Adopted by Tsunade [185-186]

Chapter 185: Kaguya Becomes a Landlady

A new day.

The sun was bright.

After Natsume had people feed Hagoromo and Hamura, he personally cooked and made two bowls of noodles.

"Lady Goddess, I accidentally made an extra bowl."

He showed a gentle smile and said, "If you don't mind, please honor me by trying it."

"…"

Kaguya glanced twice.

The noodles were tonkotsu ramen. From the looks, they were quite good—and very fragrant.

She thought of the merits Natsume had earned yesterday, then imitated him, picked up the chopsticks, and lifted out two strands.

As the ramen entered her mouth, an extreme burst of flavor blossomed on her tongue.

Kaguya paused, a little stunned.

Much tastier than a chakra fruit.

"How is it?"

Natsume asked expectantly.

"Too little energy. A waste of time."

Kaguya's demeanor remained as cool as ever.

Natsume was a bit disappointed.

As expected of an ascetic.

She only pursues power.

But contrary to Natsume's expectation that she'd stop after a single taste, Kaguya finished the entire bowl.

"Did you select suitable people yesterday?"

Noticing his gaze, Kaguya instinctively changed the subject.

"They should already be assembled outside the palace."

Natsume set the bowl down and said, "Let's go take a look."

On hearing this, Kaguya rose and walked out.

On the square outside the palace, three hundred people had gathered.

They all looked vigorous.

Seeing Kaguya, they knelt in unison and cried out, "Greetings to the Goddess!"

Natsume had notified them in advance.

But even without that, in the presence of a being far beyond their level of life, awe would arise unbidden.

Kaguya swept her gaze over them.

Her first impression: awful—very awful.

The kind of weeds by the roadside she wouldn't even notice.

She became even more aware of Natsume's specialness.

In this world, only he could make her feel a trace of comfort reminiscent of home.

Kaguya raised her hand.

She had no desire to speak with them.

From her white palm, thumb-sized chakra seeds drifted forth and sank one after another into the bodies of these three hundred people.

"Thank you, Lady Goddess!"

The three hundred showed feverish fervor, chanting incessantly.

A thousand words, ten thousand words—still empty.

Nothing compares to personal experience.

Though they were only seeds, they already felt unprecedented power.

It was a leap of life, a major step in their evolution.

Besides, gods did exist.

In their eyes, Kaguya was undoubtedly a high deity.

As for an alien invasion—they couldn't care less.

Kaguya frowned. Too noisy.

She turned, looked at Natsume, and then went back into the palace.

The meaning was clear: the rest is yours.

"Lady Goddess has shared only a seed. If you want it to take root and sprout, it'll take your effort."

Natsume stood before the square and said, "Next I'll teach you how to refine chakra."

…

[Because of your actions, Hagoromo's fate has changed. You gain 50 destiny points.]

A few days later, after Natsume finished teaching the chakra refinement method, he heard the Sacred Ring of Fate's prompt.

In theory, if he replaced the Sage of Six Paths and spread chakra, he should influence countless fates.

In practice, no—judged purely by outcome, no matter who spreads it, it's the same for them.

A very indirect relation.

Thus, it only affected Hagoromo.

Night.

Natsume and Kaguya were eating.

He used the same excuse.

He'd accidentally made too many dishes.

Because she wanted to eat, Kaguya didn't expose him.

It had to be said—it was quite delicious.

The Otsutsuki clan are born strong, busy every day planting trees.

They hadn't developed much in food, drink, and amusement.

Before this, Kaguya mostly ate heavenly materials and earthly treasures containing chakra.

The flavors were all over the place.

"Hold out your hand."

Kaguya suddenly spoke.

Natsume set down his chopsticks and opened his right hand.

"This is the ninjutsu you wanted."

Expressionless, Kaguya spread her hand and casually grasped Natsume's.

Chakra carrying information surged into his head.

"Let's call it the Skynet Login Device."

Natsume nodded with satisfaction.

This unknown ninjutsu was much stronger in effect than the Magic Lantern Body Technique.

As expected of the true progenitor of chakra.

Seeing his smile, Kaguya inexplicably felt a trace of joy.

But she quickly cast it aside.

Dinner ended.

Natsume began drafting the game rules.

First, determine the currency unit for chakra. For convenience, he used "ryo."

He did want to use "credits" as the unit, but he had to avoid too many ripple effects.

Second, the ninjutsu currently available for exchange.

Natsume's specialties were Water Style, Earth Style, taijutsu, and genjutsu.

