Ōtsutsuki Hamura was maddeningly cryptic.
But there was no denying one thing.
His words had basically confirmed Hikaru's guess.
Even though he had not said anything directly useful, Hikaru still felt as if he had been seen through.
It was a terrible feeling.
Yet strangely, it also gave Hikaru a measure of security.
Because if things were really as he had guessed, then he was safe.
Still, a guess was only a guess. Hikaru needed more concrete details and information before he could be certain.
For the first time, Hikaru seriously studied Hamura.
But the more he looked, the stranger he felt.
He clearly felt he could see Hamura, yet when he looked carefully, it was as if a layer of mist stood between them.
All he could see was an old man who looked aged yet graceful.
Beyond that, he could see nothing.
That illusion of someone standing right in front of him, yet impossible to truly perceive, made Hikaru deeply uncomfortable.
He sighed inwardly.
The gap between them was simply too vast.
Vast enough to feel almost hopeless.
"Senior Hamura," Hikaru said after collecting himself, "a shinobi can only analyze intelligence when he has enough intelligence to work with.
"I don't have enough information, so I wouldn't dare casually guess your intentions. Guessing wrong usually doesn't end well."
"Is that so?"
Hamura still looked at him with that faint, knowing smile.
This time, however, he did not make things too difficult.
He lightly tapped the table.
In an instant, the space around them changed.
The pale golden world turned into countless mirrors.
Within those mirrors, countless scenes flowed and shifted.
Hikaru raised his head and looked at them.
At that moment, he was almost completely certain of his guess.
Because what appeared in those mirrors included the past, the present as he knew it from the original story, and even future scenes from that same original path.
At this point, pretending he knew nothing would be ridiculous.
Hamura's action was silently telling him one thing.
He knew the past, the present, and the future.
That wordless revelation placed enormous pressure on Hikaru.
Even though he had already guessed it, thinking of something and seeing it with his own eyes were two completely different things.
"So," Hamura asked with a smile, "do you have enough information now?"
He looked at Hikaru calmly.
"I said earlier that you should have guessed something already. My opinion has not changed. Can you say it now?"
"I think I can."
Hikaru gave a bitter smile.
He did not know why Hamura insisted on making him say it aloud, but since the man wanted to hear it, Hikaru did not mind.
"I believe you have been observing me, so you should know that I obtained the power of the Dragon Vein.
"After obtaining it, I accidentally discovered that its power seemed capable of breaking through the restrictions of time. I did not test it, but it left a deep impression on me.
"From that, I guessed whether someone in this world might be able to break through the restraints of time—perhaps even see the future, or go to the future."
Hikaru paused.
He glanced at Hamura's expression.
Unfortunately, Hamura revealed nothing.
He still looked at Hikaru with that same gentle expression.
Hikaru knew he would not read anything from this old monster's face.
So he could only continue, slowly and carefully, explaining his thoughts.
What he said was detailed, but it was all still based on his own speculation.
Still, Hikaru had questions, and he had no intention of holding them back.
"That was the basis of my guess.
"You can see the future. You know what will happen.
"That means my appearance was not necessarily a threat to you. In fact, my arrival may have changed the future you originally saw.
"But I have some questions.
"Does the future in which I appeared not affect you?
"And since you have such ability, why did you not change the future yourselves?"
Hikaru was genuinely curious.
He wanted to know the attitude of Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo and Ōtsutsuki Hamura toward him—and toward the future.
As he had said, if they possessed this power, why not change the future themselves?
Time clearly could not bind them.
Looking at the mirror-like fragments suspended in midair, each displaying different scenes, Hikaru had no doubt of that.
"What I want to tell you," Hamura said after taking another sip of tea, "is that once you appeared, we could no longer see what the future would become."
Hikaru's expression turned strange.
His appearance made the future unreadable to them?
How was that possible?
Was it because he was a transmigrator, allowing him to shield the future?
"Wait. I may not be able to do that, but something else might."
That thought flashed through Hikaru's mind.
He himself could not do such a thing.
But there was another secret hidden inside him.
His system.
Hikaru did not know the origin of that system, but he knew its power was beyond imagination.
It could extract things suitable for him from all kinds of materials and merge them into his body.
