Natsume and his two companions made their way to the Sealing Shrine in the Land of Swamps without incident.
The location was extremely remote, deep within the mountains.
The miko guards were overjoyed at their arrival, preparing the finest rooms available.
Though the accommodations appeared rather modest, as ninja they weren't particularly concerned with luxury.
The remaining time would simply involve waiting for Moryo or Yomagakure's appearance.
But Natsume naturally wouldn't just sit idle.
He intended to manipulate one party against another.
He would allow Moryo to "kill" Yugito Nii right in front of everyone from Kumogakure.
That way, no one would be able to raise any objections.
Of course, Natsume would also use this opportunity to earn some destiny value.
"Kaguya, I have something to take care of outside."
If it were anyone else, he wouldn't bother explaining.
But with Kaguya Otsutsuki, it was different.
Plus, he needed to ask her to mentor Hinata Hyuga.
"What kind of matter?"
A flicker stirred in Kaguya Otsutsuki's pale eyes.
Natsume found this somewhat unbelievable.
Previously, she absolutely wouldn't have cared about his comings and goings.
Unless it involved chakra.
Surprise gave way to delight.
Being noticed by the ultimate villainess felt surprisingly good.
How should I put it?
It brought a strong sense of security.
After considering, Natsume said, "I'm going to deal with those ninja we met yesterday."
Kaguya Otsutsuki slightly nodded, her expression unchanged.
Now that he knew her background, she seemed to have grown familiar with him.
Considering Yugito Nii's attitude, he wouldn't just let it slide.
"You may proceed."
Kaguya Otsutsuki spoke calmly.
Although Yugito Nii was a jinchuriki, with Natsume's strength, dealing with her posed absolutely no danger.
In fact, it wouldn't even take much time—just a single day to complete.
"After I leave, could you help mentor Hinata?"
Natsume carefully revealed his true intention.
"If you're willing to accept her as your apprentice, that'd be even better."
Kaguya Otsutsuki didn't answer immediately, only gazing at him.
Natsume instantly tensed up.
Truthfully, he had expected Kaguya Otsutsuki to refuse.
Even if Hinata was technically her descendant, countless generations lay between them—how could any emotional bond remain?
Throughout the ninja world, only Hagoromo Otsutsuki, Hamura Otsutsuki, and now Natsume himself had ever drawn her attention.
"I have a condition."
Just as Natsume assumed Kaguya Otsutsuki would refuse, she suddenly spoke.
"What condition?"
Though Natsume wanted to agree immediately, knowing her power, whatever condition she set might not be easy for him to meet.
So he decided to hear it first.
"One month."
A faint smirk tugged at Kaguya Otsutsuki's lips.
"...?"
Natsume dumbfoundedly stared.
Though only three words, he already understood exactly what condition Kaguya meant.
Never did he imagine he would stoop to offering his labor as a bargaining chip.
No, wait—that wasn't right.
Lady Kaguya! You've changed for the worse!
You weren't always like this.
When did this pure, innocent girl become so clever?
Ahem.
He didn't mean to imply Kaguya Otsutsuki was foolish—it's just that she had never been aware of it before.
The only thing she ever truly cared about was chakra.
Now, however, she had started directing her attention toward him.
Though Natsume genuinely liked it, he knew this situation couldn't last forever.
Thinking quickly, he wrapped his arms around her waist and affectionately nuzzled her face, smiling as he said, "I think that's unfair."
Kaguya Otsutsuki looked down at him, her previously cheerful mood slightly ruined.
But Natsume was different.
She didn't get angry—instead, she asked calmly, "What's unfair about it?"
Seeing that she'd fallen for his trick, Natsume grinned and asked, "What is Hinata to you?"
Without hesitation, Kaguya replied, "Nothing at all."
"Then isn't exchanging for a whole month a bit unfair?"
Natsume blinked and proposed, "How about ten days?"
A whole month was too long.
Even with Kaguya's chakra accelerating recovery, mental exhaustion was unavoidable.
Ten days would be just right.
Not too bad, and still enjoyable.
That would actually be a proper reward.
Kaguya hesitated, starting to realize what had happened.
Had she just… been tricked?
After thinking it over, she spoke, "Then ten days it is."
Natsume immediately felt relieved.
After all, Kaguya wasn't someone cruel or unreasonable.
"Ten days."
Just as he thought he'd successfully pulled one over on her, Kaguya spoke again.
Her expressionless face said, "The ten days I mentioned aren't based on Amenominaka time."
Though her tone held no emotion, to Natsume, it carried unmistakable killing intent—
The kind that could literally kill.
Natsume's smile froze, and his body trembled slightly.
Help! She's cheating!
"How can you say something so… so… so utterly unreasonable?!"
Natsume felt like his heart was literally bleeding.
