Hayato had more or less understood what they were talking about. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
Before he could speak, Hiroki asked first, "How did you do that just now? All the jutsu I launched went completely off my control."
"Every grass and tree on Mount Myoboku is under my control," Gamamaru replied casually.
Of course, this claim carried a certain amount of exaggeration. He had only set up numerous small mechanisms and auxiliary formations throughout Mount Myoboku, which could provide assistance when necessary.
Years of accumulation had made Mount Myoboku as solid as a fortress. Although he couldn't claim invincibility here, it wouldn't be easy for outsiders to eliminate him either.
Actually, it was precisely because he had dreamed of fighting Hiroki that Gamamaru invited him to come in with Hayato.
Gamamaru believed in the power of his visions.
Secondly, he felt confident enough to protect himself within Mount Myoboku.
Hiroki wasn't sure whether Gamamaru was overstating, but upon hearing those words, a storm of thoughts raged in his mind.
He couldn't stop himself from thinking about the dimensions linked by Kaguya's [Amenominaka].
In those places, Kaguya was practically omnipotent.
Has Gamamaru reached that level too?
Is Mount Myoboku actually created by him, hence granting him unlimited authority?
That can't be true!
A storm of thoughts raged in Hiroki's mind. Glancing sideways at Hayato standing beside Gamamaru, he couldn't help sighing slightly and shot him an angry look.
You silly boy! When others have already spoken like this, why are you still standing so close to him?
You have absolutely no caution!
Both Hayato and Hamura were raised by Ayano, so their personalities inherited her innocence.
This kind of naivety sometimes seemed quite inappropriate.
Under current circumstances, Hiroki could easily eliminate all the frogs except Gamamaru, but similarly, the distance between Gamamaru and Hayato was very subtle—he might become a hostage anytime.
Unaware of the tension, Hayato spoke up, "Father, I don't want to maintain the status quo. I want to stop offering to the God Tree."
The existence of the God Tree—not merely a symbol, but a force that governs the fate of all living beings—extends beyond humanity alone.
Hearing such grave words, Hayato's expression became even more serious.
Gamamaru cast a sidelong glance at the quiet Hiroki, then waved a hand in a slow arc. A small Crystal Ball made its way forward slowly.
Let's speak plainly now. Even Kaguya's immense power has its limits—it can impose restrictions even on you...
Gamamaru placed the Crystal Ball on a wooden post. As he ran his fingers across it, images flickered onto its surface.
This is a Memory Stone—it captures every moment that ever unfolds in this world.
Hayato fixed his gaze on the images displayed.
"It's Mother..."
Hiroki found it hard to believe Gamamaru possessed supernatural ability to monitor the entire world. If he truly was that powerful, many events would've been stopped long before reaching this point.
Gamamaru, tell us the truth—what exactly is this thing?
Very well…
Gamamaru sighed and continued, "To prevent the Frog Clan from becoming completely isolated, we placed many Memory Stones across the continent. They can record images and even collect light energy."
Hiroki instantly understood, "So the light in Mount Myoboku comes from these things. What about that night with the [Infinite Tsukuyomi]? You weren't affected at all?"
Gamamaru shook his head, "I'm not sure, so I only use sunlight during the day."
Hiroki carefully watched the 'movie' playing on the Memory Stone.
Thankfully, there was no video of him stripping under the sky or hitting on Kaguya. Looks like Gamamaru still had a little decency.
"Kaguya obtained the power of the God Tree and turned humanity into sacrifices..." Gamamaru explained slowly, "...only a few were favored by her..."
In the vision, Kaguya held Hiroki's hand, suddenly changed expression, flew into the sky, activated the Rinne Sharingan in her forehead, and unleashed the [Infinite Tsukuyomi]...
Afterward, everyone except him and Ayano was swallowed by the God Tree...
"Since then, she has released part of the human population to reproduce, and every so often people would 'disappear' as sacrifices."
"So this is what the world used to be like." Hayato couldn't shake the feeling of dread. Even though his father had explained it briefly before, witnessing it himself was way more disturbing.
Ignoring him, Gamamaru shifted his gaze to Hiroki, "Sir, can you tell me what her true purpose is?"
