Arrangements Before Departure

"I am leaving, but I will definitely return one day in the future."

Finally, Nanchuan You spoke to his family before him: "I hope when that day comes, you can give me a surprise."

"Hagoromo, Hamura."

He called out the names of his two children: "This country, I'll leave it to you from now on."

"We will."

The Hagoromo Brothers nodded seriously: "We will treat the country and its people with sincerity until the day Father returns."

"Then I can rest assured."

Nanchuan You nodded, then changed the subject: "So, what about your mother?"

"What are your thoughts?"

He asked while Kaguya was not around.

"Mother..."

Hearing Nanchuan You's words, Hagoromo and Hamura fell silent, unsure of what to say at this moment.

Nanchuan You saw their thoughts in their silence and could only sigh helplessly.

"You are grown up now, so you can do whatever you want from now on."

"I only have one request for you."

He looked at Hagoromo and Hamura before him, his expression solemn: "If, one day in the future, you clash with your mother again, I don't ask you not to fight, I only hope you won't go too far."

"Just let her stay peacefully in the palace. There's no need to overdo it."

"Do you understand what I'm saying?"

His expression was solemn as he spoke.

The reason he deliberately gave these instructions was because, in the original story, Kaguya's ending was too tragic.

After being defeated by her own children, she was sealed on the moon, alone and silent for thousands of years.

Just thinking about such an experience was torture.

And this was something Nanchuan You could not accept.

As his wife, he could tolerate Kaguya being defeated, but he could not accept such a tragic ending.

Especially since it was his own two children who had done all this.

It was precisely because he knew this ending that Nanchuan You had deliberately given his instructions.

"We understand."

Meeting Nanchuan You's gaze, Hagoromo and Hamura exchanged a look, then nodded, signifying their agreement.

Only then did Nanchuan You truly relax.

"The Toad Sage behind you, I wish to meet him."

Before leaving, Nanchuan You expressed his wish to meet the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku.

Regarding this request, Hagoromo and Hamura naturally would not refuse and readily agreed.

That night, the Toad Sage came to the palace of the Land of Ancestors and met with Nanchuan You there.

This was Nanchuan You's first time meeting the Toad Sage.

In his opinion, this Toad Sage seemed extraordinary. Although he had the appearance of an ordinary toad, his size was quite large, and his wisdom seemed unusual.

"Are you the Toad Sage?"

Nanchuan You looked at the Toad Sage before him, his eyes filled with curiosity.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Facing Nanchuan You, the Toad Sage's expression was respectful as he spoke: "I heard you wished to see me?"

"Yes."

Nanchuan You nodded: "I heard you have the ability to predict the future, so I wanted to ask you about it."

"What will my future be like?"

"Your Majesty's future is something beyond my ability to fathom."

The Toad Sage shook his head: "The so-called foresight is merely seeing countless possibilities of the future in dreams. It is far from being a prophet, nor can I know all things about the future."

"And in my dreams, there is no presence of Your Majesty."

"You mean, you cannot see my future?"

Nanchuan You pondered.

"Yes."

The Toad Sage nodded. "In fact, the future at this moment is already different from what I foresaw in my dream."

"In my dream, your wife should have already been sealed by Hagoromo."

"But at this moment, your wife is still alive and well, not sealed."

Listening to this, Nanchuan You fell silent, contemplating something in his heart.

The main reason he wanted to see the Toad Sage was to witness his abilities.

In the original story, although the Toad Sage's presence wasn't prominent, he played a crucial role at many junctures.

Without his guidance, Hagoromo and Hamura would not have been able to grow rapidly and gain the strength to counter Kaguya.

In later generations, without his prophecy, Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, would not have embarked on his journey to find the so-called child of destiny.

Nanchuan You was quite curious about such an existence, who, despite not having a strong presence, consistently exerted influence, and thus, before leaving, he made a special trip to meet him.

Upon meeting, he realized the Toad Sage's abilities seemed less powerful than he had imagined.

At least, he hadn't foreseen Nanchuan You, an outsider, completely overlooking him.

"I've already spoken with Kaguya," Nanchuan You said softly. "From now on, the authority over the Divine Tree will be transferred to Hagoromo and Hamura."

"I believe that under their control, the growth rate of the Divine Tree can be reasonably managed, unlike before."

The planting of the Divine Tree was a necessity for them, a fact that even Hagoromo and Hamura understood.

However, as long as the growth rate of the Divine Tree was controlled, slowing down its absorption of Natural Energy, many issues could be alleviated, preventing the current tension.

"I understand. Thank you, Your Majesty."

Hearing Nanchuan You's words, the Toad Sage nodded and expressed his sincere gratitude.

The recovery of Natural Energy in the Ninja World was very important for sacred lands like Mount Myōboku.

This was because the very existence of sacred lands like Mount Myōboku relied on Natural Energy.

If all the Natural Energy in the world were absorbed, not only would the world be destroyed, but sacred lands like Mount Myōboku would also collapse, eventually leading to their extinction.

It was precisely for this reason that the Toad Sage had sought out the Hagoromo Brothers, to prevent such an outcome.

"I am very interested in the Sage Art training at Mount Myōboku. Could you provide me with a copy of the secrets recorded within?" Nanchuan You continued.

Obtaining the Sage Art inheritance from Mount Myōboku was his second objective in meeting the Toad Sage.

He had already acquired a similar Sage Art inheritance from Hagoromo and Hamura, both versions they had compiled themselves.

However, the Sage Art inheritances they compiled might not be suitable for Nanchuan You.

After all, their foundation was too high, and the Sage Mode they ultimately achieved required higher standards from the practitioner.

Nanchuan You might not meet those conditions.

Relatively speaking, the original version of the Sage Art inheritance was more suitable for Nanchuan You.

Theoretically, anyone, even an ordinary person, could learn it.