Adopted by Tsunade [191-192]

Chapter 191: Kaguya's First Compromise

"How's this form?"

Natsume performed the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist technique, Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, right in front of Otsutsuki Kaguya.

He'd learned it because of Hyuga Hinata.

He saw it several times a day during their regular genjutsu training.

And with his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, memorizing it was fairly simple.

Of course, without the Byakugan, it was all form and no bite.

Otsutsuki Kaguya didn't answer his question; she fell into thought instead.

She realized this set of strikes suited her very well.

Thinking this, the look she gave Natsume shifted ever so slightly.

Was this created for her?

Kaguya thought of that book again.

It was undoubtedly an expression of love.

She didn't quite understand why Natsume would like her.
The gap between them was far too great.

By rights, he should only feel fear.

"It should be used in concert with the Byakugan."

Kaguya pressed down the jumble in her thoughts and spoke.

As expected of the progenitor of chakra.

Natsume wasn't surprised that she could see the flaw at a glance.

He nodded. "Mm. I hope it's helpful to you."

Kaguya was slightly taken aback.

So it really was for her?

For some reason, an impulse to kiss him suddenly welled up in her heart.

She didn't understand the emotion, but she wasn't an ordinary girl.

For her, if she thought it, she could do it.

Kaguya walked up to him. Cool and aloof, yet tinged with a bit of gentleness, she leaned in and gave him a perfect, light kiss.

The soft touch left Natsume a little dazed.

Since arriving in this world, he'd been on the receiving end a lot.

"Um…"

Otsutsuki Hagoromo's eyes went wide like he'd seen a ghost.

He knew their relationship was pretty good, but had it really gotten to this point?

Should he start calling him something else?

The future Sage of Six Paths froze up completely.

"What is it?"

Kaguya showed not the slightest embarrassment at being caught.

With her personality, she wouldn't care about anyone's feelings.

"It's time to eat."

Hagoromo kept his tone as calm as possible. "Hamura's already yelling for teacher to come back and cook."

"Got it."

Natsume waved a hand. "I'll head back now."

Hagoromo glanced at the two of them, said nothing, and turned to leave.

He knew to take a hint.

And he didn't dislike the idea of Natsume and Kaguya being together.

In his eyes, only his teacher was worthy of his mother in this world.

Everyone else was worse by far.

"Lady Goddess."

Natsume asked with expectation, "May I hold your hand?"

Kaguya tilted her head slightly, looked at him, then took his hand.

"Let's go home!"

Natsume smiled, genuinely excited.

Miss Kaguya has been defeated!
Victory today was his.

…

They returned to the palace.

Otsutsuki Hamura was about to run over when Hagoromo stopped him.

Read the room!

Natsume headed for the kitchen.

He instinctively tried to pull his hand free, but Kaguya didn't let go.

What's this?

He looked up, puzzled.

Kaguya said nothing, only releasing him once they reached the kitchen doorway.

"Can't resist, huh."

Natsume sighed inwardly.

Are all stoic, expressionless girls this cute when they fall in love?

He rolled up his sleeves and started preparing lunch.

Kaguya still didn't leave, watching his every move.

"Want some juice?"

Natsume took a spare moment to open the cabinet, pulled out some orange juice, and handed her a glass.

Kaguya didn't refuse. She took the glass and downed it in one go.

Yeah, definitely not an ordinary woman.

Natsume couldn't help but smile.

Kaguya instinctively felt a bit puzzled.

Was something off?

"Want more?"

Natsume asked again.

Kaguya shook her head.

"Alright then."

He turned back to cooking.

A moment later, he noticed she was still standing there, which surprised him.

Especially since she still had that cool, distant look.

It gave Natsume a catlike impression.

Clearly wanted to show affection, but proud about it.

Careless enough to hurt someone by accident.

Natsume thought about it and said nothing.

After half an hour of hustle, lunch was on the table.

The four of them took their seats and began to eat.

Hamura knew nothing of elegance and dug in without restraint.

Because of his mother's changes, Hagoromo seemed preoccupied.

Only Natsume and Kaguya were as they had always been.

Lunch ended.

Hagoromo and Hamura ran off to train again.

They no longer needed their teacher at all.

There was nothing more to teach them.

Natsume's decade-plus of ninjutsu knowledge had been wrung dry.

Even Sage Mode, too.

All one can say is that geniuses leave no room for others.

Or maybe their genes were just too good.

Mm, Kaguya's credit, really.

Natsume thought to himself that someday he should have her help improve his descendants' genes.

By habit, Kaguya would be counting the chakra contributed to Skynet today like a miser.

