Chapter 22: Kaguya's Future and the Completion of the Barrier
In the southern forest, Shen listened to the Slug Sage's question, his brows knitting tightly together.
Truthfully, he had no desire to act against Kaguya. Forcing her into a difficult childbirth was simply too cruel. Because of that, he immediately opposed the toads' plan. When he later learned that the toad clan had already abandoned it, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Slug Sage, you know… I never really wanted to interfere in Kaguya's matter. When I first heard that the toads had a plan, I assumed it was something like nurturing her child—using that bond to make her come to her senses. After all, in this world, the ones closest to Kaguya are her children."
"But I never expected their plan to be forcing her into a difficult childbirth."
"That… makes me feel like I've wronged her. For one, Kaguya has already suffered enough. And for another, difficult childbirth… for any woman, any mother, it's no different from the end of the world. I've seen the look in a mother's eyes at the moment of parting—the worry, the reluctance… it's truly heartbreaking."
Having inherited Ōtsutsuki Shen's memories, he could naturally understand those emotions—understand the pain of that kind of farewell.
"As things stand, the only ones capable of dealing with the Ōtsutsuki… are the Ōtsutsuki themselves. I don't want to fight Kaguya. And if I did, it might only make her even more unstable. At that point, even the Divine Tree could spiral into an uncontrollable state."
"And more importantly… I'm not her opponent. The Three Great Sages who could rival her cannot leave their sacred lands. So the key lies with Kaguya's children. If they can come to understand the truth of the world, then they may be able to persuade their mother."
"And they'll likely inherit an immense amount of her chakra—at the very least, half of it. That alone is something I, who hasn't even consumed a chakra fruit, cannot compare to."
"It would be best if Kaguya's children never even learn of my existence. I don't know how they would view someone who was once their mother's enemy. If possible, we can deal with that in the future—when it's time to oppose the Ōtsutsuki clan."
"As for now… my proposal is to focus on observation. No one can approach Kaguya at the moment, and she won't listen to anyone. The Divine Tree contains Momoshiki's malevolent will, and Kaguya herself has already been tainted. She won't heed any reasoning."
"Until her children grow up, we observe. Once they come of age, we guide them—help them understand the world, and have them persuade their mother for the sake of this world."
"And if, during that time, Kaguya has already committed unforgivable acts… then we'll have no choice but to raise her children to stand against her."
"That's the only path left to us."
After laying out all his thoughts, Shen lowered his head deeply.
His feelings toward Kaguya were complicated.
Having watched the original story, he knew just how tragic her life had been. The only being truly aligned with her was Black Zetsu—yet that very existence was the mastermind behind a thousand years of suffering in the shinobi world.
What he hoped for most was that Kaguya could endure—resist the erosion of Momoshiki's will—and hold on until her children grew up and could bring her back.
At that point, Shen was confident he could purge Momoshiki's malevolent will from her body.
Then, everything could reach a perfect ending.
Of course… he knew this was nothing more than wishful thinking.
With Kaguya's state, how could she possibly resist both Momoshiki's will and the influence of the Divine Tree?
Thinking of her inevitable fate—being sealed away in the future—he couldn't help but sigh.
Looking at the setting sun, Shen knew that one day, the night sky would gain a moon.
But staring at that moon… he would never be able to place his longing for home upon it.
"Then I'll pass your plan along to the toad clan. As for what happens next, that's beyond our control. It'll depend on the toads' decision," the Slug Sage said, no longer wishing to press him after seeing his sorrow.
After relaying everything Shen had said to the Great Slug Sage, she remained by his side, quietly watching the sun sink below the horizon.
As the sunset deepened, Shen's mind gradually emptied. He simply stood there, unmoving.
He thought of his parents.
He thought of his best friend—the chubby one.
He thought of his mischievous yet warm-hearted cousin at his uncle's house.
He thought of his grandparents back in the countryside, who only wished for him to live safely and in good health…
Only after the sun had completely set and the stars began to appear did Shen finally come back to his senses.
"Slug Sage… thank you for staying with me."
"No need to thank me. From now on, I'll always be by your side, Shen-kun. No matter when."
The small slug crawled up to his cheek and gently rubbed against it.
Feeling that cool, soft touch, Shen smiled.
He wasn't alone in this world.
He had the Yokota clan, and the slug sage. And in the future… there would be Naruto, Shikamaru, and the rest of the Twelve.
He believed that no matter what, he wouldn't be alone.
"It's about time. Let's head back. The barrier will be completed tomorrow—one day ahead of schedule. That's all thanks to you, Slug Sage. Without you, it might have taken three or four months to finish."
Shen slowly flew toward the construction site, unhurried.
"This is only what I should do. After all, I already said—I'll be by your side from now on," the Slug Sage replied gently, prompting another smile from him.
At that moment, Shen spotted Yūko walking toward him. He descended and landed beside her.
"Yūko? What brings you here?"
"Ah, Lord Shen! It's getting late, so I came to call you back for dinner. I didn't expect to run into you here—what a relief!" Yūko said happily upon seeing him.
"Mm, then let's head back."
Looking at Yūko, who had come just to fetch him for dinner, Shen felt a warmth rise in his chest.
After returning to the housing site with her, Shen went straight to where the Yokota clan's higher-ups were gathered. To his surprise, none of them had started eating—they were all waiting for him.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, he quickly took his seat.
To be honest, he still wasn't used to this elevated status. Seeing everyone wait for him to begin before daring to eat, Shen could only give a wry smile. He said nothing, knowing that words wouldn't change anything. The rigid hierarchy of samurai clans was deeply ingrained in them.
Only after Shen began eating did the others follow.
The laborers had already eaten earlier, but these people had deliberately waited. To them, this was simply the proper etiquette of a great clan.
