Chapter 24: Entering Treatment and Kaguya's Impending Childbirth.
The next morning, Shen came to the construction site together with Yūko. After breakfast, he looked at the still-seated Yokota leaders and said, "Everyone, I'll be leaving the Southern Border Forest shortly to head to Shikkotsu Forest and treat my injuries. I'm entrusting everything here to all of you."
"Lord Shen is leaving?" Ruma looked at him in surprise. He had assumed Shen would stay until the Yokota residence was fully completed.
"Yes. I've delayed treatment for these injuries for far too long. Now that they can finally be healed, I want to recover as soon as possible," Shen said with a nod.
"In that case, please focus on your treatment without worry. With the Yokota clan here, nothing will go wrong," Ruma said firmly, seeing that Shen had already made up his mind.
"With you here, Uncle Ruma, I can rest easy." Shen smiled and nodded. After bidding everyone farewell, he prepared to depart.
Flying through the sky, Shen looked down at the forest beneath him and smiled.
No one would ever guess that a clan with limitless potential was hidden here.
Even if those samurai clans who had once received the news came to the Southern Border Forest, none of them would ever discover the Yokota clan.
After fixing his direction, Shen sped toward Shikkotsu Forest. Looking at the scenery below, he thought to himself that he likely would not see it again for another half year.
It did not take long for him to arrive at Shikkotsu Forest. The moment he entered, he saw a slug clone already waiting for him.
Sitting atop the slug clone's head and chatting idly with her along the way, Shen remained deeply nervous.
To the other Ōtsutsuki Shen whose memories he had inherited, this injury had followed him for around ten years. Now that it could finally be healed, the meaning of this treatment was immense.
And for Shen himself, it was just as important.
Whether he would be able to survive the chaos to come, whether he could one day stand at the pinnacle of the world—everything depended on this treatment.
Before long, the slug clone brought him to the Great Slug Sage herself.
Looking at the mountain-like Great Slug Sage, Shen could not help but let out an amazed, "Wow."
"It's been a long time, Shen-kun," the Great Slug Sage greeted him gently.
"It has been a long time, Great Slug Sage. I'll be relying on you this time." Shen bowed deeply, his expression solemn. He was about to undergo half a year of treatment, and whether it would succeed or not depended entirely on the Great Slug Sage.
"Leave it to me," the Great Slug Sage replied, as gentle and steady as ever.
"Shen-kun, please come onto my body. In a moment, I will envelop you within me, so please do not panic."
"Yes!"
After climbing onto the Great Slug Sage's body, Shen stared at the enormous sage beneath his feet, tension filling every part of him.
"Then, Shen-kun, let's meet again in half a year," the slug on his shoulder said to him. Then she crawled down from his body and gradually merged into the Great Slug Sage's own form.
"See you in half a year!" Shen felt himself relax a little. He then nodded toward the Great Slug Sage to show that he was ready.
The next moment, ripples spread across the Great Slug Sage's back like the surface of water. Standing at the very center of those ripples, Shen slowly sank into her body.
Just before his head disappeared completely, he could not help but close his eyes.
Then came total darkness.
It felt as though he were being wrapped in endless cotton—soft and warm.
"Shen-kun, I am about to begin your treatment. Once it starts, I will put you into a deep sleep. That sleep will last anywhere from half a year to a full year, depending on the progress of your recovery. But don't worry—once you are asleep, you will not feel the passage of time."
At that moment, the Great Slug Sage's voice sounded in his mind.
"Understood. Please begin," Shen replied in the same way.
Then, he knew nothing more.
He only felt as though he were drifting within an ocean of life...
Mount Myōboku.
"According to the message from the Great Slug Sage, that Ōtsutsuki, Shen, has already begun treatment. The entire process will last from half a year to a full year," the Great Toad Sage said to the assembled toad sages inside the immortal hall.
"I see. Since we've already accepted his plan, then we'll proceed according to it. Tomorrow is Kaguya's due date."
"Based on the information he provided, once Kaguya recovers after childbirth, she will go to the other dimension and slaughter the main pursuit force sent after her, then seal off the space-time passage the Ōtsutsuki use to reach this place. That will buy us nearly a thousand years to prepare for the Ōtsutsuki clan," Sage Yuhi said in a deep voice.
"Send reconnaissance toads to keep close watch on all of Kaguya's movements. Once she leaves for the other dimension, make contact with her two children and see whether they inherited chakra from her. If they truly did, then we will continue carrying out Ōtsutsuki Shen's plan," another sage said.
"Yes, that will do. Have the toads stationed outside pay close attention to their safety. They must not expose themselves in front of Kaguya. According to Ōtsutsuki Shen, the Byakugan of the Ōtsutsuki clan can see energy signatures. It may not detect them as clearly as chakra, but it can still notice traces."
"In addition, the movements of the Divine Tree must also be monitored. We need to determine whether it is producing a second fruit. That Ōtsutsuki Shen needs a second fruit to increase his strength quickly. For a friend, we should help wherever we can."
"Tell the toads outside to be patient. No matter what the current situation is, no matter how angry they are with Kaguya, everything will be settled once her children come of age. It is only a matter of ten or so years. To beings like us, ten years pass in the blink of an eye," the Great Toad Sage said slowly from atop the high platform.
