Let's shift scenes.
The sun burned high in the sky.
Endless stretches of mountains and forests sprawled out, thick with greenery. The air was fresh and rich with life.
On the ground where light and shadow danced together, strange glowing patterns suddenly flickered into existence, forming an eerie diagram. A figure materialized within the forest.
Almost instantly, sharp bird calls echoed through the trees. Leaves rustled violently as birds took flight in flocks, ascending toward the heavens.
Hiroki brushed a few leaves from his head and glanced around. He didn't sense anyone approaching.
He pulled a kunai from his ninja tool pouch, drew a strange symbol on the ground, then planted the kunai upright in the earth as a marker.
After completing these actions, he chose a random direction and began walking forward.
This place seemed like untouched wilderness—no signs of civilization, only gatherings of wild birds and beasts.
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The birds that had scattered in panic had already flown far away, leaving the area much quieter.
After confirming there were no nearby threats, Hiroki sat beneath a massive tree, leaning against its trunk as he activated his ability to search for Minato Namikaze.
As long as he could confirm Minato's existence, he could then use the Spirit Transformation Technique…
"Sigh…"
A moment later, he let out a soft sigh, wearing a troubled expression.
"Still nothing. Where exactly did he go?"
"Could it really be that the Dragon Vein connects multiple worlds?"
"Or perhaps Mount Myoboku created something protective that shields him from spiritual disturbances?"
"For now, the most important thing is to first determine exactly where this place is."
Unable to contact Kaguya or White Zetsu in this unfamiliar land—and unsure about using Summoning Jutsu—he didn't know how dangerous this place might be. Thus, he moved forward cautiously, conserving his chakra while slowly searching for the forest's exit.
Once he emerged from the forest and crossed over the mountains, Hiroki saw a vast plain stretching before him.
As he walked further, the smoke rising from distant cooking fires became more visible, and the atmosphere grew livelier.
A low fence enclosed rows of wooden huts, their roofs covered with yellow straw.
Beyond the fence, fields were neatly divided into plots.
"These houses look pretty crude."
Soon after, several men with unusual hairstyles returned from working in the distant fields, carrying tools in their hands.
Using Body Replacement Technique, Hiroki appeared silently behind one man at the end of the group, implanting a Spiritual Sphere inside him to read his thoughts.
After a long pause, his expression grew complex—"Land of the Forefathers… strange giant tree…"
Never would he have thought that this was actually a world from a thousand years ago.
But according to Kaguya's memories, she should have no recollection of his presence.
Otherwise, considering how strikingly blue his eyes were, Kaguya definitely wouldn't have forgotten him.
This strange giant tree could only be the God Tree.
With no immediate leads, he exhaled slightly and headed toward the location of the God Tree based on the man's memory.
Regarding the God Tree, the Land of the Forefathers carried a chilling legend—anyone who dared approach it would find their very soul essence drained away.
The closer he got to where the God Tree loomed, the stronger Hiroki felt an invisible force trying to pull him toward it.
He stopped walking and temporarily gave up his urge to explore further.
Time passed slowly. The sun set, night arrived, and the moon should have risen.
No… there was no moon at all.
Looking up, Hiroki saw a sky filled with stars, the Milky Way stretching across the heavens, countless stars glittering beautifully, dazzling and mesmerizing.
Yet strangely absent was that silver shining moon.
"Has Kaguya not arrived yet in this era?" Hiroki muttered to himself.
From the memories of that man earlier, the Land of the Forefathers, the Land Beyond, and other countries still existed, frequently clashing with each other...
Indeed, there was no sign of a woman descending from the heavens yet.
The ruler of the Land of the Forefathers was known as the Tianzi, or Emperor.
In the past Kaguya had shared with him, she didn't even remember the names of kings from those lands.
After consuming the fruit born from the God Tree, she activated the Infinite Tsukuyomi, suspending all humanity on the tree, then released part of the humans to continue reproducing while turning the rest into White Zetsu.
A thousand years was more than enough time for everything to change.
Even small actions could create massive impacts upon the future.
Hiroki built a simple wooden hut in a place unaffected by the God Tree.
In the days that followed, he began exploring this world.
Back in the Ninja World, he had a general sense of where things were.
But now, all that geographical knowledge became useless.
Because he discovered that the layout of the continents was vastly different from what he remembered.
From what he remembered, aside from places like the Land of Fire and a few island nations that stayed lush, most regions—like the Lands of Earth, Wind, and Lightning—used to be pretty barren.
Each country had obvious characteristics.
Their names reflected the unique geographic features of the land.
For example, the Land of Iron had rich iron ore reserves... the Snow Country was covered in snow and ice, and the Bird Country had a warm climate suitable for migratory birds, and so on.
Yet in this era, most regions were lush with plants, mountains, rivers—teeming with vitality.
Areas already developed by humans for living and farming barely accounted for a quarter of the entire world.
As for beings like Moryo and Satori, there was practically nothing to be found.
"Could I have come too early?" Hiroki sighed as he took a deep breath of fresh air. "No wonder Gamamaru insisted on fighting Kaguya tooth and nail. The ninja world a thousand years later truly couldn't match the vitality of this era. This world is clearly declining."
He made up his mind—if he found nothing over the next two months, he would return to the Dragon Vein to study the laws of time travel thoroughly, whether it was ordered or completely random.
Thinking about it, he couldn't help feeling uneasy. If he traveled again through time, would he end up back at the very beginning?
That evening, Hiroki took out a stone pot and cooked soup outside his wooden hut.
High above the Ninja World, a man and a woman dressed in white robes hovered in midair.
"Just a little more, Kaguya, go now. This is your destiny."
The man speaking had pale skin and a single long curved horn growing from the center of his head — Isshiki Otsutsuki.
Isshiki's expression remained cold as his eyes locked onto the colossal tree below, not even glancing at Kaguya Otsutsuki standing behind him.
Kaguya Otsutsuki, the white-haired woman with twin horns atop her head, remained silent, sorrow and hatred briefly flashing across her brows.
When the Otsutsuki invaded a planet, they always operated in pairs — one Guardian and one Protected.
They would plant a young Ten-Tails into the land, and the lower-ranked "Guardian" member of the Otsutsuki would serve as a "living sacrifice"—devoured by the Ten-Tails to cause it to rapidly grow into a God Tree, then left to await the day it would bloom and bear fruit.
The Otsutsuki Clan itself existed beyond life and death, capable of reincarnation through use of the Kāma.
Difficult to reproduce naturally, this became how they ensured the continuation of their bloodline.
In other words, Isshiki Otsutsuki could have easily helped Kaguya find a suitable living vessel first, allowing her to transfer her physical essence into it.
Later, he could then use her original body as nourishment for the God Tree.
And she could eventually resurrect herself after countless years.
But sadly, as the higher-ranking Protected, he felt no pity for Guardians treated as disposable resources. Even if Isshiki had considered such an option, he would have still looked down upon doing it.
To him, Guardians should willingly accept death without hesitation.
Now was the time for Kaguya to fulfill her value.
At that moment, a flood of memories surged through her mind — sparking a sudden realization.
If death was inevitable and there was no future ahead, why not risk everything?
Filled with fury, she launched a surprise attack against the arrogant and completely unguarded Isshiki Otsutsuki.
"Hmm? Could that be...a falling star?"
A certain star appeared much brighter than before, rapidly descending toward them. Hiroki looked up and murmured in confusion.
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