But this time, she didn't—she started practicing Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms instead.

Natsume watched the ultimate final boss openly and unabashedly.

Her face—needless to say—was exquisitely beautiful.

Her clothing was conservative, though, hiding her figure.

But she wasn't chubby.

The occasional glimpse of her hands showed snow-white skin.

A skin quality basically unattainable by normal humans.

Because of her height, Natsume felt she'd look great in an evening gown—stunning, surely.

Especially with her noble, mysterious aura—she was a born empress.

Thinking of that awe-inspiring empress letting down her guard before him, Natsume felt a real thrill.

Because of her unique history, Kaguya was fundamentally different.

One had to admit, this character setup was excellent.

Kaguya instantly caught the predatory look in Natsume's eyes.

If it were anyone else, she would have swatted him with one palm and sent him out of this world.

Given her nature, she wouldn't tolerate anyone looking at her that way.

It would feel like an affront to her dignity.

But for some reason, she could tolerate Natsume's gaze.

And she didn't feel angry at all.

Natsume didn't know what Kaguya was thinking, but he was quite pleased.

After all, once she learned Gentle Fist, he could make requests and have her do some "modifications."

Mm, better yet, return to the shinobi world and have Kaguya take Hyuga Hinata as a disciple.

Add Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, and Team 9 could probably go straight to attacking the Akatsuki.

Natsume kept daydreaming about the future.

Until he received a message from his mole, the Slug Sage.

To keep in touch, he'd given it a Skynet login device.

Now they could chat anytime, anywhere.

"Otsutsuki Isshiki used sacred seal tag to barely recover to seventy percent of his strength."

"Not bad."

"But he still doesn't dare face Kaguya. Says he needs a few more years to recuperate."

"…"

Natsume was speechless.

Weren't you ridiculously cocky in the original story?

Why are you so lame now?

"Give me his location."

Natsume's eyes narrowed. If Isshiki wouldn't come, he'd go to him.

But before that, he needed to leave a letter for Hagoromo and Hamura.

Otherwise their disappearance might alter history.

I've worked so hard just to abduct Princess Kaguya.

As for being swayed by the Toad Sage—whatever.

At worst, in a thousand years, mom and dad can duo up and teach the unfilial son a lesson.

Natsume looked at Kaguya in the distance and couldn't help but smile.

…

A new day.

"We've found his trail."

Natsume seized a moment alone with her.

"Really?"

A flash of joy lit Kaguya's snowy eyes. She asked urgently, "Where?"

For someone as cool as her, that expression was rare.

"He's in the Land of Demons."

Natsume took her hand. "If you rush over like this, you'll scare him off."

"What should I do, then?"

Kaguya stopped.

She could use space-time transfer; Isshiki could too.

If she couldn't finish him in one blow, he'd likely escape again.

"Can you suppress your presence?"

Natsume suggested, "Best to approach quietly, then lock his space."

Kaguya fell into thought.

She had Amenominaka.

That was an ability granted by the Rinne Sharingan after consuming the God Tree fruit.

In an instant, she could transfer herself and nearby people to a pocket dimension under her control.

Isshiki didn't know she had that ability.

In other words, he wouldn't guard against it.

Following Natsume's suggestion—approach, then throw him into Amenominaka—the odds of victory were high.

Kaguya thought, this servant is really handy. I'll reward him when I get back.

She closed her eyes, and her body began to change.

That mysterious, oppressive aura weakened and finally vanished.

She recalled Natsume's Transformation Technique, and her appearance changed drastically too.

No longer eye-catching—just an extremely ordinary human.

Natsume was full of admiration.

As expected of Kaguya—effortlessly doing what others can't.

She knew no concealment arts, yet produced one on a whim.

The tier difference was too great.

One had to admit, Kaguya was actually quite smart.

Just lacking in experience.

"Can you take me with you?"

Natsume looked at her and asked.

"No."

Kaguya refused outright.

Even though Isshiki was badly injured, fighting him was still extremely dangerous.

If Natsume was present, she wasn't confident she could keep him safe.

And she felt she might lose focus because of him.

In short, it was best she went alone.

"You know my strength. I can protect myself."

Natsume pressed on, arguing his case. "With me there, I might be able to help you."

Kaguya frowned slightly.

Only Natsume could say that to her.

Otherwise, she'd reply, "You ant, you think too highly of yourself."

Her pride was hardly less than Isshiki's.

For the first time, Kaguya felt the situation slipping a bit out of her control.

She stared at Natsume, silent for a long while.

In the end, she thought of a compromise.

