Shinsei was momentarily speechless. He didn't know how to answer Otsutsuki Kaguya's question.
To be honest, the moment he saw Otsutsuki Kaguya, he was filled with murderous intent, wanting to nip this huge potential threat in the bud.
However, seeing that Otsutsuki Kaguya did not put up any resistance when faced with attacks from those weak villagers, he was momentarily unsure of Otsutsuki Kaguya's thoughts and personality.
In Shinsei's perception, Otsutsuki Kaguya clearly possessed extremely powerful Chakra.
But she seemed unaware of her own power, still looking pitiful and frightened, a far cry from the domineering aura she would have displayed centuries later.
Shinsei looked at her, the word "yes" swirling in his throat a few times, but ultimately he didn't say it.
He couldn't bring himself to do it. He simply couldn't see a woman who had absolutely no desire to attack, who didn't even fight back when the villagers threw stones at her, as the Rabbit Goddess was going to destroy the Shinobi World. At least not now.
"I'm not here to kill you," Shinsei said.
Kaguya looked at him, and the fear in her eyes faded slightly, like the mist dissipating from a lake.
She nodded slightly, about to speak, when suddenly a series of chaotic footsteps came from afar.
Shinsei turned around. A group of people were coming from the direction of Tucheng. At the head was a young man, wearing a dark robe that was obviously much more luxurious than that of ordinary villagers, with a straight knife inlaid with copper at his waist.
He was followed by a dozen guards carrying spears and wooden shields, their hurried steps trampling down the roadside weeds.
The man froze the moment he saw Kaguya. He stood in the middle of the road, his eyes fixed on her, his lips slightly parted, as if struck by something.
He is the emperor of the Land of Ancestors.
He strode forward, his gaze sweeping over Kaguya several times before he finally managed to find his voice. "I am the Emperor of the Land of Ancestors. I heard there was a monster in the city, so I brought my men to investigate. I never expected... it would be such a beauty."
Kaguya didn't look at him, but simply moved a little closer to Shinsei.
The emperor cautiously stepped forward and spoke softly to Otsutsuki Kaguya.
"Is this young lady a guest from afar? It's far too dangerous here. Why don't you come to my palace? I will provide you with protection."
The Emperor then turned his gaze to Shinsei. Seeing Kaguya's dependence on Shinsei, his eyes immediately turned cold. He gave a wink to the guards behind him.
"Take this person down."
The guards surrounded him. Shinsei sighed.
He didn't want to kill anyone in front of Kaguya, nor did he want to clash with the ruling power of this era.
Judging from the actions of these guards, they clearly regarded him as a savage who had abducted the goddess.
Shinsei raised his hand, not Hand Seals, but simply letting his Chakra rotate in his palm. A water sphere the size of a fist materialized out of thin air, hovering in his palm and slowly rotating.
The surrounding air suddenly became humid, and the fine dust on the ground was swept away by the airflow. Then, the water sphere split into dozens of thin streams, which circled around Shinsei like living snakes before shooting out and hitting the ground three inches in front of the guards. Each impact created a crater the size of a bowl.
The guards all stopped.
Shinsei raised his other hand, and a fireball ignited at his fingertips, the Kakkō reflecting on his face.
The fireball rose into the air, exploded into a shower of sparks, and then slowly fell, like a shower of golden-red rain. The guards were no longer surrounding him; they were desperately retreating.
Shinsei is not skilled in Fire Style; he has almost no Fire Chakra. Using Fire Release Ninjutsu at this level to kill enemies is practically useless.
However, if it's for fooling villagers, no Ninjutsu is more suitable than Fire Style.
"Are you still going to arrest me?" Shinsei asked.
The emperor's face was pale, but he still forced himself to stand still.
He glanced at the water sphere in Shinsei's palm, then at the sparks falling from mid-air, his lips trembled slightly, and finally he lowered his head.
"It was I who was blind and ignorant, and offended the divine being," he said. "Please forgive me, divine being."
Shinsei withdrew his Chakra, and the moisture dissipated, leaving only damp patches on the ground.
Kaguya stood behind him, her eyes widening slightly, seemingly surprised that Shinsei would resolve the issue in this way.
The emperor raised his head again, this time with a much more respectful attitude.
"If you two do not mind, please stay in my palace for a while. There you will find clean dwellings and food. This wilderness outside is truly not a place for gods."
Shinsei glanced at the sky. The sun was about to set, and a gray mist was rising in the forest.
He had no food with him, Xiaobai hadn't recovered yet, and he didn't know where Ban was.
Tonight is definitely not a good time to camp out in the wild. He looked at Kaguya. Kaguya looked at him, as if waiting for him to make a decision.
Let's go take a look.
The emperor breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ordered his guards to clear the way. He walked at the front, occasionally glancing back at Kaguya before quickly looking away.
Shinsei and Kaguya walked side by side behind them. The road widened, and the earthen walls turned into smooth stone slabs.
The palace was built on a gentle slope, with gray tiles and earthen walls, much more magnificent than the houses in the city, but it still looked simple in Shinsei's eyes. Two rows of guards held torches at the palace gate, illuminating the area in front of the gate.
The emperor arranged for them to stay in a side hall and sent them food and clothing.
Shinsei didn't touch the food, only drank a bowl of water. Kaguya sat by the window, gazing at the night outside.
Without the moon, the sky of this era was utterly black, with only the light of torches flickering in the wind.
"Are you going to stay?" Kaguya suddenly asked.
"No," Shinsei said, "I need to find someone, and then figure out a way to go back."
Kaguya looked at him, her gaze calm. After a long while, she said, "You're different from them."
"Different from whom?" Shinsei asked.
"My people," Kaguya said. She didn't look at Shinsei; her gaze remained fixed on the window. The Kakkō made her profile appear very white, like a piece of cold jade.
Shinsei didn't respond immediately. He had many questions he wanted to ask, but each one could potentially be a dangerous mistake.
He wanted to know where she came from, what her people were, and where the God Tree was.
But in the end, he simply followed her lead and asked, "Where are you from?"
Kaguya didn't answer. She turned her head and looked at Shinsei, her gaze lingering on him for a long time.
" Chakra is a power unique to the Ōtsutsuki Clan," she said. "You don't possess any characteristics of the Ōtsutsuki Clan. Where does your Chakra come from?"
Shinsei remained silent. Of course, he couldn't say that he came from a parallel world in the future, nor was he sure how Kaguya would react to the concept of "future."
He opened his mouth, intending to gloss over the matter, but Kaguya spoke again.
"Is it from that white Chakra within you?" she asked. "You're not from this world."