Beneath the Divine Tree, within the bamboo forest.
The night was deep. The stars were sparse. Silence stretched in every direction.
The entire forest felt lifeless, as if the world itself had stopped breathing.
Time seemed frozen.
Wanci stood motionless.
A gray bone pierced through his chest.
Ahead of him, the chakra fruit glowed brilliantly.
The most coveted treasure in the world.
Yet his attention was not on the fruit.
It was on Kaguya behind him.
At last, the White Ape King could no longer hold back.
"You… why would you do this?! Why hurt Wanci?! Without him, you would've already been fed to that monster!"
His voice thundered with anger.
Kaguya's expression flickered with emotion for a brief moment.
Then it turned cold again.
"Why…"
Wanci turned his head with difficulty, confusion in his eyes.
He could not understand.
Wasn't her goal to find happiness?
Or had her true goal always been the chakra fruit?
"I'm sorry, Wanci. I broke my promise."
"You can't take the chakra fruit."
Her voice was calm, but colder than ice.
Wanci met her gaze, steady even now.
"Tell me why."
Kaguya's composure shattered for a moment.
"The man I loved betrayed me. He planned to trade me away to another nation."
Her voice trembled, then hardened.
"So I learned something. Only power in my own hands can protect me."
Wanci understood instantly.
So it was just like the original story.
Bad timing. Terrible timing.
If that betrayal had come later, everything would have gone differently.
He let out a soft laugh.
Then a louder one.
Until it turned into full, uncontrollable laughter.
Kaguya and the White Ape King both stared at him in shock.
"Wanci… what's wrong with you?"
The ape's voice was filled with worry.
Kaguya's eyes narrowed, wary.
Was he hiding something?
Or had he simply lost his mind?
Wanci shook his head, still smiling bitterly.
"Beautiful people really are the best liars."
"I just wished you happiness… I even felt sorry for you."
He exhaled softly.
"So none of you are just pieces on a board. You're all real. This world… it's full of remarkable people."
Kaguya remained silent.
In her eyes, once struck by the All-Killing Ash Bone, survival was impossible.
"Wanci! Use the Sage Talisman!"
The White Ape King shouted desperately.
Wanci shook his head.
"No need. You should go."
His body was already crumbling.
Soon, there would be nothing left.
Before the ape could react, Wanci dispelled the summoning, sending him back to the Summoning Realm.
He knew the truth.
The ape could not defeat Kaguya.
Staying would only mean death.
Wanci collapsed to the ground, a fierce glint in his fading eyes.
"If I'm dying… I'm taking a bite first."
Summoning his last strength, he lunged forward and bit into the chakra fruit.
A piece tore away.
Kaguya's eyes widened.
She vanished instantly and seized the remaining fruit.
Wanci chewed slowly.
He could not taste anything.
His body was already turning to ash.
Kaguya watched him disintegrate.
For a moment, regret flickered in her heart.
She remembered his smile.
The way he had sincerely wished her happiness.
"I'm sorry, Wanci. I'll make sure my children remember you. I'll build a shrine in your honor."
Her voice was quiet.
"I won't forget you."
In truth, she had considered letting him live.
But the risk was too great.
She could not allow uncertainty to remain.
Her expression hardened.
"I need power."
She swallowed the remaining chakra fruit in one bite.
A brilliant white light exploded outward.
The Rabbit Goddess was born.
The origin of chakra itself.
Kaguya rose into the sky.
A third eye opened on her forehead.
The Rinne Sharingan.
Space tore open.
The Infinite Tsukuyomi spread its light across the world.
Snow fell endlessly.
The ground was covered in white.
In the silence, a hand suddenly emerged from the snow.
A man pulled himself out, completely naked.
Wanci.
"…Where did I end up this time?"
He looked around, then let out a breath of relief.
"Good. So it really works."
He examined his body.
Perfectly intact.
For years, he had wondered.
Was his "immortality" simply eternal life?
Or was it true deathlessness?
He had never dared to test it.
Now he had his answer.
Even death could not end him.
He had been reborn.
"Summoning."
He spoke softly.
A training robe from Mount Myoboku appeared, and he quickly put it on.
"First, I need to figure out what's going on."
He leapt into the air.
With Sage perception, he scanned the world.
Almost no one remained.
"So she already activated it…"
His eyes darkened.
Kaguya.
That betrayal would not be forgotten.
But now was not the time.
"She's too strong. Charging in now would be suicide."
He needed to endure.
To wait.
First, he had to return to Mount Myoboku.
"Summoning."
When he arrived, the first thing he saw was a massive tombstone.
Wanci frowned and stepped closer.
"Grave of Wanci?"
"…Why is my name on it?"
He entered the toad temple.
Inside, an old white-browed toad was tapping a wooden drum.
"Wanci?! You're alive?!"
The old toad lit up with joy and rushed forward.
But then hesitation crept in.
The White Ape King had said Wanci was dead.
Then who was this?
"Old Master, it's really me."
Wanci released his Sage aura.
The toad's eyes widened.
Recognition.
Relief.
"Little Wanci! I thought that woman had killed you!"
"How did you come back? And how were you not affected by that illusion?"