"Understood!" ×.
"And how is Gamamaru's learning progressing?" the Great Toad Sage suddenly asked, recalling the young toad he had been paying attention to.
"That little toad is no ordinary talent. He's exceptionally intelligent and sharp-minded, making him very easy to teach. He has already mastered the chakra cultivation method passed over from the Great Slug Sage's side. His talent is outstanding. If we're talking about the next generation of Great Toad Sage, he is indeed very suitable," Yuhi said with a smile on his face, clearly very pleased with Gamamaru.
"I see. Good. My time is drawing near. The future will depend on all of your efforts. As for the next Great Toad Sage, there is no need to make Gamamaru take the role yet. He still needs much more cultivation. A talent like this is rare among the toad clan—we cannot handle the matter carelessly."
" We will teach him with the utmost seriousness."
Ryūchi Cave.
"How goes the research into the method of cultivating senjutsu chakra that we obtained from the Great Slug Sage?" the current White Snake Sage asked from atop a raised platform, her body coiled there.
"Reporting to the Great Sage, trials are still ongoing. Progress has not been very high. The senjutsu energy of Ryūchi Cave is already the most violent of the three sacred lands, so fusing it into senjutsu chakra is extremely difficult," a patterned giant snake below replied.
"Mm. Continue the research. It doesn't matter if you fail to produce results for now. Once the Great Slug Sage succeeds on her side, she will surely give us a copy as well. At that point, we can modify it to suit Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu energy," the White Snake Sage said, not pressing the matter. Although Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu possessed the greatest offensive power, its senjutsu energy was also far more violent, making even normally cold-blooded snakes irritable and savage.
"These matters can be taken slowly. How is that child, Hakuja?"
"Hakuja's learning is going very smoothly. He should be fit to serve as the White Snake Sage of the generation after next. He is still too young, and for now, still too weak."
"I see. Then step up his training. The inheritance of our three sacred lands is of the utmost importance. My end is near, and I imagine that old toad is in the same state. News from Mount Myōboku says the toad clan has produced a genius named Gamamaru. Heh... Ryūchi Cave is no less. I believe Hakuja will surely give them a surprise."
Coiled there, the White Snake Sage exuded an oppressive aura of violent coldness from her entire body.
Inside the Palace of the Rabbit Goddess.
"Goddess, the birthing chamber has already been prepared. Tomorrow, your delivery will surely go smoothly."
Kaguya lay flat upon her bedding while an elderly woman beside her spoke respectfully. She was the most experienced midwife here. Kaguya had prepared extensively for this childbirth. Every person involved in the delivery had been controlled by her through runes. If Kaguya was dissatisfied in the slightest, the chakra filling their bodies would instantly kill them. Because of that, no one dared show even the slightest negligence.
"That's good. I am giving birth earlier than expected. So tomorrow, you must be especially careful. Understood?" Kaguya said coldly.
"Please rest assured, Goddess. I have prepared everything that can be prepared. The captain of the guard has also sent word that the security and troop presence around the palace have been tripled. No one could possibly disrupt your delivery."
"You may leave."
Feeling somewhat tired, Kaguya closed her eyes and dismissed her.
The old woman quietly withdrew. After closing the door, she let out a deep breath.
Toward the Rabbit Goddess inside, she felt both fear and pity.
She had heard of Kaguya's experiences. As a woman herself, she sympathized with her deeply, and she had no objections to what Kaguya had done later either. But at some point, Kaguya had become more and more imposing, easily enraged, and from then on, the old woman had begun to fear her.
Inside the room, Kaguya gently stroked her belly.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow, she would finally see her children.
Imagining how adorable they would be in the future, a faint smile slowly appeared at the corners of her lips.
At the same time, she thought of the Ōtsutsuki clan.
Judging from the attitude of the pursuit force they had sent earlier, the clan had no intention of letting her go. She needed to prepare for the day they came to attack.
But how could an ordinary human army possibly stand against the Ōtsutsuki?
If they casually sent even one main family member who had eaten a chakra fruit, that person could slaughter every living being on this planet.
There was a reason the Ōtsutsuki clan's birthrate was so low.
Kaguya had not understood it before.
Now, she did.
She finally understood why the women of the main family were so unwilling to bear children.
It was because one's chakra would be shared with the child during childbirth.
Although that would produce an innately powerful child, the mother herself would suffer a major drop in strength.
Kaguya could sense two children in her womb.
That meant even more of her chakra would be divided away.
She estimated that after childbirth, her strength would only be comparable to that of a main family member who had eaten a medium-grade chakra fruit.
And Momoshiki was someone who had consumed a high-grade chakra fruit.
Kaguya knew that what she had eaten was a supreme-grade chakra fruit.
She did not understand why Momoshiki had sent her to guard something so important in the first place. But what she did know was that she had already violated two major laws of the Ōtsutsuki clan—both of them extremely serious ones.
The Ōtsutsuki clan would never let her go.
And Momoshiki in particular—that man who definitely had some secret on this planet—would never spare her.