"Yes... and no."
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo understood well the meaning behind Imu's cryptic phrase—"I am both Imu, and not Imu."
And that made him all the more cautious.
"I did come because I sensed the abnormality surrounding Ryūchidō. I also hope that you'll leave it at that—refrain from targeting Shikkotsurin and Mount Myōboku. As for Ryūchidō, let it be the Shinobi World's gift to you."
Imu was speechless.
He had indeed been considering seizing Mount Myōboku and Shikkotsurin as well, and fusing them with Ryūchidō to further expand his pocket dimension.
But now, it seemed that wasn't an option—at least, not for the time being.
Though Hagoromo's words were polite, the resolve behind them was unmistakable.
Imu could roughly guess why. It was most likely that Hagoromo's superior—namely, the underworld will of the Shinobi World—had been angered.
That will had sent Hagoromo to intervene, and perhaps even intended to demand the return of Ryūchidō.
Such underworld wills rarely manifested self-awareness.
But they couldn't be considered inanimate, either.
At the very least, when their foundations were disturbed, they would react—and often through their chosen ruler of the underworld.
And it wasn't just the will of the underworld.
To the planetary will itself, the loss of that subspace—while not catastrophic—was still a loss. Normally, there should have been some sort of reaction.
Yet judging by the current situation, the world will of this Shinobi World had either been powerless to intervene… or had tacitly accepted it.
Based on what the Dragon Vein Spirit had revealed, and considering the Shinobi World's historical events, it was likely the former.
After all, the damage caused by the God Tree to this planet had been no small matter.
Any ordinary world would've been reduced to a dead husk after a single draining.
Only this Shinobi World had somehow managed to survive, though not unscathed—it was left with the massive scar that became the Land of Wind.
Still, Imu was certain the world will—what some called "Gaia"—had suffered greatly from it.
Back to Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo.
It was clear he had defied part of the underworld will's demands by allowing Imu to take Ryūchidō.
As for why… perhaps out of caution, or maybe he had some other motive?
"A gift?"
"Yes. Had you not intervened earlier to repel that unknown, powerful demon—and shut the Gate of the Underworld—the Shinobi World would not have regained its current peace."
Hagoromo's words sounded genuinely sincere.
From his perspective, Ryūchidō was already lost. Trying to reclaim it by force would only worsen relations—better to present it as a goodwill offering.
As for the underworld will? There was little to worry about. It didn't exactly have a backup candidate for the role of underworld sovereign.
And even if one existed, he could simply ensure their elimination. Just like with the Great Tengu Sage in the past—hadn't that one also ended up as nothing more than a divine artifact in his hands?
"Very well. I shall accept Ryūchidō as your gift. Now—what is it that you seek in return?"
Imu had no intention of provoking a conflict at this point.
Sure enough, upon hearing his response, a more amicable smile appeared on Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's face.
The Sage of Six Paths of this Shinobi World found that Imu wasn't particularly difficult to communicate with.
"I do have a request," Hagoromo said. "I hope to obtain your assistance."
"Speak."
Imu lifted his gaze slightly, his expression calm as he looked at him.
"I wish for the World Government to permit people from other worlds—including those from the Starfish World—to travel freely to the Shinobi World, to reside here freely, to marry freely with the people of this world, and to freely choose to train in ninjutsu."
And what was his goal?
It was simple: to increase the population of the Shinobi World, to increase the number of people capable of training in chakra, thereby accelerating the rate at which the Gedo Statue on the moon accumulated chakra.
Imu, however, frowned slightly.
To be honest, he didn't want too many people from the Starfish World possessing the potential to train in chakra.
He had already acknowledged that chakra bloodlines were heritable.
At first glance, giving them another option for training might seem like a good thing.
But in reality, it would forever place a looming dark cloud above their heads—a cloud named "Ōtsutsuki God."
Even if that cloud floated at an unreachable height, beyond the vision of most in their lifetime—
It would still be there, ready to erupt without warning.
"The Starfish is off limits."
Imu rejected Hagoromo's request without hesitation.
He was willing to allow a small number of elites from the Starfish World to train in chakra—but not on a large scale.
Even the shinobi from Umigakure would be strictly regulated in this regard.
Their children would need to be registered and returned to live in the Shinobi World.
Shinobi World natives not affiliated with Umigakure were strictly prohibited from entering the Starfish without permission.
"May I ask why?"
The smile on Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's face froze.
He truly hadn't expected Imu to reject this request.
After all, in his eyes, this proposal was beneficial to both sides and held no drawbacks.
With large-scale intermarriage and reproduction between the two races, Starfish natives would gain the ability to train in chakra, while people from the shinobi world would acquire stronger physiques.
So what was the problem?
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo genuinely couldn't understand.
Naturally, Imu noticed the expression on his face and inwardly sighed.
This Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo was born in the shinobi world, which meant his understanding of Ōtsutsuki civilization was far inferior to that of someone like him, a transmigrant.
"Would you be willing to accompany me to another world?"
Though puzzled by the seemingly irrelevant question, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo had no choice but to consider it seriously.
In the end, he gave his answer—yes, he was willing.
Although it involved no small amount of risk, his sharp sixth sense urged him that this was something he should accept.
The shinobi world had already joined the World Government, and this avatar of Lord Imu didn't seem to have any reason to harm him.
Besides, he wasn't weak either.
Seeing this, Imu nodded in satisfaction, then offered a simple reminder: "Do not resist."
As soon as those words were spoken—before Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo could respond—a cluster of blue light burst forth.
