Gento was not an evil person, but he had never been any kind of saint either.
Since the other side had explicitly stated they would take revenge on him, he naturally would not leave any potential troubles behind.
If you don't cut the grass by its roots, it will grow back when the spring breeze blows.
He turned around, his Rinnegan activating.
The voices of Hamura's descendants, who lay on the ground still cursing, gradually faded as their eyes grew vacant.
Gento did not kill them, but just knocked them out one by one.
It would be an absolute waste to kill them; these were excellent nutrients for the Divine Tree.
With a wave of his hand, the Yomotsu space opened.
The unconscious descendants of Hamura were sucked into the space.
The moon returned to silence.
Under the gray-white sky, only Gento and Mirai, the father and son, remained, along with Toneri, whom he held in his hand.
Gento was just preparing to leave when an ethereal voice suddenly rang in his ear:
"Sir, please wait."
Gento's steps paused, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
This voice...
He asked tentatively:
"Are you... Kaguya Otsutsuki?"
"Indeed."
The voice immediately responded to Gento's inquiry.
"I heard your entire conversation just now."
"Your worries regarding the Otsutsuki clan are correct."
"In truth, the Otsutsuki clan is far more terrifying than you imagine."
"In our Otsutsuki clan, there even exists an entity who has been evolving from a remote and unrecordable ancient era until now; he has already infinitely approached the state of a god."
"It is virtually impossible for you to oppose the Otsutsuki clan."
Gento remained silent for a moment.
He had some understanding of this information from the original work in his past life.
Albeit hearing it with his own ears from Kaguya's mouth felt totally different.
That existence who was "infinitely close to a god" was probably Shibai Otsutsuki.
The legendary ancestor of all Otsutsuki, that mythical figure who only existed in murals.
"What are you trying to say?"
Gento's voice was calm.
He did not show any abnormality just because the other party was the "Rabbit Goddess."
Kaguya's voice continued to ring out:
"I come from the Otsutsuki clan; no one understands the Otsutsuki better than I do."
"Even if the Otsutsuki are this powerful, it is not as though your world has no chance of survival."
"I have a way to prevent your world from being destroyed by the Otsutsuki clan!"
Gento naturally knew that Kaguya would not help him for no reason.
Thus, he took the initiative to ask:
"Then, what is the price?"
"Release me from the seal!"
Kaguya's voice carried a yearning suppressed for a thousand years.
"As a mother, my love for those two children of mine was almost without reservation, yet the two of them betrayed me for the sake of the lives of those so-called commoners!"
"They have sealed me inside this dark and sunless stone for a thousand years!"
Her voice was filled with anger and unwillingness.
Gento pondered for a moment and slowly shook his head.
As a pure-blooded Otsutsuki who had consumed the Divine Tree Fruit, Kaguya's strength remained unfathomable even after being sealed for a thousand years.
With his current level, he did not have a hundred percent certainty of defeating her.
If he released Kaguya only to end up unable to defeat her, that would be awkward.
At the very least, he would have to wait until he also consumed a Divine Tree Fruit before having the qualifications to negotiate with Kaguya on equal terms.
"Princess Kaguya, your proposal is of great value, but not right now."
"I understand your pain of being sealed, and I understand your resentment toward your children."
"That said, with all due respect, I do not have enough trust in you right now."
"In the future, if I obtain power sufficient to rival you, I will seriously consider releasing you."
"At that time, we can sit down and have a proper talk about how to jointly oppose the Otsutsuki main family."
Kaguya fell silent for a moment.
She did not seem to have anticipated being rejected, but she did not fly into a rage either.
Her voice returned to that ethereal calmness once more:
"You are very cautious, young man, but that may not necessarily be a good thing."
"The threat of the Otsutsuki clan is much closer than you think."
"I hope you can make the correct choice before disaster descends."
Kaguya's voice gradually dissipated.
The moon returned to silence.
Gento lingered on the moon for a moment longer.