Sufficient for the early stage.

Later, it would rely on Kaguya to create more.

He actually had an idea: after a while, once he'd raised her affection, have her improve Gentle Fist, then teach it to Hyuga Hinata.

Too bad he didn't have the specifics of the Caged Bird, or he could have Kaguya crack it outright.

Third, the vital quest system.

For players, quests are the driving force.

But quests could be posted anytime; he'd add them later.

After writing, he noticed Kaguya peeking at him.

Or rather, openly staring.

She was somewhat like the Slug Sage.

She'd stayed too long—too bored.

Becoming an ascetic was a way to endure the long, lonely years of planting trees.

Although there was also Otsutsuki Isshiki, their status differed; they had little to talk about.

"Lady Goddess, would you like a bath?"

Natsume looked up and asked.

"No need."

Kaguya paused, then said, "I'm not human."

"But bathing is quite comfortable, Lady Goddess. You could try it."

Natsume kept persuading.

Mainly, Kaguya was in a deified state now, putting a lot of pressure on him.

If he could bring her down to a human level—or rather, pull her out of the ascetic identity and let her have emotions—she'd be far easier to handle.

Kaguya glanced at him, said nothing more, and left the study.

That was clearly a refusal.

Natsume wasn't upset. Take it slow.

…

Time passed.

A year later, the three hundred people had finally, barely, reached genin level.

But they only had brute strength, no technique.

Natsume finally pushed a version update and opened the chakra shop.

He listed three ninjutsu:

Substitution, Clone, and Transformation.

Each cost 100 ryo of chakra.

Roughly the amount a normal genin refines in six months.

In other words, these three hundred could at most exchange for two ninjutsu.

But none of them felt it was excessive—on the contrary, they were ecstatic.

Kaguya was also in a good mood.

This wave of exchanges had already reclaimed all the chakra she'd previously scattered as seeds—and multiplied it several dozen times.

She now approved of Natsume's method even more.

If they'd gone with human sacrifice before, three hundred people as offerings likely wouldn't yield this much chakra.

And it would be one-off.

"How is it?"

Natsume noticed the faint smile on Kaguya's face.

 Even after a year together, her smiles were still rare.

 "Not bad."

 Kaguya nodded, then said, "Still a bit slow."

 "No rush."

 Natsume laid out his plan: "Next, we'll expand outward from these three hundred through the Land of Ancestors, then begin a campaign of unification. Eventually, the entire world will provide you with chakra."

 Hearing this, Kaguya's lips curved slightly.

 She looked at Natsume, pressed her lips together, and thought she should give him some reward.

 With that thought, she reached out and stroked his cheek.

 Under Natsume's surprised gaze, she leaned down and pressed her lips to his.

The initial contact was soft, almost tentative, her full lips brushing against his with a warmth that sent a shiver through him.

Natsume's eyes widened for a split second before he responded, his hands instinctively rising to cup her face, pulling her closer.

Kaguya's breath hitched as their mouths melded, her lips parting slightly under the gentle pressure.

He took the invitation, his tongue slipping past her teeth to explore the wet heat of her mouth, tasting the faint, ethereal sweetness that seemed uniquely hers—like distant stars and ancient power.

She stiffened at first, unaccustomed to such intimacy, but didn't pull away.

Instead, her fingers tightened on his cheek, nails lightly grazing his skin as she leaned in further, her body pressing against his.

Natsume's tongue danced with hers, teasing and probing, coaxing a soft, involuntary moan from deep in her throat.

The kiss deepened, growing more urgent; he sucked gently on her lower lip, eliciting a subtle gasp, while her free hand slid to the back of his neck, pulling him impossibly closer.

Their breaths mingled hot and ragged, the air between them charged with unspoken desire.

Kaguya's mind raced—what was this sensation?

The way his tongue tangled with hers, the slick slide of saliva, the building heat pooling low in her core—it was both alien and intoxicating, a reward turned into something far more primal.

 After a minute, they parted, both breathing heavily, a thin string of saliva briefly connecting their lips before breaking.

 Kaguya frowned slightly and left the room.

She went to the rooftop, as usual staring at the stars.

Only now there was a strange feeling lingering in her heart.

She didn't understand it—and had never experienced it.

Natsume, however, was quite pleased.

On Kaguya he'd found the perfect embodiment of gap moe.

She held the power to destroy the world, yet lacked the corresponding wisdom.

Which was fine.