Actually bleeding.
As the saying goes—one drop of *that* is worth ten drops of blood.
"What's the problem?"
Seeing his adorable reaction, Kaguya couldn't help but smile.
Her cold, elegant features bloomed like a night-blooming cereus—a fleeting moment of beauty—as she let out an enchanting smile.
But Natsume had no chance to appreciate it.
Pure devilry!
"You never specified which calendar those ten days were based on."
Oh… damn it…
Kaguya reached out, gently stroking his cheek, then leaned in and nipped his lips lightly. "Come back soon."
Looking into her suddenly glistening eyes, Natsume hesitated.
This gaze—it was clearly Kaguya holding back her emotions.
Like seeing endless chakra yet being unable to obtain any of it.
Natsume sighed inwardly.
Thinking back, among all the women he knew, it seemed only Kaguya would look at him like this.
It was simply… impossible to refuse.
Fine! If not me, then who will go to hell?
Well, technically... it's not exactly hell.
After all, aliens were actually quite pleasant to be around.
Smiling, Natsume gave her a gentle kiss and said, "I'll come back as soon as I can."
Lady Kaguya loosened her grip, her palm opening in front of him.
The air grew still, then condensed into a faint breeze.
Soon, a black sphere formed in her hand.
Natsume narrowed his eyes.
It was a Truth-Seeking Ball.
Created using Yin–Yang Release to shape form, infused with highly concentrated chakra of the seven natures—Yin and Yang plus the five elements.
It could be described as the essence of power—simple yet absolute.
Its destructive potential immense, capable of obliterating an entire vast forest with ease.
Moreover, it could automatically transform into weapons based on the user's preference.
Such as the Sage of Six Paths' Shakujo or Ama no Hoko—the divine spear forged by Obito Uchiha after becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki.
After glancing at him, Lady Kaguya manipulated the Truth-Seeking Ball, which gradually elongated under her control into a long black rod.
Its appearance closely resembled the Black Receiver.
The Black Receiver was a product of the Rinnegan or Yin–Yang Release.
Once embedded in an opponent's body, it would seal their chakra pathways and disrupt their chakra flow.
Still, it wasn't the same as weapons created directly from Truth-Seeking Balls.
"Here."
Lady Kaguya spoke first. "You gave that bow to Hinata earlier, so now I'll give you another weapon."
Natsume blinked in surprise, then couldn't help but hug her again and kiss her. "Thanks."
Truthfully, Lady Kaguya really was something else.
If one had truly stepped into her heart, they'd realize she actually had deep feelings.
And more importantly, she was uniquely devoted to only one person.
Well, mostly, she just thought very simply—or perhaps purely.
In her world, there was only chakra and Natsume.
Everything and everyone else meant nothing to her.
Lady Kaguya gently stroked his head and said, "Don't give this sword to anyone else."
You're calling this a sword?
Well, whatever Lady Kaguya says goes.
Natsume gripped the Black Receiver, and a surge of information flooded his mind.
He hesitated for a moment.
This weapon had three functions.
First: It could change shape freely.
Second: Once inserted into an enemy's body, it would absorb chakra.
Third: Unbreakable through all defenses.
No wonder Lady Kaguya called it a sword.
It actually made sense now.
Natsume thought for a moment, and decided to name it the [Ruyi Jingu Bang].
Granted, it did sound familiar.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had a summoned beast named Enma who transformed into a weapon called the Adamantine Staff of Flexibility.
Clearly, this was another nod to Journey to the West.
Much like how the Sage of Six Paths wielded the Bashosen, Shichiseiken, Kohaku no Johei, and others.
But it didn't matter; changing names wasn't a big deal.
Natsume secretly considered himself the truest heir anyway.
Borrowing the Great Sage's name wasn't a big deal.
"I won't give it to anyone else," Natsume smiled.
"Treasures like this are meant for personal use anyway."
Lady Kaguya nodded.
She hadn't said anything, but Natsume could already tell she was satisfied—or perhaps happy.
He let go, focused his thoughts, and the [Ruyi Jingu Bang] instantly transformed into a ring, slipping onto his ring finger.
Not bad. Very convenient, actually.
"I'll go get Hinata."
With that, Natsume left the room.
At that moment, Hinata Hyuga was training in the courtyard.
When she spotted Natsume, she came to an abrupt halt and called out, "Brother Natsume."
"What do you think of Shinguji?"
Natsume gave a slight nod in response before getting down to business.
"She's truly amazing," Hinata Hyuga said without hesitation.
Even though she had never actually witnessed Kaguya Otsutsuki in battle, her insights regarding the Gentle Fist were astounding. It was as if not even her father, Hiashi Hyuga, could match up.
"If that's the case, you wouldn't mind being her student, would you?"
Natsume grinned and tousled her hair as he asked.
