Otsutsuki Kaguya's petite body trembled slightly as she hid behind Shinsei, watching the two strange humans, or rather, so-called gods.
Shinsei reached out and patted Kaguya on the shoulder in comfort, then asked the two men who claimed to be gods.
"You two have come from afar, is there anything I can help you with?"
The man who called himself Sarutahiko stared intently at Shinsei, his tone tinged with doubt.
"Why do you carry the aura of Senjutsu? I've never seen you in Takamagahara."
Shinsei didn't shy away from the question, "I come from a very far place. And who are you people, and why are you guarding this tree?"
Sarutahiko remained silent for a moment, seemingly assessing whether Shinsei was worth answering. Ame no Uzume no Mikoto hand on the hilt of her sword and did not interrupt.
"We come from Takamagahara," Sarutahiko finally spoke, "The very land of gods that you people who walk on the earth speak of. The gods there have cultivated Senjutsu using Natural Energy for countless years."
We are the gods of Takamagahara.
It really was them. Shinsei had vaguely heard their names mentioned in some historical sites. He had only thought they were legends before, but he never imagined they actually existed.
"Why have you come to the God Tree?" Shinsei asked.
"Destroy it," Sarutahiko said. "This tree has drained the life from the earth. Rivers are drying up, mountains are collapsing, and the light of Takamagahara is Tenten. If this continues, not only you mortals, but even we gods will become nourishment for this tree."
"Then why not just take action?" Shinsei asked.
Sarutahiko did not answer immediately. Ame no Uzume no Mikoto sneered and sheathed her sword, "You have a good question. This tree looks dead on the outside, but its roots are more sensitive than those of a living thing. We have been observing it for many days. Whenever we try to destroy this tree, the God Tree warns us of great danger."
Since you're with this strange woman, do you know what dangers might arise from cutting down this God Tree?
"It will attract the Ōtsutsuki Clan." Shinsei answered honestly, without lying.
Both gods looked at him simultaneously. Sarutahiko's single eye, hidden beneath his mask, narrowed slightly. "How do you know about the Ōtsutsuki?"
"I'm here because of my connection to the Ōtsutsuki," Shinsei said. He felt Kaguya's grip on his clothes tighten.
"Have you ever met anyone from the Ōtsutsuki Clan?" Shinsei asked next.
Sarutahiko remained silent for a long time, so long that Shinsei thought he wasn't going to answer.
Then he slowly exhaled, as if releasing something that had been stuck in his throat for a long time.
"I've seen him. A man. Dressed in white with white hair, his name is Ōtsutsuki Isshiki."
He was very powerful; we couldn't kill him. He could have wiped us all out, but then it seemed like he had some urgent business to attend to, and he suddenly left.
As Sarutahiko finished speaking, his gaze passed over Shinsei and landed on Kaguya behind him. His eyes were like those of someone examining a suddenly appearing object that could potentially change the course of events.
"She smells of trees," Sarutahiko said. "We've been looking for her for a long time; she's from the Ōtsutsuki. Please allow us to capture her and ask her how to control the God Tree."
Shinsei frowned. "You want to use her to control the God Tree?"
The Ame no Uzume no Mikoto replied, her voice cold and hard.
"This tree will not die on its own; it only listens to the people in heaven. We do not understand the techniques of the Ōtsutsuki, but her body flows with the same blood as the Ōtsutsuki."
Perhaps if her blood were poured on the tree roots, it would stop the tree from growing; or conversely, it might summon the celestial beings and force them to take back the tree. In any case, we must try.
"She is not your tool." Shinsei had no choice but to watch as the two attacked Otsutsuki Kaguya. Moreover, these two might not even be a match for Otsutsuki Kaguya.
"We're not here to find tools. We're here to survive." Sarutahiko's voice was flat, as if he were stating something that had already happened. "There are still many people in Takamagahara. They're not dead yet. If we don't do anything, in a few years, the Natural Energy will be drained by this God Tree. Takamagahara will become just like this wasteland. You have people you want to protect, and so do we."
Shinsei didn't back down. He felt Kaguya's hand trembling, not out of fear, but out of some kind of discomfort welling up inside her.
Her breathing was light, as if she were suppressing something. Shinsei knew he couldn't retreat here; he had to stand in front of Otsutsuki Kaguya. And also, to save the lives of the two people before him.
However, these two gods have waited too long and will not be persuaded to leave by a few words.
"She's my friend! If you want to touch her, you'll have to get past me first."
Otsutsuki Kaguya stared at Shinsei with bright eyes, looking completely infatuated.
Ame no Uzume no Mikoto laughed. The smile was faint, like a sliver of frost on a blade. "You? A fake god?"
"You can give it a try," Shinsei said.
Ame no Uzume no Mikoto said nothing more, and a large amount of white light shone from her body.
Chakra? No, Shinsei keenly observed that the woman before him emanated a rich source of Natural Energy.
She took a step forward, her figure floating to Shinsei as if propelled by the wind.
The long sword was drawn, its blade flashing in a semi-circle. Shinsei leaned back, the blade grazing his nose and slicing off a few strands of hair.
Using the momentum of his backward lean, he punched Ame no Uzume no Mikoto in the waist and abdomen with his right fist. As soon as the wind from the punch arrived, Ame no Uzume no Mikoto's body floated backward like a piece of red paper.
The blade flashed again, a horizontal slash!
"You're too slow." Ame no Uzume looked at Shinsei as if she were looking at a dead man.
Sarutahiko also moved. White Natural Energy also emanated from his body. Without using any weapons, he simply raised one foot and stomped it on the ground.
The earth seemed to be torn apart from within by something; a crack shot out from Shinsei's feet and then exploded. Gravel and dirt flew in all directions.
Shinsei lost his footing, Ame no Uzume no Mikoto seized the opportunity to cut in, stabbing him in the shoulder with her knife.
Shinsei did not hide.
The tip of the knife stopped an inch in front of his shoulder. Shinsei raised his left hand, two fingers gripping the blade. Ame no Uzume no Mikoto's pupils contracted sharply. She tried to pull the knife away, but it seemed to be nailed to a stone, Fudo.
"Give it a little more force, and you can pull it out."
The Ame no Uzume no Mikoto gripped the sword with both hands and exerted all her strength. The sword hummed, but she still couldn't pull it out.
Shinsei flicked his finger, and a surge of Chakra shot through the blade. Ame no Uzume no Mikoto's entire right arm went numb, and the long sword flew out of her hand and into the air.
Shinsei casually grabbed the hilt of the knife, flicked it back, and the blade flashed silver, grazing Ame no Uzume no Mikoto's cheek before embedding itself in a black rock ten steps behind her. The hilt was still trembling slightly.
Sarutahiko let out a low shout and slammed his fists, imbued with Natural Energy, toward Shinsei. Shinsei didn't even look at him; he lightly tapped his foot and shifted sideways.
Sarutahiko's fist slammed into the ground, creating a large crater as if struck by a heavy hammer.
Before he could retract his fist, Shinsei appeared behind him and struck him on the back of the neck with a palm strike. Sarutahiko grunted and lunged forward, crashing face-first into the ground.
Shinsei landed and dusted off his hands. Ame no Uzume no Mikoto pulled the knife out of the rock, ready to go up again.
Sarutahiko also got up from the ground, a crack appearing in his wooden mask. The two looked at each other, then at Shinsei.
"For the sake of the gods' dignity, we cannot back down," Ame no Uzume no Mikoto gritted her teeth.
She held the knife horizontally in front of her again, and white Natural Energy rose from her body like flames.