Chapter 1: Otsutsuki Shen
"Ugh—cough, cough, cough!"
Accompanied by a violent fit of coughing, in the distant reaches of the starry sky—within the Ōtsutsuki clan's residence—a slender young boy painfully pushed himself upright from a wooden bed.
After regaining his senses, the boy glanced around at his surroundings. It was a completely wooden room, but extremely old and decayed—overall, in terrible condition.
He tried to get up, pressing both hands against the edge of the bed. But when his gaze fell upon his own hands—pale to an almost sickly degree—his pupils suddenly shrank.
"Did I really… come here?"
The boy hurriedly found a water vat, quickly stepping toward it. Lowering his head, he looked at his reflection in the water—and was stunned.
In the reflection, his pupils were white, almost indistinguishable from the whites of his eyes. If not for the slightly darker ring around them, there would be no contrast at all. His face was as pale as his hands, and on his forehead grew two horn-like protrusions, resembling dried wood.
"I really transmigrated… and even became a member of the Ōtsutsuki clan? Then the memories in my head that don't belong to me… are they real too? I've become an Ōtsutsuki—Ōtsutsuki Shen?!"
The boy—no, Ōtsutsuki Shen—muttered in disbelief. Just as he was still sorting through his thoughts, a loud, arrogant voice came from outside the door of his dilapidated wooden hut.
"Hey, are you dead yet?! Shen! Shen! What the hell—you're still alive? I've been calling you for a while now. Are you looking to die?"
A tall, round, almost ball-shaped young man walked in through the doorway.
"Ōtsutsuki Hien! What are you doing here?" Shen turned his head, staring coldly at the obese young man.
From his memories, this fat man was the captain of the servant squad of this body—and also someone who had a direct conflict of interest with him.
"Hm? What kind of tone is that? That's how you talk to me?" Ōtsutsuki Hien looked at Shen in surprise. He hadn't expected that someone he had nearly beaten to death before would dare speak to him like this.
"If you've got something to say, say it. Otherwise, get lost. If I remember correctly, I still have two days left in my leave period, right?"
Shen snorted coldly.
"Yesterday, you came to me and forced me to help you move lumber—that was already a violation. And after that… heh. Tell me—what do you think will happen if I report this to Lord Fūseki, who values rules above all else?"
He showed no fear, directly bringing up his backing.
Yesterday, Ōtsutsuki Hien abused his authority to forcibly adjust Shen's leave, then used the excuse of absenteeism to beat him.
But Shen wasn't without support.
Ōtsutsuki Fūseki—a member of the main family. Though not of particularly high status, he still held a managerial role. It was said that he possessed a medicinal pill; if he weren't saving it for his grandson, he could have used it to grow stronger and secure a higher position.
By chance, Shen had formed a connection with Fūseki.
Fūseki had a particular fondness for hydroponic plants, and every three days, Shen was required to visit his residence to help tend them. Shen had always performed well, earning Fūseki's favor and frequent protection.
Recently, however, something significant had occurred—Fūseki had been summoned away by the main family. And taking advantage of his absence, the fat man—who had always disliked Shen—decided to teach him a lesson.
"Hmph. I'm here this time to deliver an order from the main family."
Hien sneered.
"You know Lord Momoshiki, right? He has a maid—Kaguya. Apparently, she secretly ate the fruit of the Divine Tree that Lord Momoshiki planted. Now the clan is mobilizing people to capture her."
"Heh… after a recommendation from our squad, you've been selected to join the operation."
"How about it? This is a chance to work for Lord Momoshiki!"
Hien's grin turned sinister. This was no good assignment.
Even if the mission succeeded and one gained recognition from the main family—or even received a small Chakra Fruit and ascended into the main lineage—the chances were slim.
More importantly, Shen knew exactly how powerful Kaguya was after consuming the fruit.
He might very well die at her hands.
And right now, Kaguya had only just eaten the fruit—this was the period where her power was increasing the fastest.
Hien clearly intended to send him to his death.
But Shen wasn't foolish enough to charge straight at Ōtsutsuki Kaguya under the banner of "punishing her for the main family."
In the early stages, survival was everything.
Since he couldn't avoid this conscription, he might as well take the initiative. With his foresight, who would ultimately prevail was still uncertain.
"I don't know what you're planning, but since you've given me this opportunity to serve the main family's lords… I'll thank you for it."
Shen pretended ignorance and expressed gratitude.
"Hmph, no need to thank me. Aside from me, you're the strongest in this squad. Naturally, I won't send myself—so it has to be you."
Hien grinned wickedly.
"Let me warn you—don't slack off. I'm aiming to be promoted to squad leader. If you mess this up for me, then even Lord Fūseki won't be able to stop me from crippling you when you return!"
But what he didn't realize was that Shen had already seen through the malice in his eyes.
