Afterward, Kiyohara walked over to the lakeside, bent down, and plucked a pale purple wildflower. He casually twirled it between his fingers.
The petals trembled gently between his fingertips, several tiny dewdrops still clinging to their delicate surface.
"That is a chakra projection created by the Tenseigan. It simulates the light and heat of the sun, but it does not contain any genuine stellar energy. It is simply a projection that is more sophisticated and precise than any ninjutsu."
"This space was where Ōtsutsuki Hamura and his descendants once lived. The branch family of the Ōtsutsuki cultivated the land, lived here, and continued their bloodline for more than a thousand years, attempting to reproduce a miniature terrestrial ecosystem inside the moon."
Tsunade walked over to his side. She placed both hands on her hips and looked around before lowering her head to examine the grass beneath her feet. Finally, her gaze settled on the cherry blossom petals floating across the surface of the lake.
"An entire space this enormous was built just for one clan to live in?"
"It does feel a little extravagant. Still, there is no denying that the scenery is beautiful. It looks better than most places on the surface, and furthermore…"
She turned around, her brown-gold eyes looking directly at Kiyohara.
"It really is quiet and beautiful."
"Mm. We can consider building a house here in the future. Of course, the other Ōtsutsuki will have to be driven out first."
Kiyohara spoke casually.
As for the Ōtsutsuki clan, Kiyohara intended to incorporate them into the ninja world.
That way, he would have a stable and long-term supply of sacrifices.
In exchange, all they would need to do was contribute a portion of their blood at regular intervals. Even that blood could immediately be replenished through medical ninjutsu.
It would essentially be the same as donating blood from time to time.
The God Tree required the chakra and genetic factors contained within the bodies of the Ōtsutsuki.
Using large quantities of blood as a substitute would already be sufficient.
Tsunade's cheeks flushed slightly.
"Who said I wanted to build a house here with you?"
Despite saying that, she still linked her arm through Kiyohara's and shifted her entire center of gravity toward him.
The two of them continued walking slowly along the lakeshore.
The lake was crystal clear, and several glowing fragments of magatama were scattered across the fine white sand at the bottom. They looked almost exactly like the stars they had seen beneath the underground cavern, except these were larger and brighter.
Several small silver-white fish swam between the glowing fragments. Every so often, one of them leaped out of the water, splashing a small string of sparkling droplets into the air.
When they reached a flat white stone beside the lake, Tsunade suddenly stopped.
She released Kiyohara's arm, bent down, removed her shinobi sandals, and stepped barefoot into the shallow water along the lakeshore.
The water came just above her ankles, and circles of ripples spread outward across its surface.
"The water is warm."
She looked back at Kiyohara with a smile on her lips.
"It is much more comfortable than the water in that pool yesterday. Take off your shoes and come down too."
Kiyohara looked at her ankles gently swaying in the lake before bending down and removing his own shinobi sandals. He then stepped barefoot into the water.
The temperature was indeed warm and comfortable. It was neither cold nor hot, almost exactly matching the temperature of the human body.
The fine white sand beneath the lake was soft and delicate. When stepped on, it sank slightly beneath the pressure before slowly springing back into place.
Tsunade stood in the lake and spread her arms wide as she took a deep breath.
Sunlight fell upon her body, causing every strand of her golden hair to sparkle brilliantly.
She closed her eyes, a satisfied smile appearing at the corners of her lips.
Then she opened her eyes and turned toward Kiyohara.
"Kiyohara, come here."
Kiyohara walked over to her.
Tsunade suddenly bent down, scooped up a handful of lake water with both hands, and splashed it directly at Kiyohara.
The water droplets glittered like diamonds beneath the sunlight before splashing against Kiyohara's chest with a loud slap.
Kiyohara lowered his head and looked at his soaked clothes. Then he raised his head again, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Are you challenging me?"
"Yes. I am."
Tsunade placed her hands on her hips and raised her chin. A mischievous smile appeared in her brown-gold eyes.
"What? The great Emperor of the Shinobi World is actually afraid of a mere handful of water?"
Kiyohara did not answer.
He simply bent down and swept his right hand across the surface of the water. A broad fan-shaped curtain of water immediately rose and surged toward Tsunade.
Tsunade turned sideways and tried to dodge, but the curtain of water was too wide.
