Thank you to our new Patrons: Luke Matthews, allen pellissery, mark74497, Charlie Puente-Duany, Anime fan123456, DeathClan1980, Leroy, Drake Blazer, Mridk and Jose! Your support means the world to me <3 We are up to Chapter 775: The Apprentice Ceremony – Part 5 on Patreon!
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)
I've also recently started a new translation, please check it out and show your support! It's called Douluo: Martial Soul White Tiger, I Am the White Emperor of Heaven! As always, Patrons will have unrestricted access to all of my stories including futures ones!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The most valuable asset Ōtsutsuki Kaguya possessed was the intelligence she had gathered as a princess of the branch family.
Although a millennium had passed and some of the information was outdated, it still held significant reference value. Ye Wen meticulously extracted every detail from Kaguya's mind.
As they spoke, both Ye Wen and Kaguya suddenly shifted their expressions, turning their gaze toward the distance.
Ye Wen gestured for Kaguya to handle the situation herself.
The newcomer was none other than Kaguya's second son, Ōtsutsuki Hamura.
Though both Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo (the Sage of Six Paths) and Ōtsutsuki Hamura had sealed Kaguya away together, the two brothers eventually parted ways. One developed the Shinobi Order on Earth, while the other stayed on the moon to accompany Kaguya and monitor the sealed husk of the Ten-Tails.
"Mother," Hamura greeted her with a complex expression.
Though Kaguya had been cruel to the native inhabitants of the ninja world, she had been genuinely kind to her two biological children.
Yet, the two brothers had chosen to oppose their mother for the sake of the world's inhabitants, ultimately sealing her away for a thousand years. It was impossible for Kaguya to harbor no resentment.
At first, Kaguya had considered attacking, but seeing her child now reduced to nothing more than a soul, she couldn't bring herself to strike.
Though Hagoromo and Hamura were pure-blooded Ōtsutsuki born from Kaguya, they lacked the advanced technology and ruthless methods of the Ōtsutsuki homeworld, Takamagahara. As a result, their lifespans did not reach the level of the newer generations of Ōtsutsuki. After living for a century, their physical bodies decayed, leaving behind only their souls.
Even so, Ye Wen regarded these two brothers as extraordinary talents.
They had undoubtedly reached the Six Paths level through sheer talent and cultivation, equivalent to god-level beings. In the ninja world, they never lacked faith-based power.
This meant that, with proper training methods, they could have achieved eternal life at the godly level. However, without inheritance, they instead forged their own path in soul cultivation.
Though they sacrificed their physical combat abilities, they gained even more mysterious powers at the soul level.
In terms of sheer destructive power, they were likely even stronger than when they sealed Kaguya away.
Moreover, in the original storyline, by Naruto's era, just a single infusion of yang energy and yin energy from the Sage of Six Paths was enough to reseal Kaguya. This showed that Hagoromo hadn't wasted his thousand years.
Though Hamura appeared later in the story, the fact that he had developed the ultimate evolution of the Byakugan—the Tenseigan—spoke volumes about his strength. Unfortunately, Hamura disliked conflict and didn't focus on such matters.
He truly refrained from interfering in worldly affairs. If not for Toneri's actions spiraling out of control, Hamura might never have made an appearance.
Kaguya's eyes flickered with complex emotions, but in the end, she sighed softly and slowly raised her right hand to gently stroke her aged child's face.
"Hamura…"
But the more tender Kaguya became, the guiltier Hamura felt.
Over time, Hamura had come to understand the true nature of the Ōtsutsuki clan that Kaguya feared. The two brothers had even prepared to resist them.
Alas.
While they still had physical bodies, the brothers had pushed their respective powers to the limit, yet they could only match the strength of Kaguya in her prime—not surpass her.
Ultimately, they came to realize a harsh truth: they each had their limits. Hard cultivation alone couldn't solve their problems, and their bodies had already reached their peak.
Thus, the two brothers chose different paths, hoping to create stronger existences to face future crises.
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo (the Sage of Six Paths) shaped the spiritual haven of the ninja world—the Pure Land—continuously drawing power from the souls of the ninja world to strengthen himself, developing the ultimate path of soul cultivation.
Ōtsutsuki Hamura, on the other hand, focused on refining his Ōtsutsuki chakra, hoping that among his descendants, a genius with the purest ancestral bloodline would emerge. He planned to pass on his Ōtsutsuki chakra to this successor, giving rise to the ultimate Tenseigan.
In the end, this mother and son reconciled.
Ye Wen couldn't help but reflect on how unpredictable fate could be.
Toneri had naturally developed the purest form of Ōtsutsuki chakra, while in the Hyūga clan of the ninja world, two princesses with exceptionally pure Byakugan eyes had emerged. Truly, it was an era of converging destinies.
In Ye Wen's view, the Tenseigan's accompanying chakra mode represented an alternative application of ultimate soul power. With proper development, it could even elevate the strength of ordinary Soul Masters by a significant margin.
With Ōtsutsuki Hamura, the ancient ancestor of the Ōtsutsuki clan on the moon, and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, a peak Six Paths-level powerhouse, on his side, Ye Wen effortlessly took over the Ōtsutsuki heritage on the moon.
With this, Ye Wen completed his initial occupation of the ninja world. He then summoned his Vast Sea Vessel and began laying the groundwork for the Soul Master civilization's war against the Ōtsutsuki civilization.
The ninja world entered a new era, historically known as the "Holy God Era."
However, such celestial phenomena were unfriendly to the natives of the ninja world. In this relatively feudal age, drastic changes in the heavens invariably foretold impending disaster.
Ninja World – Rain Country, Hidden Rain Village –
Tonight, the skies over Rain Country were unusually clear, revealing a pitch-black night sky free of rain clouds.
Atop the highest structure in the Hidden Rain Village, a man wearing a black robe adorned with red clouds and a spiral mask gazed intently at the blood-red moon encircled by ten golden rings.
"What is this? Do you know anything, Black Zetsu?" Uchiha Obito asked indifferently.
The moon was suddenly encased in a crimson ring with ten golden segments, and even its usually gentle light had turned a menacing shade of red—an unmistakably ominous sign.
Indeed, due to the increasing number of god-kings in Douluo, Ye Wen had no choice but to raise the prestige of his Vast Sea Vessel.
At this moment, a nearby piece of metal began to wriggle, and a giant lantern-like plant emerged.
The plant opened, revealing a bizarre figure with one half of its body white and the other black. It spoke in a low voice.
"I don't know. I'm also curious about what that ring around the moon means."
"Is that so."
After this brief exchange, both fell silent, burdened by heavy thoughts.
After all, the moon was a critical element in their future plans, and its current abnormalities clearly signaled that their plans might face serious complications.
Suddenly, the ring on Zetsu's hand emitted a faint glow.
"It seems Nagato is growing restless as well."
"For now, keep him calm. But given the recent large-scale movements in Konoha, let's accelerate the Bijuu collection plan. I have a bad feeling about this—I don't want to be caught off guard," Obito instructed calmly.
"I understand," Zetsu replied indifferently before departing to attend a meeting.
Sitting alone at the pinnacle, Obito gazed at the drizzling rain beginning to fall over Rain Country. His somber voice quietly echoed into the night.
"Rin, wait for me. It won't be long now. I will definitely create a world where you exist."
At this moment, the appearance of the blood moon stirred unrest across the entire ninja world. This era was on the verge of spiraling out of control.
------------------------------------------------------
Support my writing journey: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow