At some point, ripples had spread through space.
Princess Kaguya stepped out of them.
A faint, cold smile appeared on her exquisite face.
"Not bad with that sword, Ye'er. Shall we give it a try?"
Yuya: ???
Yuya was so shocked that he was utterly speechless.
He had just been planning to go all out on getting stronger, hoping to escape Princess Kaguya's control as soon as possible.
And now Princess Kaguya could already use Space-Time Ninjutsu. Could you believe it?
[Option one, stand your ground: Give an outrageously cocky smile. "Three million sword immortals fill the heavens, yet even they must bow before me. Can you withstand a single strike of my sword?" Reward: A-Rank Ninjutsu · Rasengan] [Option two, back down: Kneel on one knee. "Ye'er wouldn't dare. Ye'er only practices swordsmanship so I can protect Mother better." Reward: Strength +1] [Option three, just do it: Bow, point your sword at Princess Kaguya, and shout, "Please teach me!" Reward: S-Rank Ninjutsu · Lightning Blade]
As always, the system presented three options.
Whenever he faced Princess Kaguya, the options triggered especially often.
And most of them would displease Princess Kaguya and lower her affection for him.
This time, however, Yuya barely hesitated or gave them much thought.
Rasengan and Lightning Blade were two of the few ninjutsu whose training methods had been explained fairly clearly in the original story.
Especially Rasengan-he had practically watched Naruto play with balls every step of the way.
With his aptitude, once he had chakra,
there was no reason he couldn't master it by following the original training method.
Displeasing Princess Kaguya over those techniques wasn't worth it.
Besides, Princess Kaguya's aura was chaotic now, thick with the presence of the God Tree.
A half-closed slit had actually appeared on her once-smooth forehead.
Yuya knew that when that slit opened completely, the Nine-Tomoe Rinne Sharingan would emerge.
Yuya didn't know what had happened to Princess Kaguya.
But there was no doubt... her connection to the God Tree had grown closer... and she had become stronger.
"Kaguya..."
Yuya had absolutely no idea why Princess Kaguya had suddenly come looking for him again.
Then his vision blurred.
Somehow, Princess Kaguya was already beside him.
She grabbed him and lifted him up.
The next instant, the world spun, and their surroundings changed again.
They were already in Princess Kaguya's bedchamber.
"Take off your clothes."
There was a teasing note in Princess Kaguya's voice.
"Huh?"
Yuya thought he had misheard her.
"Don't make me say it twice."
"Uh, Kaguya... I'm not a little kid anymore... I..."
But before Yuya could finish,
The next moment, Yuya's clothes suddenly tore apart.
In an instant, he stood naked before Princess Kaguya.
"Ah!"
Yuya cried out in shock.
He hurriedly covered his private parts.
"What haven't I seen before?"
Princess Kaguya curled her lip.
Yet an almost imperceptible blush crossed her lovely face.
"You really do seem to have grown..."
She cast a casual glance downward.
"Kaguya..."
Yuya was mortified and indignant.
Sure, she'd seen him before, but never like this!
Did she have to be so rough?
What the hell was she doing?
I'm still a kid!
"All right. Close your eyes and sit cross-legged."
Princess Kaguya's command left no room for argument.
Yuya had no choice but to obey.
Princess Kaguya's presence was terrifyingly powerful now.
He didn't dare defy her.
Once Yuya obediently closed his eyes and sat down,
Princess Kaguya's cold expression vanished.
In its place came a trace of complicated tenderness.
An instant later, however, a flicker of pain appeared.
Her breathing grew a little heavier.
But she kept it firmly under control.
Then she sat cross-legged opposite Yuya.
The next instant, a stream of energy flowed out of Princess Kaguya's body.
It poured into Yuya's body, enveloping him completely.
A barrier formed from that energy enclosed both Yuya and Princess Kaguya.
Yuya felt warmth spreading through his body.
His entire body seemed to be undergoing some kind of transformation.
[Notice: A special energy is nurturing your body.] [Your physique has been nourished.] [Life +10]
The system's notifications rang out.
Yuya guessed that it might be chakra!
[Chakra +1] [Chakra +1]
Sure enough, the system's notifications began ringing incessantly in his ears.
But Yuya no longer had the attention to spare for them.
Instead, he immersed himself in the changes brought on by the influx of chakra.
Time passed, second by second.
Yuya and Princess Kaguya sat cross-legged.
An entire day and night passed like that.
When Yuya woke the next day,
he was already lying in bed.
Princess Kaguya sat in a chair, propping her delicate chin on one hand.
She watched him with an amused expression.
"What... did it feel so good that you fell asleep?"
"I..."
Yuya's cheeks instantly flushed crimson.
The sensation of chakra pouring into his body and transforming it really had felt incredibly good.
"Put this on."
Princess Kaguya tossed an outfit onto the bed.
"I..."
With Princess Kaguya staring at him without so much as blinking,
Yuya felt rather embarrassed.
"What... do you need me to dress you, too?"
Princess Kaguya teased him.
"Ahem... no need to trouble you with that, Kaguya."
He proceeded to get dressed right in front of Princess Kaguya.
Once Yuya was dressed, Princess Kaguya looked him up and down.
"Not bad..."
Princess Kaguya nodded in satisfaction.
Yuya, however, wanted to complain a little. The clothes felt awkward.
They were clearly a little too small.
But seeing how pleased Princess Kaguya looked,
he couldn't bring himself to ask to change into something else.
"All right, go outside. I'm going to rest for a while."
Princess Kaguya closed her eyes, no longer looking at Yuya, and waved him away.
"All right, Kaguya."
Yuya wanted to say something, but seeing that Princess Kaguya had no wish to talk further, he bowed.
Then he slowly withdrew.
When Yuya closed the door,
the last sliver of light was shut out.
The room fell silent again.
In the darkness, Princess Kaguya's face rapidly grew withered.
Yet she paid it no mind.
She sat in her chair,
rocking back and forth as she always did.
She hummed a little tune.
It was the first song Yuya had given her.
As she hummed,
wood grain, like that of a tree, spread steadily across her face.
Her legs also turned into roots.
But she seemed not to notice as she murmured to herself,
"He likes swords... swords..."
Outside the door...
[Due to an unknown error, Princess Kaguya's affection for you was calculated incorrectly.] [Recalculating...] [Princess Kaguya's affection for you is 99.] [As Princess Kaguya's affection for you has exceeded 50 points, you have received a mystery reward.] [Enlightenment Technique] [As Princess Kaguya's affection for you has exceeded 70 points, you have received a mystery reward.] [Heavenly Secrets Calculation] [As Princess Kaguya's affection for you has exceeded 90 points, you have received a mystery reward.] [Reincarnation] [As Princess Kaguya's affection for you has exceeded 90 points, you may view Princess Kaguya's status.] [Warning: Your bonded companion, Kaguya Otsutsuki, is being consumed by an unknown energy.] [Time until complete consumption: 1 year, 03 days, 7 hours, 34 minutes, 23 seconds.] [Time until complete consumption: 1 year, 03 days, 7 hours, 34 minutes, 22 seconds.]
"Oh, Your Highness, are you wearing the clothes the Divine Child made for you?"
"The Divine Child kept insisting on learning how to do these things."
"I told her before that the size wasn't right, but she didn't believe me. She said she knew your measurements."
"And before that, she insisted I teach her how to apply makeup."
"Your Highness... Your Highness, what's wrong?"
"Your eyes... why... why are you crying...?"
Before you continue