"Uncle, what… what are you saying…?"
Hearing the old man's words, Garuda's face instantly flushed crimson. Embarrassed, she pinched him hard on the arm, making him yelp in pain.
Although Isamu remained silent, his brows were tightly furrowed. Watching the meaningful glances exchanged between Garuda and the old man gave him a splitting headache.
He had planned for everything—but he hadn't anticipated Garuda's uncle showing up.
Now he had no choice. He had to tell Garuda the truth immediately.
Isamu already knew the rules of the Ōtsutsuki clan. Garuda had to leave today. Even if he somehow managed to stop them, it wouldn't change the outcome. His own time in this era was running out. Even if he forced Garuda to stay, they would eventually be separated.
More importantly, he had no way of bringing Garuda back to his own era. He didn't even know whether the space-time passage could transport two people. He couldn't risk her life on an uncertainty.
"Kid, don't you have anything to say?"
Seeing Isamu remain silent, the old man's expression darkened. Even the way he addressed him had changed, and a sharp light flashed through his aged eyes. It was obvious that if Isamu couldn't provide a satisfactory answer, this matter wouldn't end peacefully.
Hmph! When I do something, I don't need to explain myself to anyone. If you think you can threaten me, you've picked the wrong person.
Isamu snorted coldly.
His black eyes narrowed as they transformed into the Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan, fixing themselves upon the old man.
What Isamu hated most was someone speaking as though they controlled his fate.
This old man was doing exactly that.
His fate belonged to no one but himself.
My fate is mine alone—not even heaven decides it.
"T-That's… the Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan of Lord Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo!"
"How is that possible?!"
Before the old man could react, the others behind him erupted into shocked whispers.
In this world, only Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo had ever possessed the Rinnegan.
Not even his younger brother had inherited it.
Neither Indra nor Ashura had awakened it.
So how could this young man possess such eyes?
"Could he be Lord Hagoromo's younger brother?"
One man blurted out before another immediately smacked him on the head.
"Don't say something so ridiculous!"
Unlike the others, the old man wasn't overly surprised. Mandala had already told him a little about Isamu.
After studying him for a long moment, the old man finally spoke.
"Young man… I was rude just now."
"But what I said wasn't a joke."
"If you truly wish to be with Garuda, then you must return with us."
"Otherwise…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
The meaning was perfectly clear.
The clan's ancestral command left behind by Ōtsutsuki Hamura could never be violated.
"I understand."
Isamu nodded.
After remaining silent for a moment, he continued,
"I'd like to speak with Garuda alone."
"There are some things I need to tell her."
The old man considered it for a moment before nodding.
He led everyone away.
Mandala protested loudly, unwilling to leave his sister alone with Isamu, but he was dragged away by force.
Soon, only Isamu and Garuda remained in the shrine's back courtyard.
This time, Garuda didn't speak first.
A woman's intuition was frighteningly accurate.
Although Isamu hadn't said anything yet, she could already feel that something terrible was about to happen.
"Garuda…"
"What I'm about to say may sound unbelievable."
"It may even seem impossible."
"But everything I'm about to tell you is the truth."
"I hope you'll listen until the end."
Seeing Garuda silently nod, Isamu slowly explained everything.
He told her where he truly came from.
He explained how he had traveled to this era.
He described everything that had happened.
"…That's what happened."
"And just now, inside the mausoleum, I found the familiar seal."
"If nothing unexpected happens…"
"I'll be returning to my own era within the next few days."
"So…"
"I can't go with you."
"I'm sorry, Garuda."
After finishing, Isamu let out a quiet sigh.
His eyes were filled with guilt.
"W-What…"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"A person from a thousand years in the future… how could something like that possibly be real…?"
Garuda's eyes had already become red.
Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.
Although she said she didn't believe him…
Deep inside…
She already knew it was true.
From the day they first met, she had noticed countless strange things.
Isamu possessed both the Eye of the Sage and the Sage Body.
He didn't recognize many famous people of their era.
His words…
His habits…
His way of thinking…
Everything about him felt completely out of place.
She had never understood why.
Now…
Everything finally made sense.
"I'm sorry, Garuda…"
Isamu sighed softly before pulling her into his embrace.
It was because he had always known this day would come that he had tried his best not to become too attached to anyone from this era.
But humans were still human.
No matter how rational they tried to be…
There were emotions that simply couldn't be suppressed.
Although he couldn't bring Garuda through time with him, Isamu had already thought of another way they might meet again a thousand years later.
However…
That method came with an unimaginably cruel price.
It required obtaining Garuda's living cells.
After returning to his own era, he would first revive her using the Edo Tensei, then use the Rinne Tensei to restore her completely to life.
The idea came from what had once happened to Uchiha Madara.
Madara had died decades earlier before being resurrected through Edo Tensei and finally restored to true life through Obito's Rinne Tensei.
If Madara could return…
Then Garuda could as well.
But for Isamu, it would merely mean being separated for a short time.
For Garuda…
It meant waiting through an entire millennium.
The moment Isamu returned to the future, Uchiha Tensei would disappear from this era forever.
When he reached his own time again…
A thousand years would already have passed.
Throughout those thousand lonely years…
Garuda would have to wait alone.
Even after death…
Her soul couldn't be allowed to enter reincarnation.
No matter how he looked at it…
It was far too unfair to her.