High above the planet, space folded like paper. A distortion opened—bright, quiet, and clean—and two figures stepped out.
Ishiki Ōtsutsuki adjusted his haori as if the void's temperature annoyed him. His golden eye scanned the world below, calculating. Beside him floated Kaguya, pale and calm, her white hair moving slowly in zero gravity.
Ishiki broke the silence first. "Not bad. Gravity's stable, atmosphere's usable. And the readings show a ton of natural energy down there."
Kaguya looked down, expression neutral. "It's unstable, though. The energy fluctuates constantly."
"That's fine. The Ten Tails adapts fast in messy environments." He zoomed the projection in front of him, marking several points on the planet's surface. "We'll find a spot with the highest concentration and plant the Divine Tree there."
They entered the atmosphere, clouds hissing around them as they descended. In seconds, they hovered above a huge forest stretching across a valley. Beyond it, faint lights marked the edge of a human empire—small cities surrounded by farmland.
"This place," Ishiki said, pointing at the forest. "Plenty of natural energy, far enough from the settlements that no one will interfere."
Kaguya nodded slightly. "Fine. Let's get it over with."
They landed in the middle of the forest. The ground hummed under Ishiki's feet as he scanned again. "Perfect. The soil's loaded with energy. The Ten Tails will root fast."
He turned toward Kaguya. "You remember the process, right? One of us has to be the offering. Branch members handle that part."
Kaguya didn't answer at first. "So I get eaten, and you collect the fruit?"
"That's the system," Ishiki said flatly. "I'll mark a host with Kama first—backup body in case something goes wrong. Once the Divine Tree bears fruit, I take it, we report to the main family, everyone's happy."
She tilted her head. "Everyone except me."
He smirked. "You're overthinking it. You die once, I get the fruit, you'll be remembered as useful. Could be worse."
Kaguya's expression didn't change. "Right."
The next moment, she moved—faster than Ishiki expected. A black spear of chakra tore through his chest. He staggered back, shocked. "You—"
"I'm not dying for you," she said coldly.
He tried to raise his hand, activating the Kama mark, but Kaguya slammed him with gravitational pressure. The air twisted, bones cracked. She forced all his energy back into his body until it burned out.
He then realized that he has not any bit of chakra left to use. Forced in such a situation he have not any choice but to summon the ten tails from the his dimension to use its chakra.
But Kaguya is faster and managed to strike Ishiki again during his process of chakra absorption.
When his body began to collapse, he managed one last snarl. "You think this saves you? The main family—"
"They can find another pawn," Kaguya interrupted, crushing his final spark of power.
Silence followed. Only the hum of energy from the ground remained. She then pulled out a massive, sleeping creature—the Ten Tails. Its appearance is like a massive sphere of flesh with ten tails attach and have one eye with concentric circle like pattern with magatama in them. Its body pulsed weakly, waiting for a host.
"Eat," Kaguya ordered.
The beast devoured Ishiki's remains, its tails writhing violently before sinking into the soil. The forest shook as dark roots erupted upward, glowing red and black.The Divine Tree began to grow—slowly, but with unstoppable force.
Kaguya watched it rise, her tone flat. "Congratulations, Ishiki. You finally did something useful."
When the ground stopped trembling, she looked toward the distant horizon where the human empire's lights flickered. "This planet's mine now," she muttered. "Not for them. For me."
If the main family ever arrived, she would be ready—stronger, evolved, untouchable.
She extended her senses across the planet, scanning for potential threats. Mountains, oceans, deserts—nothing unusual. Then her attention flicked toward a distant continent—toward a dense forest where an odd energy pulse shimmered faintly. It wasn't chakra. It wasn't normal natural energy either. Something else.
"Huh," she said softly. "That's interesting."
She turned away, dismissing the signal for now. "I'll check it later."
Far below, hidden deep in the roots of another forest, Taisho Shinkon remained in hibernation—unaware that something ancient had just changed the fate of his world.