Hamura abruptly raised his head, his weathered Byakugan filled with disbelief.
His mother, who had once regarded all living things as ants, had actually spoken of "atonement"? She was even willing to travel the Shinobi World in the humble guise of an "Ascetic Monk"?
Was this... real? Or was it another genjutsu?
Hamura's expression instantly grew solemn, even grave. He stared intently at that mass of chaotic chakra, as though trying to see through it and discern what his mother, Kaguya, truly thought.
Atonement? Traveling the Shinobi World?
What a joke!
With his mother's unimaginably vast chakra and a will that had never truly faded even under the seal, once she left her confinement, her very existence would be enough to cause unpredictable upheaval throughout the Shinobi World-even if she truly wished to "atone"!
An Ascetic Monk?
Who could guarantee that some provocation or temptation during her travels wouldn't send her back down her old path?
Who could guarantee that she wouldn't become a tool for someone's ambitions?
Who could guarantee that she wouldn't once again become a "God Tree" that threatened the entire world?
The thousand-year seal was not merely punishment. It was protection-for the Shinobi World, and for their mother herself, to keep her from making even greater mistakes.
After a brief moment of shock and consideration, Hamura firmly shook his head.
His voice regained its usual calm, but carried an unquestionable resolve:
"Then we had better forget it."
"Mother, you can atone here just as well."
"Reflect in the silence, repent within the seal, and use the endless years to truly understand everything you have done, and everything you have lost."
"The turmoil outside would only distract you. It might even lead you astray again."
"This is the most suitable place for your 'atonement.'"
With that, Hamura