It struck her directly.
Water droplets slid from her ponytail, traveled down her temples and cheeks, and finally dripped from her chin into the deep cleavage of her clothing.
She narrowed her eyes, spat out the water that had splashed into her mouth, and glared at Kiyohara.
"You actually went for real?!"
"You were the one who said it was only a mere handful of water."
The corners of Tsunade's mouth could not help curling upward.
Then she suddenly lunged into the water, scooping up large amounts of it with both hands and splashing them toward Kiyohara.
Kiyohara naturally refused to be outdone and immediately fought back.
The two of them began a water fight in the clear blue shallows. Water splashed in every direction, sparkling beneath the sunlight like countless diamonds.
By the end, Tsunade's golden hair was completely soaked through, with several loose strands sticking to her forehead.
She bent forward with both hands braced against her knees, breathing heavily, though the remnants of a smile still lingered on her lips.
Kiyohara walked over to her and reached out to brush the wet strands of hair away from her forehead and tuck them behind her ear. His fingertips gently traced the edge of her ear.
Tsunade raised her head and looked at him through the droplets of water clinging to her face.
Then she reached out, grabbed Kiyohara by the collar, and pulled him down slightly. Rising onto her toes, she pressed a kiss against his lips.
"Thank you."
Tsunade released his collar and lightly patted his chest with her palm before turning around and walking back onto the lakeshore.
"This place belongs to me now. From now on, you have to bring me here at least once every month. No excuses."
"Fine."
Kiyohara stepped onto the shore and sat beside her on the flat white stone.
Their shinobi sandals were placed side by side beside the stone. Their bare feet rested against the soft grass, allowing them to feel the faint coolness of the blades beneath their soles and the loose earth beneath the grass.
Tsunade tilted her head and rested it against Kiyohara's shoulder.
She closed her eyes.
Kiyohara lowered his head and glanced at Tsunade leaning against his shoulder before turning his gaze toward the white mist slowly drifting across the surface of the lake.
His fingers rested against Tsunade's knuckles, and before either of them realized it, their fingers had become intertwined.
Tsunade did not open her eyes, but her fingers tightened slightly, her palm pressing warmly against his.
The two of them sat by the lake for a very long time.
They remained there until the white mist above the lake had completely dispersed and the artificial sun began to descend toward the west, dyeing the entire space in a warm orange-red glow.
Tsunade breathed evenly against Kiyohara's shoulder, her eyelashes casting delicate shadows beneath the evening sunlight.
At some point, she had fallen asleep.
She had stayed up all night reading academic journals, and this morning Kiyohara had dragged her through the underwater cavern before taking her to the moon. Her physical strength had already reached its limit.
Only after the artificial sun had completely disappeared behind the distant hills, turning the sky into deep-blue velvet while countless simulated stars began twinkling across the dome above them, did Tsunade slowly wake up.
She raised her head and rubbed her eyes before looking up at the brilliant starry sky.
"I actually fell asleep. You should have woken me up earlier."
"You did not sleep last night. Getting some rest was good for you."
Tsunade stood up from the stone and stretched her slightly numb arms before bending down to put her shinobi sandals back on.
Kiyohara also put his sandals back on and stood.
He walked to the lakeside and took one last look at this miniature world hidden deep within the core of the moon.
"We should go back."
Kiyohara grasped Tsunade's wrist.
"There are still plenty of things to deal with after we return. The God Tree planting in the Limited Tsukuyomi world is about to begin as well. When the time comes, I will take you there to see another world."
"Another world? Just how many things have you been hiding from me?"
"I will tell you everything little by little."
Tsunade snorted softly.
The Flying Thunder God Technique activated.
Kiyohara had left a coordinate on the moon.
With his enormous reserves of chakra, he could also directly teleport from the moon to Earth without needing to pass through the passage again.
At Tsunade's house.
Tsunade poked Kiyohara once in the chest.
"That was far too much information for one day. I need some time to digest all of it. The God Tree, sacrifices, the Tenseigan. Later, you are going to explain every single one of them to me properly."
Kiyohara nodded.
Tsunade glanced at him once more before turning around and walking toward her room, her golden ponytail gently swaying behind her.
Seeing this, Kiyohara took the crystal ball from his clothes.
The chakra within the crystal ball had already accumulated to a sufficient level once again.