The Nine-Tails and the Jōgan had already proved that perfectly.
Even his bloodline seemed to be improving and transforming because of the system.
If such a system could shield information about his future, that was not impossible to understand.
But if that was the case, then he was an unbound uncertainty.
A ticking bomb.
If Hikaru were the one facing such an existence, he might choose to eliminate the problem outright.
But these two had not done that.
He did not know whether they were excessively confident or had another purpose.
This question troubled Hikaru, and he fell silent again.
…
Hikaru was very good at thinking.
But precisely because he thought too much, he often reached conclusions that others would never consider.
That was a good thing.
But sometimes, it was not.
Thinking too much could lead him to project himself onto the situation, creating doubts and complications.
That was almost his current state.
There were things he simply could not figure out.
Because of that, he could not determine Hamura's true intention.
Hamura raised his eyes and glanced at Hikaru.
Seeing the thoughtful expression on Hikaru's face, he pondered briefly, then chuckled.
If he still could not understand what Hikaru was thinking, then he would have lived all these years in vain.
He had observed Hikaru for a long time.
From the moment Hikaru accidentally broke through the barrier of this world and arrived here, he and his elder brother had been watching him.
He knew Hikaru's experiences.
He knew Hikaru's personality.
To be honest, he did not particularly like someone like Hikaru.
Hikaru was like a person who always wore a mask, someone impossible to truly approach.
And yet this kind of person had somehow obtained terrifying growth.
Most importantly, his future could not be predicted.
If not for his elder brother's wish to see what this unknown factor could bring to a world whose futures they had already observed countless times, Hamura might have taken Hikaru to their side long ago.
He would not have killed Hikaru.
Not because he could not, but because he had no such intention.
Nor did he feel it was necessary.
At their level of cultivation, they had long reached the stage of understanding nature, perceiving nature, and even merging with nature.
Hikaru's arrival was a tremendous accident.
But could it not also be considered a choice made by nature?
The choices of nature were the most terrifying things in the world.
People often believed they could change nature.
But in Hamura's view, so-called change was merely discovering what nature had already hidden from mankind.
Since Hikaru could be regarded as one of nature's choices, they had even less reason to interfere.
"Do not think too much. Thinking too much can lead you into the wrong path."
Hamura shook his head lightly, then spoke slowly.
"Besides, you already know we can see the future.
"Even if your appearance prevents us from knowing exactly what the current future will become, can we not compare it with the 'future' we once saw and decide whether it is better or worse?"
"I see."
Hikaru nodded calmly.
If explained that way, it made sense.
Hikaru's appearance had changed too many things.
But because of his arrival, many things had also moved in a better direction than in the original timeline.
For example, Minato.
Because of Hikaru's interference, Naruto lost the Nine-Tails.
But he gained the love of his parents.
True, without the hellish tempering of the original path, Naruto might not reach the same height.
But his personality was different now.
His strength was different as well.
And Hikaru had revived Hashirama.
Naruto spent time with Hashirama almost every day.
It was hard to say that, even without relying on Kurama, Naruto could not eventually become a qualified inheritor of Asura.
There were too many uncertainties now.
But under Hikaru's hand, everything had changed in astonishing ways.
Perhaps those changes were what made these two, who had grown tired of seeing predictable endings, feel something different.
Perhaps they wanted to see how this world could change under an unknown variable.
"I think I understand, Senior Hamura."
Hikaru nodded slightly.
After grasping Hamura's meaning, he finally relaxed a little.
Overall, this was very good news.
At the very least, Hikaru had confirmed his position in the eyes of these powerful beings.
He also understood his current situation.
Although he was somewhat helpless—when had he ever been so passive?—he also knew reality was stronger than personal will.
If he wanted to reverse this situation, he had to keep growing stronger.
He had to keep moving forward.
"Thank you for resolving my doubts, Senior Hamura.
"At least now I won't worry blindly. I also understand many things now."
"That is why I said you do not need to think too much. Sometimes things are not as bad as you imagine."
Hamura smiled faintly.
Then he tapped the table again.
The golden space returned to normal.
"Good. It seems you now understand our attitude toward you. Consider this little misunderstanding resolved.
"And now, I think we should speak of something more interesting.
"To be honest, your growth has exceeded our expectations.
