Chapter 193: Am I Getting a Stepfather?
Konoha, within a secluded residence.
Kaguya sat alone on the veranda of the traditional room, gaze fixed blankly on the decorative rocks and water features in the courtyard.
These past days, she'd remained in a state of indescribable anxiety.
Ever since learning the main family had dispatched personnel, and discovering that Uchiha Yu had mercilessly eliminated multiple batches of Otsutsuki scouts, her heart had hung suspended.
Every slight sound made her startle. Every unfamiliar chakra fluctuation made her instinctively tense her body.
Yesterday's faint spatial ripples, and that probing sensation sweeping across Konoha's skies, had kept her awake all night.
Though those fluctuations quickly vanished without trace, as though instantly severed by some invisible force, this only increased her unease.
"Mother?"
Yoya's childish voice came from behind.
The small girl walked barefoot across the cool floor, approaching soundlessly.
She stood beside the corridor pillar, timidly watching Kaguya—these past days, Mother always sat alone like this in a daze, expression worried.
Hearing the voice, Kaguya turned back, forcing a smile. "Yoya, what is it?"
"Mother's spacing out again..." Yoya said quietly, taking small steps to her side, looking up with worry. "Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
Kaguya shook her head gently, reaching out to draw her daughter into her embrace.
Yoya's warm, soft little body leaned against her chest, carrying that unique milky fragrance of children. Feeling her daughter's even breathing, complex emotions surged through her heart.
This child separated from her own body was now her only close family on this planet. Precisely because of this, she didn't want Yoya drawn into the coming storm.
"It's nothing." She gently stroked Yoya's hair, voice tender. "I'm just thinking about some things."
Yoya nodded obediently, quietly nestling in her mother's embrace.
Though her appearance was childish, her essence had endured millennia. She could detect the anxiety deeply hidden beneath Kaguya's calm exterior.
This anxiety didn't originate from Uchiha Yu—though she still feared that unfathomably deep man, Mother spoke highly of him, even with a certain indescribable trust.
Then it could only come from the "main family" Mother had mentioned.
Yoya's small hand clutched Kaguya's clothes tightly.
She wanted to protect Mother, yet deeply felt her own powerlessness.
Whether as Black Zetsu who'd schemed in shadows for millennia, or as the reborn Yoya now, she always seemed helpless.
Mother's escape had benefited from aftershocks of Uchiha Yu's battle, barely related to her painstakingly constructed plans. When Mother was bound by marks restricting her freedom, she'd been equally powerless. Now facing threats from beyond the cosmos, she still could do nothing.
Kaguya rested her chin lightly atop her daughter's head, gaze drifting toward that azure sky beyond the window.
Just then, a familiar male voice sounded without warning in her mind:
"Come out for a moment."
These brief words made Kaguya's heart lurch violently.
She discovered with surprise that upon hearing this voice, her nerves strung taut for days unconsciously relaxed somewhat.
At some unknown point, this man's voice had become her subconscious's most reliable source of security—though she remained unwilling to admit this.
"Yoya," she gathered herself, instructing her daughter softly, "I'm going out. Stay home and behave."
The small girl nodded obediently. Before Kaguya's figure vanished from the spot, Yoya caught a fleeting subtle change in Mother's expression.
Those eyes originally anxious and fearful seemed to contain something rarely seen... anticipation?
Yoya sat on the veranda hugging her knees, small face buried in the crook of her arms.
Combined with experience observing the human world over millennia, every time after conversing with that man called Uchiha Yu, Mother's tense emotions always noticeably eased.
This change was too obvious to ignore deeper contemplation.
"Mother is also a woman, after all..." she muttered quietly.
Throughout long years, she'd witnessed too many similar situations.
In times of crisis, women developing dependence on powerful protectors was perfectly natural. If that man showed Mother even slight favor now, given Mother's current vulnerable state...
Yoya suddenly shivered, an absurd thought emerging uncontrollably:
If Uchiha Yu truly had such intentions, with his unfathomable strength and this special influence over Mother, perhaps he really would...
Become my stepfather?!
"No, no!" She shook her head forcefully, trying to dispel this notion.
But once opened, such thoughts couldn't be stopped.
She recalled Mother's mentioned past: though the Otsutsuki clan possessed long lifespans, they rarely established intimate relationships like humans.
Kaguya had faced everything alone for millennia, never having anyone truly stand beside her.
And now, that man not only possessed power sufficient to intimidate everything, but also provided Mother's only shelter during this crisis.
Under such circumstances, developing special feelings could almost be said to be... perfectly natural?
Yoya wrinkled her small face in distress.
More complicated still, her relationship with Mother was inherently special—as an existence directly separated from Kaguya's body, to truly define this relationship...
"Then wouldn't he be my father?" She startled herself with this conclusion, burying her entire face in her knees.
This realization left her thoughts in chaos.
On one hand, she instinctively harbored fear toward that unfathomable man. On the other, she had to admit that currently only he could keep Mother safe.
The small girl gazed toward the direction Mother had vanished, sighing softly.
Millennia of obsession had focused her heart solely on protecting Mother. But when Mother might find new support, she discovered she wasn't prepared to face such change.
"I only hope Mother can be safe and happy..." she murmured, suppressing chaotic thoughts back into her heart.
————
Still that deserted cliff, wind howling fiercely.
Kaguya's figure appeared quietly. Seeing that familiar form, the taut strings of her heart unconsciously relaxed somewhat.
Though subtle ripples stirred within, her face maintained the cool transcendence innate to Otsutsuki.
Seeing her manifestation, Yu nodded slightly in acknowledgment before getting straight to the point:
"The Otsutsuki clan can promote evolution through mutual devouring, correct?"
These words struck like thunder, making Kaguya instantly stiffen her spine.
Her pure white eyes contracted slightly, looking at Yu with disbelief—how could he know this taboo that even within Otsutsuki was deeply shrouded?
Moreover, he'd deliberately summoned her alone to ask about this. Had he discovered something? Or perhaps... he had some plan?
Seeing her tense expression, Yu's voice slowed somewhat. "Relax, I mean no harm."
He stepped forward half a pace, tone peaceful. "We're allies now, aren't we? There's something I want to discuss with you."
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