If she were as clever as a demon, no matter how beautiful, Natsume wouldn't dare approach.

Too many extra lives wouldn't be enough.

…

After a month, the three hundred all learned two of the three basic techniques.

So Natsume posted their first quest: recruit new disciples.

As long as each recruited one hundred people, they could learn the remaining basic technique for free.

If they exceeded two hundred, they'd be rewarded with a new ninjutsu: the One Thousand Years of Death.

Ahem.

It really is an E-rank taijutsu.

At five hundred and one thousand, there would also be rewards: the D-rank Binding Jutsu and Body Flicker.

Beyond that, no new rewards.

Because it was enough.

Wave after wave, it wouldn't take long before everyone in the Land of Ancestors with ninja talent became a player.

However, this batch of chakra seeds would now cost money.

Not much—30 ryo of chakra.

At least enough for Kaguya to break even.

If they didn't have it up front, it would be deducted.

Thus, when the new players received their login devices, they were pleasantly surprised to find their balance was minus 30 ryo.

But they were all grateful to tears.

After all, they now had the possibility of becoming strong.

As for Kaguya—she had become a landlady.

…

Another year passed.

The number of players surged to three thousand.

That was the limit of the Land of Ancestors.

The rest just lacked talent.

So far, Natsume had released six basic ninjutsu.

That was essentially three thousand ordinary genin.

While Kaguya could slap them dead with one hand, to other countries this was dimensionality reduction warfare.

Natsume then posted a new quest:

Unify the world.

"Teacher!"

At that moment, a little brat ran in.

Hamura.

Since he was an alien, being able to run and jump at two years old made sense.

As for "teacher," it was because Natsume was currently teaching both brothers.

Everything from knowledge to ninjutsu.

After all, Kaguya didn't know how to do that.

"Mother asked you to come."

"Okay."

Natsume rose and headed for Kaguya's room.

Chapter 186: Mom, Where's My Dad?

"Lady Goddess."

Natsume knocked and entered.

Kaguya sat by the window, looking at the distant sky.

She was often like this.

Hearing Natsume's voice, she turned her head, white eyes falling on him.

After two years together, she completely trusted her servant.

She'd even developed a slight dependence.

Because she did nothing and harvested good chakra every day.

She had wondered: if one day Natsume left her due to lifespan ending, what would she do?

She would surely be at a complete loss.

She wasn't very knowledgeable to begin with, and after having Natsume, this had only become more pronounced.

To put it simply, she had been raised into a cripple.

Aside from raw power, she relied on Natsume for everything.

In short, this servant was very good.

She was reluctant to part with him.

"I need you to find someone for me."

Suppressing the sudden cascade of thoughts, Kaguya said expressionlessly, "My enemy, named Otsutsuki Isshiki."

"Any leads?"

Natsume asked calmly, "As long as there's a distinct trait, I can have the entire shinobi world look for him for you."

Kaguya was slightly taken aback.

Why didn't I think of Skynet?

Those ants might be weak, but they win by numbers.

And given Otsutsuki Isshiki's arrogance, he disdains such weeds.

Without precautions, he could be found.

If Kaguya searched herself, there was almost no hope.

Isshiki knew she wanted to kill him—any sign of danger, he'd flee without hesitation.

Kaguya looked at Natsume, once again surprised by his keen mind.

She should've told him about Isshiki earlier.

Maybe they'd have found him by now.

"He should currently be lodged in a human."

Kaguya thought, then said, "This human will not age or die, and there's a black diamond mark on his palm as a sign."

"That's enough."

Natsume smiled. "Don't worry, Skynet will drag him out."

In truth, he knew slightly more than Kaguya did.

For example, Isshiki had lodged in a monk named Jigen.

As long as it's a person, there are traces.

Unless he stayed in some extremely hidden place.

Seeing his smile, Kaguya's lips also faintly curved.

The worry and vexation in her heart suddenly eased.

She pondered and said, "Once Isshiki is found, I'll give you a better reward."

Natsume's eyes lit up.

Better than a kiss—what would that be?

He felt instantly motivated.

"Lady Goddess, Skynet needs your help with something."

Watching her expression and noting her reaction, Natsume continued, "I hope you'll set a button on all login devices that can contact you. They're about to start the unification campaign and might run into gods. If they die, we'll have to spend time retraining them."

"Okay."

Kaguya nodded.

She wasn't about to let someone else harvest her leeks.

"Summoning you won't be free, of course."

Natsume added, "I'll set a reasonable chakra currency amount."

