Start!

As the words fell, his figure slowly turned transparent, as if merging into the air, gradually vanishing from sight.

"Wait!? You!"

Hagoromo and Hamura's pupils constricted, their faces etched with disbelief. Such a method of disappearing into thin air was certainly not something an ordinary person could possess!

"Brother, look around!" Hamura suddenly activated his Byakugan, speaking with a shocked expression.

The two turned their heads sharply to scan their surroundings, only to discover that the thatched cottage from moments ago had vanished without a trace. The embers of the hearth, the clay pots, and the wooden table—all were gone!

Nothing remained but the vast expanse of white snow and the frozen surface of the lake, as if everything that had just occurred were merely a vivid hallucination.

A cold wind whipped up snowflakes, brushing against their cheeks and bringing a bone-chilling frost.

Hagoromo and Hamura stood rooted to the spot, exchanging glances, their hearts a tangle of confusion and shock.

However, Hagoromo seemed to recall something, his expression shifting.

"Hamura, think back to the appearance of that man just now. Doesn't he look remarkably like the portrait of Manji in the temple!?"

Hagoromo said, stunned.

Hearing this, Hamura was also startled. Now that his brother mentioned it, he really did think there was a resemblance!

"Could it be... no... that's impossible."

Leaving the icy, snow-covered lake behind, Manji's figure appeared the next moment at Mount Myōboku.

For the past dozen years, Manji had been delving into senjutsu.

Along the way, he had created several techniques that would only exist in later generations.

Such as the Rasengan, Chidori, Kirin, and various elemental releases...

Of course, these were just created for fun; Manji had no intention of using them to actually fight Kaguya.

Manji's primary strength would always be senjutsu!

He had created and learned many senjutsu methods.

At the same time, to deal with the Ten-Tails, Manji had utilized the senjutsu of Shikkotsu Forest to develop a Sage Art similar to the Gate of the Great God.

However, it seemed that Manji's strength was being suppressed by an invisible force, unable to increase any further.

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

A dozen years of time was but a fleeting moment to an immortal like him.

It was truly just the blink of an eye.

More than anything, it was the effect of time on Manji.

Manji felt that he was becoming truly more composed, and his temperament was becoming increasingly refined.

Mount Myōboku, Longevity Peak.

The peak was wreathed in clouds and mist, as if touching the heavens.

This was the name Manji had chosen for his dwelling.

Just as he stepped into the cave, a chubby figure came hopping up to greet him; it was Gamamaru, who had already grown into a half-sized toad.

"Teacher, how were 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 on the surface, a faint flow of senjutsu chakra streamed toward the crystal ball of Mount Myōboku.

The phantom images of Hagoromo and Hamura appeared on the stone table, showing the scene of their encounter by the lake just moments ago.

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

Manji spoke indifferently, his tone calm and ripple-free.

He then raised his eyes to look at Gamamaru, his gaze becoming a bit sharper: "In a few days, you will act according to my instructions."

"Find a way to approach the two of them and speak of the God Tree, but remember, do not reveal the truth directly.

You only need to leave clues and guide them to investigate on their own—people only truly believe what they see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears, and only then will they develop a heart of rebellion."

Hearing this, Gamamaru felt immense admiration; as expected of his teacher, his thoughts were meticulous.

"Rest assured, Teacher!"

Gamamaru immediately straightened his body, patting his chest in assurance.

He had long held grievances against Kaguya's rule; if the God Tree were to drain the earth dry, Mount Myōboku would be affected as well.

But no sooner had he finished speaking than Gamamaru let his head droop, his chubby body curling slightly, looking as if he had something to say but was hesitating.

"Gamamaru, do you have something else to say?"

How sharp was Manji? He saw through the toad's thoughts at a glance and asked calmly.

Gamamaru hesitated for a moment before finally dropping to his knees with a thud, his head bowed low, his voice heavy with gravity: "Teacher, I... I had a dream."

"I dreamt of Kaguya and her two sons fighting beneath the God Tree. They fought until the heavens crumbled and the earth split, as if the entire world were on the verge of destruction..."

"Oh?"

Manji raised an eyebrow at these words.

He naturally knew of Gamamaru's ability to have prophetic dreams; it was one of the reasons he had insisted on forming a contract with this seemingly ordinary little toad in the first place.

In the original story, it was Gamamaru's prophetic dreams that drove the plot of Hagoromo opposing Kaguya. Now it seemed that even with him as a variable, the inertia of history was still quietly grinding forward.

"And in this dream, was there any sign of your teacher?"

Manji asked with keen interest; it would be 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 he, this "butterfly," would stir up in the future, and what role he would play in that destined battle.

"No, Teacher. I have replayed the scenes from the dream over and over in my mind, and from beginning to end, I never saw your figure. It was as if... you were never a part of that battle at all."

Gamamaru looked up, his eyes full of confusion, and shook his head.

"Is that so..."

Manji's fingertips paused slightly, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes before he returned to his calm demeanor.

His own future could not be foreseen?

That was interesting.

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

Coupled with the immortal constitution granted by the system, perhaps it was this very uniqueness that allowed him to jump off the tracks of fate and become an unpredictable variable.

"That is fine... just fine..."

A faint smile curled the corners of Manji's mouth, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

The feeling of being peered at by fate was not a pleasant one. An unknown future was far more worth exploring.

A few days later.

A small village suddenly fell into chaos.

The river the village relied on for survival had inexplicably stopped flowing. The riverbed dried up, revealing cracked mud, and the villagers struggled to find water, facing an imminent crisis.

The news soon reached the ears of Hagoromo and Hamura.

Over the years, they had often been sent by their mother to inspect various regions and help mortals solve their problems, accumulating a high reputation among the people.

The two rushed over and soon arrived at the upper reaches of the river.

From afar, they saw a massive boulder the size of a small hill wedged in the middle of the riverbed, blocking the water flow completely.

"A boulder blocking the river?"

Hamura frowned, activating his Byakugan to carefully examine the situation of the boulder.

"It doesn't look like a natural collapse."

Hagoromo also sensed something unusual.

He didn't say much, simply raising his hand as a condensed bolt of Lightning Release chakra gathered in his palm.

With a loud "boom," lightning flashed, and the boulder was instantly shattered into pieces, sending debris flying.

Just then, a chubby figure hopped out from the nearby woods and landed in front of the two.

It was none other than Gamamaru!

"You two must be Hagoromo and Hamura, right?"

"Let me introduce myself, I am Gamamaru."

Gamamaru spoke, his voice carrying a touch of feigned, profound composure, completely unlike the obedient demeanor he showed in front of Manji.

Hagoromo and Hamura were both startled, expressions of disbelief appearing on their faces.

Hamura instinctively activated his Byakugan to probe Gamamaru's background, but he only sensed a pure, unique type of chakra, with no trace of malice.

After all, Hamura did not know of senjutsu.

"You... you can talk?"

Hagoromo asked in surprise.

Gamamaru did not answer, merely waving his forelimbs and saying mysteriously: "Follow me, both of you. I have something I want to show you."

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

Hagoromo and Hamura exchanged a glance. Though their hearts were full of doubt, their intuition told them that this mysterious toad was by no means simple.

Without hesitation, the two followed in Gamamaru's footsteps, heading deep into the forest.

Gamamaru was extremely fast, weaving nimbly through the trees with Hagoromo and Hamura in close pursuit. Before long, they reached the summit of a towering mountain.

Standing at the peak, the view suddenly opened up!

In the distance, the God Tree that stood between heaven and earth came into view. Its trunk was thick, its branches lush, and it radiated a majestic aura of chakra, as if it were supporting the entire world.