In the vast, verdant forest, a winding stream flows. On the stream, an old wooden boat sways gently.
A bare, slender foot was submerged in the clear river water.
Layer upon layer of waves lapped against the water plants on the shore as my toes swayed.
A slight smile played on the woman's lips; her bright face glowed white in the sunlight.
She looked at the wooden boat beneath her and sighed softly.
A black flame appeared on the wooden boat at some unknown time.
The scorching temperature distorted the surrounding air, but it did not spread further.
The woman was not frightened by the sudden appearance of flames.
She stood up, turned to the side, and bowed slightly in greeting.
" Amaterasu, I have been waiting for you for a long time."
The black flames flickered slightly. Amaterasu's figure emerged from the Kakkō.
She wore a plain white long dress, her long hair was not tied up, and her face showed no emotion.
She stood at the other end of the boat, looking at Akaruhime, her gaze like two cold knives.
You knew I would come.
"I know," said Akaruhime, "From the day Omoikane came to me, I knew you would come sooner or later."
And I've been waiting for you. If you're not in a hurry, then please come with me, and I will tell you the answer.
She turned around, stepped barefoot into the shallow river water, and walked towards the bank.
Amaterasu followed behind her.
The two walked through a grove of low bushes and came to a clearing surrounded by trees.
There was a small wooden house in the open space, with a thick thatched roof and a half-closed door.
A shed was built next to the wooden house, open to the wind on all sides, and covered with several large banana leaves.
A person was lying in the shed.
Kushinadahime.
She lay on the straw mat, her hands at her sides, her face peaceful, as if asleep.
But her chest remained still, and her skin had a bluish-white hue that didn't belong to a living person.
She wasn't rotten. There wasn't even a trace of decay.
Amaterasu took a closer look and frowned.
She's dead.
"Dead."
Akaruhime looked at the body of Kushinadahime lying in the shed, a gentle smile in his eyes.
"But her body won't decay; she looks just like Lady Omoikane. I won't let her decay so easily."
Amaterasu turned around and stared at her.
Why did you help Omoikane become a woman?
Akaruhime did not answer immediately. She walked to the front of the cabin and sat down on the threshold.
Her feet were still wet, and a few strands of black hair clung to her cheeks. She looked at Amaterasu, her face showing neither fear nor obsequiousness.
There was only something very faint, as calm as river water.
" Amaterasu, would you like to hear a story?"
Amaterasu remained noncommittal. Since the woman was so cooperative, she didn't immediately resort to torture to interrogate her.
When I was a child, I wanted to become an immortal. My home was at the foot of a mountain.
The villagers all say that the gods of Takamagahara will choose the most qualified children to ascend to the heavens.
One day, they chose me. I was very happy.
I thought I could cultivate Senjutsu and live forever.
But after they took me up there, they didn't teach me anything.
They locked me in a room and only gave me water to drink and a kind of very bitter grass to eat every day.
Later I learned that they were raising me. Once my potential was fully realized, they would use me as a sacrifice.
The one who receives the sacrifice is your grandson, Ninigi-no-Mikoto.
Amaterasu's expression remained unchanged, but her fingers tightened slightly.
The night before the sacrifice, I huddled in a corner of the room.
I was trembling all over, unable to even cry. The door opened, and I thought it was someone coming to take me away.
But it was Lord Omoikane who entered.
He glanced at me, said nothing, and simply reached out his hand. I took his hand.
He led me out of that room, gave me food and clothes, and taught me how to cultivate Natural Energy.
He has always been the one protecting me.
Do you know, from that moment on, Omoikane-no-Kami has been the true god in my heart.
I cultivated myself to become an immortal, and then a god.
I have developed my own abilities, but these abilities can only change form.
Helping others change, or helping yourself change, has no harmful effect.
Without defense,
I want to help Omoikane-no-Kami, and I wish to serve under him and be at his beck and call.
Unfortunately, with my useless abilities, I can't do anything.
She paused, looking at Amaterasu.
"I wanted to help Omoikane. He saved me."
He gave me everything.
But I realized I couldn't help him at all. He was too strong.
Calm, wise, and in complete control.
I stood before him, feeling like a piece of trash.
I thought about it for a long time.
Since I can't help him as a man, I'll become a woman.
I used my abilities to transform myself into a woman.
Then I went to see him and told him that I wanted to have a child with him.
He refused.