Looking at him, a thought suddenly arose in Kaguya's mind.

Why not turn him into a branch-member Otsutsuki?

He was just that useful.

Though she hadn't met many beings, she had interacted with the exalted main-house Otsutsuki Isshiki.

Setting aside bloodline and power, she considered Natsume a hundred times better.

With him, her second chakra fruit didn't seem far away.

"What is it?"

Natsume was puzzled.

He actually felt a hint of aggression in her gaze.

Not uncommon.

That's how she looked at chakra.

But toward a human—for the first time.

Natsume wondered if he was about to rise up—flip the script and be the master?

"It's nothing."

Kaguya withdrew her gaze. "Go do your work. In a couple of days, I'll teach you Summoning."

Natsume nodded. He didn't dare ask further and pressed his curiosity down.

Unifying the world was a big deal.

Though he'd posted the quest, he didn't want the players' power spread thin.

They were still relatively weak.

If they ran into the Three Great Holy Lands or a god, they could be wiped.

Hence he'd have Kaguya bestow a summoning method.

Now that was a true forbidden technique.

He also had a login device, and it didn't cost him. He could use it freely.

At least in this world, he could walk unhindered.

Thinking as he walked, Natsume arrived at the square.

It was now designated as a skill-learning area, with two permanent instructors:

Hagoromo and Hamura.

Speaking of those two—Natsume could only envy.

The elder was born with Rinnegan, the younger born with Byakugan.

Beyond that, their talent was monstrous.

They learned anything after seeing it once.

As a teacher, he was mad enough to vomit blood.

Two years old, seriously?!

In terms of strength, Hagoromo—the Sage of Six Paths—was about to surpass him.

Hamura was a bit dimmer—maybe due to his personality.

Carefree and boisterous.

Hagoromo already had the vibe of the future Sage:

Calm, smart, steady.

To Natsume, he was a perfect tool.

Natsume had assigned Hagoromo to develop the Five Nature Transformations.

With his future knowledge as a base, it was faster than creating from nothing.

Thus, Hagoromo admired him.

He could casually think up an interesting ninjutsu.

Hmm, what was that called?

Natsume thought: I'm basically teaching myself.

"Teacher."

Hagoromo greeted politely.

"Teacher!"

The same address, but Hamura's volume doubled, his face bright with a warm grin.

"How are things?"

Natsume nodded and asked.

"They learn so slowly."

Hamura scratched his head. "Why is that?"

Because you're not human.

Natsume grumbled inwardly but said, "It's a talent issue. You and your brother are heaven's favored, with exceptional gifts. They're far behind."

"Oh!"

Hamura's face lit up, excited. "So I'm a genius!"

"Today's lessons are done."

Natsume patted Hamura. "Go play."

They were only two-year-olds; play was more in their nature.

Hearing this, both brothers happily left the square.

"I've posted the first main quest: unify the world."

Natsume turned to the crowd on the square. "There are many side quests under the main quest, each with its own rewards, so work hard."

"Yes!"

The response came as one.

They were quite obedient.

"Next, you three thousand will form the Land of Ancestors' first ninja army. Let's call it the Goddess Corps."

Natsume casually named it. "Rest for three days, then set out for our neighbor, the Land of Theirs. Take them."

The cheers were louder.

In national strength, the Land of Theirs was stronger than the Land of Ancestors.

Being so close, the two had long had friction.

Each time ended with the Land of Ancestors suffering.

Over time, an irreconcilable hatred formed.

Now they had a chance for revenge—they were thrilled.

"There's also a hidden quest, which will unlock when you meet certain conditions."

Natsume smiled. "Complete it for very generous rewards."

This hidden quest was to find Otsutsuki Isshiki.

Of course, he didn't write the name—only the traits.

Seeing the crowd brimming with fighting spirit, Natsume left the square satisfied.

…

Mount Myoboku.

Gamamaru—the Toad Sage—listened with a grim face after the report.

For two years, it had focused on Kaguya, Hagoromo, and Hamura.

It ignored Natsume.

He seemed like an ordinary human—a lucky guy chosen by Kaguya.

No, not lucky—unlucky.

He was destined to die.

But now the Toad Sage suddenly realized a big problem.

When Skynet appeared, it hadn't been alarmed.

Only when a three-thousand ninja army formed did it roughly understand Kaguya's aim.

To harvest humans gently to feed the God Tree.

Given Kaguya's character, she couldn't have conceived such a bizarre scheme.

