Otsutsuki Kaguya

Nanchuan You's surroundings tensed as everyone stared ahead warily.

As the Lord of the Country of Zu, Nanchuan You's position was far from secure. Over the years, there had been no shortage of assassins sent by enemy states, but he had evaded them all.

After all, there were plenty in this world who wished to see him dead. The enemy nations aside, even within his own domain, those whose interests had been harmed by his reforms were eager for his demise. To such people, this moment presented a rare opportunity for assassination.

Under their vigilant gazes, the figure of a woman gradually emerged from ahead.

She was a peculiar woman. Tall and slender, with pale skin and long white hair, her face was strikingly beautiful, flawless like a goddess descending from the heavens. But what was most unsettling were her eyes—pure white, devoid of any color or pupils, giving off an eerie, unnatural feeling.

Wrapped in a long robe, she stepped out from a grove of trees, gazing at the crowd before her without any particular expression.

At that moment, Nanchuan You froze.

"This woman..." Standing still, he stared intently at her pure white eyes. "These are Byakugan..."

As a Konoha shinobi, he was all too familiar with the Byakugan, a Kekkei Genkai. He recognized it the instant he saw it. Moreover, her appearance struck him as familiar.

"White hair, white eyes, descending from beyond the sky..." He stared at her, his heart shaken. "Is she... Otsutsuki Kaguya?"

Nanchuan You wasn't deeply familiar with the story of the Hokage, but he knew of Otsutsuki Kaguya, the final boss. Strictly speaking, the entire tale of the Hokage originated from her. The protagonists of each era were, in essence, her descendants.

Now, realization dawned on him. "The Divine Tree... Otsutsuki Kaguya... I see." A series of insights flashed through his mind. Before this, unable to find anything familiar from his memories, he had assumed he'd been reborn into an unknown world. But now it seemed the world was the same—only the era had changed. He had been reborn into the ancient age of the shinobi world, an era before the Sage of Six Paths, the founder of the Ninja Sect, had even been born.

In this age, the Sage of Six Paths had yet to appear, the Ninja Sect had not been established, and the seeds of Chakra had not yet been distributed to the people. This was why the world lacked the power of Chakra. And the woman before him, Otsutsuki Kaguya, was the origin of it all. Her arrival had brought the first Chakra to this world.

In that moment, Nanchuan You understood everything.

Ahead, the woman lifted her head, her gaze landing directly on Nanchuan You. She sensed a familiar aura from him, instinctively curious, and wanted to draw closer. But as she approached, the attendants and samurai guarding Nanchuan You immediately tensed.

"How dare you!"

"Woman, stay away from the Lord!"

The samurai glared at her, treating her as a suspicious assassin. Scolded by these men, a flicker of fear unconsciously appeared on her face.

This puzzled Nanchuan You. "Would the Otsutsuki Clan fear mere mortals?" According to the lore, the Otsutsuki Clan were an extraterrestrial race; to them, the people of the shinobi world were nothing but commoners and natives, utterly insignificant. But seeing her like this, did she also have normal emotional responses?

Various thoughts raced through his mind, and then he raised a hand, signaling his attendants to quiet down. The next moment, to the astonishment of those around him, he dismounted and walked slowly toward her.

"My Lord..." The faces of those nearby turned tense.

Nanchuan You showed no reaction whatsoever.

Ridiculous.

The woman before him was practically the Progenitor of Chakra; if she wished, she could effortlessly erase every single one of them. Maintaining vigilance in front of someone like this was the most laughable move possible.

"Relax..."

Meeting her gaze, he put on a gentle smile, his demeanor warm.

To avoid provoking her, he walked slowly, each step light and deliberate, until he stood before her.

Otsutsuki Kaguya stared blankly as Nanchuan You approached.

With his approach, the sensation she had felt earlier grew much clearer.

It was the presence of chakra.

As a celestial outsider and a member of the Otsutsuki Clan, Otsutsuki Kaguya understood chakra better than anyone. Within his body, though faint, the chakra was indeed there, giving her a peculiar feeling.

Seeing her thin form, Nanchuan You removed his robe and draped it over her shoulders.

Noticing no aversion or further reaction from her, he breathed a sigh of relief inside, his smile unwavering.

"The night air is cool, Miss. It would be best not to catch a chill."

He spoke softly: "May I ask, if I might know your name?"

His words fell, and silence settled over the spot, met with no response.

A retainer behind him was about to speak up in reprimand, but Nanchuan You silenced him with a stern glare.

Ridiculous. You dare to reprimand an existence that could erase you at will?

Do you have a death wish?

The fact that she hadn't killed you on the spot was already an extraordinary mercy.

Just as Nanchuan You thought she wouldn't answer, however, she suddenly spoke.

Under the night sky, a faint, indifferent voice slowly sounded, soft and distant.

"Otsutsuki Kaguya."

The woman fixed her gaze on Nanchuan You before finally uttering her name.

"So it's Lady Kaguya."

In that moment, Nanchuan You let out a long sigh of relief inside.

Good.

Though her demeanor was cold, with a faint, inhuman quality, she still seemed approachable for conversation.

Under these circumstances, she probably wouldn't suddenly lash out and kill, right?

He kept his smile steady, silently mulling over that thought.

"This place isn't safe..."

He spoke: "If it's possible, Lady Kaguya, would you come with me?"

"I'll find a place to protect you properly."

"Of course, if you wish, you can leave anytime, with no restrictions."

Afraid she might misunderstand, he quickly added.

Otsutsuki Kaguya looked at Nanchuan You for a long moment, as if grasping his meaning, then nodded.

Nanchuan You exhaled in immense relief.

After that night, Nanchuan You no longer had any interest in inspections.

After all, compared to the Kaguya beside him, nothing else mattered.

Or rather, next to this woman, even his most valuable position as Daimyo had become utterly insignificant.