In the " Garden of Nurturing " on the Ten Family mountain of the Immortal Venerable Hall, the Tian Yu had just completed her "egg laying" for the day. Three eggs, shimmering with Hoshiki, floated quietly in front of her and were carefully taken away by the waiting medical team members and sent to the incubation center.
Tian Yu's face showed a hint of weariness, but even more so a deep tenderness. Watching these lives, nurtured by her own strength, grow healthily was her greatest comfort. However, the call from the depths of her bloodline had not diminished in the past five years; on the contrary, it had become clearer and clearer.
At first, it was just a vague sensation, but now, occasionally during her meditation, she can even "hear" some intermittent, primal, wild howls and roars, as if echoes from beyond the starry sea. This call carries a strange affinity, like summoning lost members of her tribe home, but at the same time it is mixed with a cold, unquestionable will, making her feel a vague sense of rejection and unease deep within her heart.
" Yu'er, you don't look too well lately." Tian Yueqing came over with a cup of specially made calming tea, looking at her with concern. "Is it because you're too exhausted from carrying a child every day? Should you rest for a few days?"
Tian Flying Swallow also came over and gently took Tian Yu's hand. "Yes, Yu'er. You are now the great treasure of our Ten Family, don't push yourself too hard."
Tian Yu took the teacup, feeling the warmth from her palm, which dispelled some of the chill in her heart. She smiled and said, "It's alright, the energy expenditure is still within a controllable range. It's just... that call is becoming clearer and clearer."
She paused, then decided to express her feelings. "It feels warm, as if my own kind is calling to me. But... it's also cold, filled with a sense of plunder and devouring. I feel... they might be coming to the Shinobi World soon."
Tian Flying Swallow and Tian Yueqing's expressions changed slightly. They knew Tian Yu's personality well; she would never say such a thing unless she was absolutely certain.
"Fellow clansmen? Plunder and devour?" Tian Yueqing murmured, a look of worry on her face. " Yu'er, do you mean that your fellow clansmen might bring about a great disaster?"
The Tian Yu was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. "My inherited memories are fragmented, but there are some scattered images... an endless swarm of insects, devouring each other, destroying planets... I'm very worried. If they really are coming for me, given the characteristics exhibited by the Starry Sky Insect Race, I'm afraid... they don't have good intentions."
Just then, a figure appeared Body Flicker Technique in the garden; it was Shikamaru Nara.
" Holy Venerable Tian Yu, I apologize for disturbing you." Shikamaru's expression was grave. " The Scientific Research Department has just detected that the anomalous spatial signal originating from the direction you sensed has increased in intensity by dozens of times in a short period of time! Moreover, according to calculations, its movement speed is beyond imagination. At this rate, it may enter our star system in two to three years at most!"
Despite being mentally prepared, Tian Yu's heart still sank when the definite news arrived.
"Two to three years..." Tian Flying Swallow gasped, "So fast?"
Shikamaru looked at Tian Yu, his tone serious. " Holy Venerable Tian Yu, the situation is urgent. We need you to provide as much information as possible about the origins of your bloodline. Their habits, weaknesses, fighting styles, social structures... any piece of information could be related to the survival of the Shinobi World."
Tian Yu closed her eyes, trying hard to recall the fragmented memories of her inherited legacy. After a long while, she opened her eyes, a hint of helplessness in them. "My memories are hazy, mostly inherited... I only know that my race is called the ' Starry Sky Insect Race.' They seem to be organized into queen swarms, extremely numerous, with vast differences in individual strength. They evolve by devouring other inhabited planets and by devouring each other... The supreme ruler, known as the ' Insect God,' is as powerful as the Ōtsutsuki God..."
" Insect God?!" Shikamaru's pupils contracted. To be comparable to " Ōtsutsuki God "—its strength was unimaginable. "Anything else? For example, what are they afraid of? What are their obvious weaknesses?"
The Tian Yu shook its head. "There's no information about weaknesses in my memory. Only... endless greed and destruction. Wherever they go, the Xingchen dim and life vanishes."
Shikamaru's expression darkened further. He took a deep breath and said, "I understand. Thank you for the information. Please continue to monitor that call, and notify us immediately of any new developments."
After Shikamaru left, Tian Yu stood alone in the Garden of Nurturing, gazing at the starry sky with a complex expression.
The call of her kin gave her a longing to return home, an instinct born of blood. But she was no longer an insect; she was a true human. Hundreds of years of life in the Shinobi World, the warmth and sense of belonging given to her by her mother, Tian Yueqing, the Ten Family members, Tsunade, Naruto, Sasuke... and the thousands of "human children" she had personally nurtured, had made her regard the Shinobi World as her true home.
On one side are her blood relatives whom she has never met, and whose lives are filled with unknowns and dangers; on the other side is her second homeland, which gives her warmth and a sense of belonging.
Her heart was filled with contradictions and struggles.
"No matter why you've come, if you intend to harm this place..." Tian Yu's eyes hardened, radiating the majesty of a Saint Level expert, "I will not stand idly by!"
The news brought by Shikamaru Nara was like a thunderclap, causing a sensation among the higher echelons of the Shinobi World.
Inside the governing office, civil officials led by Tenbutsu, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shikamaru, and military officials led by Naruto, Sasuke, and the commanders of various legions, such as Kitsuchi, A Yotsuki, Tenmei, and Darui, gathered together in an atmosphere more somber than ever before.
Orochimaru and Tenpi from the Scientific Research Department also participated in the meeting via remote projection.
Shikamaru succinctly relayed the information he had obtained from the Tian Yu and the results of his energy signal analysis to everyone.
"... In conclusion, we can be fairly certain that a terrifying civilization known as the ' Starry Sky Insect Race ' is heading towards our star system. Their vanguard is expected to arrive within two to three years. Judging from the limited information and energy signal scale provided by Lady Tian Yu, their strength... far surpasses any enemy we have encountered so far, including the Ōtsutsuki God clan. Their supreme ruler is suspected to be Insect God possessing ' God Level ' strength."
" God Level..." A collective gasp filled the conference room. They had witnessed firsthand how terrifying the God Level power that Tsubasa had briefly unleashed with the help of the formation was; it was a level that was almost beyond comprehension.
"Are you kidding me!" A Yotsuki slammed her fist on the table. "We finally got rid of the Ōtsutsuki Clan threat, and now an even worse one has appeared? Can't a person have some peace and quiet?!"
"Calm down, A," Tsunade. "Now is not the time to complain. Shikamaru, tell me your plan."