A reunion after years apart

The bustling Ancestor City fell away behind him, its clamor fading into a blurred wash of sound.

Otsutsuki Yuya did not even have time to give Qingyi and the others any instructions. His figure flickered, then tore through the air like a silver streak, racing toward the forbidden grounds outside the city, shrouded in dark red markings and radiating oppressive energy.

Three years! Three whole years since we last saw each other!

The longing in his heart had long since overflowed, almost bursting through his chest.

As he passed through the invisible energy barrier, that viscous sensation of his life force being stolen swept over him again. The chakra flowing naturally around Yuya stirred slightly, but his powerful physique could now withstand it for a short while.

At the far end of his vision, the God Tree stood silent, no longer merely a sapling. Its dark red roots coiled and tangled, its trunk a deep, inky green. The bud at its crown remained tightly closed, but the pressure of its chakra had grown heavier.

Beneath that tree, a slender figure stood quietly, guarding it with the steadfastness of stone.

"Kaguya!"

Yuya's voice trembled with excitement he could barely contain. A few flickering steps brought him before her.

Princess Kaguya slowly turned around.

Her robes were still whiter than snow, her silver hair flowing like frost, her beauty unrivaled.

Yet deep within those pure white eyes, there seemed to be a trace of weariness he did not remember. Her once lustrous, creamy complexion now bore an almost translucent pallor, as though maintaining some state had taken an enormous toll.

Yuya's nose stung. Almost without thinking, he rushed straight into her arms.

He felt the softness of her body, his face almost buried against Princess Kaguya's breasts, and breathed in the faint fragrance that belonged to her alone.

Princess Kaguya merely smiled and gently stroked Yuya's hair as she held him, untroubled by his face nestled against her chest. After three years apart, she too was filled with longing. This was the child she had watched grow up, and she did not shy away from such closeness.

Only after a long while did they draw apart.

"Little Yuya." Holding his hand, she spoke in a cool, clear voice like a mountain stream, yet its warmth was unmistakable. Faint ripples stirred in her pure white eyes as she studied him intently, from head to toe, inside and out, as though trying to make up for those three years apart.

"You... have grown up." Her lips curved gently into a genuine smile, free of any pretense. It chased some of the pallor from her face and lit up the entire gloomy space.

"You have governed the Land of Ancestors very well.

The Starlight Pavilion, the Sky Feather Pavilion, and 'Su Ye'... I saw it all."

Her voice was calm and unembellished, yet it was the strongest affirmation Yuya had ever heard.

He knew she meant every word. Her Byakugan's vision spanned the entire country, and she had already taken in every change.

"As long as you like it, Kaguya!" A pure, radiant smile spread across Yuya's face. All the moments of tireless work over the past three years rose in his mind, finally becoming the satisfaction of having earned her approval.

Princess Kaguya's gaze rested on his face, then seemed to pass through him, returning to the bustling scene at the city gates moments earlier. Her eyes softened.

"That piece you played..." She paused, a rare gentleness and curiosity entering her voice, brushing his heart like a feather. "'Fate Brought Us Together'... its melody was very special.

Could I... hear it again? Right here."

She did not mention the crowd's fervor or the revelation of his identity. She merely asked for the gift he had dedicated to her, wanting to quietly savor it in this place that belonged only to them.

Yuya's heart beat a little faster.

Without the slightest hesitation, he took out that ordinary jade flute once more.

Unlike the stirring grandeur and display of skill at the city gates, the flute's notes now sounded especially ethereal and clear against the God Tree's low pulse, carrying the tenderness of a whisper and the power to summon the past.

Yuya poured all his thoughts and longing into it. The winding notes drifted like light snow in early winter, then fell as soundlessly as a fine late-spring rain. Finally, they gathered into a stream flowing quietly beneath the moonlight, telling of an infant who had fallen from the sky, a bewildered first meeting beside a stream, and all the little moments of growing up together.

Every note seemed to carry fragments of memory, floating gently toward the listener beneath the tree.

Princess Kaguya listened quietly without speaking.

She softly closed her cold white eyes. Her long, thick silver-white lashes cast faint shadows over her pale face. The smile at the corners of her lips never faded; instead, it deepened.

Her posture relaxed. Even the invisible tension that surrounded her as she guarded the God Tree seemed, for that moment, to ease with the melody.

Only when the final note fell like a dewdrop and vanished into the still air did she slowly open her eyes. Deep within them, something shimmered like spring water after the ice and snow had melted.

"It was beautiful, Little Yuya," she said softly. Those simple words carried a weighty warmth. "Even better... than the first time." She savored the added depth of time within the melody, the memories that belonged only to the two of them.

Yuya put away the jade flute, his face bearing a boy's pure smile, tinged with pride and the relief of having fulfilled his task.

"Knowing you like it is the greatest reward." He stepped forward and carefully drew a small, exquisite plain cloth pouch from inside his robes. "And this is a gift for you too, Kaguya! It was made with the Starlight Pavilion's finest silk thread and the special mineral dyes discovered by the Sky Feather Pavilion."

Princess Kaguya accepted it with a hint of curiosity. It felt smooth and soft beneath her fingertips.

When she opened the plain pouch, she found a neatly folded silk scarf inside. Rather than a common bright shade, it was the purest gray-blue of the sky at first light. Its fabric was as light as mist, yet remarkably strong.

A closer look revealed faint patterns of tiny stars, deftly outlined in exceedingly fine gold thread.

Most distinctive of all was the subtle white embroidery in one corner: an extremely abstract silhouette that was nevertheless unmistakably her profile.

The stitches were fine and even, clearly the result of great care.

"The God Tree's roots absorb energy, so the air around it is bound to be a little cold and gloomy. This scarf will keep you warm, and it can also block mild energy erosion... I specifically had Qingyi and the others-no, I designed it myself!" Watching Princess Kaguya's slightly surprised expression, Yuya's eyes shone with the eager anticipation of someone presenting a treasure.

Princess Kaguya lowered her head to look at the scarf in her hands. Her cold fingertips brushed over the delicate stars and silver-haired profile. An indescribable warmth flowed through her heart, dispelling some of the chill that came with guarding the God Tree.

The gift was not merely practical. It had been made with the utmost thought and care.

She raised her head and, for once, offered praise freely. "It is beautiful, and very thoughtful. Thank you, Little Yuya."

She carefully put the scarf away, the tenderness in her eyes almost overflowing.

Then her pure white eyes lit up with scrutiny and anticipation. "I like your gift very much. In return..." Her tone shifted, and the formidable presence of an Ōtsutsuki princess surged back around her, stirring a wind from nowhere. "Let me see how far your control over chakra has come in these three years."