The next instant, the two figures vanished from the sky without a trace.
Not long after—
Imu and Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo appeared simultaneously above the sea of clouds in the Teigu World.
The environment here looked much the same as the shinobi world had.
While marveling at Imu's spatial abilities, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo also curiously examined the sky of this foreign world.
Then he saw Imu casually conjure an air gate in front of them, and once again bring him through instant teleportation into the space within that "gate."
This was a domain filled with green on all sides, and one could still see the outside world through its boundaries.
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo immediately understood—this must be an inner space running parallel to the external world.
But his attention was quickly drawn away by the sight in the distance: a white ship floating in midair, suspended within the void—so vast that his Rinnegan couldn't help but fixate on it.
Just how shocking was it to see a ship many times larger than the entire Pure Land Shinobi Sect?
But before Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo could take a better look—
His vision blurred once more, and he found himself standing inside a spacious great hall.
Beneath his feet lay a red carpet. Before him rose a grand three-tiered platform, and at its peak sat a golden-red, spire-shaped throne—upon which Imu now sat, though Hagoromo hadn't even noticed when he'd moved there.
Sigh... Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo couldn't help but feel helpless.
This Lord Imu really does enjoy looking down on others.
Can't we speak standing—or sitting—on equal ground?
Still, he raised no objections.
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo was far more concerned with the content of the conversation to come.
He had the distinct feeling that Imu had brought him out of the shinobi world for a very specific reason.
"Now, I shall tell you what the Ōtsutsuki civilization truly is... and what it means to be an Ōtsutsuki God."
At that moment, Imu, seated upon the Empty Throne, finally spoke.
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo immediately straightened up, but deep down, he was utterly stunned.
Ōtsutsuki God?
With each sentence that followed, Hagoromo's mouth and eyes widened further and further.
He was truly dumbfounded—genuinely shaken.
At last, he understood why his mother had feared the Ōtsutsuki clan from beyond their world so intensely back then—so much so that she didn't hesitate to transform large numbers of her people into White Zetsu.
Because what those members of the Ōtsutsuki clan wanted was not only the life of his traitorous mother...
They wanted the life of the entire shinobi planet.
And that so-called Ōtsutsuki God—just the thought of it was enough to leave Hagoromo gasping for air.
Now he also understood why Imu had brought him away from the shinobi world before saying any of this.
That Ōtsutsuki God—likely a transcendent being—might have already become a presence that pervaded every corner of the shinobi universe.
If one were to speak of such matters within the shinobi world, it was possible the being would become aware of it—might even hear it.
No one could say for sure whether that possibility was large or small, but avoiding it altogether was undoubtedly the wisest course.
And yet Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo suddenly felt overwhelmed by despair.
Forget the fact that he hadn't consumed even a single Chakra Fruit—what difference would it make even if he had eaten one like his mother?
According to Lord Imu, the Ōtsutsuki civilization must contain individuals who had consumed several, dozens, even hundreds of fruits.
Because every Ōtsutsuki sent out to plant Divine Trees on distant worlds would always bring back the fruits to the Ōtsutsuki homeworld, handing them over to the higher ranks of the clan.
It was through thousands of years of devouring untold numbers of fruits and destroying countless planets that the one known as Ōtsutsuki Shibai evolved into the Ōtsutsuki God.
And yet their mother, who had eaten only a single fruit, had forced the two brothers into a battle that lasted months—shattering even the original Land of Water's continent—before they barely managed to seal her.
Then how were they supposed to fight against the entirety of the Ōtsutsuki civilization?
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's hands began to tremble ever so slightly.
At the same time—
Imu's voice drifted down from above once more, like mist.
"You are radiating the scent of fear and despair."
"And what if I told you," Imu said, "that even the Ōtsutsuki God is far from the highest existence across the myriad worlds—would you then lose even the courage to raise your eyes to the stars?"
Standing below on the red carpet, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo looked up at Imu in disbelief.
"If that's the case, then I am truly disappointed," Imu continued. "I had hoped you would be like me—possessing the will to challenge those stronger than yourself. After all, weren't you the one who defied Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, knowing full well you could not win?"
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo clenched his fists tightly and sighed.
"But the gap is far too vast. I simply can't see any hope."
With his chin resting lightly in his hand, Imu asked casually, "Then tell me—what you see right now, is that not hope?"
"..."
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo was left speechless.
Was this Lord Imu hope? Was the World Government hope?
His Rinnegan eyes seemed to regain their light in that moment.
Yes. This Lord Imu was hope.
And the World Government, with its control over the Dimensional Gate, was hope.
"What should I do? Please guide me, Lord Imu!"
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo asked at once in a respectful voice—his demeanor had shifted dramatically.
"Become the new Ōtsutsuki God. The second Ōtsutsuki God. And in the end—become the one and only Ōtsutsuki God."
Imu gave his answer—one that struck deep into Hagoromo's soul.
The hall suddenly fell into utter silence.
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo bowed his head, struggling to process it all, working to calm the storm raging in his heart.
A long time passed.
Then, he slowly raised his head again.
Looking up at Imu seated on the empty throne, he declared with unshakable resolve: "I want to become the new Ōtsutsuki God. I humbly ask for your guidance!"
"Very well."
"Make a Pact of Truth with me—and I shall reveal the path, and do everything in my power to assist you."
Imu raised his left hand.
From the back of his hand, the pattern of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life burst forth in radiant white light.
A Pact of Truth—founded on the principle of equivalent exchange!
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