"Tch. Do you think I'm like you—always putting on a show while slacking off behind the scenes?"
Shen sneered.
"The only reason I haven't reported you is out of courtesy. Yet yesterday, you still had the nerve to cause me trouble. That said, since you helped me get in touch with Lord Momoshiki this time, I'll let it slide."
Straightening his clothes, Shen stepped out of the door.
Looking back at the still-stunned Hien, he deliberately provoked him:
"What are you standing there for? Take me to the assembly point. If we miss the timing, your future won't be so pleasant."
Shen put on an arrogant expression, as if he had already captured Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and returned in glory.
Hien looked at him and sneered inwardly.
So what if you once latched onto Lord Fūseki? This time, you're not coming back.
Feigning irritation, Hien led the way ahead, though inwardly he mocked Shen's naivety.
Someone who had eaten a Divine Tree fruit—just how powerful were they?
He hadn't witnessed it himself, but he had seen the strength of the main family.
Shen was as good as dead.
Let him act arrogant for now.
Shen, walking behind him, naturally knew this was all an act. Unfortunately, the performance was poor—he could easily read what the man was thinking.
Heh… when you see me again, that'll be the moment of your despair.
After winding through several paths, they finally arrived at a large plaza. Quite a number of people had already gathered.
At the highest point of the plaza stood Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki, his expression filled with anger.
Shen blended into the crowd. It seemed not everyone had arrived yet, so he quietly waited.
After about half an hour, the gathering was complete.
Momoshiki finally spoke:
"You should already know what has happened. I won't waste words. I've gathered you here to capture that wretched woman—Kaguya—and bring her back to me!"
"Anyone who contributes will be rewarded. And whoever captures Kaguya—will receive a Divine Tree seed from me!"
The entire plaza erupted.
No one had expected the ultimate reward to be a Divine Tree seed.
Compared to small Chakra Fruits, a Divine Tree seed was vastly superior. Though it required time to cultivate, the quality of the fruit it produced depended on the host planet.
With a planet of decent potential, one could yield a mid-grade or higher Chakra Fruit—and reaching upper ranks in the main family would practically be guaranteed.
From this, Shen deduced something crucial—
The Divine Tree fruit in the ninja world must be extraordinary. Possibly even a top-tier Chakra Fruit.
And correspondingly, the difficulty of capturing Kaguya had just increased.
Scanning the surroundings, Shen noticed that only seven or eight people—including himself—had realized this and calmed down quickly.
These people… could be used.
The rest were unreliable.
With that thought, Shen moved swiftly toward them.
Each time he approached someone, he lightly tapped their arm. Those who were touched paused briefly—then silently followed him, clearly understanding his intent.
Once they had gathered in a secluded area, Shen spoke in a low voice:
"Everyone here is clearly intelligent. You all understand the difficulty of this mission."
"In that case, let's form a team."
"After the mission, the Divine Tree seed will belong to all of us collectively. Once cultivated, we'll split the resulting fruit into eight portions."
"Though each share won't be as strong as a whole fruit, this way, no one gets left out
Besides, growing a seed and protecting it isn't convenient, isn't it?"
"Do you agree?"
"If you do, gather around me quickly once the mission begins. Of course, if you dislike the idea, that's fine. But if Kaguya is captured by our group… then when the tree is planted, there will naturally be no share for you."
"Well? What do you think?"
"Agreed!"
"I'm in!"
…
After everyone agreed, Shen finally let out a breath of relief.
At least his chances of survival had increased.
Once they safely reached the ninja world… he would deal with these people as well.
"Alright. You now know everything you need to know."
Momoshiki raised his hand.
"I will now open a dimensional passage leading to Kaguya. Your task is to reach her planet as quickly as possible—and capture her. Understood?"
"Yes!"
Hundreds of voices answered in unison, resounding through the plaza.
With a wave of his hand, Momoshiki opened a spatial portal in the center.
After all, the Divine Tree in the ninja world had been planted by him. He naturally possessed the coordinates of the dimension born from its fruit.
But he had no intention of going personally.
To him, capturing Kaguya didn't require his direct involvement—these servants were more than enough.
As everyone stepped into the dimensional passage, Shen found himself in a world of ice and snow.
At a glance, he recognized it—
This was the icy dimension that would later become Kaguya's palace.
No wonder she chose to establish her palace here—to obstruct the Ōtsutsuki clan from easily locating her via spatial pathways.
Looking around, Shen saw the other seven slowly gathering toward him.
He exhaled slightly in relief.
At least none of them were like Hien—cowards who would back out at the last moment.
"Alright. Let's start searching for the exit of this space."
Shen addressed the group calmly.
"It shouldn't be too difficult."
After all, this space had only just formed. It must still be anchored to the main dimension—the one that would later be known as the central space.
From there, Shen was confident he could gather everyone's strength… and open a path forward.