A gale swept past, sending swirling sand billowing through the air.
Shihōin Naraku stood on the rooftop of Sunagakure's Demon Desert Observation Post, his eyes closed as though deep in thought.
Unknown to the others, Naraku's attention was focused entirely on a cavern a thousand meters beneath the Gold Dust Mine in the Demon Desert.
In this cavern buried deep underground, Naraku had discovered something that shocked him.
Tree roots?
But if these are tree roots, aren't they far too big?
More importantly, these roots seem to have chakra reactions. They can even resist my Observation Haki!
What could they be?
What kind of tree would have roots this big...
Wait. Roots this big? The God Tree?
No way.
Why would there be roots from the God Tree here?
Naraku was bewildered by his own guess. It seemed to be the only explanation.
But why would there be roots from the God Tree beneath Sunagakure's desert, if these really were part of its root system?
Let me think. The God Tree, the God Tree...
Naraku folded his arms, tapping his fingers against them as he searched his memories.
It obviously couldn't be the God Tree from the Fourth Shinobi World War. The Akatsuki hasn't even started collecting tailed beasts yet.
So if these roots really are part of a God Tree, they can only belong to another one.
That's right! The God Tree whose Chakra Fruit Kaguya Ōtsutsuki ate!
No, that's not right. According to the plot, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki became the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki after eating the Chakra Fruit, then fought her sons and was sealed away.
So were these roots accidentally left behind by that God Tree?
Is that possible?
Numerous thoughts flowed through Naraku's mind, but he could not grasp the key information.
According to the original story, the