The glazed tile roof of the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Tower gleamed warmly in the sunlight. Just as one reached the entrance, a waiter in a uniform embroidered with the Konoha Emblem bowed and greeted them with just the right amount of enthusiasm, " Immortal Venerable Tian Yu Kaguya, Immortal Venerable Tsubasa is already waiting for you at the 'Phoenix Return Pavilion' on the top floor."
The Tian Yu patted Princess Kaguya's arm and chuckled in a low voice, "My dad specially ordered the kitchen to prepare over two hundred signature dishes, saying he wanted you to have a good taste—but don't scare him later, your stomach is like a bottomless pit, it can never be filled."
Princess Kaguya rubbed her stomach, which had just eaten half a skewer of beef balls, her ears feeling a little hot. "I... I probably can't eat that much." As soon as she finished speaking, a rich aroma wafted to her nose—the smoky scent of grilled meat mixed with the sweetness of honey and a hint of spiciness, making her stomach rumble with hunger—it seemed like everything she had eaten on the pedestrian street had been digested instantly.
The private room on the top floor was open-plan, with a long pearwood wooden table placed by the floor-to-ceiling window. Seventy or eighty dishes were already laid out on the table. Tsubasa was sitting in a chair by the window, not wearing the combat uniform shown in the projection, but a plain cotton-linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. He was looking down at the personal terminal in his hand, the screen displaying densely packed rune data. Hearing footsteps, he looked up, his eyes crinkling slightly, and said softly, "Ancestor, you've arrived? Please sit down. I just had the kitchen reheat the 'Buddha Jumps Over the Wall' and 'Wasabi Grilled Beef Tongue,' in case they got cold and affected the taste."
Kaguya sat down opposite him, her fingers unconsciously gripping the hem of her skirt. This was the first time she had seen Tenyi's true Tsubasa —the man who had transformed the Shinobi World and still remembered her. He didn't look like a " Immortal Venerable " at all; he looked more like an ordinary scholar.
"Don't be nervous," Tsubasa pushed a cup of warm honey yuzu tea in front of her. " Hagoromo said you like sweet things, so this isn't iced. It'll warm your stomach." He spoke slowly, with a gentle smile, which made Kaguya's tense shoulders gradually relax.
Tian Yu had already picked up her chopsticks and grabbed a piece of fried shrimp, chewing as she mumbled, "Dad, hurry up and tell the kitchen to bring out the food! Grandma's starving—she ate thirty skewers of beef balls and two Hokage- themed pancakes on the pedestrian street, and she still says she's not full!"
"Understood," Tsubasa tapped his personal terminal and said to the air, "Have the kitchen start serving the dishes in order," then turned to look at Kaguya, his eyes serious, " Tian Yu probably told you a lot of things before, but there's something I think I should tell you in person."
Kaguya looked up at him, a little flustered—was it about the Ōtsutsuki Clan?
"I apologize for impersonating Hagoromo- senpai. I recently went to Hell," Tsubasa said, handing Princess Kaguya the wooden amulet, his voice steady. "I met with Hagoromo and Hamura."
" Hagoromo? Hamura?" Kaguya's breath caught in her throat, and she nearly dropped the cup in her hand. That was her child, the child she had sealed away a thousand years ago. She never imagined... they were all in Hell?
"They've been training in Hell all these years," Tsubasa, his tone softening as he looked at her pale face. "It was their own choice to Guardian Ninja world. After sealing you away a thousand years ago, they always felt they owed you a debt and had no face to see you."
Kaguya's tears welled up instantly. The grievances and anger she felt when she was sealed away a thousand years ago, along with her longing for the children, all choked her up, leaving her speechless. She had always thought that Hagoromo and Hamura hated her—hated her for activating the Infinite Tsukuyomi, hated her for trying to turn humans into White Zetsu, but it turned out... they had always felt guilty?
"I told them I've lifted your seal, and you're living well in the Shinobi World now," Tsubasa said, handing her a tissue, his voice warm. "When they heard, they cried like children. Hagoromo grabbed my arm and asked me for ages if you'd eaten properly, if you'd been wronged, and even said... they were ashamed to face you."
"Aren't you ashamed to see me?" Kaguya's voice trembled, tears falling onto the table, spreading into a small puddle. "Why... they were clearly right, I was too stubborn back then..."
"In their hearts, no matter what you did, you are still their mother," Tsubasa sighed. "They said that if they had communicated with you more back then, if they had known sooner about your struggle against the pressure from the Ōtsutsuki Clan, perhaps they wouldn't have ended up in the sealing. They were afraid that if you saw them, you would be reminded of what happened a thousand years ago and become unhappy, so they asked me... to take good care of you."
He paused, then pulled up an image from his personal computer and projected it onto the center of the table. The image showed a gray, Hell scene, with a black castle in the distance. Hagoromo and Hamura stood on the top floor of the castle, dressed in simple white Tomoe robes, their hair mostly white, making them look much older than they had a thousand years ago.