There was only one culprit:

Natsume.

The Toad Sage's face turned thundercloud dark.

A human, yet serving an alien—detestable!

But it had a doubt.

Why didn't its prophecies include Natsume?

As if he had appeared from thin air.

Unscientific.

Why could Kaguya randomly pick a person and get someone this smart?

Was she truly favored by fortune?

"They must be stopped."

The Toad Sage ordered in a deep voice.

They couldn't beat Kaguya—but these three thousand ninja were nothing.

Stop them and the pace would be slowed.

Besides, this Natsume must not be allowed to live.

In two years, he'd caused this much trouble.

Let this continue and it would be disastrous.

A powerful Kaguya without wisdom could still be beaten.

But a powerful Kaguya with wisdom—how do you fight that?

…

Three days flew by.

"So delicious!"

Hamura wolfed down food, exclaiming as he ate.

"Hamura, don't shout while eating."

Hagoromo chewed elegantly and reminded him.

Kaguya tilted her head slightly, glanced at the brothers, pressed her lips, and showed a gentle smile.

At that moment, she revealed a trace of maternal glow.

Though in essence, she was still a maiden.

"Mom, I was reading the book Teacher gave me yesterday, and I have a question."

Hamura ignored Hagoromo's reminder and looked up.

The books Natsume gave them weren't from the Sacred Ring of Fate, but from this world.

Just in case the two figured things out and decided not to be ninja but to be a leaders.

That would be something.

"What is it?"

Kaguya asked calmly.

"It says all children are crystallizations of their parents' love—so where's my dad?"

Hamura asked with innocent curiosity.

"Crystallization of love?"

Kaguya instinctively looked at Natsume.

Bewilderment filled her eyes.

What is love?

Why do a man and a woman together produce a child?

Noticing her gaze, Natsume's face stiffened.

He knew the principle.

But how was he supposed to explain that?

"I get it!"

Hamura looked at Kaguya, then at Natsume.

His clever little brain whirred.

"Teacher is my dad!"

Hamura declared, excited.

Two reasons for the excitement:

First, he didn't dislike Natsume; on the contrary, he liked Natsume's care and weird ideas.

Second, he thought he'd solved the riddle of his origins.

Natsume was dumbstruck.

"Hamura, don't say nonsense."

Hagoromo was clearly more mature than his scatterbrained brother. "Teacher isn't our dad."

He could tell Natsume and the three of them weren't even the same species.

The books he'd read said only the same kind could have offspring.

"Ahem, your mother is the Lady Goddess, so it's… special."

Natsume glanced at Kaguya.

She should've explained—but she was staring off, probably still wondering what "love" was.

"So we don't have a dad?"

Hamura looked disappointed.

"It's fine. You don't have a dad, but you have a teacher."

Natsume smiled and comforted him.

Hamura was just a child; his emotions rose and fell quickly. Soon he was back to his eating crusade.

"The ninjutsu you wanted is complete."

Kaguya moved her head slightly and returned to herself, no longer thinking about other things.

"Thank you."

Natsume held out his hand, thinking how useful Kaguya was.

Next time, if he had the chance, he'd have her create a ranged Gentle Fist.

Kaguya said nothing, took his hand, and transmitted the ninjutsu.

Seeing this, Hamura's eyes swiveled as if he were plotting something.

Natsume reviewed the information in his mind and nodded.

This summoning jutsu perfectly met his requirements.

Hmm—call it Goddess Summon.

After eating, Natsume went to the square.

"War often means sacrifice."

He began his speech. "Though you're stronger than ordinary warriors, you can still be injured and die. But we have the Lady Goddess. In her great mercy, she bestows two divine arts that you can all use."

Natsume added Goddess Summon and Resurrection to the Skynet login devices.

Instantly, the square erupted with shock and cheers.

"Resurrection? We can be resurrected?!"

"Doesn't that mean we won't fear death anymore?!"

"…"

"Lady Goddess!"

"Lady Goddess!"

All the talk eventually condensed into four words.

Natsume smiled. He didn't care about their loyalty—after a thousand years, none would remain anyway.

"This expedition prioritizes captives—understand?"

He planned to sort out those who submitted and make them new players, and toss the diehards to Kaguya as White Zetsu.

Natsume worried that Skynet might erase the White Zetsu route.

That impact would be too great—a net loss.

"Understood!"

The three thousand of the Goddess Corps set off for the neighboring country.

Natsume didn't go.

It was too boring—better to keep Kaguya company.