As Tsubasa passed through the spatial portal, the soles of his shoes were stained with a bit of the black aura unique to Hell. He had been to this place a hundred times, and every time he came, he felt the air thick with resentment—the vengeful spirits trapped in their obsessions were fighting each other with the Oni Clan, and their resentment was slowly accumulating.
The Feather Emperor was in the black castle on the plains not far away. The black trees, unique to Hell, stood crookedly on the ground, their bark bearing various cracks. The two Ghost Emperor, Hagoromo and Hamura, sat on the thrones at the highest point of the castle. Hagoromo Robe held a piece of wood in her hand, carving something with her head down; Hamura leaned against the throne, her eyes closed, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes—this was their habit when they came to Hell, no matter when, they guarded the ghost city on the plains, absorbing the resentment of Hell to cultivate.
"Senior Hagoromo, Senior Hamura." Tsubasa flew over, his voice very soft. He was afraid of disturbing the two of them while they were cultivating. After all, when he came last time, Hagoromo had told him that when cultivating with the resentment of Hell, he had to concentrate his mind and keep his spiritual platform clear.
Hagoromo looked up at him, her carving knife pausing slightly. His hair was now completely black, draped over his shoulders, and his face was deeply wrinkled, yet the outline of the Sage of Six Paths was still visible. Seeing Tsubasa, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. He put down his carving knife and stood up. " Tsubasa? What are you doing in Hell? The Shinobi World Trials haven't started yet. Has something happened in the Shinobi World?"
"Don't worry, it's not a bad thing," Tsubasa shook his head, walked over and sat down opposite them, took out a thermos from his pocket, poured two cups of hot tea and handed them over, "I just came to tell you something—about Kaguya Otsutsuki."
"Mother?" Hamura's eyes snapped open, his voice trembling. He leaned forward, his hands gripping his trousers tightly, his knuckles white. "Mother... what happened to her? Did the seal malfunction? Or... or have the Ōtsutsuki Clan come looking for trouble?"
"Neither," Tsubasa said, feeling a pang of sadness at their anxious expressions. These two had protected the Shinobi World for a thousand years, yet their deepest concern was still for their mother. "I recently impersonated Senior Hagoromo and broke Senior Kaguya's seal."
"It's broken?" Hagoromo's teacup clattered to the ground, spilling hot tea everywhere. He stared at Tsubasa, his eyes wide, his voice trembling. "You... what did you say? The seal is broken? How is that possible? That seal was set up by Hamura and me with all our might, using the Power of All Creation. It grew stronger with the years, absorbing the power of heaven and earth. Even we couldn't break it ourselves, how could you..."
"It was done using 'spatial rune reconstruction' and ' Natural Energy neutralization'," Tsubasa picked up the teacup from the ground and wiped the sand off it. "We didn't forcibly break the seal; we slowly channeled the energy of heaven and earth inside, allowing the seal to dissipate a crack on its own. When Kaguya- senpai woke up, she was in good condition, not out of control, and showed no intention of activating Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Hamura's tears welled up instantly. He reached out and grabbed Tsubasa's arm, gripping it so tightly he almost tore Tsubasa's sleeve. "Really? Mother... she's not angry? She doesn't blame us for being unfilial and sealing her away back then?"
"No more trouble," Tsubasa patted the back of his hand, his tone earnest. "I told her about what happened back then, and about your deeds over the past thousand years. I've always kept her in mind. After listening, she said that she was too stubborn back then and didn't communicate with you properly. I think she might have realized that I'm not Senior Hagoromo. She also said... she misses you all very much."
"I miss you..." Hagoromo murmured, repeating those three words. Suddenly, he squatted down and, the mighty ruler of Hell, covered his face and cried. He cried like a child, his shoulders shaking with each sob. A thousand years of guilt and longing burst forth at this moment. Hamura's eyes also reddened, and tears fell onto his clothes, leaving a small wet patch.
Tsubasa didn't say anything, just sat beside them. He knew that the emotions these two had suppressed for a thousand years wouldn't be easy to control. The black wind of Hell swept by, carrying a chill, but it couldn't dispel the warmth in the air—the temperature of reconciliation, the bond between mother and son that had transcended a thousand years.