After a full day of work, Shen finished his meal and returned to his room with Yūko. This time, only Yūko accompanied him, and after returning, she went to rest in her own quarters.
At last, Shen could sleep in his own bed again.
That night, lying in bed, he thought once more about Kaguya and let out a quiet sigh.
He understood now—he was still too weak.
He didn't yet possess the strength to change everything.
And at present, the only way to grow stronger quickly… was to consume a chakra fruit.
Within the Ōtsutsuki clan, it wasn't as if there weren't powerful branch members. But those individuals had all cultivated their strength over extremely long periods of time.
No matter how strong they became, they still had little ability to resist the main family.
Even at their peak, they would only reach Six Paths–level power.
Compared to Ōtsutsuki who had consumed even inferior chakra fruits, they might win in terms of combat experience and versatility—but against someone like Momoshiki, or even Kaguya, who had consumed high-grade or even supreme chakra fruits, they were still far too weak.
Don't be misled by how Kaguya was sealed by her two sons in the original story.
At that time, she had already been driven mad by the Divine Tree. How much of her true strength and clarity of thought could she have retained?
Even after being revived, most of her chakra had already dispersed. She simply couldn't exert her full power.
Although the Divine Tree absorbed chakra from people across the shinobi world, the chakra of the Sage of Six Paths—and that of the Ōtsutsuki branch family on the moon—could never be reclaimed.
And those… were the largest portions.
Before his death, the Sage of Six Paths spread his chakra throughout the entire shinobi world, ensuring that he could continue to guide the reincarnations of his two sons.
And when Naruto and Sasuke awakened their powers, all they received was Yin–Yang Release. And even that was already enough to seal Kaguya.
Afterward, Naruto only retained the Nine-Tails, and Sasuke was left with just a single six-tomoe Rinnegan. Even Yin–Yang Release was taken back once its purpose had been fulfilled. Meanwhile, the Sage of Six Paths' chakra continued to permeate the world, silently watching over the entire shinobi realm.
After letting his thoughts wander for a while, Shen finally succumbed to exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep. The Slug Sage crawled onto his chest, releasing gentle senjutsu energy to aid his recovery.
It was a dreamless night.
Shen woke up early the next morning. This time, Yūko didn't oversleep either—she followed him to the construction site. Looking around, he noticed that earthen walls had already begun to rise in several areas, and he couldn't help but smile. He hadn't even realized that construction of the outer walls had started yesterday.
"Uncle Ruma, you're moving fast. Yesterday, I didn't even see any outer walls yet."
He walked over to his usual spot, smiling as he spoke.
"Mm. At this rate, in just over a hundred days, the Yokota clan will be reborn here! No—even less than that. Everyone in the Yokota clan will be able to move into their own homes!" Ruma said, bursting into hearty laughter.
Seeing the joyful expressions of the Yokota clansmen, Shen found himself smiling as well. Their happiness proved that what he had done wasn't wrong.
As for the future… that would be left to time.
Still, he believed that with his methods, he could elevate the Yokota clan into a great family comparable to the Senju or the Uchiha. While he wouldn't grant them Ōtsutsuki blood, he had something just as valuable.
With his connection to Shikkotsu Forest, he could transform the Yokota clan into a true clan of human sages.
At that point, every member would be accompanied by a slug. In battle, they would wield high-powered senjutsu, paired with the Slug Sage's extraordinary healing.
How would anyone even fight against that?
If he went a step further and developed a controllable curse mark system similar to Jūgo's clan, it might even be possible to establish a fourth sacred land.
For now, though, he continued engraving sealing formulas.
To be honest, the work was unbearably tedious. If not for chatting with the Slug Sage from time to time, Shen felt like he might not have been able to endure it.
Finally, around three in the afternoon, all the formula engravings were complete.
Shen walked to the large tree that served as the starting point of the barrier. Placing his palm against it, he circulated his chakra to its limit, sending it surging from that tree to the next—linking them one by one.
As the connections spread across more than half the network, sweat began to bead on his forehead.
Large drops rolled down his pale cheeks and fell to the ground.
At that moment, the Slug Sage also gathered all her senjutsu energy and poured it into Shen's body, helping him accelerate the completion of the barrier.
Finally—
When the last formula was linked, Shen and the Slug Sage watched as a transparent barrier, like a rising curtain of water, slowly emerged from the ground before them.
The barrier extended upward, gradually converging toward the center of the entire clearing.
Both of them were stunned by the sight.
It was Shen's first time deploying a barrier, and he hadn't expected it to manifest like this.
A smile spread across his face.
At that same moment, far away in the Divine Temple, Kaguya suddenly sensed a fluctuation of energy from this direction.
It was faint—so faint that she initially dismissed it as an illusion. But at this critical stage, Kaguya was extremely sensitive.
She directed the Divine Tree to investigate.
Boom!
With a dull collision of energy, the barrier was fully completed.
Having successfully deployed two layers of barriers in a single attempt, Shen felt a surge of excitement.
But before he could share his success with the Slug Sage, his expression suddenly tightened into a frown.
"What's wrong, Shen-kun?" the Slug Sage asked anxiously, worried that something had gone wrong with the barrier.
"Just now… the Divine Tree tried to probe this area right after the barrier was completed. When I activated it, I must have used too much chakra—Kaguya probably noticed."
"But fortunately, the barrier was already finished before the Divine Tree's scan reached us. There shouldn't be any issues."
"Still… just in case, please inform the Great Slug Sage. Have her coordinate with the toad clan and stay alert."
Shen spoke with a hint of concern.
"Understood. I've already relayed everything to the Great Slug Sage. She'll inform the toad clan as well," the Slug Sage replied with a nod.