The fruit produced by this Ten-Tails had already been consumed by Otsutsuki Kaguya.
The reason it reverted to the form of the Divine Tree was that Kaguya's body and chakra had been separated and sealed by her two sons.
The current Ten-Tails before them was no longer a pure Ten-Tails—the Divine Tree and Otsutsuki Kaguya had already merged into one entity.
Makoto paid no attention to the will emanating from the Ten-Tails and instead continued to absorb the chakra within its body.
His own body, which had been in a state of evolution, did not stop its transformation but maintained the form of a crawling creature.
It was only when Makoto felt it was enough that he finally stopped, leaving the Ten-Tails with just enough power to maintain its current form, preventing it from reverting to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Afterward, Makoto set up a barrier technique around the area and activated the power of the golden Tenseigan on the Moon to bind the Ten-Tails in place.
Although the Ten-Tails was now extremely weak, its body remained incomparably massive, far surpassing ordinary mountains.
One would need to stand at an extremely high vantage point to take in its full form.
Makoto then used space-time power to leave the area, reappearing about ten minutes later with a physical body in tow.
It was a body identical to those used by Hokage Tsunade and Hokage Shizune.
Created long ago, it had been stored in the biological research institute as a contingency for emergencies.
At that moment, the evolution of the Ten-Tails resumed.
Once a mere crawling creature, it had now grown four limbs, and its head had taken on a more defined, biological form.
However, the protrusion on its back remained, as if it were carrying a massive tree stump.
The Ten-Tails was now in immense pain, possibly due to the extreme depletion of chakra within its body.
It had taken on the appearance of a withered, skeletal monster.
Now in this weakened state, Makoto could clearly sense that its evolution had come to a halt.
It was likely because there wasn't enough chakra to sustain further development.
Without hesitation, Makoto decided not to wait any longer and immediately performed a sealing technique, intending to seal the Ten-Tails into the body he had brought.
The Ten-Tails suddenly let out a sorrowful wail, its massive body writhing violently, disturbing the very fabric of the space around them.
Its agonized roars alone stirred up fierce gales.
But it was a futile struggle.
Under Makoto's overwhelming power, the Ten-Tails was unable to mount any effective resistance.
Its cries grew increasingly shrill before its colossal form rapidly shrank, surging madly toward the lifeless body floating beside Makoto.
A layer of pale white cocoon-like material swiftly formed around the body, obscuring the view of what was happening inside.
Placing his hand on the outer shell, Makoto could still sense the turmoil within.
Even with its remaining strength greatly diminished, the Ten-Tails' power remained restless inside the body.
Since this vessel was merely an empty shell without a soul, it was unable to suppress the chakra within it.
The only reason the Ten-Tails could even enter was due to Makoto's control.
Seeing no other choice, Makoto reinforced the cocoon with multiple layers of sealing techniques to prevent any unforeseen incidents.
With everything in place, he brought the white cocoon back to Konoha and placed it within the Biological Research Institute.
"Your Majesty, what is this?" Kabuto asked in surprise upon seeing the cocoon.
He took out a uniquely designed pair of glasses, put them on, and carefully examined the strange object.
"A fusion of the chakra from all nine tailed beasts, though it's incomplete," Makoto explained simply.
"For now, it shouldn't be able to awaken."
Kabuto nodded slightly, then asked, "Your Majesty, do you intend to wake it up?"
Makoto pondered for a moment before replying, "I originally planned to use it as something similar to a Tailed Beast Core, but the chakra it contains is far too immense, far exceeding that of an ordinary Tailed Beast. Even in its current state, after I have extracted more than half of its chakra, the empire's technology is still incapable of restraining it, nor can it be used as an energy source."
Kabuto carefully considered the meaning behind Makoto's words.
Was he implying that this thing was somewhat impractical?
It was certainly powerful enough, but at the moment, it couldn't be put to use.
For now, the Ten-Tails' cocoon was placed within the research institute.
There was nothing more to be done at the moment, so the matter was temporarily set aside.
.............
The Imperial Palace, in the attic of the front hall.
Still dressed in the Akatsuki's signature black robe with red cloud patterns, Konan arrived at this place.
She had come seeking the sage who had brought her to this world, but instead, she found a cold yet stunningly beautiful blonde woman.
Her figure was… almost exaggeratedly good.
"You are… Miss Konan?" Samui was surprised to see her.
"Do you need something?" she asked.
Konan was silent for a moment before replying, "I am not the Konan you know."
