I will have to leave eventually...
Back in his residence within the palace, Namikawa Yū gazed at the panel that appeared before him, and this thought slipped through his mind.
There was a countdown on that panel, with around ten years remaining.
This was the time limit imposed by the reincarnation panel.
Only after spending so long in this world did Namikawa Yū realize that reincarnation was not entirely without restrictions.
Each time he reincarnated, he could stay for no more than fifty years.
It was not that he could not remain beyond fifty years, but that the stability of time could no longer be maintained.
In simple terms, it was the rate at which time flowed.
This world and his original world were effectively parallel worlds.
Time should originally have flowed at different rates in the two worlds, but the panel's immense power had changed that.
Under the influence of the reincarnation panel, no matter how long Namikawa Yū stayed in this world, only an instant would have passed when he returned to his original world.
But this period was not unlimited. It was restricted to fifty years.
In other words, once he stayed in this world for more than fifty years, time would flow at the same rate in both worlds.
Namikawa Yū could, of course, choose to remain in this world forever.
But if he did, the outcome for his original body would likely be worrying.
It was not impossible that he would simply starve to death at home.
At the thought of this outcome, Namikawa Yū sighed quietly.
Will I have another chance to come to this world in the future?
Standing where he was, Namikawa Yū had this thought.
As the question arose in his mind, a piece of information came back a moment later.
He could.
Since the reincarnation panel could let him reincarnate into this world, it could naturally bring his original body into this world as well.
But the cost of doing so would undoubtedly be enormous.
It would take a vast number of points to fully open the connection between the two worlds.
"So that's how it is."
Learning this, Namikawa Yū's expression immediately relaxed. "That's not bad, then."
"In that case, I'll spend the time I have left gaining as much as possible."
This thought passed through his mind, and then he quietly turned and walked to the side.
While Namikawa Yū considered his next steps, elsewhere, the Hagoromo Brothers also began their own work.
They found the Toad Sage and relayed what Namikawa Yū had said.
"I see..."
As he listened to the Hagoromo Brothers, a look of understanding crossed the Toad Sage's face. "So this is the breadth of the Son of the Land of Ancestors' vision. To think it was so expansive..."
He had thought Namikawa Yū would fly into a rage upon hearing the Hagoromo Brothers' ideas, and might even send people to imprison them under guard. He had already prepared for the worst, ready to go and rescue the Hagoromo Brothers at any moment.
Yet he had never expected Namikawa Yū to give such a response.
Not only had he refrained from stopping them, he had even encouraged the Hagoromo Brothers to move forward and grow stronger.
Even if their growing stronger meant they might stand in his way in the future, it did not matter.
"Father has always been like this."
The usually rather quiet Hamura suddenly spoke. "I told you before, given the kind of person Father is, he could never do those things."
"Even if he really sided with Mother, he could never attack us."
If the relationship between Otsutsuki Kaguya and the Hagoromo Brothers as mother and sons was somewhat strained, then the relationship between Namikawa Yū and the Hagoromo Brothers as father and sons was very harmonious.
As a child Namikawa Yū had raised himself, Hamura simply did not believe that Namikawa Yū would attack them.
To him, the very idea was nonsense.
"That's true."
Hagoromo, standing before him, nodded as well. "Father has never been that kind of person."
"It seems I was overthinking things, then."
The Toad Sage smiled, untroubled by this. "But since you've returned, I take it you've made your decision."
"Yes."
Hagoromo nodded. "We'll go back with you and learn your Senjutsu together."
"Whatever happens in the future, we have to grow stronger."
"That way, even if Mother takes the wrong path one day, we'll have the power to set her right."
"In that case, come with me, both of you."
The Toad Sage nodded, then said, "Training at Mount Myōboku isn't easy. You two should be prepared."
"You don't need to tell us that."
The Hagoromo Brothers looked calm, without the slightest fear.
Both possessed exceptional talent and unwavering determination. Since they had made their decision, they naturally would not hesitate in the slightest.
And so, in the days that followed, they went with the Toad Sage to Mount Myōboku, where they tried to learn the Senjutsu passed down there.
What was called Senjutsu was, in fact, a way of using natural energy.
In this regard, the Hagoromo Brothers displayed outstanding talent and affinity.
Before long, they had mastered Senjutsu, fully grasping Mount Myōboku's Senjutsu legacy, and began their own training with it as their foundation.
As they trained, their strength began to grow steadily, improving at an extremely rapid pace.
Time in the outside world passed, each day faster than the last.
Before they knew it, several more years had gone by.
During those years, quite a few more changes took place within the Land of Ancestors.
The number of living human sacrifices across the land decreased, and livestock could now be used in their place.
The burden on the Land of Ancestors began to ease.
As the number of people who mastered chakra increased each year, the number of chakra crystals they could condense each year likewise grew.
Every aspect of the Land of Ancestors seemed to be growing and moving in a better direction.
In contrast to this, however, were the natural disasters.
Over these years, as productivity improved, war and famine disappeared completely, yet natural disasters of all kinds instead grew more frequent.
Earthquakes struck different regions from time to time, and terrifying tsunamis swept across them, leaving scenes of horrifying destruction.
Had the people of the Land of Ancestors not already widely mastered the power of chakra, the losses these disasters inflicted would have been incalculable.
But even now, those losses were enormous, causing many deaths every year and having far-reaching effects.
These were, in fact, the effects of the God Tree's power.
As the God Tree grew, its absorption of natural energy became increasingly severe.
The concentration of natural energy throughout the world fell ever lower, and the world consequently lost a layer of protection.
The ultimate result was endless natural disasters, a scene of devastation and calamity.
And in this year, two figures appeared before the God Tree.
"The amount of natural energy the God Tree absorbs is becoming more and more terrifying..."
Before the God Tree, Hagoromo Otsutsuki slowly raised his head and gazed at the increasingly magnificent tree before him, his eyes involuntarily growing complicated.
Beside him, Hamura Otsutsuki stood quietly, his Byakugan likewise fixed on the God Tree before him, but he said nothing.