Only after confirming that Kaguya's seal had not been opened did he take Mirai and Toneri through the space-time passage and return to the shinobi world.
He did not return to Cerulean Harbor, but went directly to Hozuki Island.
…
Hozuki Island.
This small, solitary island isolated out at sea had now changed its appearance quite a bit.
Looking from afar, a colossal tree rose from the ground, blotting out the sun and covering the entire island. Its branches were gnarled like coiled dragons, and its leaves rustled in the wind like a dark green ocean.
The trunk was so thick that it would take dozens of people to encircle it, and its bark was covered with ancient patterns resembling human faces, as well as seals.
Countless roots hung down from the trunk, digging deep into the ground and extending to the seabed. Looking from a distance, it resembled a fortress composed entirely of wood.
This was the Divine Tree.
After so many years of feeding; using prisoners from the Hidden Cloud, war criminals from various other shinobi villages, sea beasts and fish absorbed from the deep ocean, as well as marine creatures hunted by the Divine Tree's own root system on the seabed.
The current Divine Tree was several times larger than when it was first planted.
Purple patterns were faintly emerging on its trunk.
A golden light flowed within the canopy, which was the trace of chakra flowing among the branches and leaves.
The entire tree emitted a heart-palpitating pressure, as if it were not a tree, but a slumbering ancient behemoth.
Gento brought Mirai and Toneri beneath the Divine Tree.
He looked down at Toneri, whom he held in his hand.
The youth was no longer struggling, his face merely pale, his eyes filled with fear and despair.
Seeing Toneri's state, Gento comforted him:
"Take a deep breath. Dizziness is normal."
"But soon, you won't be dizzy anymore."
Hearing Gento's words, the fear on Toneri's face intensified.
Seeing that his comfort had no effect, Gento found it a bit dull.
He then hesitated no longer, directly raising his hand to fling Toneri toward the Divine Tree.
The youth's body traced an elegant arc through the air.
The Divine Tree seemed to sense something.
Countless roots immediately reached out from the trunk, extending frantically toward Toneri like the tentacles of a living creature.
The speed of those roots was astonishing, wrapping around Toneri layer by layer in the blink of an eye, enveloping him into a massive cocoon.
Toneri's voice came from inside the cocoon; first a gasp of shock, then a miserable shriek, and finally fading away into silence.
The trunk of the Divine Tree began to tremble, the leaves rustling as the purple patterns lit up, emitting an eerie glow.
The entire tree seemed to come alive, twisting and growing, stretching toward the sky.
The golden light that had been faint in the canopy suddenly flared up, like a sun rising among the branches.
The light grew brighter and brighter, illuminating the entirety of Hozuki Island as if it were broad daylight.
Mirai hid behind Gento, his small hands tightly clutching his father's hem, yet his eyes stared unblinkingly at the changes in the Divine Tree.
The light persisted for a long time before finally converging gradually.
The purple patterns on the trunk no longer flashed but settled down, like a natural brand.
A fist-sized flower bud had appeared in the canopy.
A hazy, newborn consciousness like that of an infant awoke from within the Divine Tree.
It had no language, no thoughts; only the most primitive perception and instinct.
And it wanted to speak to the person in front of it who made it feel "familiar."
"Who... are you?"
A voice echoed in Gento's mind.
The voice was quite tender, similar to that of the three-year-old Mirai beside him.
Gento was a bit startled, before a smile curled on his lips.
The Divine Tree had developed a self-awareness?
This was indeed an unexpected joy.
"I am the one who planted you."
Gento replied in his mind.
"Planted..."
The Divine Tree's consciousness seemed to struggle to comprehend this word.
"Is it you... who brought me to life?"
"You could say that."
"Thank you."
There was a hint of innocence in the Divine Tree's conscious voice.
"Do you... have anything you want me to do?"
Gento remained silent for a moment, then asked the most critical question:
"Can you bear a Divine Tree Fruit now?"
---
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