Gamamaru seemed unsurprised that Hagoromo had gone straight to the heart of the matter. He gave a slight nod, and his aged, tranquil voice echoed directly within Hagoromo's mind once more.
"By following the path laid out by fate, I will teach you... two forms of power."
He paused, allowing the significance of those words to settle before continuing.
"When you have mastered these two powers, you will become stronger than ever before. Only then will you possess both the qualification... and the strength... to fulfill your mission and save this world."
Two forms of power.
Hagoromo's heart skipped a beat.
An indescribable surge of joy and excitement instantly swept away every trace of doubt and heaviness that had burdened him.
His eyes lit up.
Within his scarlet Sharingan, the three tomoe seemed to glow even brighter in response to his overwhelming emotions.
At last.
He had finally found it.
A source of power that did not belong to his mother's system.
And there wasn't just one—it was two.
This wasn't merely hope for personal revenge or changing the status quo.
It was the key to breaking Kaguya's monopoly over the world's power.
"...Gamamaru."
Hagoromo's voice trembled with emotion.
He took a step back and bowed deeply toward the tiny toad seated upon the stone.
"Thank you. No matter what the future holds, no matter what fate has truly arranged, the fact that you're willing to guide me now is the greatest kindness I could ever receive."
Gamamaru inclined his head slightly, accepting the gratitude without changing his calm expression.
His profound gaze rested upon Hagoromo, as though seeing straight through to the source of the young man's suffering.
Rather than immediately teaching him these so-called powers, Gamamaru abruptly changed the subject.
"Before we begin, Hagoromo..."
"Do you know what your mother Kaguya's God Tree truly is?"
The question struck like an icy key, unlocking the floodgates of emotions Hagoromo had desperately tried to suppress.
The God Tree...
That towering, terrifying tree...
The tree that had devoured Chō...
And countless other lives.
The excitement vanished from Hagoromo's face, replaced by grief and hatred so profound it could no longer be concealed.
His hands clenched involuntarily until his fingernails dug into his palms.
The scarlet Sharingan that had shone with newfound hope only moments ago was now clouded by deep sorrow.
"...The God Tree."
His voice grew hoarse, every word carrying the weight of blood and tears.
"It was because of that tree... that Chō... disappeared."
The image resurfaced before his eyes.
Chō being swallowed by that pale radiance.
Her silent whisper.
The final look she gave him.
It felt as though an invisible hand had closed around his heart, squeezing until he could scarcely breathe.
Slowly, he shook his head.
His eyes overflowed with grief and helplessness.
"I watched... as it took her away."
"And I... couldn't do anything."
Every ounce of his anger toward his mother's rule...
His hatred of the sacrificial system...
His deepest personal sorrow...
All of it had become focused upon a single, tangible target.
The God Tree.
It symbolized Kaguya's power.
It was the instrument of her cruel dominion.
And it was the murderer that had stolen away the one he loved.
Gamamaru quietly observed the anguish on Hagoromo's face, listening to the hatred and sorrow in his words.
A more complicated light flickered within the old toad's deep eyes.
It was as though something had been confirmed.
Or perhaps he was laying the groundwork for the guidance yet to come.
He allowed Hagoromo to fully vent his emotions before speaking again.
His voice remained calm, yet carried the wisdom of one who understood the fundamental truths of existence.
"Then tell me, Hagoromo..."
"Have you ever wondered where the God Tree's power truly comes from?"
"Why it was able to grant your mother such overwhelming power..."
"And why it is capable of devouring life itself?"
The question redirected Hagoromo's thoughts away from hatred and grief toward something far more fundamental—
The true origin of power.
And perhaps that was precisely what Gamamaru needed him to understand before teaching him those two forms of power.
Throughout the shinobi world, everyone watching the Heavenly Curtain held their breath.
They waited for Gamamaru to reveal the secret of the God Tree...
And the power capable of opposing it.
Gamamaru's series of questions struck Hagoromo like heavy blows, shattering the assumptions he had always taken for granted.
Whenever he thought of the God Tree, only hatred and fear filled his heart.
Never once had he questioned the source of its existence or the true nature of its power.
Only now, after Gamamaru's guidance, did he realize how little he actually understood about the colossal tree that had transformed his mother...
And consumed Chō.
Stepping forward anxiously, Hagoromo fixed his scarlet Sharingan upon Gamamaru.
"Gamamaru! Since you know the truth..."
"Please... tell me everything."
Gamamaru was unsurprised by Hagoromo's urgency.
He nodded slowly, his ancient voice carrying the solemnity of someone explaining the laws that governed heaven and earth.
"First, you must understand one principle."
"Everything in existence has a lifespan."
"Where there is a beginning, there is an end."
"The same is true for humans."
"For beasts."
"And for every flower, blade of grass, and tree."
"All things are meant to follow their natural cycle—growth, prosperity, decline, and finally, a return to dust."
"That is the way of nature."
Hagoromo nodded in agreement.
He had witnessed people grow old and die.
He had seen the endless cycle of flourishing and withering throughout the natural world.
"That is how it should be."
"There has never been anything truly eternal."
"And there never should be."
"Anything that attempts to defy that law has already strayed from the proper path."
"Then," Gamamaru continued, "here is the question."
His deep eyes seemed to pierce through time itself, gazing directly at the essence of the God Tree.
"Human beings must eat in order to grow and survive."
"You consume grain."
"You hunt birds and beasts."
"You take the vitality of other living things and transform it into your own."
He paused.
Then asked clearly,
"So tell me..."
"The God Tree has grown so vast that it towers over the world like a mountain."
"What does it feed upon?"
"What nourishes such an unimaginably enormous body..."
"And such terrifying power?"
"...!"
Hagoromo's entire body trembled.
It felt as though a bolt of icy lightning had struck him, leaving him rooted to the spot.
His mind went blank.
What does the God Tree feed on?
The question was deceptively simple.
Almost childishly so.
Yet it shattered a blind spot in his understanding that he had never even realized existed.
That's right...
Trees need nourishment.
Ordinary trees required sunlight...
Water...
And nutrients from the soil.
But...
Was the God Tree an ordinary tree?
Its impossible size.
The terrifying power it contained.
Its ability to bear the Chakra Fruit, the fruit that had transformed Kaguya and brought chakra into the world.
Could all of that truly be sustained by nothing more than sunlight and rain?
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