Amenominaka had six spaces. She'd toss Natsume into the safest— the Starting Sphere Space.

Having lived so long, Kaguya made her first-ever compromise.

Chapter 192: Kaguya's Wrath

"Hagoromo, this letter is for you. Open it in a couple of days."

Natsume handed him the letter he'd prepared.

"Teacher, what's this for?"

Hagoromo asked, puzzled.

Normally, since they were together every day, he could just say whatever he wanted. Writing a letter seemed redundant.

"Hagoromo, you're the elder brother, steadier by nature. You'll need to shoulder a lot."

Natsume thought, this'll scare you plenty.

A bad feeling suddenly rose in Hagoromo's chest.

He looked up at Natsume's serious face and quickly asked, "Teacher, what happened?"

His tone betrayed unhidden panic.

No matter how mature he tried to be, he was still just a kid.

And his confidence actually came from his invincible mother, Kaguya.

He couldn't imagine what they'd do if something happened to her.

"Nothing major."

Natsume smiled, finding it amusing to tease the Sage of Six Paths.

"Then what's the letter for?"

Hagoromo still couldn't relax.

Natsume was acting too strangely today.

And he was about to go out with Kaguya.

That had never happened before.

"It's some suggestions about this world's future development."

Natsume patted his shoulder. "They're bits of inspiration I've gathered over time. I'm giving them to you—hope they help."

"But… I'm still young."

Hagoromo clearly wasn't so easily fooled.

This sounded like final arrangements.

No matter how you looked at it, something was off.

"Hagoromo, the future is yours."

Natsume said earnestly, "I'm just an ordinary human. I won't live that long. But you and Hamura are different—you'll have long lifespans."

Hagoromo froze, panic stirring inside.

He'd grown used to his teacher's presence.

If one day he disappeared, he'd be devastated.

"Alright, your mother's waiting for me."

Natsume waved, leaving him only a solid, heavy back.

"Dad…"

Watching him go, Hagoromo took a few steps forward and opened his mouth, but couldn't call out in the end.

Compared to Hamura, he couldn't quite bring himself to say it.

He lowered his head to the envelope, falling silent.

"Let's go."

Natsume reached the palace gates.

Kaguya, waiting, turned to look at him and then took his hand.

The world blurred—and Natsume was in Amenominaka's Starting Sphere Space.

He looked around—bleak and barren, with little to see.

Farther off, a faintly different aura bled through.

They were connection points to the other five spaces:

The Lava Prison, Icy Peaks, Sea of Acid, Endless Desert, and Super-Gravity Space.

The names alone told you their function.

The Starting Sphere Space was the hub, the only one directly linked to all five others.

Here, one could absorb chakra from those trapped in Infinite Tsukuyomi, bolstering oneself—a kind of supply station.

After confirming Natsume was in the Starting Sphere Space, Kaguya's face went completely cold.

In an instant, she appeared in the capital of the Land of Demons.

If Isshiki were at his peak, he could have seen through her suppressed power.

But he was wounded now.

Truth be told, after eating the God Tree fruit, Kaguya already surpassed him by half a step.

Hers rose as his fell.

She drew near to Isshiki with ease—or rather, to Jigen.

…

Isshiki was eating.

Partly his nature—he liked enjoying himself.

Partly to save chakra.

If Jigen didn't eat, Isshiki would have to supply chakra.

With the Toad Sage's help, he'd recovered to seventy percent strength.

But it still wasn't enough to safely face Kaguya.

So he flatly refused the Toad Sage's invitation.

And in the face of his refusal, the three Great Holy Lands didn't dare do anything; they could only pray he'd keep his promise soon.

Isshiki sneered.

He'd seen right through the Toad Sage's scheme. No way would he play along.

Defeating Kaguya was something he urgently wanted.

But he demanded to do it without injury.

Because next, he'd be planting a God Tree.

The three Holy Lands' lives had nothing to do with him.

All one could say was that the Toad Sage was too foolish.

"Your sake."

While Isshiki was mulling things over, an ordinary human girl approached and spoke.

He paid her no mind and kept eating.

In the next instant, a vast sense of danger erupted in his gut.

He looked up instinctively—and saw a scarlet, glowing eye.

Rinne Sharingan.

"Kaguya?!"

Isshiki's face was incredulous.

What the hell?

How had she gotten this close without him sensing it?

There was something very wrong with this Kaguya!

But it was too late to think.

When he opened his eyes again, he was in a field of ice.

Isshiki's expression went dark. He raised his hands; black and red energy shimmered before him but refused to coalesce.