After crying for a while, Hagoromo gradually calmed down. He wiped away his tears and took out a small wooden plaque from his pocket. A leaf was carved on it, and the runes were roughly carved, with the edges worn shiny. This was a peace charm he had carried with him for thousands of years, which he had carved for his mother when he first learned to carve runes.
" Tsubasa," Hagoromo handed the wooden plaque to Tsubasa, her eyes pleading, "Could you... give this to your mother? Just say... say it was from Yu Hamura and me, hoping she'll be safe and sound."
"I will," Tsubasa took the wooden plaque and carefully placed it in his pocket. "Oh, right, there's one more thing— Kaguya- senpai is in Konoha now, with Tian Yu. Tian Yu is showing her around this new Shinobi World, and she seems very happy."
"As long as you're happy, as long as you're happy..." Hamura repeated the words, a smile slowly creeping onto his lips. He imagined his mother enjoying the delicious food, imagined her laughing and talking with Tian Yu, and the weight in his heart finally lifted.
"Could I... could I go to the human world to see her?" Hagoromo suddenly spoke, her voice tinged with pleading. "Just a glimpse from afar, without disturbing her, and I'll come right back."
Hamura nodded in agreement, his eyes full of anticipation. "Yes, just one look. We won't talk to her, we won't disturb her life."
Seeing their eager eyes, Tsubasa smiled and nodded, "Of course you can. Come with me and see the Shinobi World as it is now. Also, since you're in soul form, you'll need to use runes to conceal your presence so as not to disturb the order of the Shinobi World."
"Okay, okay!" Hagoromo and Hamura nodded quickly, like two obedient children.
Tsubasa retrieved two pale blue runes from his spatial ring and gently patted them onto their bodies. The moment the runes touched their souls, Hagoromo and Hamura's figures became slightly transparent, their outlines only becoming clear upon close inspection.
"Let's go," Tsubasa turned around, "I'll take you to Konoha's pedestrian street. Right now, Tian Yu should be having kebabs with Kaguya- senpai."
As they passed through the spatial passage between Hell and the human world, Hagoromo and Hamura were both nervous. They followed closely behind Tsubasa, feeling a little uneasy—this was their first time seeing their mother in a thousand years.
Upon arriving in Konoha, everything felt so unfamiliar. The maglev trains in the air, the holographic billboards along the roadside, the pedestrians dressed in strange clothes... all of this dazzled them.
"The pedestrian street is just ahead," Tsubasa pointed to the crowd not far away, " Kaguya- senpai and Tian Yu are right next to the barbecue stall up ahead."
Hagoromo and Hamura immediately stopped and hid behind a nearby pillar, cautiously peeking out.
Not far away, at a barbecue stall, Kaguya Otsutsuki stood holding a skewer of freshly grilled beef balls, a little sauce on her lips. Tian Yu stood beside her, smiling and talking to the stall owner. He then took two skewers of meat and handed one to Kaguya. Kaguya took a bite, her eyes lighting up. She said something to Tian Yu, then smiled broadly—a radiant smile, like sunshine, dispelling the thousand-year-old gloom in the brothers' hearts.
"Mother..." Hagoromo's voice choked with emotion. How long had it been since he had seen his mother smile like this? A thousand years ago, his mother always had a furrowed brow, either researching the God Tree to create more powerful White Zetsu or worrying about being hunted down by the Ōtsutsuki Clan. She had never smiled so easily.
Hamura's eyes reddened, but the corners of his mouth slowly turned up in sync with his mother's smile. He looked at the kebabs in his mother's hands, and at the way she chatted and laughed with Tian Yu, and his heart warmed—this was what he and his brother had always hoped for: that their mother could be well and live a happy and peaceful life.
Kaguya seemed uncomfortable with the sauce on her lips and tried to wipe it, but the more she wiped, the more sauce appeared. Tian Yu saw this, smiled, and pulled a tissue from his pocket to wipe the sauce from her lips, teasing her, "Grandma, eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you—this barbecue stand has plenty of meat, we'll have him grill ten more skewers for you later!"
Kaguya smiled a little shyly, lowered her head, and ate the grilled meat in small bites, her ear tips turning red.
