Begin!

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure slowly turned transparent, as if merging into the air, and gradually vanished.

"Wait!? You!"

Hagoromo and Hamura's pupils contracted, their faces filled with disbelief. A method of vanishing into thin air was certainly beyond the abilities of an ordinary person!

"Big Brother, look around us!" Hamura suddenly activated his Byakugan and spoke in shock.

The two of them abruptly turned to look around, only to discover that the thatched hut from earlier had vanished without a trace. The sparks from the fire, the clay pots, and the wooden table had all disappeared as well!

Only the boundless snow and the frozen surface of the lake remained, as if everything that had just happened had been nothing more than a vivid illusion.

The cold wind swept snowflakes across their cheeks, bringing a bone-chilling cold.

Hagoromo and Hamura stood where they were, staring at each other as confusion and shock mingled in their hearts.

However, Hagoromo seemed to have thought of something, and his expression changed.

"Hamura, think about what that man looked like just now. Wasn't he especially similar to Manji's portrait in the temple!?"

Hagoromo spoke in shock.

Upon hearing this, Hamura was startled as well. After hearing his elder brother say it, he really did think there was some resemblance!

"Could it be... No... That's impossible, right?"

Leaving the frozen, snow-covered land by the lakeside,

Manji's figure appeared at Mount Myōboku the very next moment.

For the past dozen years, Manji had been studying Senjutsu.

Along the way, he had also created some techniques that would only appear in later generations.

Such as Rasengan, Chidori, Kirin, and various Release techniques...

Of course, he had only created these for fun. Manji had never intended to use them to truly fight Kaguya.

Senjutsu would always be Manji's main strength!

He had created and learned many Senjutsu techniques.

At the same time, to deal with the Ten-Tails,

Manji had also used the Senjutsu of Shikkotsu Forest to develop a Senjutsu technique similar to the Gate of the Great God.

However, Manji's strength seemed to be suppressed by an invisible force, and no matter what he did, he could not improve any further.

He could only rely on various methods to make himself stronger.

A dozen years was merely the snap of a finger to an immortal like him.

It truly passed in the blink of an eye.

More importantly, time had affected Manji.

Manji felt that he was genuinely becoming steadier, and that his temperament was improving as well.

Mount Myōboku, Longevity Peak.

Clouds and mist swirled around the mountaintop, as if it connected with the heavens.

This was the name Manji had given his residence.

The moment he stepped into the cave dwelling, a chubby figure came bouncing over. It was Gamamaru, who had long since grown into a half-grown toad.

"Teacher, how are things outside?"

Gamamaru asked respectfully.

Manji walked slowly to the stone table in the center of the cave and sat down. With a light tap of his fingertip against the tabletop, a stream of faint Senjutsu Chakra flowed toward Mount Myōboku's crystal ball.

The illusory figures of Hagoromo and Hamura appeared on the stone table, showing the scene of their encounter by the lake moments earlier.

"Just as before. Those two children have grown up, and their minds are gradually maturing. The time has come."

Manji spoke calmly, his tone utterly even.

He then looked up at Gamamaru, his gaze sharpening slightly. "In a few days, do as I instructed."

"Find a way to approach the two of them and tell them about the God Tree. But remember, you must not reveal the truth directly.

"You only need to leave clues and guide them to investigate for themselves. Only when people see something with their own eyes and hear it with their own ears will they truly believe it—and develop the will to resist."

Gamamaru was filled with admiration upon hearing this. As expected of his teacher, his plans were meticulous.

"Don't worry, Teacher!"

Gamamaru immediately straightened up and patted his chest in assurance.

He had long been dissatisfied with Kaguya's rule. If the God Tree drained the land dry, Mount Myōboku would be affected as well.

But as soon as he finished speaking, Gamamaru drooped his head again. His chubby body curled up slightly, and he looked as if he wanted to speak but couldn't.

"Gamamaru, is there something else you want to say?"

Manji was extraordinarily perceptive. He saw through Gamamaru's thoughts at a glance and asked calmly.

Gamamaru hesitated for a moment, but ultimately dropped to his knees with a thump. He lowered his head deeply, his voice carrying a hint of gravity. "Teacher, I... I had a dream."