Samui was taken aback.
"I'm here to see His Majesty, the Emperor," Konan continued.
From Yahiko and the others, she had already learned some things about this place.
Samui said, "His Majesty is not here at the moment, and I don't know when he'll return."
Konan simply responded, "I can wait…"
Samui gazed at this Konan, whose demeanor was completely different from the one she knew.
Narrowing her eyes slightly, she asked, "You're not from this world, are you?"
Konan froze for a moment before nodding.
Samui introduced herself, "I am His Majesty's secretary. Just call me Samui."
"…Nice to meet you."
After a brief moment of thought, Samui said, "You can wait on the sofa. I have work to do, so I won't be entertaining you."
Konan nodded and took a seat on the sofa.
She had spoken with Yahiko and the others for quite some time, but their conversations mostly revolved around sharing their respective stories.
Even after all that, she wasn't sure what else to say.
Should she tell him that she had spent all these years missing him?
But here, Yahiko already had another version of herself by his side.
Would he even understand her feelings?
And why should he have to?
Konan felt lost.
She had finally gotten her wish and met Yahiko again, but it seemed like there was no place for her in his life anymore.
She could tell that the Konan of this world and Yahiko shared a deep bond.
That brought her comfort, yet also left her feeling incredibly desolate.
Back in her world, after Nagato's death, she had hoped to find a new home here.
But perhaps this place wasn't the right place for her after all.
Her sudden appearance might only disrupt the peaceful life that Yahiko and the others had built.
Konan didn't want that.
She had already endured too much suffering—enduring a little more wouldn't matter.
The only thing she truly couldn't bear was causing even the slightest disturbance in Yahiko's happiness.
She sat quietly on the sofa, her gaze fixed on the wall opposite her, lost in thought for a long time.
Until a sudden knock at the door broke her trance, pulling her back to reality.
Before she could react, Samui calmly said, "It's not His Majesty. If it were, he wouldn't bother knocking."
Then she raised her voice and said, "Come in."
The door opened, and a little girl with white eyes stepped inside.
A smile appeared on Samui's face. "Princess Hinata."
Hinata had also been smiling, but upon noticing a stranger in the room, she quickly composed herself.
She turned to Samui and asked, "Are you busy?"
Samui explained, "Miss Konan is waiting for His Majesty."
Hearing this, Konan glanced at Hinata, pondering over Samui's words.
She had referred to this little girl as "Princess."
Could she be the daughter of the Sage Emperor?
Hinata then asked, "Where's my father?"
Samui shook her head. "I don't know where His Majesty has gone."
Hinata looked at Konan again, then simply shrugged. "Alright, I'll come back tomorrow."
"Goodbye, Princess Hinata," Samui said without pressing her to stay, as she had work to do herself.
As Hinata turned and left, Samui took the initiative to explain to Konan, "That was His Majesty's daughter, Hyuga Hinata, the princess of the empire."
Konan didn't seem particularly interested, only nodding slightly in response.
She remained in the attic for a long time.
At one point, when Samui got up to pour herself some water, she also poured a cup of tea for Konan and even brought over two books to keep her entertained.
"Thank you," Konan said softly.
"You're welcome," Samui replied with a faint smile, holding her teacup in one hand.
Perhaps from sitting for too long, she stood by her desk, leaning against its edge.
Konan silently traced the rim of her cup with her fingers.
"You're very beautiful," Samui suddenly said.
"…"
Konan was taken aback.
After a brief hesitation, she replied, "Thank you. You're even more beautiful than me."
That was her honest opinion.
The sight of Samui had truly amazed her—the last time she had seen such a stunning woman was Tsunade.
Samui continued, "His Majesty will like you very much."
That statement caught Konan completely off guard.
She quickly responded, "You misunderstand. There is nothing between me and His Majesty."
Samui simply smiled. "Then let's just say I misunderstood."
However, in her mind, she had already made her judgment—this woman wasn't quite at that stage yet, but it wouldn't be long.
His Majesty was never one to hesitate when it came to such matters.
Time passed unnoticed, and Konan didn't bother checking the clock.
Time no longer held much meaning for her.
However, as the sunlight outside turned a golden hue, she finally saw Hyuga Makoto.
Just as Samui had said, Makoto didn't knock when he entered.
Unlike the officials who came to report their work, he walked straight in.
"Your Majesty," Samui rose and bowed.
Konan quickly stood up as well.
