He stood there, looking at Kaguya before him, and shook his head.