Children are always curious about everything.
Hagoromo Senju reached out her small hand to grab the sash hanging from Shinsei's clothes.
After catching it, he hurriedly stuffed it into his mouth.
Shinsei quickly pulled his sash out of Hagoromo's mouth.
But Hagoromo didn't cry or make a fuss; instead, she happily reached out and grabbed Shinsei's finger.
Seeing his brother's actions, Hamura slowly crawled over and threw himself into Shinsei's arms.
Comparatively speaking, Hagoromo Senju has a more composed personality, while Hamura, standing beside him, is more lively.
Fortunately, both children have good temperaments and don't like to cry or fuss.
This saved Shinsei, who had just become a father, a great deal of trouble.
It is worth mentioning that both babies showed extremely strong physiques from a young age.
There were no baby clothes in the storage scroll that Shinsei had prepared, so the clothes worn by the two children were modified from the clothes that Shinsei had brought.
This inevitably makes them sometimes appear to be poorly clothed.
However, the two children seemed oblivious to the cold. Even though the autumn weather was already a bit chilly, they continued to make noise and seemed completely unaffected.
Shinsei put the two children into a wooden bed with railings.
Looking at Kaguya, who was mending clothes nearby, Kaguya seemed to sense Shinsei's gaze. She turned her head and gave him a warm smile.
" Kaguya," Shinsei called out to Kaguya.
Kaguya tilted her head, her eyes showing curiosity. "What's wrong?"
After a moment's hesitation, Shinsei finally spoke, "Would you be willing to return to my time and space with me?"
Kaguya paused for a moment.
She looked down at the two children in the wooden bed, who were playing tag with each other's fingers.
She stared at him for a long time. Then she looked up at Shinsei and nodded gently.
"I do."
Shinsei breathed a sigh of relief.
But before he could fully exhale, his headache started again.
How will I explain this when I get back?
If the people of Konoha knew he brought back a woman and two children, Tsunade would tear the roof off the Hokage's office.
On Ino and Hinata's side.
His temple throbbed at the thought. He couldn't dwell on this.
We need to go back first.
As he was pondering these matters, Kaguya suddenly stood up.
Her eyes suddenly turned white, veins bulged around her eye sockets, and her body was trembling.
" Kaguya?" Shinsei asked.
"They're here." Kaguya's voice was very soft, as if something was pressing down on it.
Shinsei could even ask "who," he felt an extremely heavy Chakra pressing down from the sky.
The concentration of Chakra far exceeded his expectations. He looked up.
Above the entrance to the cave in the Shikkotsu Forest, the sky seemed to be torn open by something.
Two meteors shot down from the sky, trailing long flames, and crashed into the earth one after the other.
Shinsei's Mangekyō activated rapidly, Issen lightning illuminated his body, and in the next moment, he appeared outside the cave, standing atop an extremely tall tree.
Two meteors fell straight into the center of the earth, and that location was very familiar to Shinsei —it was the very spot where the God Tree had once stood.
A Katsuyu over 3 meters tall appeared at the entrance of the cave. Upon seeing Shinsei, it hurriedly called out.
" Shinsei, they're here."
Shinsei landed on the ground with a big leap and nodded at the Katsuyu Sage.
"I know, Katsuyu Sage, do you have a way to conceal Kaguya and my children's presence?"
The Katsuyu Sage pointed downwards with its two tentacles.
"Of course, no problem. The Shikkotsu Forest can block outsiders' sight. Unless someone knows the exact location, it will be very difficult for others to find their way in."
A Taiseki was lifted from Shinsei's heart. When he settled Kaguya here, he envisioned Shikkotsu Forest as a sacred place that would still exist in later generations.
There must have been something unique about it, and it seems I was right after all.
"Then I'll trouble Katsuyu Sage to look after Kaguya for me. I'll go check on her."
The Katsuyu Sage tapped its antennae.
"No problem, Shinsei. But you should be careful too."
Shinsei dashed into the cave and pulled Kaguya into his arms.
"Don't be afraid, I'll go take a look."
Kaguya's body trembled slightly. She raised her head and looked at Shinsei with pitiful eyes.
"Can you not go? The children need you."
Shinsei forced a smile and patted Kaguya on the back.
"Don't be afraid, I'm strong now. Rest assured, they can't stop me. And I won't bring them back."
Kaguya glanced at the twins playing on the wooden bed.
"We can stay here indefinitely. Once the Natural Energy recovers, you can take me back to your timeline. You don't need to go out and risk your life."
