Everyone around Namikawa Yū stared ahead nervously.
As the Lord of the Country of Zu, Namikawa Yū was far from safe, even with people around him.
Over the years, assassins from enemy countries had come to kill him more than once, but Namikawa Yū had evaded them all.
After all, there were plenty of people in this world who did not want to see him alive.
Leaving aside those enemy countries, those within his own country whose interests had suffered from Namikawa Yū's reforms were just as eager to see him dead.
For those people, this was undoubtedly a rare opportunity to assassinate him.
Under their vigilant gazes, the woman's figure gradually came into view ahead.
She was a very unusual woman.
She was tall, with pale skin and long white hair. She was beautiful, her face seemingly without a single flaw, like a goddess descended from the heavens.
But what struck them as the strangest was her pair of eyes.
Those eyes were pure white, without the slightest impurity or any pupils, giving her an inexplicably odd appearance.
Clad in a long robe, she emerged from the forest and looked at the people before her, feeling nothing at all.
At that moment, Namikawa Yū froze.
"This woman..."
Standing where he was, he stared intently at her, looking into those pure white eyes. "That's the Byakugan..."
As a Konoha Ninja, Namikawa Yū could not have been more familiar with the Kekkei Genkai known as the Byakugan. He recognized it the instant he saw it.
Her appearance also felt familiar to him.
White hair, white eyes, coming from beyond this world...
He looked at her, shaken inwardly. Is she... Otsutsuki Kaguya?
Namikawa Yū was not actually all that familiar with the story of Naruto.
But he did know about its final boss, Otsutsuki Kaguya.
Strictly speaking, the story of Naruto had begun because of her.
The protagonists of its various eras were, in the strictest sense, all her descendants.
At this point, Namikawa Yū finally understood.
The God Tree... Otsutsuki Kaguya... So that's how it is.
A series of realizations flashed through his mind.
Before this, because he had been unable to find anything familiar from his memories, he had always thought he had been reincarnated into an unfamiliar world.
But now it seemed that the world was still the same world; only the era was different.
He had been reincarnated into the ancient past of the Ninja World, an era before even the Sage of Six Paths, the founder of Ninshu, had been born.
In this era, the Sage of Six Paths had yet to be born, Ninshu had yet to be founded, and the seeds of the power known as chakra had yet to be distributed to the people of the world.
That was also why this world had no such power as chakra.
And Otsutsuki Kaguya, standing before him, was the person with whom it all began.
It was her arrival that had brought the first power of chakra into this world.
At that moment, Namikawa Yū understood everything.
Ahead of him, the woman raised her head, her gaze landing directly on Namikawa Yū.
She sensed a familiar aura from Namikawa Yū and instinctively grew a little curious, wanting to approach him.
But as she approached, the attendants and warriors guarding Namikawa Yū immediately grew tense.
"How dare you!"
"Woman, don't even think about approaching His Lordship!"
The warriors beside him glared at her, treating her as an assassin with sinister intentions.
At their angry rebukes, a hint of fear involuntarily appeared on the woman's face.
This puzzled Namikawa Yū.
Even members of the Otsutsuki Clan fear mortals?
According to the setting, the Otsutsuki Clan was a race from beyond this world. In their eyes, the people of the Ninja World were merely mortals and natives, utterly beneath notice.
But judging by what he saw, did she have normal emotional reactions too?
Various thoughts flashed through his mind before he waved a hand, signaling the attendants around him to quiet down.
The next moment, under the astonished gazes of those around him, he dismounted and slowly walked toward her.
"Your Lordship..."
The people around him immediately looked nervous.
Namikawa Yū showed no reaction to this.
What a joke.
The woman before me could be called the Progenitor of Chakra. If she wanted to, she could probably wipe us all out with ease.
Staying on guard in front of someone like that is the most laughable thing imaginable.
"Relax..."
Meeting the woman's gaze, he smiled, his manner gentle.
To avoid provoking her, he walked very slowly, each step light, until he stood before her.
Otsutsuki Kaguya watched blankly as Namikawa Yū approached.
As he drew closer, the sensation she had felt earlier became much clearer.
It was the aura of chakra.
As someone from beyond this world and a member of the Otsutsuki Clan, Otsutsuki Kaguya could not have been more familiar with chakra.
And within him, though the aura of chakra was weak, it did indeed exist, giving her a peculiar feeling.
Looking at her lightly clad figure, Namikawa Yū took off his robe and draped it over her.
Only when he saw that she showed no aversion and made no further move did he breathe a sigh of relief inwardly, his smile remaining on his face.
"It's a little chilly. You should take care not to catch a cold, miss."
He spoke softly. "Might I know your name?"
Silence fell after his words, and he received no response.
An attendant behind him was about to rebuke her, but a stern look from Namikawa Yū stopped him outright.
What a joke. You dare rebuke someone who could erase you at will?
Do you have a death wish?
She's already being exceptionally merciful by not killing you on the spot.
But just as Namikawa Yū thought she would not speak, she suddenly did.
In the darkness of night, a cool, detached voice slowly sounded, somewhat faint.
"Otsutsuki Kaguya."
Her gaze fixed on Namikawa Yū before her, the woman finally spoke her name.
"So, Miss Kaguya."
At that moment, Namikawa Yū let out a long sigh of relief inwardly.
Thank goodness.
Although she looks cold and distant, with a faintly inhuman air, she still seems possible to communicate with.
Under these circumstances, she probably won't suddenly lash out and kill anyone, will she?
The thought passed silently through his mind, his smile unchanged.
"This place isn't safe..."
He said, "If possible, would you come with me, Miss Kaguya?"
"I'll find somewhere to keep you well protected."
"Of course, if you wish, you can return at any time. You won't be restricted."
Afraid that she might misunderstand, he hurriedly added that clarification.
Otsutsuki Kaguya looked at Namikawa Yū. After a long while, she seemed to understand what he meant and nodded.
Namikawa Yū immediately let out a long sigh of relief.
After that night, Namikawa Yū was no longer in any mood to conduct inspections.
After all, compared with Kaguya beside him, no inspection mattered anymore.
Or rather, compared with the woman beside him, even his most valuable possession, his position as Daimyo, had become utterly insignificant.