He wrapped his five fingers around the sphere, and chakra surged from his palm into it.
Black cracks appeared across the surface of the crystal ball. They expanded, rotated, and spread until white light once again swallowed Kiyohara's figure.
…
Limited Tsukuyomi World, Deep Within the Canyon
The emerald-green lake remained as calm as a mirror, while the white mist above its surface drifted slowly through the air.
The soul of the benevolent Kaguya floated above the center of the lake.
Her translucent white robe fluttered gently in the breeze. Her long hair cascaded down behind her like a waterfall, while tiny particles of pale-blue chakra continuously dispersed from its ends.
When she heard the sound of the spatial rift opening, her pure-white eyes turned toward Kiyohara.
She then floated over from the surface of the lake.
"You came."
The voice of the benevolent Kaguya was ethereal and gentle, completely different from the cold, icy tone of the Kaguya in the real world.
Her gaze fell upon the sealing scroll in Kiyohara's hand.
"You brought the sacrifice."
Kiyohara unfolded the scroll.
The body of the Grand Elder was released from within the seal and floated above the surface of the lake.
His white robe had been completely soaked with blood. Yet because the body had been preserved within the sealing scroll, it remained perfectly intact, and blood was still slowly seeping from his wounds.
The benevolent Kaguya's gaze remained fixed upon the corpse for a moment.
"The Grand Elder of the Ōtsutsuki branch family. I remember him. A thousand years ago, when Hamura was sealed, he was the youngest elder of the branch family. He stood on Hamura's side and opposed me. I never expected his bloodline to have been refined by the Tenseigan to such a pure state. It is almost approaching the concentration of the main family."
The benevolent Kaguya sighed as she reflected upon how different this world was from her own.
Then she reached into her sleeve and took out a seed.
The seed of the God Tree was only the size of a thumb.
The benevolent Kaguya held the seed in her palm. The ocular power of the Rinne Sharingan surged from her eyes and flowed into the seed.
She then gently sent the seed upward toward the surface of the lake.
The seed floated in midair, slowly rotating.
Under the pull of chakra, the Grand Elder's corpse drifted toward the seed.
Several tiny cracks appeared in the seed's outer shell.
A few translucent white roots slowly emerged from the cracks, tentatively waving through the air.
The instant those roots touched the Grand Elder's corpse, they suddenly plunged into it, like sharks that had caught the scent of blood.
The roots pierced through his skin, burrowed into his muscles, and stabbed into his bones as they began frantically absorbing his chakra and the last remnants of his life force.
The flesh and blood of the corpse were drained at a speed visible to the naked eye.
His skin first turned waxy yellow before rapidly becoming shriveled and sunken, clinging tightly to his bones.
In the end, even his bones were dissolved into white powder by the corrosive fluid secreted by the roots.
The muscle tissue faded from bright red to a dark brown before being completely absorbed by the roots.
The chakra remaining within his meridians was extracted until nothing remained. Even the moisture within his blood was completely drained.
In less than thirty seconds, the Grand Elder's corpse had vanished entirely.
Only a small amount of white bone ash drifted down through the gaps between the roots before being scattered by the gentle breeze across the surface of the lake.
After absorbing the sacrifice, the seed expanded.
It grew from the size of a thumb to roughly the size of a fist, while even more roots extended from its bottom and slowly stretched outward through the air.
"The flesh and blood of the sacrifice have awakened the seed," the benevolent Kaguya said.
"But it is still not enough. Once the God Tree sprouts, the amount of chakra it requires will be astronomical. When I planted the first God Tree back then, I used the natural energy of several mountain ranges as its soil. Only then was I able to make it grow to the fruit-bearing stage. Now, I exist only as a soul. My chakra is unstable, so I cannot provide it with a continuous supply of nourishment."
"I will provide the chakra."
Kiyohara walked beneath the seed and raised his right hand.
He placed his palm directly against its surface.
The enormous chakra within his body surged out through his palm.
After Kiyohara's chakra entered it, the seed began to glow.
The roots grew faster.
What had initially been only a few roots quickly became dozens, then hundreds, spreading outward like an enormous white spiderweb that covered nearly half the surface of the lake.
Kiyohara could sense some kind of consciousness awakening within the seed.
It was an extremely hungry consciousness.