"Your growth has brought hope and vitality to the shinobi world.
"But at the same time, you have also brought certain people here earlier than they should have arrived."
"Your Excellency means Ōtsutsuki Urashiki?"
Hikaru was sharp.
He instantly understood Hamura's meaning.
This was probably the real reason Hamura had pulled him here.
After all, Urashiki himself had said that he came to the shinobi world because he had been attracted by Hikaru's ocular power.
Or rather, by the chakra burst caused by Hikaru's eye evolution.
Hikaru did not know how much change their arrival would cause.
But he knew it would not be simple.
Otherwise, this old fox who had hidden in the shinobi world for countless years would not have come out, dragged Hikaru into this strange place, and met him personally.
Thinking of that, Hikaru shook his head and sighed.
Then he spoke with a hint of apology.
"I am sorry, Senior Hamura. I did not expect things to develop like this. Perhaps I was too careless."
"This matter is not entirely your fault, but it did bring no small impact."
Hamura sighed softly.
Then he became more serious.
"Their early arrival may disrupt some of the arrangements and plans we made for the shinobi world.
"Strictly speaking, this is not good news."
At this point, Hamura paused slightly.
Then he looked at Hikaru meaningfully.
"After all, you are the only exception in the shinobi world.
"Although you have already realized the seriousness of the problem, the shinobi world's growth is still far from enough."
…
Hamura's words made Hikaru fall silent.
For the shinobi world as a whole, Hikaru was indeed an extreme exception.
After all, there was probably no one else in this world holding a "system" like him, unless another transmigrator from his old home existed here.
But Hikaru did not think this world had any such fellow traveler.
He had spent many years in the shinobi world, and he had spent much of that time in ANBU.
If another transmigrator truly existed, they should have surfaced during the Third Shinobi World War.
There were limits to hiding.
Hikaru did not believe an ordinary visible shinobi could hide better than an ANBU operative.
So he was an extremely special exception.
That was undeniable.
And according to Hamura's words, Hikaru had indeed made preparations in advance.
He had revived Hashirama and Tobirama.
Even if his original goal in reviving them had not been to deal with the Ōtsutsuki, he had still done it, and the results were good.
If Hashirama had not protected Konoha during Urashiki's attack, Hikaru did not dare imagine what would have happened to the village.
But none of that was the most important information.
The most important part was Hamura saying, "the shinobi world still needs to grow."
What did the shinobi world need to grow into?
How was it supposed to grow?
Those two questions instantly became the focus of Hikaru's attention.
He could sense there was another meaning hidden in Hamura's words.
Hikaru knew that the Six Paths brothers had seen a corner of the future, and thus knew terrifying enemies like the Ōtsutsuki would arrive.
But the ones who solved those problems properly were the inheritors of Indra and Asura.
During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Naruto and Sasuke had already proved that.
The other shinobi seemed to cooperate, but in reality, calling them support characters would not be wrong.
Especially during the final fight against Kaguya, the rest of the shinobi world had been trapped in Infinite Tsukuyomi by Madara.
They could be said to have done nothing.
"In that case, what does the shinobi world still need to grow into?
"Isn't it enough to wait for Indra and Asura to grow?"
Hikaru frowned.
He suddenly felt the situation was more complicated than he had imagined.
Soon, however, he remembered something.
The Sage of Six Paths had taken back the power he gave Naruto and Sasuke.
And later, Naruto and Sasuke faced Ōtsutsuki Toneri, Momoshiki, and Kinshiki.
Even without those gifts, Naruto and Sasuke still defeated them.
They had even once awakened strength because Boruto called out "Dad."
But compared with their power during the Fourth War, the difference was massive.
To put it bluntly, they were still extraordinary shinobi, but their limits were likely around Hikaru's current level.
Perhaps even below him.
"So their goal is for the shinobi world to be capable of resisting the Ōtsutsuki?"
Hikaru felt as though he had discovered something.
There were still many things he could not confirm, but he felt his line of thought was correct.
However, this idea was too dangerous.
And if he wanted to confirm it, he needed to understand something first.
Thinking of this, Hikaru raised his head.
After hesitating briefly, he asked quietly,
"Senior Hamura, forgive the question, but what exactly is Infinite Tsukuyomi?"