Shinsei sighed. Kaguya's idea was good, but somewhat unrealistic.
How can you hide forever just by running away?
While Shikkotsu Forest can prevent outsiders from spying, it is no obstacle to the information gathering of the gods of Takamagahara.
If the Ōtsutsuki Clan could capture one or two gods from Takamagahara, they would naturally be able to find out where Kaguya might be hiding.
A single punch can ward off a hundred more.
To live a stable life, one must have the confidence and strength to do so.
Seeing Kaguya, Shinsei was still somewhat apprehensive. He raised his voice and reprimanded her sternly.
"Stop crying! You are a mother now. If you can't even stand firm in your beliefs, what will the children think?"
You stay here and I'll go meet them.
Don't forget, I have a comrade Madara Uchiha. When facing external enemies, she should always stand by my side.
Perhaps Shinsei's reprimand had an effect, because Kaguya stopped crying and reached out to help Shinsei straighten his clothes.
It's like helping your husband tidy his clothes before he leaves, waiting for his return.
The center of the earth, where the God Tree once stood.
Outside a huge pit, a strange-looking person stood at the edge of the pit.
The tall one squatted on the edge of the pit, his palms pressed against the charred mud.
His fingers were as thick as tree roots, and the skin on his knuckles was grayish-white and taut, as if wrapped in a layer of iron.
He squatted there, as if smelling something. Then he stood up, his height exceeding three meters.
A dark red giant axe hung from his waist, its handle wrapped in black cloth strips of indeterminate material.
He had a broad face, high cheekbones, and an old scar on his forehead that ran diagonally from his brow bone to the top of his head.
His eyes were pale purple, and the patterns in his pupils resembled ripples on water.
When he stood there Fudo, he looked like a mountain rising from the ground.
The shorter one was standing on the other side of the pit.
He was wearing a long robe and a strangely shaped hat with the brim pulled low.
He held a red fishing rod in his left hand, the line dangling into the pit, a red bead at the end gently swaying on the scorched earth.
His face looked much younger than the tall man's; his features could even be described as delicate, and he had a half-smile playing on his lips.
But his eyes were deeper than the shorter man's, and there was something unfathomable in his purple pupils.
Just standing there, his extremely oppressive posture was enough to send chills down one's spine.
"It's burned clean." The short man reeled in his fishing rod, the bead spinning on the line before he grasped it in his palm. "Even the roots are burned. This God Tree is ruined. It seems the Chakra Fruit hasn't ripened."
The tall man didn't say anything.
He bent down, grabbed a handful of scorched earth from the pit, smelled it, then threw the earth back down, stood up, and scanned his surroundings.
His gaze swept across the wasteland and landed on a distant valley covered with trees.
"Someone burned the God Tree." His voice was low, like stone grinding on stone. " Kaguya should know who it is. We should find this traitor."
The God Tree should also be punished for its incompetence.
"Of course she knew that these lowly beings could not possibly threaten him, the Ōtsutsuki."
Now that the tree has been burned, seize her, take her back, and present her to the ancestral god. Let the ancestral god judge her sins.
He squatted down and used the end of his fishing rod to poke at the pebbles around the edge of the pit.
The gravel rolled into the pit, making a soft, clattering sound.
"The question is, who burned the tree? Do the lowly gods on this planet have that ability? The God Tree is the seed of the Ōtsutsuki."
Ordinary flames cannot burn it. Only power of equal strength can burn it clean.
But where on this planet could one find power of the same level?
The tall man didn't respond.
He turned and walked towards the edge of the wasteland, his steps slow and firm.
His foot landed on the scorched earth, leaving a footprint twice as deep as anyone else's.
Urashiki followed behind him, his fishing rod twirling on his shoulder.
"Where are you going?" Urashiki asked.
"Find Kaguya."
Do you know where she is?
"I don't know, but I do know she's on this planet. It's not a big planet; find those low-level native gods, kill a few, and you'll naturally be able to get the information out of her..."
" Kinshiki, you're always in such a hurry. We just arrived, we haven't even seen what this planet looks like yet, and you're already rushing to find someone."
"We're here on business," Kinshiki said.
"Patience is needed to get things done. The people on this planet may look weak, but they were able to burn down the God Tree."
This means there's something here we don't know. Before looking for Kaguya, let's figure out what's here first.
Kinshiki paused. He glanced back at Urashiki. His gaze was calm, as still as a still pond.
