His current body was composed entirely of energy and soul. He looked like a glowing lightbulb, its brightness unwavering, with the vague outline of a person barely visible at its center.
Uchiha Gen raised his hand. He did not even have fingers, so he could not hold anything at all.
"Kaguya, Utaka is dead."
"...Really?"
Princess Kaguya's eyes widened, and her body trembled slightly with excitement. Utaka had once felt like a guillotine hanging over her head; those nerve-racking days had finally come to an end!
"Yes, he... Forget it. What are you planning to do next?"
"What... do you mean?"
"Wasn't that what we agreed on from the beginning?"
Princess Kaguya was somewhat dazed. She truly was happy that Utaka had died, but judging from Uchiha Gen's current state, he must have paid a tremendous price. Now that she understood what he meant, she found herself unable to accept it.
"What agreement? Master! Are you abandoning me?"
"How is that abandonment? It would be more accurate to say that our partnership has ended."
Uchiha Gen's voice was somewhat mechanical, devoid of emotion. Even he did not know what he should do from now on. Right now, he only wanted to spend his days quietly by himself.
"Master..."
"Go. Do whatever you want to do. You... are free... now."
A sharp pain pierced Princess Kaguya's heart. As the Desireless Shrine Maiden, she rarely shed tears, yet two clear streams ran down her cheeks now.
"Master... I will return to the Ōtsutsuki planet and unite them. When you need me, please remember me."
"..." Uchiha Gen turned his head away, then gently nodded his round head. "Mm!"
Time rewound three thousand years, erasing all traces of Utaka and Uchiha Gen's existence.
It was as though the Ōtsutsuki Clan had never