"Infinite Tsukuyomi?"
Hamura blinked, then smiled.
"Do you not already have an answer to that question?
"Whether from the records inside my temple or from what you claimed to have seen inside the Uchiha shrine."
"No, Senior Hamura."
Hikaru shook his head.
This time, his expression became even more serious.
"What I want to know is the essence of Infinite Tsukuyomi.
"What exactly is it?"
"The essence of Infinite Tsukuyomi…"
Seeing Hikaru's expression, Hamura also grew more solemn.
"This is a terrifying technique that can pull all people into a dream and satisfy every desire of those caught within it."
"That's all?"
Hikaru could not help feeling disappointed.
If that was all, then it was meaningless.
He had seen Infinite Tsukuyomi in his memories.
Naturally, he knew that information.
He even knew its effects and presentation.
But this was clearly not the answer he wanted.
"I do have another view of this technique."
At that moment, Hamura spoke again.
His expression remained serious, without the earlier relaxed air.
"I prefer to view this technique as a trade.
"Or rather, a forced trade."
"A trade?"
Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
That wording carried a very strong implication.
"Yes, a trade."
Hamura nodded.
Then he seemed to sink into memory.
After a long silence, he spoke quietly.
"It uses an irresistible genjutsu to pull people into a beautiful dreamlike space.
"Within that illusory space, they can accomplish everything they wish.
"They can obtain everything they desire.
"Whether it is authority above the clouds or strength to roam the world, all of it can be obtained easily inside that dream.
"But while they gain all of that, they also complete a trade.
"A trade using their bodies as payment.
"Their bodies will be trapped by the Divine Tree.
"Their will and body will be completely separated.
"Their souls will forever sink into that dream.
"And their bodies will become monsters…"
Hamura closed his eyes.
It was as though unbearable memories had surfaced before him.
After a moment, he sighed quietly.
When he finally gave the answer, Hikaru's pupils widened.
"They become weapons.
"Or perhaps, a vast army."
…
The word army could not be used carelessly.
Hikaru believed Hamura understood what it represented.
Since Hamura used that word anyway, it explained many things.
Hikaru had once wondered why Kaguya created so many White Zetsu.
He also knew, from his memories of his previous life, that Kaguya had likely created them to form an army against other invaders.
Unfortunately, Hikaru did not know much more before transmigrating.
And there was another impression that had always lingered in his mind.
The White Zetsu's performance during the Fourth War had been disastrous.
Using those things to form an army against the Ōtsutsuki?
Was that really an idea a sane person would come up with?
Yet the reality Hikaru now understood was this:
Someone really had thought that way.
And had actually done it.
"But why did Kaguya do that?"
Creating an army naturally had a purpose.
Her purpose was to resist the Ōtsutsuki.
But why she needed to do that was another question.
At that moment, Kinshiki and Momoshiki flashed through Hikaru's mind.
He also recalled what Urashiki had told him before dying.
This led Hikaru to guess—
Did Kaguya actually not come to the shinobi world alone?
Perhaps for some special reason, she killed her companion.
Then, fearing pursuit by the Ōtsutsuki Clan, she began making preparations.
Thinking of this, Hikaru's expression became strange.
Because he realized this possibility was extremely high.
To resist incoming Ōtsutsuki, Kaguya needed to create an army.
To create an army, she needed to sacrifice the world.
But Hagoromo and Hamura had deep ties with ordinary people.
Faced with such a situation, they naturally rebelled.
"But then what does he mean when he says the shinobi world needs to grow?"
Hikaru felt a headache coming on.
He had too little information.
His analysis was still far from complete.
"Have you figured something out?"
Just as Hikaru was feeling frustrated, Hamura spoke again.
"Judging from your expression, you seem to have thought of something interesting.
"Or perhaps you noticed something about our intentions from my words.
"I must say, you are remarkably sharp.
"That kind of sharpness is not something ordinary people possess.
"Only…"
Hamura gave Hikaru a strange look, then shook his head and sighed.
"Only, why do you not simply ask me directly?
"I brought you here. If there are things you wish to understand and things I can tell you, do you think I would refuse?
"Besides, we also hope you can lead the shinobi world in a better direction.