"I took this secretly," Tsubasa's voice softened, "They said it's enough for them to see you happy from afar."
The image reappeared in Konoha, where Hagoromo was looking up in the direction where Princess Kaguya and Tian Yu were eating beef balls. Even through the screen, Kaguya could see the tears in his eyes. Hamura stood beside him, clutching a small wooden plaque with blurry runes engraved on it—the first Sealing Jutsu rune she had taught them years ago. Now, this rune had returned to her hands.
"That must have been when you were eating beef balls on the pedestrian street," Tian Yu leaned closer to look at the video, her voice a little low, "They can sense your emotions; when you're happy, they're happy too."
Kaguya stared at the two aged figures in the image, her tears falling even more fiercely. She remembered a thousand years ago, when Hagoromo was still a child, he always loved to snuggle in her arms and pester her to tell him all sorts of stories; Hamura was quieter, and liked to learn runes from her, blushing and scratching his head when he drew them wrong. How wonderful those days were, without war, without the threat of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, the entire Shinobi World consisted of only three people who depended on each other for survival.
"Are they... alright?" Kaguya sniffed, her voice hoarse.
"That's good," Tsubasa turned off the video and pushed a cup of hot tea back in front of her. " Hell is a good place for them to cultivate. They are now one of the rulers of Hell, and their lives are quite peaceful. Whenever you want to see them, I'll take you to Hell to have a look—although they say they're ashamed to see you, they definitely miss you very much."
Kaguya nodded, wiping away her tears, a weight finally lifted from her heart. The barrier from a thousand years ago seemed to have been broken down in that moment. She looked at the dishes slowly being laid out on the table: the wasabi-grilled beef tongue was still sizzling with oil, its golden skin coated with a thin layer of sauce; next to it, the cheese in the "Cheese Baked Crab" had melted and stretched into strings; there was also steaming pork rib noodles, as well as braised pork belly and char siu pork, and more than a hundred other dishes—all of which were foods she had never seen before, yet they felt incredibly delicious and warm to her.
"Eat up," Tsubasa said, handing her the chopsticks and smiling. "Try this beef tongue. It's from a ' Spiritual Qi nurtured cow,' so the meat is three times more tender than regular beef tongue. The wasabi is specially made; it's not too strong and has a hint of sweetness."
Kaguya took the chopsticks, picked up a piece of beef tongue, and put it in her mouth. The first taste was the slight spiciness of wasabi, followed by the charred aroma of grilled meat, and finally the tenderness of the beef itself. The combination of these flavors was more delicious than anything she had eaten before, and she began to devour the food on the table at lightning speed.
"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you," Tsubasa handed her a tissue and smiled helplessly. "The kitchen has prepared over two hundred dishes, that's enough for you. I'll add more if you need more."
Tian Yu chuckled to herself, "I knew it! Our ancestor must be a glutton—that's how our clansmen are. We can convert food into energy, so we can eat as much as we want without feeling stuffed. Last time I saw Tenpei come to the Shinobi World, he ate ten bowls of ramen in one sitting and said it was just to fill his stomach."
Kaguya smiled sheepishly, but her chopsticks didn't stop. The crab meat in the cheese-baked crab was sweet and fresh; biting into it with the cheese made her tongue tingle from the heat, but she couldn't bear to spit it out. The tonkotsu ramen soup was thick and rich, and a sip warmed her stomach. There was also a dish of "honey-roasted chicken wings," with a crispy skin and tender, juicy meat inside, sweet but not greasy at all.
Tsubasa sat opposite her, watching her eat, occasionally sipping tea or chatting with Tian Yu about cultivating the God Tree. He watched Kaguya wolf down her food, a hint of relief in his eyes—just as he had promised Hagoromo and Hamura, he had given her a life where she could be happy without relying on illusions.
"Oh, right," Tsubasa suddenly remembered something, took out a small jade pendant from his pocket, and handed it to Kaguya, "This was asked by Hagoromo to give to you. He made it with jade essence back then, and it has the rune of 'powerful' engraved on it. He said you should wear it, it can protect you."
Kaguya took the jade pendant, its surface cool to the touch. The pendant was shaped like a small leaf, with exquisitely carved runes, likely made by Hagoromo based on the wooden talisman from their childhood. She clutched the pendant in her hand, pressing it against her chest, feeling the powerful energy fluctuations within— Hagoromo's Chakra, carrying a warm aura, like the temperature of him nestled in her arms a thousand years ago.
"Thank you," Kaguya looked up, smiled at Tsubasa, and her eyes curved into crescent moons.
"Of course," Tsubasa nodded, looking at the eighty empty plates on the table, while Kaguya showed no sign of slowing down. He shook his head helplessly, shouted into the air, "Have the kitchen bring out fifty more signature dishes," then turned to Kaguya with a wry smile, "As expected, the Ōtsutsuki Clan all have the potential to be big eaters. Your appetite is even greater than that of Tailed Beast."
