On a barren planet, Otsutsuki Momoshiki sat casually with his legs crossed atop a God Tree.
The planet beneath his feet had long since lost its vitality. Desolation filled his vision; there were no signs of human habitation, nor even a trace of greenery. It seemed that all life had gone extinct.
In reality, this was the norm.
Not every planet possessed enough planetary energy to nurture a "Chakra Fruit." For most planets, gathering all their energy would only be enough to refine a single "Chakra Pill."
Just like now—Momoshiki was waiting for his God Tree to refine a Chakra Pill for him to replenish the energy consumed during his interstellar travels.
Suddenly, the relaxed expression on his face froze. He stood up abruptly, a look of disbelief washing over him.
Sensing Momoshiki's anomaly, Otsutsuki Kinshiki flickered over from nearby and asked, "Lord Momoshiki, what is it?"
Momoshiki grinned, the corners of his mouth stretching wide. "I received a message from Otsutsuki Isshiki!"
Kinshiki was puzzled. "Isshiki? He and Kaguya haven't sent any word for a long time. Why is there suddenly news?"
"They had a falling out!" Momoshiki answered, his eyes flickering as if he were calculating something.
"A falling out?" Kinshiki frowned slightly.
Momoshiki laughed. "They found a planet with abundant energy, enough to nurture a 'Chakra Fruit,' so they turned on each other to fight for it! Kaguya ambushed Isshiki and swallowed the Chakra Fruit for herself!"
As Kinshiki listened, his expression grew grave.
Kaguya ambushing Isshiki was a clear violation of clan laws and deserved severe punishment. However, now that Kaguya had consumed a Chakra Fruit, her strength must have increased drastically. Even if Momoshiki intervened, let alone Kinshiki, they might not be able to sanction her.
Momoshiki glanced at Kinshiki and laughed. "Don't worry. Kaguya fell by the hands of her own bloodline and has been sealed. Currently, Isshiki, who luckily survived by parasitizing a native of the planet, controls that world."
Kinshiki cautioned, "Lord Momoshiki, be careful of a trap!"
"Rest assured, this message wasn't sent by Isshiki voluntarily!" Momoshiki smirked arrogantly. "Isshiki hasn't completed his reincarnation yet. He wouldn't want to provoke us right now!"
Kinshiki asked, confused, "Then what is this message about?"
Momoshiki explained, "Isshiki is still in a parasitic state, living within a native via 'Karma.' Therefore, he should have lost complete control over the God Tree. This message was sent automatically by the God Tree itself!"
Kinshiki frowned. "How is that possible!?"
"Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't happen!" Momoshiki chuckled. "But if a Chakra Fruit is currently being nurtured, that's a different story!"
Kinshiki realized something. "You mean..."
"Yes. I deduce that Isshiki, who controls that planet, must be planting the God Tree while simultaneously looking for a vessel for reincarnation. He just has bad luck. The God Tree is about to bear the Chakra Fruit, but he hasn't found a suitable vessel yet. The God Tree detected that there is no suitable Otsutsuki on the planet to harvest it, so it broadcast this message to the surroundings."
Kinshiki understood. "So the message sent by the God Tree is a log of its own status?"
Momoshiki nodded. "Exactly. Isshiki couldn't be stupid enough to provoke us before he has even completed his reincarnation!"
Kinshiki asked, "Then what are your plans?"
With a wave of his hand, Momoshiki absorbed the God Tree beside him into his body and grinned savagely. "Let's go. We're going to collect that Chakra Fruit!"
Kinshiki was still worried. "Could it be a trap?"
"Whose trap? Isshiki's? Or Kaguya's?" Momoshiki scoffed, speaking with immense pride. "Even if it is a trap, the aura of the gestating Chakra Fruit in the message cannot be faked. So, trap or not, I'm going to see for myself!"
Undoubtedly, Momoshiki was extremely confident in his own strength.
Seeing that Momoshiki didn't even wait to refine the Chakra Pill before absorbing the tree, Kinshiki knew his master had made up his mind. He asked, "Should we notify Urashiki? He seems to be nearby as well."
Momoshiki laughed. "Why notify him? There is only one Chakra Fruit. Should I split it with him? Besides, he probably received the message too. We must leave immediately, or the fruit might fall into his hands."
Unlike Kinshiki, who was Momoshiki's guardian and subordinate, Urashiki and Momoshiki were competitors. If a Chakra Fruit were placed in front of them, neither would yield it to the other!
On Another Planet.
Just as Momoshiki predicted, Otsutsuki Urashiki, carrying a chakra fishing rod over his shoulder, also received the message from the Shinobi World.
"A Chakra Fruit..."
He grinned, a look of greed flashing in his eyes.
For the Otsutsuki, nothing was more attractive than a Chakra Fruit. They traversed the starry sky, plundering planet after planet, all for the ultimate goal of obtaining one.
Unfortunately, most of the time, their busy efforts only yielded an ordinary Chakra Pill.
"With a signal of this intensity, Momoshiki must have received it too. If he beats me to it, all my previous efforts will be in vain!"
Chuckling, Urashiki packed up his gear, preparing to rush to the Shinobi World.
Unlike Momoshiki, Urashiki had been lucky in the past. He had already consumed a Chakra Fruit and advanced to become a Kekkei Mora, which was why he acted alone.
However, for an Otsutsuki, finding a guardian or servant—whether by producing offspring or other means—wasn't difficult. Comparatively, finding a planet with enough energy for the God Tree to produce a Chakra Fruit was the real challenge. Therefore, even Urashiki, who had already eaten one, couldn't refuse the immense temptation of a second Chakra Fruit!
The Shinobi World.
After transmitting the information through the God Tree, Shinji looked up at the sky above.
The message he sent via the God Tree wasn't exactly false. The internal strife between Kaguya and Isshiki, and Kaguya's subsequent sealing by her sons, the Sage of Six Paths and his brother, were events that had truly occurred in the Shinobi World. Technically speaking, he had only omitted his own part in the story.
A moment later, Shinji withdrew his gaze from the distance and shifted his focus to the flower bud atop the God Tree, which was poised to bloom.
Listening to the sound that resembled a beating heart, he could clearly feel that a new Chakra Fruit was about to be born!