"And in some sense, your existence is important evidence that our view is correct."
Hikaru looked at Hamura speechlessly.
For some reason, he felt as though Hamura was treating him like a test subject.
His existence was evidence supporting their view?
What view?
And who were they trying to prove it to?
Shaking his head, Hikaru sighed inwardly.
Then he finally asked,
"Very well, Senior Hamura. I do have many questions.
"May I ask what exactly is going on?
"Why did your mother guard against those Ōtsutsuki? Did she do something bad?
"What do you mean by the shinobi world's growth?
"And what exactly is my existence?"
This time, Hikaru laid out all his doubts.
He had a feeling that if he received answers now, they would be shocking enough to overturn everything he knew.
Hamura listened and fell into thought.
After a while, he nodded seriously.
"You have considered even more than I imagined.
"You truly are an excellent shinobi.
"With only a few words, you were able to uncover so many hidden secrets.
"Then I can tell you some things you are allowed to know."
Hamura lifted his tea cup again.
He took a light sip.
Steam rose from the cup.
The fragrance of tea filled the air.
He unconsciously swirled the cup in his hand.
Then his low voice rang out.
"You are correct.
"My mother acted to guard against those Ōtsutsuki.
"And she did indeed do certain things that led to this result.
"As for what those things were, I will not say.
"Perhaps one day, you may find the answer yourself.
"You already know what she did.
"And I believe you have also guessed what we did.
"That is right.
"My elder brother and I came into severe conflict with our mother over how to resist the Ōtsutsuki.
"In our mother's view, the Ōtsutsuki were undefeatable.
"To oppose them, she needed a vast army.
"Whether that army was strong or weak did not matter.
"What mattered was obedience and fearlessness.
"So she chose to act.
"She used her own power to force what she considered a perfect trade upon everyone in the shinobi world.
"She allowed all people to receive fulfillment inside illusion.
"In exchange, she obtained their bodies and created her own army.
"But to us, that was unacceptable.
"The countless living beings of the shinobi world are children of nature.
"They were born from nature itself.
"My brother and I have always believed that mankind's potential is limitless, because mankind was chosen by nature.
"As long as humanity receives enough tempering, one day they will be able to resist the Ōtsutsuki.
"Because of this, the conflict between us and our mother became impossible to control.
"Until finally, we sealed her."
Hamura sighed deeply.
Hikaru felt a chill run through him.
He was now certain.
He had guessed correctly.
Sure enough, Hamura soon revealed the answer.
"After sealing our mother, we also had to do something to prove our view was correct.
"The shinobi world needed to grow.
"It could not rely on our protection.
"Because if we appeared openly, the trouble it would invite would be far greater than imagined.
"So my elder brother created Ninshū.
"He spread the power of chakra to the world.
"With chakra, people gained power.
"But how to better use that power became another problem.
"When mother was sealed, she left behind a child.
"That child was our younger brother.
"And his goal was to save mother.
"So we used his existence.
"In a sense, we also used Indra and Asura.
"The war between Indra and Asura was cruel.
"But their war also tempered the entire shinobi world.
"A thousand years of war, cruel beyond imagination, stained every corner of the world with blood.
"But those thousand years also allowed the people of the shinobi world to become familiar with chakra, to master it, and to use it with purpose.
"Growth requires a price.
"Humanity must face the threat of the Ōtsutsuki by itself.
"Mother's arrival did not exterminate mankind.
"But other Ōtsutsuki would never be merciful.
"However, war is cruel.
"So my elder brother has always helped and nurtured people in secret—people who truly carry the ideal of peace.
"In those thousand years of war, such people may have seemed out of place.
"But their existence has always passed hope down through the shinobi world.
"Even if that effort was tiny compared with the corpses and blood buried by those thousand years of war…
"As long as that belief exists, the light will not go out.
"And when humanity faces the Ōtsutsuki, the appearance of such a terrifying external enemy will inevitably unite them.
"At least, in the ending we saw, that was the case."
Hamura stopped speaking.
His tone was calm.
His expression also returned to peace.
He quietly looked at Hikaru.
After watching the silent Hikaru for a long while, he finally spoke softly.
"This is the truth of the shinobi world.
"This is the answer you wanted to know."
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