"I dreamed that Kaguya and her two sons fought beneath the God Tree. They fought so violently that the heavens and earth were overturned, and the entire world seemed as if it were about to be destroyed..."

"Oh?"

Manji raised his brows slightly upon hearing this.

He naturally knew about Gamamaru's ability to have prophetic dreams. It was also one of the reasons he had insisted on forming a contract with this seemingly ordinary little toad back then.

In the original story, it was Gamamaru's prophetic dream that set the Sage of Six Paths on the path of opposing Kaguya. Now, it seemed that even with him as a variable, the inertia of history was still quietly at work.

"Did you see your teacher in the dream?"

Manji asked with interest. It would have been a lie to say he wasn't curious.

Although he was a transmigrator who knew the general plot, he still wanted to know what kind of waves his own "butterfly" would stir up in the future, and what role he would play in that destined battle.

"No, Teacher. I went over the scenes from the dream again and again, but I didn't see you from beginning to end. It was as if... you had never participated in that battle."

Gamamaru raised his head, his eyes full of confusion, and shook it.

"Is that so..."

Manji's fingertip paused slightly. A trace of surprise flashed through his eyes before he returned to his usual calm.

His own future could not be foreseen?

That was interesting.

He was not a native of this world to begin with.

He also possessed an immortal constitution granted by the system. Perhaps it was precisely this special nature that allowed him to escape the trajectory of fate and become an unpredictable variable.

"That's fine... That's fine..."

A faint smile curled Manji's lips, and his gaze grew deep.

Being watched by fate was not a pleasant feeling. An unknown future was more worthy of exploration.

Several days later,

a small village suddenly fell into chaos.

For some unknown reason, the river the village depended on for survival had stopped flowing. The riverbed had dried up, exposing cracked earth, and the villagers struggled to fetch water. They were clearly on the verge of a water shortage crisis.

The news soon reached Hagoromo and Hamura.

Over the years, they had frequently followed their mother's orders to inspect various regions and help ordinary people solve their problems. They had already built up an extremely high reputation among the populace.

The two of them hurried over and soon reached the river's upper stream.

From a distance, they saw a massive boulder as large as a small mountain lying across the center of the river, completely blocking the flow.

"A boulder is blocking the river?"

Hamura frowned and activated his Byakugan, carefully examining the boulder.

"It doesn't look as if it fell there naturally."

Hagoromo also noticed that something was wrong.

He said nothing more. He simply raised his hand, and condensed Lightning Release Chakra gathered in his palm.

With a thunderous boom, lightning flashed, and the boulder was instantly blasted to pieces, sending fragments flying.

At that moment, a chubby figure bounced out from the nearby woods and landed in front of the two of them.

It was Gamamaru!

"You two are Hagoromo and Hamura, right?"

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Gamamaru."

Gamamaru spoke, his voice carrying a deliberately profound steadiness. He had completely lost the obedient manner he displayed before Manji.

Hagoromo and Hamura were both startled, their faces filled with disbelief.

Hamura instinctively activated his Byakugan and examined Gamamaru's background, but he could only sense a pure, peculiar Chakra. There was no hostility at all.

After all, Hamura knew nothing about Senjutsu.

"You... You can talk?"

Hagoromo asked in surprise.

Gamamaru did not answer. He merely waved his forelimbs and said mysteriously, "Come with me. I have something to show you."

With that, he turned and hopped toward the depths of the forest.

Hagoromo and Hamura exchanged a glance. Their hearts were filled with questions, but their instincts told them that this mysterious toad was anything but simple.

The two of them did not hesitate. They immediately followed Gamamaru into the depths of the forest.

Gamamaru moved extremely quickly, weaving nimbly between the trees. Hagoromo and Hamura followed closely behind, and before long, they reached the summit of a towering mountain.

Standing at the mountaintop, their vision suddenly opened wide!

In the distance, the towering God Tree came into view. Its trunk was thick, its branches and leaves luxuriant, and it radiated a tremendous aura of Chakra, as if it were supporting the entire sky and earth.