After a moment of hesitation, she addressed him, "Your Majesty, the Emperor."
Makoto gave a slight nod.
His gaze toward Konan held no surprise as he simply said, "Come with me."
With that, he turned and walked toward the adjoining lounge.
Inside the lounge, Makoto sat down in a chair and got straight to the point.
"What do you need from me?"
Konan hesitated before slowly asking, "Can you… send me back? Back to my original world."
Makoto, however, responded with a question of his own. "What do you want to go back for?"
"That world no longer holds anything you care about, does it? Are you planning to go back just to grow old alone in solitude?"
Konan lowered her gaze and said, "Staying in this world holds no meaning for me either."
Makoto glanced at her sideways. "At the very least, this world is better than the one you came from, isn't it? No wars, no hatred, no slaughter—this is a stable world where you could start over at any time."
"..."
"The Nagato from that world, even in his dying moments, used his last breath to curse me. Do you think he would have wanted this to be your fate?"
"..."
Seeing Konan still lost in confusion, Makoto suddenly let out a cold laugh and said, "How about this—I'll kill the Konan of this world, and you can take her place?"
Konan was momentarily stunned before she snapped out of it in shock. "No! You can't!"
How could such a thing even be considered?
She did want to be with Yahiko again, and she did feel like there was no place for her in his life here, but she had never once thought of replacing the Konan of this world.
Makoto scoffed. "Then what are you hesitating for?"
Konan stood there in silence.
Yes, what was she hesitating for?
She had already been given such a rare opportunity—so why was she trying to run away from it?
She asked herself this in her heart.
She could see Yahiko and Nagato again, even if only as an observer.
Wasn't that still a better life than the one she had left behind?
Makoto looked at the cold and reserved woman in front of him.
With a slight movement of his fingers, the buttons on her cloak unfastened on their own.
"Let go of your past. The Konan of this world started anew from the moment she avoided all that tragedy. That cloak holds no meaning for you anymore. From now on, you'll begin again in this world. Samui will take care of everything for you."
The red cloud-patterned cloak of the Akatsuki slipped off Konan's shoulders, revealing the sleeveless, zip-up backless top and light-colored, form-fitting pants underneath—her figure was unexpectedly stunning.
But what surprised Makoto even more was that, aside from the lip piercing, she also had a navel piercing…
At first, Konan thought nothing of it, assuming he was simply guiding her to move forward.
But when she noticed Makoto's gaze lingering on her abdomen after she had removed the cloak, she suddenly became aware of what he was staring at, and her expression grew slightly unnatural.
"…I understand now. Thank you," she said earnestly to Makoto.
Makoto's gaze was difficult to read as he sat with his legs crossed, resting one hand against his cheek while watching her.
"Samui," he called out.
Before long, Samui pushed open the door and stepped inside.
"Your Majesty."
"Find her a place to stay," Makoto instructed.
"Yes."
Then, Makoto suddenly turned to Konan and asked, "Where do you want to live?"
Konan was momentarily taken aback. "I… anywhere is fine."
Makoto said, "I'm asking if you want to be close to this world's version of yourself or further away."
"..."
Konan gave it serious thought before lowering her gaze. "If possible, somewhere further away."
She felt that constantly appearing in their lives wouldn't be appropriate.
Makoto then said to Samui, "Let her stay at Hancock's place. With Robin around, there won't be any issues, and she'll have someone looking after her."
"Yes."
With that, Samui led Konan away.
As they left the palace, Konan was still lost in her thoughts and didn't immediately realize how revealing her outfit was.
Along the way, Samui suddenly spoke. "Miss Konan, you surprised me in some ways."
Konan was puzzled by her words, but then she noticed Samui glancing at her abdomen, making her feel slightly awkward.
Her backless crop top had a front slit that exposed her navel, revealing the piercing she wore there.
She recalled how the emperor had also stared at it earlier.
Thinking about how she had left her Akatsuki cloak behind in that room, she hesitated before saying, "My cloak…"
"I'll bring it to you later."
"Then… I'll have to trouble you, Miss Samui."
"No trouble at all. We'll be seeing each other often. Your new place is close to mine, so if you ever need anything, you can come to me."
Konan felt that, despite Samui's cool and detached exterior, she was actually quite warm-hearted—even though she was younger than herself.
"Oh, and you'll have three housemates. They're all close to His Majesty, so try to get along with them," Samui added.
"I understand," Konan replied, though she couldn't help but wonder what exactly it meant to be "close to His Majesty."
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