Are you afraid?
"Scared?" Urashiki tilted his head. "I just don't want to be caught off guard. The fact that the God Tree was burned means that there are people on this planet who can fight against the Ōtsutsuki."
Who is that person? Where is he? How many are there? What is Kaguya's relationship with that person?
These things need to be clarified first.
Kinshiki was silent for a moment. Then he turned around and continued walking forward.
"Then let's search together. You search for your information, and I'll search for Kaguya."
Urashiki remained silent.
He followed, the fishing rod swaying gently on his shoulder.
The two walked one after the other across the wasteland, like two Giant Beast that had fallen from the sky, searching for prey that was hiding somewhere.
Takamagahara.
In the thick clouds.
Madara Uchiha stood on a cloud, holding a little girl in his arms.
He reached out and tightened his grip on the little girl's clothes. He lowered his head, Rinnegan swept rapidly across the land.
The seven Truth-Seeking Orb behind him floated closely around him.
The wind blew through his long hair, making his hedgehog-like black hair fall backward.
He didn't linger for long. He glanced around, confirmed the direction, and his body plummeted downwards.
He's been in Takamagahara for a while now.
Kushinadahime's whereabouts have been lost.
He reached the end of the road to Yomi-tsu, but there was nothing there. But he had no intention of leaving.
He knew that Kushinadahime had been here. She must have left something here.
He searched several temples, but they were empty. He searched Amaterasu's residence and Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto's cave.
Until he pushed open the door of a side hall.
The side hall was small and dusty, as if no one had been there for a long time.
But in the corner there was a straw mat, and on the straw mat lay a boy.
The boy was very small, wrapped in an old cloth, his eyes closed, his breathing steady.
His hair was black. The bridge of his nose, the shape of his brow bone, and the curve of his lips vaguely resembled a person.
Madara Uchiha.
Ban stood in the doorway, staring at the boy for a long time.
The boy rolled over, his little hand reaching out from under the cloth and grabbing at the air.
The next instant, Madara Uchiha appeared beside the child and placed his finger into the little boy's hand.
Seemingly sensing Madara Uchiha's presence, the little boy, with his eyes closed, managed a smile in his sleep.
Ban's gaze fell on the boy beside him. There was a note on the straw mat.
The note was small, with only a few words on it, written in hasty and messy handwriting.
"Take good care of Gen Uchiha."
Gen Uchiha.
Madara did not deny the name that Kushinadahime gave to her son.
He folded the note and tucked it into his sleeve, then went over and picked the boy up from the straw mat.
The boy was very light, Izumiya, probably because he hadn't been eating well these past few days.
Ban pulled him into his other arm. His daughter was on his left, and his son on his right.
He glanced down; both children's faces were turned toward him, like two tiny moons.
He turned and walked out of the side hall, then stopped.
The Rinnegan detected the movement on the distant horizon.
Two meteors fell from the sky, trailing long fiery tails, crashing one after the other into the center of the earth.
He recognized the landing spot; it was the location of the God Tree.
Madara squinted, muttering to himself in a soft voice, " The Ōtsutsuki?"
He didn't hesitate for long.
He turned and flew towards Ryūchi Cave. He needed to settle the two children first.
Everything Kushinadajihime did was in order to deal with the two Ōtsutsuki Clan.
He had to test just how powerful those two Ōtsutsuki were, that they could cause his child to lose the Uchiha's eyes.
Perfect timing, the Kekkei Mōra has also been established.
In the forest.
Kushinadahime turned her head away, no longer looking at the trail of flames left by the meteor as it fell into the earth.
Amaterasu stood ten steps behind her.
Kushinadahime spoke.
Her tone was calm, as if she were talking about something she already knew.
" The Ōtsutsuki have arrived."
Amaterasu remained silent.
Kushinadahime continued.
" Amaterasu, are you still going to stop me from obtaining Amenominaka's power?"
Amaterasu looked at her, her eyes gleaming with the crimson light of her Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
"What's the use of having that ability if you're not qualified?"
"Do you think that just because you've devoured a few gods and fused with several abilities, you're qualified to inherit Takamagahara?"
"If you believe you can save Takamagahara, then prove it with your own strength."
Not because of the arrival of foreign enemies, nor because of my pity.
Omoikane, now that things have come to this, I will not comment on your actions.
If you wish to inherit the spatial abilities of the God of the Amenominaka.
There is only one way.
Defeat me!