"The God Tree was planted by the Otsutsuki Clan. They will come eventually, and Kaguya wants to produce more God Tree fruits."
"But this will lead to the decline of the world. Since that God Tree appeared, Natural Energy across the land has clearly diminished," Gamamaru said seriously.
After hearing the explanation, he was still clearly upset.
The ones watching this land were the Otsutsuki Clan; those causing chaos were them as well. Why should outsiders bear the consequences of conflicts started by foreigners?
Hayato remained silent. He didn't want his parents to always live in fear, but neither did he wish for innocent lives to be lost or the entire world destroyed. This position caught between two sides felt agonizing.
"Natural Energy..." Hiroki suddenly smiled.
"I think I understand now. The God Tree grows so large because it absorbs Natural Energy. The plants on Mount Myoboku are unusually huge, which obviously stems from the same reason."
"So, the God Tree isn't actually consuming the most Natural Energy. Those truly demanding Natural Energy are probably your frogs, Gamamaru."
"Nonsense!" Gamamaru really seemed angry now, raising his voice slightly, "Those plants wither, fall, and return nutrients to nature. However, the God Tree has existed for over a millennium—it's like a parasite that cares nothing for its host's survival..."
Worried things might get out of hand, Hayato stepped beside Hiroki and grabbed his sleeve nervously.
"Not just the God Tree," Gamamaru murmured darkly, "But also that Rinne Sharingan that hangs in the sky each night... As long as they continue to exist, Kaguya holds absolute control over everyone's fate—whether they live or die."
"Even in death, their souls will be taken by her."
Sighing, he said, "Yet the souls of the dead originally belonged to 'the Gods.'"
Upon hearing this, Hiroki showed slight surprise. "Gods?"
Could it be Gamamaru was speaking on behalf of some deity?
"That's right," Gamamaru nodded. "Beyond the land we know, there exist many places like Mount Myoboku. Those are the dwellings of gods."
Hiroki fell into thought.
Hayato apparently believed Gamamaru's words and looked worried, saying, "Father, we can't afford to make more enemies."
Hiroki stayed silent, feeling increasingly strange.
Gamamaru's tone really reminded him of kids who lost a fight and tried to save face: "You don't know who I'm related to, do you? My big brother's gonna kick your ass!"
If gods truly existed, considering Kaguya had suppressed humanity for over ten years, why hadn't they intervened at all?
Come to think of it, the Miko (divine priestess) should have been considered a divine messenger, yet she hung on the God Tree for so many years without any god coming forward even to ask what happened.
Either these so-called gods were struggling themselves and couldn't intervene, or they were simply too cowardly, knowing they couldn't defeat Kaguya and thus afraid to utter a word.
Not even one of them had the courage that Gamamaru had shown in daring to challenge her.
"Father..."
Hayato's voice brought Hiroki back to reality. He slightly curved his lips into a mocking smile.
"Gamamaru, if I refuse to end everything as things stand now, what will you do?"
Before Gamamaru could answer, Hayato already grabbed Hiroki's wrist tightly out of anxiety. Hiroki turned his head, frowning slightly and coldly asking, "Hayato, have you decided to oppose me now?"
"I..." Immediately letting go, Hayato shook his head hesitantly. "Father, I just think perhaps Gamamaru could become our ally, so you and Mother wouldn't need to struggle so hard."
"But this fellow has always held something back." Hiroki cast a rather indifferent gaze toward Gamamaru.
Hayato wanted to speak but stopped himself.
"Let's go back."
Without wasting more words, Hiroki turned and left.
Hayato immediately followed behind him.
"Hayato," suddenly Gamamaru called out.
Hayato paused. "Gamamaru, anything else?"
Crossing his arms, Gamamaru said, "Hayato, your father and mother are both incredibly strong and proud people. If you keep hiding behind them, you'll never be able to talk to them as their equal."
Reflecting on those words, Hayato found much truth in them. Frowning lightly, he requested, "Gamamaru, can you teach me how to use [Fairy Chakra]?"
"Certainly." Without hesitation, Gamamaru readily agreed.
"Thank you, Gamamaru, but I cannot stay here right now. Once I've arranged time with Father and Mother, I will come back." After thanking Gamamaru, Hayato quickly ran toward Hiroki's direction.