There was no thought, no emotion, and no intelligence within it.
There was only one pure instinct.
Devour.
It greedily swallowed the chakra Kiyohara poured into it, like an endless abyss that could never be filled no matter how much was poured inside.
Kiyohara slightly furrowed his brows and increased the output of his chakra.
Green Tenseigan chakra mixed into his ordinary chakra and poured into the interior of the seed.
The seed suddenly trembled.
A deep, low hiss came from within.
Then the seed cracked open.
A mass of thick, dark-red substance surged out from within the seed.
It writhed, expanded, and distorted in midair.
The surface of the dark-red mass was covered by a layer of translucent embryonic membrane. Within it, the vague outline of a curled and grotesquely distorted body could be seen.
As the membrane continued to writhe, it became thinner and thinner.
Finally, with a soft pop, it ruptured.
The thing inside was finally revealed.
It was a juvenile Ten-Tails.
It had only one eye.
That eye was located directly in the center of its head. It was a blood-red Rinne Sharingan, with layer upon layer of concentric circular patterns covering its surface. Each ring slowly rotated.
Ten thick tails extended from its back, whipping through the air.
The juvenile Ten-Tails raised its head the instant it broke free from the membrane and released a piercing roar.
The sound wave shook countless fragments of rock loose from the canyon walls on both sides.
Then its blood-red Rinne Sharingan suddenly turned toward Kiyohara.
The enormous amount of chakra radiating from Kiyohara's body looked like a blazing sun in its eyes.
All ten of its tails simultaneously lashed toward Kiyohara, intending to tear him apart and devour him completely.
If Tsunade had been here, she probably would have cursed, "What the hell is this thing?"
But Kiyohara merely raised his left hand.
Repulsion!
An invisible force spread outward from him in every direction.
All ten tails were simultaneously blasted backward.
The force reflected from its own tails caused the juvenile Ten-Tails to tumble backward several times before crashing into the lake and sending an enormous splash of water into the air.
It struggled to crawl out of the water.
Then it opened its mouth.
A purple-black Tailed Beast Bomb rapidly condensed inside its jaws.
Kiyohara merely turned his head and glanced at it.
The ocular power of the Mangekyō Sharingan surged from his eyes, transforming into an invisible mental assault that directly crashed into the juvenile Ten-Tails' Rinne Sharingan.
The juvenile Ten-Tails' body suddenly froze.
The Tailed Beast Bomb inside its mouth exploded with a sharp crack.
The purple-black energy detonated inside its own mouth, sending its body flying backward and causing it to slam heavily into the canyon wall.
Its ten tails fell limply to the ground, while a low whimper escaped from its mouth.
Although the Rinne Sharingan was an extremely high-level ocular power, this was still only a juvenile Ten-Tails.
Its mental defenses were extraordinarily weak.
Under Kiyohara's ocular suppression, it had absolutely no ability to resist.
The benevolent Kaguya quietly watched everything from the side.
Her pure-white eyes reflected the image of the suppressed juvenile Ten-Tails.
Her brows furrowed slightly, and a trace of confusion appeared on her face.
"Kiyohara."
She slowly spoke.
"The amount of chakra you just injected into the seed was even greater than the amount I injected when I planted the God Tree back then. Your chakra reserves are indeed enormous, but I can sense that your chakra has not undergone the qualitative transformation possessed by the Ten-Tails."
Kiyohara remained silent.
"The chakra of the Ten-Tails is a product formed after being condensed and transformed by the God Tree. It is fundamentally different from ordinary chakra."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"Although the amount of chakra within your body is astonishingly vast, its nature has still not crossed that threshold. Yet you can easily suppress a juvenile Ten-Tails, and you can control the Tenseigan. Power at this level cannot be explained by the quantity of chakra alone."
She floated in front of Kiyohara.
Her translucent face moved slightly closer, her white eyes staring directly into his.
"How exactly did you accomplish this?"
"Maybe my physique is just somewhat special."
Kiyohara answered casually.
Although this bloodline had originated from a Kiyohara from another world line, he had inherited far too many different versions of Kiyohara.
Moreover, his own bloodline had undergone a mutation as well.
That mutation had ultimately allowed him to acquire an ability that even Kaguya herself had been unable to achieve.
The ability to devour chakra.
(End of Chapter)