"Actually, we can use a seal to isolate it from the earth..."
Gamamaru voiced his idea.
"A seal?" Kaguya scoffed, clearly doubting his capability to accomplish such a thing.
"Gamamaru, exactly how would this work?" Hayato cast a glance at Hiroki and Kaguya, who appeared completely disinterested, before asking.
He knew they'd only cooperate up to this point. They definitely wouldn't help with what came next.
Gamamaru pulled out a yellow talisman covered in strange patterns from beneath himself.
One by one, the others frowned in confusion.
"What is this?" Hamura asked.
"This little item can form a small barrier when placed appropriately..."
Hayato: "You're suggesting we cover the God Tree with a barrier? Do you really think that will work? How large is this barrier supposed to be anyway? Can it actually cover the entire tree?"
"I don't think so."
At Gamamaru's response, Hayato and Hamura fell silent, both clearly unimpressed. "Gamamaru, please stop joking..."
"Just paste them all over the God Tree," Gamamaru said matter-of-factly.
All over? Mount Myoboku really does have some amazing treasures indeed, Hiroki muttered inwardly.
Hayato reached out and took the talisman, trying it out. "Even if we stick it on, it'll easily fall off. If someone accidentally bumps into it, there could still be danger."
Considering the God Tree's immense size, it would certainly attract people's curiosity.
Gamamaru's plan simply wasn't foolproof.
"Hayato, the best method would be to use [Yin-Yang Release jutsu] to wrap around the God Tree."
As he spoke, Hiroki clenched his fist forward and raised his hand.
Following his movement, a mass of black substance suddenly appeared and expanded outward, instantly forming a hemispherical black dome visible before everyone.
Its area continued growing, even blocking part of the sunlight.
Just as Hayato was excitedly thinking that the God Tree would soon be fully wrapped, the semicircular dome created by the Yin-Yang Release abruptly collapsed and disappeared entirely.
Hiroki withdrew his hand, casting a brief glance at Gamamaru squatting on the ground before calmly speaking to Hayato and Hamura, "Did you understand?"
Gamamaru remained silent. This display was clearly meant for him.
Not just Hiroki, Kaguya also deeply disliked this frog. If not for concerns about creating conflict with Hayato and Hamura, she would've roasted that ugly creature alive.
"Yin-Yang Release..." Hamura murmured thoughtfully, feeling somewhat discouraged.
Once again unable to contribute anything... He hadn't yet mastered Yin-Yang Release, while Hayato had only scratched the surface of it.
"This sounds like quite a bit of work," Hayato sighed, tilting his head upward toward the towering God Tree.
"Frog, leave your talismans behind," Kaguya ordered coldly.
Gamamaru leapt into the bushes without hesitation and vanished before anyone could react, leaving only the yellow talisman he previously produced on the rock.
With obvious disgust, Kaguya sealed the talisman into her space.
"Hayato, what's your next move?" Hiroki asked.
"...We must unite everyone and warn them about the coming crisis." Hayato gave it a moment's thought before replying.
"Will you unite them first or reveal the truth first?" Hiroki pressed further.
"As long as we share a common enemy, won't everyone unite?" Hayato said matter-of-factly.
Hiroki frowned. Before he could speak, Hamura interrupted, "Big brother, I don't think it's appropriate to tell everyone yet. We ourselves don't even know what kind of enemy this is or how powerful it might be."
"If ordinary people find out, they'll only live in constant fear. We should wait until everyone has gained more strength before telling them."
As Hiroki listened, he nodded repeatedly, showing his approval of Hamura's view.
Kaguya didn't comment on the subject. Instead, she said, "Hayato, Hamura, remember what I've told you. If you can neither unite humanity nor cultivate any true experts, everything will return to how it once was."
Afterward, Kaguya and Hiroki left the place together.
Hayato and Hamura exchanged glances; both felt somewhat heavy-hearted.
"Brother, I'll stay behind to watch over the God Tree while you go do whatever you wish," Hamura said.
Hayato gave a nod before shaking his head. "First things first—we have to seal the God Tree first."
He let out a sigh. "I wonder how long that'll take…"
In addition to spreading Chakra, they also needed to master Fairy Chakra cultivation. The upcoming time would definitely be hard work.
"Before that, we could build some houses nearby to prevent outsiders from getting too close," Hamura suggested.
"Good idea," Hayato agreed.
With their current Chakra reserves, making over a dozen Clones made it easy. Immediately afterward, they began cutting trees, carrying logs, and building houses.
While the two of them were working enthusiastically, Hiroki and Kaguya had already crossed the border of the Land of the Forefathers.
"Oh right, Moon, where is Ayano now?" Hiroki suddenly asked.
"I let her return to her original life," Kaguya replied casually. "She's just an ordinary person after all. There's no need to drag her into such troubles."
"I don't know whether to call you cold or kind. You did live together for over ten years—just let her forget everything like that?" Hiroki sighed with a shake of his head.
Kaguya didn't respond.
"In that case, only the two of us remain."
"That's right," Kaguya said with a slight smile.
"So where's our next stop?"
As they were talking, White Zetsu suddenly appeared, bringing news of their findings.
"Some progress…"
Shikkotsu Forest.
A large, plump slug lounged lazily on the grass, seeming perfectly content.
In the entire Shikkotsu Forest, there was only one slug—her. She didn't find the silence oppressive and didn't care much about what was happening outside. When she got bored, she'd just create a few Clones to keep herself company.
Everything remained peaceful.
"Adorable yet clumsy, wouldn't you say?"
Suddenly, an unfamiliar male voice sounded.
Then came a slightly strange female voice, "You actually find this thing cute?"
The slug quickly crawled upright.
To her, Hiroki and Kaguya appeared as tiny as ants.
Even so, she still felt a bit startled.
"How did they get in here?"
Opening her mouth, the slug spat out a stream of yellow mucus.
"There's something endearing about the contrast between her massive size and her feeble strength, don't you think?" Hiroki smiled.
Kaguya couldn't help smiling too.
Hiroki and Kaguya lightly jumped and soared into the sky, reaching an altitude higher than even Katsuyu.
Seeing Hiroki and Kaguya chatting and laughing joyfully, Katsuyu grew furious. She exhaled sharply, creating a powerful whirlwind.
Soon after, several tornadoes formed from various directions. The roaring winds tore through everything in the air and on the ground.
"Huh? This is actually similar to Mount Myoboku—using the environment itself as an attack," Hiroki said in astonishment.
"How should we deal with this slug?" Kaguya asked calmly.
"You mess around with her. I'll go check how big this place really is."
With that, Hiroki kept soaring higher into the sky.
"Play? Guess that means I should leave one alive after all," Kaguya murmured to herself, gazing down at the cyan and white "chubby worm" with an amused expression.
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