Shinsei was startled when he heard Kaguya's words.
He turned and glanced at Madara Uchiha Kushinadahime, and saw that Madara could not hide his shock on his face.
Madara Uchiha's expression kept changing.
He looked down at Kushinadahime in his arms, a look of suspicion in his eyes.
But seeing the pale, weak look on Kushinadahime's face, and the cold sweat beading on her forehead, he immediately dismissed his doubts.
She was just a frail girl, what did she do wrong?
Shinsei didn't care about Madara Uchiha's thoughts. He and Kaguya exchanged a glance and left the house.
Fire-attribute Chakra surged forth from beneath Kaguya's feet, and Kaguya grabbed Shinsei's arm.
Two figures then soared into the sky, rushing towards the direction of the God Tree.
Madara Uchiha also wanted to go see the God Tree, but Kushinadahime in his arms was still weak.
He carefully picked Kushinadahime up in his arms and slowly walked away in another direction.
The moonlight shone on the wasteland, making everything appear white.
But the further they went, the more obvious the feeling that something was wrong became.
The familiar, dry scent of Chakra was absent from the air.
When the God Tree stood there, the entire wasteland seemed to be weighed down by something heavy.
But now, that oppression is gone.
Shinsei's elemental Chakra moved beneath his feet like a long rocket.
Kaguya clung tightly to Shinsei's arm, her Byakugan flashing, veins bulging around her eyes. She looked just like a frightened little girl.
When they arrived at the location of the God Tree, Shinsei and Kaguya stopped in mid-air, holding each other's hands.
The God Tree is gone.
The giant tree that pierced the clouds disappeared.
All that remained was a huge crater.
The edges of the huge pit were charred black, with concentric rings of scorch marks spreading upwards from the bottom, as if something had burned from the ground to the sky.
There were no tree roots or trunks at the bottom of the pit. There was only scorched earth and a few pieces of charred tree root remains.
A very faint smell of burning filled the air, mixed with a slightly Shinsei scent.
Black Flame.
Amaterasu's black flames.
That kind of flame can burn anything.
The land near the roots of the God Tree was hardened by the flames, revealing a glassy texture.
Shinsei possesses the abilities of Kagutsuchi-no-Mikoto, and can also manipulate flames.
But he asked himself honestly, he absolutely could not destroy the God Tree with fire in such a short time.
You must understand that the God Tree is no ordinary tree; not just any flame can ignite it.
Only a terrifying flame Amaterasu could destroy the God Tree in a short time.
Shinsei squatted down by the pit and reached out to probe the soil at the bottom.
The soil is cool, indicating that the fire has been out for some time.
He looked up and around.
There were no footprints or signs of a struggle on the wasteland.
In the distance, a small courtyard from the Warring States period still stands alone on the desolate plain.
There was no trace of anyone nearby, not even a deity.
Kaguya stood beside him, staring at the enormous crater, without saying a word.
Her face was very pale. Shinsei knew what she was thinking.
The disappearance of the God Tree means that the Ōtsutsuki Clan will sense it.
The God Tree was planted by the Ōtsutsuki Clan; its destruction was like setting off a signal flare on this planet.
Shinsei stands up.
He closed his eyes and tried to mobilize the Xiaobai Dragon Vein energy within his body.
He needs to sense the temporal coordinates of this era. If he can find the correct coordinates, he might be able to take Kaguya back.
The energy of the Dragon Vein flowed slowly within his body.
A white dragon head emerged from Shinsei's body, shaking its head and making eye contact with Shinsei.
Shinsei frowned; he already understood what Xiaobai meant.
The road home is blocked!
To be precise, the path back to Shinsei's timeline has been severed.
The coordinates are still there, and even Xiaobai can clearly sense that space-time.
However, the passage through time and space leading back to their hometown is filled with fragmented temporal and spatial energy.
This has created endless risks on the road home.
If Xiaobai is forcibly dragged back to the timeline of his hometown, there is a high probability that the Shinjō will become lost in the endless spacetime rifts.
The destruction of the God Tree altered the energy structure of this region.
Natural Energy is being rearranged, like a pot of water being stirred up.
The Dragon Vein energy recedes back into the body.
Shinsei sighed softly.
All that's needed now is to do nothing.
Waiting for the spacetime energy to return to calm.
Kaguya nervously grabbed Shinsei's right hand, looking pitiful.
She certainly knew what Xiaobai meant to Shinsei.
They were also afraid that Shinsei might disregard everything and return directly to his own timeline.
Shinsei forced a smile at Kaguya.
Don't worry, I can't go back for now.
Kaguya lowered her head, her fingers gripping the hem of her clothes, her knuckles turning white.
Shinsei glanced at her. He rarely saw Kaguya like this.
Although she is usually timid, she is rarely truly afraid.
But at this moment, she was trembling slightly.
"What's wrong?" Shinsei asked.
Kaguya nodded. She looked up at Shinsei, her eyes slightly moist.
Am I a bad person? I'm afraid you'll leave me. Just now, I've been praying that you won't go back.
Shinsei looked at her; the moonlight shone on her face, making her already fair skin almost transparent.
Her white hair fluttered gently in the wind, like a wisp of smoke in the night.
Shinsei reached out and grabbed her wrist.
"Don't worry, even if you have to go back, I will help you deal with the Ōtsutsuki Clan."
Kaguya looked at him and softly hummed in agreement.
But she didn't look particularly happy.
"You can't beat them. You don't know how strong they are. My people... they are not comparable to the gods of Takamagahara."
"I know, but I'm not one of those gods from Takamagahara."
He didn't offer many words of comfort. He knew Kaguya didn't need empty words.
Shinsei held her wrist, standing at the edge of the huge pit, in the middle of the scorched earth.
The wind blew up from the bottom of the pit, carrying the lingering smell of black flames and the scorched aroma of earth.
After a long while, Kaguya finally nodded gently.
She didn't say anything more. She simply pulled her hand out of Shinsei's palm and then grasped his fingers in return.
The two of them stood there, and a unique atmosphere filled the air.
Shinsei felt a little embarrassed, so he coughed and said...
"Let's go back first."
Kaguya naturally took Shinsei's arm.
Shinsei seemed to accept Kaguya's actions without any resistance.
A powerful Kakkō erupted from beneath their feet, carrying Shinsei and Kaguya straight into the sky.
When they returned to the courtyard, Madara and Kushinadahime were gone.
Only a few crumpled haystacks remained on the stone bed, along with a very faint fragrance emanating from the Flower of Life.
He took Kushinadahime and left, perhaps back to the God Tree, or perhaps somewhere else.
Shinsei ignored him; Ban was the kind of person who didn't need to explain his comings and goings to anyone.
Kaguya entered the house.
Shinsei started a fire in the courtyard and took out some dry food and wild fruit from the sealed scroll.
He prepared some simple food and brought it into the room. Kaguya sat on the edge of the bed, took it, and took a bite.
She chewed twice, then suddenly her expression changed. She abruptly covered her mouth and bent over.
Crumbs of dry food leaked through her fingers and fell to the ground.
Shinsei frowned.
"What's wrong?"
Kaguya shook her head, but her face grew paler and paler.
She gagged several times, but nothing came out; she felt completely drained of energy.
Shinsei was somewhat surprised, as Kaguya's constitution made it absolutely impossible for her to develop a simple illness.
As the Progenitor of Chakra, Kaguya possesses enough power to live forever, even without having consumed Chakra Fruit.
If he caught a cold after just one trip outside, that would challenge Shinsei's worldview.
Shinsei walked over, squatted down in front of her, and placed his hand on her pulse.
The moment his fingertips touched her wrist, he sensed something was wrong.
Kaguya's pulse was completely different from what he remembered.
Extremely light and fine, like a stream hidden beneath the main thread.
Having studied medicine under Tsunade for many years, he couldn't possibly admit his mistake.
Shinsei's fingers remained on her wrist, motionless.
" Shinsei?" Kaguya looked up at his expression. "What's wrong?"
Shinsei looked at her. He looked at her pale white eyes and her cheeks, flushed from gagging.
He was silent for a moment, then slowly withdrew his hand.
You're pregnant!