Hamura knew that once his mother had made up her mind, pressing the matter further would only provoke her anger.
Hagoromo also tightened his lips.
But he understood even more clearly that the situation had become deeply abnormal. Kaguya's reaction was unlike anything he had ever seen, and forcing the issue now would accomplish nothing.
He gave her one long, searching look.
Then he glanced across the ruined palace and at the visibly shaken Black Zetsu.
Without another word, he was the first to bow respectfully before turning to leave.
Seeing this, Hamura could only suppress the confusion and unease weighing on his heart. Following his brother's lead, he bowed as well and quietly withdrew from the ruins steeped in an ominous atmosphere.
Only after both brothers had disappeared from sight did the shattered palace truly fall silent once more.
Only Kaguya...
And her most loyal creation—
Black Zetsu—
Remained.
"Mother!"
Black Zetsu could no longer suppress the storm of panic raging inside him.
His dark, viscous body writhed uneasily as his voice rose with urgency.
"That presence just now..."
"Has the Clan found us?"
"It was the Ōtsutsuki Clan's investigators... wasn't it?"
This time, Kaguya did not remain silent.
Slowly, she withdrew her gaze from the distant sky.
A complicated emotion flickered through her pale eyes.
At last...
She gave an almost imperceptible nod.
"Yes."
"It was only a brief probe..."
"But I know that presence."
"I could never mistake it."
"They've discovered the anomaly here."
"My consumption of the Chakra Fruit..."
"My failure to report back..."
"And my decision to remain on this world..."
"They've finally become aware of it."
"They've sent someone to investigate."
"W-What do we do now?!"
Black Zetsu's voice trembled uncontrollably.
No one understood the meaning of the Ōtsutsuki Clan better than he did.
They were an ancient celestial clan.
Far older than Kaguya.
Far stronger.
Bound together by an incomparably powerful hierarchy.
They were enemies no one here could confront head-on.
"How can we possibly stand against the Clan's power?"
Kaguya stood motionless amid the ruins.
Her white robes fluttered despite the still air.
"The Clan's strength is far beyond what either of us can oppose."
"A mere probe... a simple warning..."
"Was enough to destroy my palace instantly."
"If one of them were to arrive in person..."
"We would have no chance of victory."
She paused.
Her gaze seemed to pierce through the sky themselves, as though looking toward the cold, merciless laws governing the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
"So..."
"I can no longer wait."
"Nor can I continue relying on wishful thinking."
"I need greater power."
"Power beyond what I possess now."
"Power sufficient to face the Clan's pursuit..."
"...or perhaps..."
"...to rebel against them."
"Greater... power?"
Black Zetsu repeated the words blankly.
His eyes filled with confusion—and even deeper anxiety.
"But Mother..."
"The Clan has already discovered us."
"You've already consumed the Chakra Fruit."
"Where could we possibly find a power strong enough to make even the Clan wary?"
"Does such power even exist in this world?"
Despair filled him.
In his eyes, Kaguya already stood at the pinnacle of all power.
The Chakra Fruit represented the greatest source of strength this world could ever produce.
If even that was insufficient...
What hope remained?
Kaguya, however, slowly shifted her gaze beyond the ruins.
Toward the God Tree.
Despite everything that had happened, it still towered proudly over the land, overflowing with immense vitality.
Her expression became unfathomably deep.
And impossibly cold.
A ruthless thought slowly crystallized within her heart.
If the Chakra Fruit's power was insufficient...
If the Chakra she possessed—and her current rule over this world—still could not grant her the strength needed to resist the Clan...
Then perhaps...
She would have to make even greater use of this world.
She would have to draw out the God Tree's potential far more thoroughly.
Perhaps...
She would even have to resort to methods...
That she had once hesitated to carry through to their conclusion.
Not long after Hagoromo and Hamura departed the ruins—before they had even finished processing the terrifying incident or Kaguya's unsettling behavior—
Another command descended upon the world.
One even colder than before.
Through Kaguya's will, the decree spread across every corner of the land like thunder falling from the sky .
Effective immediately...
The frequency of sacrifices offered to the God Tree would be greatly increased.
Furthermore...
Each offering would now require ten times as many people as before.
No explanation.
No warning.
Only an absolute command.
The decree was like a spark cast into boiling oil.
It instantly ignited the despair that had long been festering among the people forced to live beneath the burden of sacrifice.
Fear.
Hatred.
Anger.
Hopelessness.
Those emotions spread through humanity like an unstoppable plague.
Countless families would be torn apart.
Even more lives would be offered to the towering tree that devoured everything.
They did not know why.
All they could feel was the ever-growing cruelty of the goddess who ruled over them.
Yet before Kaguya's overwhelming power...
Before the terrifying symbol that was the God Tree...
No one dared voice open opposition.
No one dared resist.
Their resentment...
Their despair...
Could only become silent sobs...
And numb obedience.
Like lambs driven toward slaughter, they walked in ever-lengthening lines toward the ominous God Tree.
Every step carried endless despair...
And unwillingness to accept their fate.
From atop a distant hill...
Hagoromo and Hamura silently watched the tragedy unfolding.
More pillars of white light descended from the sky .
More people were wrapped within cocoons of light before being drawn upward into the branches of the God Tree.
Even from so far away...
The overwhelming sorrow and lifeless silence hanging over the land could be felt with painful clarity.
Hagoromo gazed upon the hellish scene.
His eyes were colder than eternal ice.
Without a trace of warmth, he slowly turned toward his younger brother.
His voice remained calm.
Yet every word was as sharp as a blade, cutting away the last remnants of hope Hamura still clung to.
"Hamura..."
"My younger brother..."
"Can you finally see it now?"
"This is our mother."
"After experiencing an unknown catastrophe—perhaps even facing a crisis—her very first action was not to comfort her people."
"Nor was it to seek understanding."
"Instead..."
"She intensified the harvesting of lives."
"She accelerated the God Tree's consumption of this world."
"This..."
"...is the mother you've always wanted me to trust."
"The mother you insisted I should speak with."
Hamura's body trembled violently.
He shook his head over and over, as though trying to erase both the horrific scene before him and his brother's merciless words.
Suppressing the turmoil raging within him, he spoke with a dry voice.
"No..."
"It can't be..."
"There has to be something we don't know."
"Mother..."
"She must have had a reason for issuing such an order."
"It has to be connected to what happened at the palace."
"We can't judge everything by appearances alone."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70+ chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789