No space-time transfer?

His heart skipped, but he didn't lose his composure.

He lowered his hands. "Is this the ability you stole like a thief?"

Though he tried to keep his pride, anger still leaked into his last words.

Because it was supposed to be his!

Carelessness had gotten him ambushed, and he'd lost the God Tree fruit.

Now the thief was using the fruit's power against him. How could he endure it?

Kaguya ignored his reaction. Expressionless, she said, "Today, you won't escape."

Amenominaka belonged to the Rinne Sharingan's ocular arts.

In the original story, only the Tomoe Rinnegan could come and go freely.

And each use consumed enormous chakra and ocular power, even erasing tomoe.

Isshiki did not have a Tomoe Rinnegan.

"Escape?"

He grew angry. "If you hadn't ambushed me, the one running would be you, Kaguya!"

Kaguya didn't respond.

She raised her hand.

The glacier trembled, blazing white.

With a roar, the ice cracked. Countless mountain-like pillars of ice rose from the ground like an icy rain, crashing down.

Isshiki shuddered, black markings spreading over his face.

His aura became terrifying.

In his golden right eye, eight triangular sigils flashed.

From his ocular space, a mass of giant black cubes poured forth.

His right eye, like Obito's Kamui in some sense, possessed a pocket dimension to store and release objects.

Space shuddered.

Black cubes and ice pillars smashed into one another, then exploded into fragments.

Kaguya's eyes narrowed.

Isshiki's recovery was far faster than she'd expected.

Because of what?

She quickly thought of the Three Great Holy Lands.

But he still wasn't at his peak.

Within a single second, the ice pillars won out, relentless as they continued falling.

Isshiki's face was ugly.

He had his reasons, but losing to Kaguya, whose status was beneath his, was galling.

His golden right eye flashed again.

Ocular art: Sukunahikona!

The huge ice pillars shrank instantly to the size of ants, looking adorably tiny.

Isshiki clapped his hands, stirring a violent wind.

All the ice pillars rebounded in front of Kaguya—and immediately returned to their original size.

In an instant, she was completely submerged.

But Isshiki knew this wouldn't harm her.

He formed black rods with Yin–Yang Release, and they appeared in his hands.

His body flickered; with the Byakugan he locked onto Kaguya's position and lunged with the two rods.

The black rods could absorb and disrupt an opponent's chakra.

As long as he touched Kaguya, they'd work.

Wounded as he was, chakra was what he needed most.

As long as he had enough, he'd return to his peak—then he could defeat Kaguya.

He chose close combat because he knew she lacked real fighting experience.

But in the next moment, Kaguya's fists came down like a storm.

He couldn't react in time and took a punch to the face. Blood sprayed.

In a daze—another four or five punches.

Each blow made him feel like his body would come apart.

This was absolutely not the old Kaguya!

In a single turn, Isshiki had to endure a full Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.

He flew backward and crashed to the ground, his white clothes dyed crimson.

Kaguya's lips curled slightly.

She knew Isshiki wasn't dead.

Jigen's prone body erupted with an indescribably powerful aura.

He stood up again.

Black stripes covered him from head to toe, like wet ink dripping downward.

Most different of all was the massive, curved horn that now completely covered the top of his head.

He no longer looked human.

"You seem to have changed a lot."

Isshiki wiped the blood from his mouth.

In this new state, he'd completely shed the identity of Jigen.

In other words, this was his true self.

"From sneaking up on me without a sound to that fist technique—those aren't things you should be capable of."

Isshiki chuckled and asked, "Kaguya, can you tell me why?"

"Because I have someone I like—and you don't."

Kaguya thought for a moment and answered.

"…?"

Isshiki's smile froze.

It wasn't that he felt stung as a single man; it was that Kaguya could like someone at all.

Seconds later, he burst out laughing.

"Kaguya, you're a disgrace to the Otsutsuki!"

Isshiki's voice rose, dripping with contempt. "Even if I can't kill you, one day the clan's elites will avenge me and kill you and the one you love."

The Otsutsuki were born strong, thus arrogant and heartless.

They pursued only their goals; anyone in the way must die.

Emotions were burdens.

Why did Kaguya have so little concept of emotion?

Because there was no need.

After eating the God Tree fruit, she was fated to be undying and immortal.

Things like liking, love, mates, or children—none were necessary.

Kaguya frowned, a sudden anger rising unbidden.

She agreed with Isshiki's words, but she would not allow anyone to kill Natsume—except her.

Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack!

In an instant, extreme chakra surged forth; countless fists, brimming with killing intent, filled the entire space.