Tian Yu laughed so hard she slapped the table, "Dad, you've never seen Grandma eat seriously—she wasn't even letting loose on the pedestrian street just now, and this is only the beginning!"
Kaguya felt a little embarrassed and patted her stomach—she did seem to have eaten quite a bit, but she still felt hungry. Looking at the "volcano mashed potatoes" that had just been served, sprinkled with chili powder and shredded cheese, she couldn't resist picking up her spoon again.
The sunlight streaming through the window fell perfectly onto the table, illuminating the food on the plates and the smiling faces of the three people. In the distance, the Star Gate was still slowly rotating, its pale purple runes shimmering in the sunlight; the maglev trains lined up in the air corridor like a string of moving pearls; and the sounds of children's laughter and soft music playing from the shops drifted from the pedestrian street below.
Kaguya scooped a spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth. The spicy chili powder mixed with the smooth mashed potatoes and the creamy aroma of cheese was so delicious that she squinted her eyes. She suddenly felt that the seal and wait of a thousand years ago were really worth it.
Hagoromo and Hamura are doing well in Hell, the Shinobi World has become so wonderful, and she has Tsubasa and Tian Yu with her. There is endless delicious food and countless new things to see—these are all kinds of happiness that she could not have imagined a thousand years ago.
" Tsubasa," Kaguya suddenly spoke, her voice soft but earnest, "When will that ' Firmament One ' be able to go to Mars? I want to see the potatoes on Mars; Tian Yu said they're sweeter than those on Earth."
Tsubasa paused for a moment, then laughed, "There's a supply transport mission next month, and I can take you there—to the ' Red Sand Ecological Station ' on Mars, where they grow a lot of vegetables, and strawberries cultivated in Mars soil. They're a whole size bigger than those on Earth, and they're sickeningly sweet."
"And there's a teleportation array," Kaguya added. " Tian Yu said it only takes three seconds to get from Konoha to City of Sand. I want to see the desert oasis; she said the sand there is warm."
"No problem," Tsubasa nodded, a smile in his eyes, "After you finish this meal, I can take you there this afternoon."
Tian Yu added from the side, "There's also the Tailed Beast Ecological Park! We can go see Kurama this afternoon—he's recently become obsessed with virtual games, spending Tenten playing ' Ninja Challenge ' on his personal computer. He throws a tantrum when he loses, it's so much fun!"
Kaguya smiled and nodded, her spoon scooping up the freshly served "baked lobster with cheese." Looking at the two people in front of her, and at the Shinobi World outside the window, she suddenly felt that a thousand years was nothing, and those painful past events were nothing—the important thing was that she could live well now, eat delicious food, see so many beautiful things, and be with the people she cared about, looking forward to the Mirai.
"Oh, right," Tsubasa seemed to remember something, pulled out a blueprint from his personal computer, and pushed it in front of Kaguya, "I've been researching the ' God Tree Regeneration Plan ' recently, planning to move the remnants of the God Tree from the Shinobi World to Mars, and nurture it with Natural Energy and runes to make it sprout again. The God Tree was originally your partner, so once it's regenerated, you can go and visit it often."
Kaguya gazed at the ecological diagram of the God Tree on the blueprints. Pale blue runes entwined its branches, and various flowers and plants grew around it—it would be a God Tree full of life, not the tool used to plunder the planet's will a thousand years ago. Tears welled up in her eyes again, this time tears of joy.
"Thank you," she smiled at Tsubasa, her eyes sparkling. "Thank you, Tsubasa. And thank you to the Shinobi World, thank you to everyone who makes this world such a wonderful place."
Tsubasa shook his head, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said softly, "No need to thank us. Everyone in the Shinobi World is working hard. Your happiness is the best way to thank us."
The dishes on the table kept coming out one after another, Kaguya's stomach was like a bottomless pit. She ate plate after plate, but didn't feel full at all. Tsubasa and Tian Yu sat beside her, occasionally chatting about Mirai plans, and sometimes laughing as they watched her snatch the last piece of grilled meat from her plate.
The sunlight outside the window slowly slanted westward, casting long Kageko of the three people. A pale purple light flashed across the distant Star Gate, Tian Yu's bracelet beeped, and the screen displayed the message: " Star Gate energy stable, Mars supply transport ready."
Kaguya looked at the words, her smile deepening. She remembered what Tsubasa had said earlier: next month she could go to Mars, see the red earth, and eat Mars mashed potatoes; in the afternoon she could go to Sand City, step on the warm sand, and taste the cuisine of the Land of Wind; she could also go to the Tailed Beast Ecological Park to see Kurama, who was playing games and throwing tantrums—she was said to be a very cute fox.
There are still so many things to do, so many delicious foods to eat, and so many places to visit.