On their way back to the village, Hayato and Hamura were still discussing what Gamamaru had said.
"Although I don't know exactly what he meant, I really don't like nighttime."
Hayato looked puzzled at his younger brother who spoke these words.
"Brother doesn't feel that way? I always feel a bit uneasy at night."
"Uneasy..." Hayato repeated.
"It's not just me. Seems like a lot of people dislike going out after dark," Hamura continued. "Lord Father once said we shouldn't make decisions when we aren't clear-headed. Nighttime makes it easy for people to lose their way."
"Huh? Did Lord Father really say that?" Hayato scratched his head.
"That's because you don't care at all," Hamura said, shaking his head slightly.
"After all, worries should be forgotten as soon as possible..."
"That's not worry at all..."
"What are you two talking about..." A gentle pat on the shoulder interrupted him, followed by a familiar voice in his ear.
The two turned around and saw Hiroki entering their field of vision.
"Father Lord, you finally have time..." Hayato and Hamura said with some delight.
"I have time every day," Hiroki smiled.
Hayato gave a dismissive shrug. "But whenever we tried finding you and Mother Lady before, we could never catch you."
Hiroki couldn't help blushing slightly—thinking to himself that it was because their coldly beautiful mother was too clingy and had taken up all his time.
He cleared his throat a few times and straightened his face. "What were you two talking about just now? Were you arguing?"
Hayato and Hamura exchanged glances, then Hamura asked, "Father Lord, do you know where the God Tree comes from?"
Hiroki hesitated slightly before replying, "It appeared thousands of years ago. As for its origin..."
He paused, wondering whether he should tell them the truth right now.
Perhaps seeing his hesitation, Hamura pressed further, "Father Lord, why does the God Tree exist? Have you ever seen its true form?"
"Why are you suddenly so interested in knowing these things?" Hiroki countered with a question.
When did these two get so sharp all of a sudden...
"Hmm..." After a moment's thought, Hamura shifted his gaze to Hayato.
Hayato seemed to understand something. "Father Lord, do you mean you actually know about these things?"
Seeing that he remained silent, Hayato thought for a while longer before recounting today's experience. "Gamamaru, a strange frog we met... Father Lord, is the God Tree really different from what everyone says?"
"Why won't you speak, Father Lord? Could it be that there's something difficult to talk about?"
Looking toward the direction of the Temporary Palace, considering how dominant their mother had always been, Hamura asked carefully.
After a long pause, Hiroki let out a long sigh and finally spoke. "Though your mother is the most powerful woman, she's actually very fragile. There's something she has always feared deeply."
Both Hayato and Hamura wore confused expressions, eager to hear more.
Hiroki simply said, "Hayato, Hamura, let's do this—you take me to see Gamamaru, and I can tell you everything about the God Tree."
The two brothers fell into contemplation.
"Before nightfall," he added finally.
Why emphasize "before nightfall"?
Thinking back to Gamamaru's earlier implications, Hayato and Hamura instantly realized that Father must be the one who knew the truth, just as Gamamaru had hinted.
Their eyes met briefly, and both gave slight nods to each other.
"Fine," they accepted Hiroki's suggestion.
Since Gamamaru hadn't mentioned where they would meet again, the two took Hiroki to the place where he had appeared before.
Unfortunately, they waited a long time without seeing any sign of Gamamaru.
As dusk slowly fell, Hiroki guided the two back toward their dwelling.
"It looks like we came up empty today," he said.
"He should appear again in a few days," Hamura replied.
"As for the matter of the God Tree..." Hayato couldn't help but ask eagerly.
"We'll talk about it tomorrow," Hiroki said without turning his head, continuing forward.
By the time they returned home, evening had already arrived, casting a faint reddish glow across the world.
Hayato didn't go to his room. Instead, he stood in the courtyard, gazing up at the sky.
He wanted to feel what Hamura had described—the fluttering anxiety in his chest.
Hamura stayed close beside him.
Kaguya walked past the two with an icy, indifferent expression.
"Mother," Hayato and Hamura respectfully lowered their heads, calling out to her without daring to meet her gaze.
Only after Kaguya had completely left did both finally exhale in relief.
"Can such a noble mother truly fear anything?" Hayato suddenly murmured aloud, almost to himself.
"I wonder how Mother and Father interact. Perhaps only Father truly understands what she thinks," Hamura mused aloud too.
"It's just unfortunate that Mother tells us nothing at all," Hayato sighed softly.
Hamura: "Maybe she feels we can't help her?"
...
Inside Hiroki's room.
Kaguya pulled out something resembling a scroll, spreading it open in front of Hiroki. Dense rows of writing were recorded on it.
"Hei, is this what you were looking for?"
"What is it?" Hiroki quickly skimmed through it but couldn't make sense of its meaning.
"It concerns the lineage and succession of the Miko priestesses."
Hiroki remained silent for a moment, unsure why she had handed this over.
Although he doubted its usefulness, he still accepted it out of appreciation for Kaguya's intentions, then changed the subject.
"Yue, how do you intend to deal with this planet? Will things continue like this forever?"
Without hesitation, Kaguya answered, "We will siphon every last drop of this planet's energy—and then we'll leave."
A sudden silence fell. Kaguya tightened her grip on Hiroki's hand and emphasized once more: "Together."
One night passed.
The next morning, before Kaguya had even woken up, Hiroki was already dressed and stepped outside.
Hayato and Hamura had also risen early, waiting for him outside.
Ever since encountering Gamamaru—the enigmatic riddler—yesterday, they had been filled with questions.
"Follow me."
Hiroki hadn't forgotten his promise from yesterday. He led the two to the area near the God Tree.
"Wow, it really is huge!" They exclaimed one after the other.
Looking down from atop the hill toward the God Tree, many pod-like objects hung beneath its roots.
The sight was breathtaking.
Before this colossal tree, the three of them seemed especially tiny.
"Never thought there would be so many," Hiroki thought grimly.
"What is this?" Hayato and Hamura asked in surprise.
[Byakugan].
Hamura activated his Byakugan to inspect. Suddenly, his expression changed dramatically—he dashed forward immediately.
The three rushed into the passage at the base of the God Tree.
With veins bulging near his eyes, Hamura's gaze gradually turned grim.
The ground was densely covered with cocoon-like objects wrapped tightly in wooden strips, shaped like pillars.
Could these be people?
Uncertain, Hamura took out a small knife, intending to slit open one of the cocoons.
"What are you doing?" Seeing his action, Hayato asked.
"Brother, bring those cocoons over quickly."
Hayato raised his hand, sending forth several Wind Blades. The wooden strips wrapping around one cocoon shattered, revealing an unfamiliar man with closed eyes.
The clothing on the man looked similar to what the other villagers wore.
Both stunned, Hayato and Hamura rushed to tear open more cocoons.
As more bodies emerged before their eyes, they began recognizing many familiar faces. Their moods grew increasingly solemn; grief and fury clearly evident on their faces.
"They're already dead," Hamura said after a long pause.
"This is the truth of the God Tree—this is the fate of those who were offered?" Hayato turned his head and looked at Hiroki, whose expression had remained unchanged all along.
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