Watching the two figures gradually disappear into the distance, Gamamaru sighed softly.
On the Ninja World Continent, morning light already covered the sky. Hamura walked out of his room.
Looking ahead, he noticed Kaguya still stood exactly where she had been last night.
"Mother Lady, did you not rest at all throughout the entire night?"
"Waiting for Hiroki-sama, aren't you?"
A voice came from behind. Hamura turned around and saw Ayano walking toward him.
She continued, "Kaguya-sama won't feel at ease without seeing him."
"Auntie Ayano, do you know how Father and Mother got together?" Hamura asked curiously.
"I'm not entirely sure either," Ayano smiled and shook her head, guessing, "Maybe it was Kaguya-sama who took the initiative."
"Really?" Hamura became even more curious.
"They haven't come back all night," Kaguya murmured to herself. The next moment, she had already appeared beside Hamura. "Hamura, exactly where did they go yesterday?"
"They..."
"Take me there!" Kaguya commanded.
"..." Hamura pursed his lips briefly, then led the way at once.
...
In the forest, Hamura pointed at the lake at the center and said, "The most likely place should be here. I don't know where they are now either."
"This kind of place actually exists?" Kaguya's expression slightly darkened as she stared at the calm lake surface.
With her expertise in spatial arts, she instantly spotted the hidden formation beneath the water.
But since she rarely left the palace and no one had entered or exited this place at night, she'd never noticed this location before.
A moment later, the still lake began to ripple.
Two figures emerged at the center of the lake.
Submerged halfway in water, their bodies were completely soaked as they walked out of the lake.
"Hei," recognizing the familiar silhouette, Kaguya's solemn expression immediately softened.
Suddenly, a black spatial portal appeared on her upper right. Kaguya reached inside and pulled out a clean handkerchief.
Walking toward Hiroki, she carefully wiped the water off his face with an extremely serious and gentle expression.
"Did you wait long?" Hiroki kissed her cheek lightly.
"... Not really."
Hayato and Hamura were both blinded by this overly sweet scene. They'd never seen Kaguya act like this before — so soft and affectionate. It stung them both a little, making them secretly wonder if they were even her real sons.
At this moment, Hayato began having thoughts of his own.
Mother seems to be in a good mood now. If I make a small suggestion, she probably wouldn't refuse, right?
Hiroki noticed Hayato's eager expression and sighed slightly. He then [Body Replacement Technique] appeared beside Hamura, whispering seriously into his ear:
"Hayato, don't provoke her unnecessarily. If you want her to stop the offering to the God Tree, at least have alternative feasible plans ready. Understand?"
"I understand." Hayato nodded earnestly.
Raising her eyebrow, Kaguya glanced at the two speaking in hushed tones.
Patting Hayato's shoulder, Hiroki [Body Replacement Technique] returned to Kaguya's side, holding her hand as they left.
Watching the retreating figures, Hayato approached Hamura. The two exchanged everything they had seen and heard throughout the day.
"Hamura, what's Mother's stance on this?"
"She hasn't agreed, but she hasn't outright refused either."
"So there's still hope," Hayato mused.
Back at their home, the two brothers started brainstorming how to stop the God Tree's offerings—without losing the chance to develop powerful cultivators.
Meanwhile, Hiroki and Kaguya wandered aimlessly, with no real direction in mind.
"Where did you go?" Kaguya finally couldn't help but ask.
"I encountered a species more powerful than humans. They live in another space—it's really fascinating..."
"Hmm? Don't keep me guessing."
"A group of colorful frogs. Their size surpasses any animal we've ever seen."
"Really? Take me there to see for myself."
"They might not welcome our visit," Hiroki smiled slightly. "You see, those frogs claim to reside in the God's Abode."
"God?" Kaguya's smile gradually faded.
"Don't worry. These so-called gods aren't mighty at all. They only dare to provoke Hayato and the others."
"Then they deserve to die even more." Kaguya frowned, her voice turning cold.
"Don't worry, Hayato and them won't let that happen," Hiroki pulled her into his arms and whispered in her ear. "That kind of calamity won't happen again, I promise."
Kaguya froze.
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