Hiding behind the pillar, Hagoromo and Hamura couldn't help but laugh at the scene. Hagoromo still had tears on her face, but she laughed happily; Hamura covered his mouth, afraid that he would laugh out loud and disturb his mother in front.
"Look, Mother is enjoying her meal so much," Hagoromo said softly, her voice full of satisfaction. " Tian Yu is just like his father, Tsubasa —so thoughtful."
"Yes," Hamura nodded, "With Tian Yu by Mother's side and Tsubasa taking care of her, we can finally rest easy in Hell."
They stood behind the pillar, watching quietly. They watched Kaguya finish the grilled meat and then follow Tian Yu to buy Hokage crackers; they watched her bite into the scalding hot crackers, sticking out her tongue and breathing out warm air, while Tian Yu laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight; they watched her walk forward carrying a large pile of snacks, chatting and laughing with Tian Yu, the sunlight shining on her, gilding her with a layer of gold.
Only after Kaguya and Tian Yu disappeared into the crowd did Hagoromo and Hamura slowly straighten up. Hagoromo's eyes held a hint of reluctance, yet she still sighed softly, "Let's go, it's time for us to return to Hell."
"Go back?" Tsubasa was a little surprised. "Aren't you going up to acknowledge them?"
"No," Hagoromo shook her head, her eyes resolute. "One look is enough. We sealed Mother away back then, keeping her underground for a thousand years. Now that she's finally able to live happily, how can we disturb her peaceful state of mind? What if she sees us and is reminded of what happened back then, and becomes unhappy again?"
Hamura nodded in agreement. "Brother is right. We have no face to see Mother. As long as she is alright, we'll stay in Hell and keep tabs on her. That's enough."
Seeing their dejected looks, Tsubasa felt a pang of sadness. "Don't you really want to see her? Kaguya- senpai... she actually misses you a lot."
"What good will thinking about it do?" Hagoromo gave a bitter smile. "What we did back then can't be erased with just an 'I'm sorry.' Let's wait until later, until Mother has truly let go of the past, then we'll find an opportunity to apologize to her. Right now... let's not bother her."
He paused, then turned to Tsubasa, his eyes earnest. " Tsubasa, I'm entrusting Mother to you from now on. She's just woken up and isn't familiar with the current Shinobi World, so please take good care of her. She likes sweets, so have the kitchen make her plenty of desserts; she's afraid of the dark, so don't leave her alone at night; also, she doesn't like people mentioning the Ōtsutsuki Clan, so please tell the people around you not to mention it in front of her..."
Hagoromo kept talking, repeating Kaguya's likes and habits over and over again, afraid that Tsubasa would forget. Hamura chimed in from the side, occasionally adding, "Mother likes to look at the stars; you can take her to the rooftop at night."
Tsubasa listened attentively, memorizing every word, then nodded emphatically. "Don't worry, I will take good care of Kaguya- senpai. I will treat her like my own family and won't let her suffer any injustice."
"That's good, that's good..." Hagoromo breathed a sigh of relief, as if a huge burden had been lifted. He looked up at the direction where Kaguya had disappeared, his eyes filled with reluctance, but he still tugged at Hamura's arm. "Let's go, we should go back to Hell."
Hamura glanced up, then followed Hagoromo and turned to walk step by step toward the passage to Hell. Their figures grew increasingly transparent as they walked slowly, without looking back—they feared that if they did, they would rush to see their mother and disturb her happy life.
Tsubasa stood there, watching their figures disappear, a pang of sadness in his heart. He took out a wooden plaque from his pocket and gently stroked the runes on it—this was Hagoromo and Hamura's longing for their mother, a love that transcended a thousand years.
He turned and walked in the direction where Kaguya and Tian Yu had disappeared. He wanted to give the wooden plaque to Kaguya and tell her that her children had always remembered her and were always blessing her.
Sunlight streamed down the pedestrian street, carrying the lively sounds of everyday life. Tsubasa gazed at the crowd in the distance, a slow smile creeping onto his lips—reconciliation was not the end, but a new beginning. Kaguya- senpai's new journey had begun, and the longing between Hagoromo and Hamura had found its home.