"Hmph." Amaterasu sneered, her face expressionless.
"He refused," Akaruhime continued. "He told me that every god has his own personality and uniqueness."
"I shouldn't live for him," he said, and then he left.
I left Takamagahara, telling myself that one day I would help him.
Amaterasu looked at her and remained silent for a moment. Then she spoke, her tone cold.
"A disgusting tactic of manipulating people's hearts!"
You're under his control! He saved your life, so you've given him your whole life.
Do you think you're trying to repay his kindness?
No! This is just his way of manipulating people's minds.
"You can't think Omoikane-no-Kami Lord Shikane like that."
Akaruhime shook his head.
Amaterasu's face showed a mocking expression.
"Do you really think your thoughts are your own? You underestimate Omoikane."
"That's not how it is, Lady Amaterasu."
You don't understand my abilities; they can change my own form and the form of others, including the will of those being altered.
I am naturally immune to the methods that Omoikane uses to control others.
"My becoming a woman was my own choice. My leaving Takamagahara was also my own choice; he didn't control me."
Amaterasu remained silent, her expression of mockery deepening.
As the ruler of Takamagahara, he knew the Omoikane all too well.
This deity doesn't simply use divine powers to change others' wills; they also influence others' thoughts through their own actions.
Those whose thoughts are manipulated are often deeply grateful to Omoikane.
This is also why Amaterasu disliked Omoikane so much.
If it weren't for the crisis of Takamagahara's fall, Amaterasu would never have summoned Omoikane back, but instead banished him forever.
"When he first came to me, he said he wanted me to turn him into a woman."
A woman who is usually unremarkable.
I felt my heart sink; I admired him so much.
I would even be willing to become a woman for him.
But then he came to me and asked me to turn him into a woman, and I couldn't refuse.
He saved my life; I owe him that.
So I did it. I completely rewrote his body, his appearance, his temperament.
She transformed into someone else, becoming Kushinadahime.
Amaterasu struggled to process Akaruhime's words, and after a moment, she finally suppressed her anger.
Why did you leave Kushinadahime's body behind?
Why would I hurt Kushinadahime's body? Even though I admire her so much.
I possess beauty far surpassing that of Kushinadahime, yet I was not chosen by Omoikane-no-Kami- sama.
However, since Omoikane-no-Kami has taken Kushinadahime's form, keeping Kushinadahime's body is equivalent to being with Omoikane-no-Kami.
Amaterasu gently rubbed her temples; she simply couldn't understand the thoughts of the woman before her.
Why did he turn into a woman?
"Becoming a woman, of course, is for having children."
Akaruhime said. She raised her head, looked at Amaterasu, and her gaze suddenly sharpened.
Why have children? Of course, it's for the sake of bloodlines.
Amaterasu, didn't you notice? Those two outsiders, their eyes can absorb the power of the gods. And it's not limited to just one power.
Shinsei absorbed the power of Kagutsuchi-no-Mikoto and obtained fire.
He absorbed the power of Takemikazuchi-no-Kami and gained lightning.
Madara Uchiha absorbed the power of Susanoo and the power of the Plague God.
Their eyes were like those of someone who could never be full.
But what about us gods? Each of us only has one power.
The Flower God can only grow flowers, and the Thunder God can only control thunder. We, the gods of Takamagahara, are born with a predetermined upper limit.
But those two outsiders have no limit. They are growing.
They were eating. They were getting stronger. But Lord Omoikane had already seen it all along.
He saw in these two people's eyes that they would eventually become the most terrifying thing in the world.
He wants it.
Amaterasu's pupils contracted slightly.
"So he transformed into a woman, and he approached Madara Uchiha."
Then she became pregnant with Madara's child. That child would inherit Madara's bloodline and have Madara's eyes.
When that time comes, Omoikane will replace those eyes, and he will no longer need to hide behind the scenes. He can devour the gods himself.
He can become stronger on his own. He can become a being more powerful than any god in Takamagahara.
The wind blew across the open space in front of the wooden house, swirling up a few withered leaves.
Amaterasu stood there, silent for a long time. Her gaze shifted from Akaruhime's face to the quiet body in the shed.
Kushinadahime had a plain appearance, but there was a strange air of heroism between her brows.
Amaterasu slowly raised her hand, and a very faint layer of black flame appeared in her palm.
The black flame flickered in her palm for a moment, then receded.
Why are you telling me all this?