Hinata stiffened at his words.
After a moment, she waved her hands and replied, "I'm Brother Natsume's student. I don't need a new teacher."
Natsume was somewhat surprised.
He hadn't expected her to refuse.
After all, in this world, having two teachers wasn't unusual at all.
"Still, are you sure you only want to be my student?"
Natsume's eyes twinkled mischievously as he teased.
Hinata looked puzzled.
When she noticed his expression, she gradually understood what he had meant by that question just now.
If not students, then what else could they be?
Almost instantly, she turned bright red from her cheeks right down to her ears.
Thanks to the cold climate of the Land of Swamps, steam truly rose from her head.
Her breath quickened, visible puffs of vapor escaping from her lips.
Natsume quickly supported her collapsing body.
"Hinata?"
He shook his head, unable to help himself.
Seemed like training still wasn't enough.
After waiting for a while, Natsume watched as Hinata slowly regained consciousness.
This chapter isn't finished yet!
"I'm... sorry."
She lowered her head, too embarrassed to look at Natsume.
Her heart was still racing because of that earlier sentence.
"You don't need to apologize for something like this." He gently pinched her warm, soft cheeks and said, "Come on, let's go meet Shinguji."
"Okay."
Hinata nodded.
The two of them arrived at Kaguya Otsutsuki's room.
Natsume knocked on the door, then entered.
"Teacher."
Hinata knelt on both knees respectfully.
By ninja-world standards, a simple bow should have sufficed.
Kneeling like that went far beyond standard protocol.
Kaguya Otsutsuki glanced at her, but ultimately fixed her gaze on Natsume without saying anything.
For someone like her, that was already a sign of acceptance.
Natsume smiled at her, then helped Hinata stand up again. "I have some business to take care of outside. Just follow Teacher Shinguji's instructions."
"Okay."
Hinata nodded firmly.
Seeing this, Natsume wasted no more time. He vanished in a flash using [the Flying Thunder God Technique], reappearing in the Land of Demons.
He had previously examined the locations of both sealed temples, so it didn't take him long to locate his target.
"Not started yet?"
Natsume raised an eyebrow.
In front of the sealed temple, Yugito Nii and others appeared quite leisurely, waiting patiently for Yomagakure's arrival.
He rubbed his chin in thought for a moment.
Yomi himself was rather mediocre in terms of actual strength in the original story.
At most, he was just jonin-level.
It wasn't until he fused Moryo's soul into his body that he gained tailed beast-level combat strength.
In other words, he couldn't defeat Yugito Nii.
Even with Danzo Shimura added to the equation, that still held true.
It wasn't that Natsume held the Hokage in contempt—it was simply that he wasn't at his best right now.
Besides, he had no reason to risk his life for Yomi's cause.
That was when he decided to intervene.
Thinking this, Natsume immediately activated Sage Mode.
Since the Sealing Temple was Yomi's target, they were most likely nearby.
All he had to do was evade their sensor ninja's detection.
However, the perceptual range granted by Sage Mode expanded dozens of times.
Given Natsume's abilities, pinpointing their location was effortless.
An unknown valley.
A shadow darted past.
It was Natsume.
He cast a glance toward the guards at the cave's entrance before summoning Katsuyu.
"Lord Natsume."
A small, slug-like creature appeared on his palm.
The sight of it reminded Natsume of something.
He needed to discuss destroying Mount Myoboku with Katsuyu Sage.
If she had been an insider a thousand years ago, there was no reason she couldn't be one again now.
Katsuyu scuttled into the cave, found a secluded area, and performed the Reverse Summoning Jutsu.
Natsume stepped out of the smoke within the cave.
"Katsuyu Sage, I'll come see you later to discuss something."
"Understood."
Katsuyu nodded slightly before returning to Shikkotsu Forest.
Inside the cave, it had already become Yomagakure's headquarters.
Natsume extended his awareness—he detected quite a few individuals, nearly thirty in total.
However, their overall strength was rather weak.
He strode directly toward what seemed to be a laboratory.
Without bothering to knock, he pushed the door open.
"Didn't I say not to disturb me?!"
Yomi, mid-surgery, turned in anger—but froze instantly when he saw the unfamiliar face of Natsume.
Natsume didn't bother speaking. He directly activated his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
Shock flickered across Yomi's face, but he quickly masked it with composure.
"Go, gather everyone together. We're heading to the Sealing Temple immediately."
In Yomi's mind, the disguised Natsume was one of his trusted subordinates.
[Because of your actions, Yomi's destiny has changed. You've gained 19 destiny points.]
Natsume smiled faintly, effortlessly changing his appearance before following Yomi out of the lab.
This section is four thousand words long. Due to a full-day power outage, I'm posting this portion first—let's hope there's no blackout tomorrow.
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