274 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

It was clear that the Divine Tree reacted to the clone of Ōtsutsuki Toneri.

Judging from its response, it displayed a definite hunger, a desire to feed.

Seeing this, the people present finally breathed a sigh of relief.

They weren't afraid of much, but they did fear that the Divine Tree would remain indifferent.

If that happened, it would mean that Ōtsutsuki Toneri did not meet the necessary criteria.

In that case, they would have no choice but to figure out how to deal with Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.

Alternatively, they would have to find the corpses of Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo and Ōtsutsuki Hamura.

Otherwise, it would mean losing an important path to greater power.

Watching as the grotesque maw of the Divine Tree opened wide, its body writhing as it attempted to assume the form of the Ten-Tails, Akira casually tossed the clone of Ōtsutsuki Toneri into its gaping mouth.

A sickening crunch followed as the Divine Tree began to chew, its writhing movements gradually slowing until it finally fell silent.

The roots that had extended from the ground slowly retracted, merging back into the tree's form.

It was clear—the Divine Tree had been sated after consuming an Ōtsutsuki.

To confirm whether this was enough, Akira brought forth another clone of Ōtsutsuki Toneri and placed it before the tree.

This time, however, the Divine Tree remained still, showing no reaction whatsoever.

Seeing this, Akira did not immediately relax. He activated his space-time abilities, causing a vortex to appear.

From within the swirling distortion, a slightly translucent container emerged, containing a significant portion of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's body.

Observing the silent Divine Tree, Akira finally let out a breath of relief.

Only now could he confirm that even a clone of Ōtsutsuki Toneri was enough to satisfy the Divine Tree's requirements.

Sacrificing Toneri's clones would allow the Divine Tree to bear fruit.

Of course, the quality of the chakra fruit would be far inferior compared to using Kaguya, Isshiki, or Momoshiki.

Additionally, it was still uncertain whether their Divine Tree could match the original.

But ultimately, having a fruit—regardless of quality—was better than having none at all. As long as it bore fruit, they could gain immense power.

In the future, once they had grown stronger, capturing the higher-tier Ōtsutsuki would allow them to obtain even higher-quality chakra fruits.

With this thought in mind, Akira approached another Divine Tree, bringing Kaguya's remains with him.

The first tree had originated from the Ten-Tails sealed within Uchiha Hikaru, while this second tree had sprouted from the severed hand of the Ten-Tails.

The moment he arrived, the second Divine Tree stirred, reacting in the same manner as the first. Its buried roots withdrew from the earth, its form writhing as a massive maw split open at its base.

Witnessing this, not only was Akira surprised, but the others present were also visibly shocked.

Senju Tobirama stroked his chin and murmured, "Even a mere remnant of Kaguya's body is enough to make it bear fruit? Interesting..."

As the gruesome sounds of chewing echoed through the air, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's remains were devoured by the tree.

After consuming the fragmented body, the Divine Tree once again fell silent.

Watching it, an idea formed in Akira's mind. He reached out toward another clone of Toneri.

Using Banshō Ten'in, he pulled the clone toward the tree.

As the clone approached, the Divine Tree stirred once more, its grotesque maw reappearing.

Clearly, Kaguya's remains alone had not been sufficient!

"So, it's not enough? What a shame," Tobirama muttered, shaking his head.

Seeing this, Akira nodded slowly and murmured, "As expected, just a remnant isn't enough."

If mere fragments could suffice, Kaguya could have easily mutilated herself, feeding pieces of her body to the Divine Tree instead of needing to use other Ōtsutsuki.

Once the second clone of Toneri was devoured, the Divine Tree finally settled down.

Following the same method, Akira fed the last remaining clone to the tree.

When everything was finally quiet again, Akira returned to the group.

Looking at Tobirama, he asked, "Second Hokage, how is your research on Ōtsutsuki Kaguya progressing?"

Senju Tobirama shook his head. "Kaguya is entirely different from Ōtsutsuki Toneri. The two of them couldn't be more distinct—they don't even seem like members of the same clan."

"Kaguya is much more similar to the Ten-Tails, whereas Toneri and the incomplete revival of Isshiki share more similarities," he added, a puzzled look crossing his face.

He couldn't understand why there was such a drastic difference between individuals of the Ōtsutsuki clan.

"How is the progress on cloning Kaguya?" Akira pressed.

"Impossible. Completely impossible!" Tobirama shook his head firmly. "Kaguya's physiology is too bizarre. With our current technology, we can't replicate her."

Akira speculated, "Maybe it's because she consumed the chakra fruit from Earth and merged with the Ten-Tails. Trying to clone her would mean replicating an Ōtsutsuki, the Ten-Tails, and the chakra fruit's power all at once!"

Tobirama stroked his chin thoughtfully and nodded. "That's not entirely out of the question."

Akira then asked, "What about the Divine Tree?"

Senju Tobirama shook his head again. "The Divine Tree is even stranger. Compared to the Ōtsutsuki clan's bodies, it feels much more mysterious."

"Logically speaking, the Ten-Tails is merely a tool of the Ōtsutsuki, something they created to aid their cultivation. It shouldn't be more complex than them..." he trailed off, his expression filled with doubt.

"The Ten-Tails may not be just a tool created by the Ōtsutsuki for cultivation. We know far too little about both the Ten-Tails and the Ōtsutsuki themselves," Akira said, disagreeing with Tobirama's assumption.

"What a pity. If only we could capture a living Ōtsutsuki," Senju Tobirama lamented.

Looking at the three silent Divine Trees, Akira remarked, "That day may not be as far off as you think."

"Let's hope so," Tobirama sighed.

"Is there a fundamental difference between our Divine Trees and the one Nagato summoned?" Akira asked, voicing his biggest concern.

When Nagato summoned a Divine Tree during the battle, they had naturally collected remnants of it afterward.

Senju Tobirama replied, "From a biological perspective, there's no real difference. As for anything deeper, I haven't found anything conclusive yet."

Akira nodded. "Either way, this is good news."

Tobirama nodded in agreement, then asked, "By the way, Fifth Hokage, do you know how long it will take for these trees to bear fruit?"

"Even if I monitor the flow of stellar energy constantly, it will take at least ten years," Uchiha Akira replied with a shake of his head. "Pulling in stellar energy manually just isn't enough."

While Shadow Clones could be used to assist, this wasn't a sustainable long-term solution.

Using Shadow Clones came with a cost, and even he couldn't avoid the repercussions.

A few days, weeks, or even months would be fine, but doing so for years would take too heavy a toll.