Tsubasa's fingertips hovered in mid-air, a cool sensation spreading from the rhombus-shaped crystal ball in his palm. A pale purple halo floated within the crystal ball, like an imprisoned nebula. It was something Princess Kaguya had given him after her seal was broken—she said it held the secrets of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, but Tsubasa only dared to truly touch it now.
On the metal table beside them, several pale blue energy beams were firmly pinning down a transparent energy body. Golden sparks occasionally burst from within the energy body—the memories of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. The memories of Isshiki, infected by the zombie virus, were extracted through interrogation by Tenpi. Fragments of undisturbed energy still clung to the energy beams, each fragment containing scattered pieces of memory, like shards of broken glass, gleaming blindingly.
"Father, are you sure you want to see both memories at the same time? It might be a bit overwhelming." Tenpi's voice came from behind, the energy staff in his hand still slightly warm. " Kaguya's memories were actively sealed, Isshiki's were forcibly extracted; there are too many fragments, and it's easy for them to become chaotic."
Tsubasa took a deep breath, his fingertips finally resting on the crystal ball. "Even in chaos, we have to observe. The Shinobi World can't even get a general idea of what's going on with the Ōtsutsuki right now. If we don't figure out their true nature, the next one won't be someone like Ōtsutsuki Isshiki."
The words had barely left his lips when the purple light within the crystal ball suddenly exploded, as if an invisible hand had forcefully pulled Tsubasa's consciousness inside.
The first thing to flood in was Kaguya's memories.
There was no sound, only a blinding gold. Tsubasa felt himself floating in mid-air, with an endless canopy beneath his feet. Every leaf was as clear as glass, and golden liquid flowed from its veins, flowing down the branches and into the ground. The air was filled with warm energy, not Chakra, but something purer and more immense, as if the light of an entire star had been crushed and scattered on this tree.
" Kaguya, it's time to absorb nutrients."
A deep voice sounded, Tsubasa turned his head to see a man in a long black robe standing on a branch. The man's robe was embroidered with silver patterns, like some kind of star map. His hair was very long, reaching his waist, with golden specks at the ends—that was Ōtsutsuki Ōshiki. In Kaguya's memory, he was extremely powerful, with white eyes that shone like stars.
A small figure sat on a branch, probably only four or five years old, wearing the same style of robe as Ōshiki, only a size smaller. The robe trailed on the ground, stained with a lot of golden tree sap. Her hair was light purple, like newly sprouted vines. She was clutching a leaf bigger than her face, taking small bites of it. Golden sap seeped out from where she chewed the leaf, dripping down the corners of her mouth.
" Ōshiki," Kaguya's voice was soft and childlike, "Are we going to eat leaves again today? They're not tasty."
Ōshiki walked over, squatted down beside her, and gently touched the top of her head with his fingertips, where there was a small bump, like a horn that hadn't yet grown. "The leaves of the God Tree will help you grow faster. Once you're grown enough to absorb the planet's essence on your own, you won't need to eat the leaves anymore."
"What is the origin of a planet?" Kaguya tilted her head, tossed aside the half-eaten leaf, and reached out to grab the glimmer of light from Ōshiki's hair. "Is it tastier than the leaf?"
Ōshiki smiled, a rare gentleness in his memory. "It tastes better than anything else. But that's nourishment for the Ōtsutsuki Planet. We need to go to other planets, bring back those nutrients, and feed our God Tree, feed our mother planet." He raised his hand and pointed to the sky. Tsubasa followed his gaze and realized that this " God Tree " was not a tree at all—its Root were planted on a super-huge planet. The planet's surface was covered with densely packed plants of all kinds. Every thousand miles there was a God Tree, and they all resembled huge mountain peaks. Countless transparent "green bubbles" floated among the branches, each bubble containing an Ōtsutsuki Clan child, which looked extremely eerie.
"That's our mission," Ōshiki's voice deepened. "When you're a little older, I'll take you with me."
Kaguya nodded as if she understood, then picked up another leaf and started munching on it. Tsubasa watched her small figure and suddenly felt a tightness in his throat—back then, Kaguya probably didn't know how many lives were lost and how many planets were destroyed behind the word "mission."
The memories suddenly shifted, as if someone had pressed the fast-forward button.
This time it's from Isshiki's perspective.
Tsubasa felt as if he were standing in a wooden spaceship. Outside the spaceship's windows was the pitch-black universe, with stars like scattered diamonds on a black cloth. Inside the cabin stood eight people dressed in black robes, each robe embroidered with a star map, though the complexity of the patterns varied— the Ōtsutsuki Ōshiki's star map was the most intricate, as if the entire Milky Way were embroidered on it, while the Isshiki's star map consisted of only a few simple arcs, yet it gleamed with a cold light.
"Our target this time is planet number 739. Its primordial energy is moderate, and there is no intelligent life. We need to finish this quickly." Ōshiki held a transparent stone slab in his hand, displaying a 3D map of a green planet. " Isshiki, you are responsible for compressing the primordial energy using ' Sukunahikona,' and the rest of you are responsible for clearing the area—although there is no intelligent life, the planet's will might retaliate."
"Understood." Isshiki's voice was young, yet it carried a coldness beyond his years. Tsubasa could sense his emotions from his memories—pride, and a hint of urgency. In his memories, Yi Shi had only Isshiki joined the elite team. He too had grown from the God Tree, several hundred years earlier than Kaguya. He had risen to Star First Rank by plundering the planet's essence, making him the fastest-improving member in the team.
The spaceship landed on planet 739, where the ground was covered in green vegetation and the air was filled with humid moisture. Ōshiki raised his hand and a God Tree was planted on the earth's veins. The God Tree began to absorb the planet's primordial energy. Golden energy was extracted by the God Tree, and the earth's veins instantly cracked open, revealing the flowing energy liquid inside—the planet's primordial power.
"Start."
At Ōshiki's command, the team members simultaneously activated their abilities. Some summoned giant puppets, others unleashed black flames, while Isshiki raised his hand and pressed it to the ground. Countless tiny black circles appeared around his palm, like black holes, frantically absorbing the green liquid beneath the ground. The green liquid was compressed into transparent beads, which floated around Isshiki, each bead containing pulsating energy.
"Hurry up, the next planet is waiting." Ōshiki stood high above, his gaze sweeping across the entire planet, his long robes fluttering in the wind. " The God Tree of our city on this planet is waiting for nourishment; we can't delay."
Looking at the compressed primordial beads, Tsubasa suddenly remembered the Chakra of the Shinobi World —the source of Chakra was the primordial power of planets extracted by the God Tree, the essence of life from other planets. In Isshiki's memories, there was no pity, only the obsession to complete the mission. He would even actively seek out planets with intelligent life because the primordial energy of those planets was purer, and the compressed beads were brighter.
" Isshiki, you were quite efficient this time." After the mission, Ōshiki patted him on the shoulder. "Complete three more missions, and you'll get a God Tree Fruit to upgrade to Star Level Second Stage."
Isshiki nodded, his gaze falling on the porthole of the Divine Wood Spaceship. In the outer universe, another planet had been drained of its primordial power. Ōshiki Squad returned laden with their spoils, drifting towards the direction of the Ōtsutsuki Planet. A smile curled at the corner of his lips, the smugness of a strongman—in the Ōtsutsuki Clan, only by plundering more primordial power could one live longer and stand higher.