The unforgettable night drew to a close.
Lying on his bed, Natsume gazed at the starry sky.
After a moment, he raised his arm, eyes falling on the Ring of Fate.
"If I want to bring Kaguya back to the ninja world, how many Fate Points?"
["Five thousand Fate Points."]
A line of text quickly appeared.
Damn?
So expensive?
You'll get strung up for daylight robbery like this.
But on second thought, it was reasonable.
Five thousand wasn't expensive—quite fair, actually.
He'd spent 3,900 to exchange for the Sage Body.
But was the Sage Body worth more than Kaguya?
Of course not.
Spending 5,000 Fate Points for Kaguya was a steal.
Provided her favorability was high enough.
Otherwise, it was game over.
"Can I buy on credit?"
He didn't have 5,000—he was short by over a thousand.
And there weren't many ways left in this world to earn more.
It'd take a long time to grind it out.
Better to return to the ninja world and farm there.
Seeing no response from the ring, Natsume began to reason with it.
"You've known me for years—do I look like someone who'd skip out on a debt? With Kaguya, I'll farm Fate Points twice as fast. I'll pay it off soon…"
Mm, same logic as establishing the Skynet.
He'd been dealing with Kaguya for years—he was used to this pitch.
Soon, a pleasant prompt sounded.
[Loan Contract: Host-only. Borrow up to 2,000 Fate Points. Must be repaid within five years; overdue requires double repayment.]
Natsume exhaled, relieved.
With this, he had no worries.
Next came the plan to whisk Kaguya away.
He intended to have her fight Isshiki and be at a disadvantage.
Then he'd have grounds to rescue her.
Kaguya wouldn't blame him for acting on his own.
Though she was immortal, he didn't know that—so in an emergency, spending a huge price to take her away was normal.
And it truly would be saving her.
Without Natsume, she'd be locked in a dark cell for a thousand years.
Miserable.
In theory, Isshiki was stronger.
From his canon performance, his battle experience far surpassed Kaguya's.
But he was injured now and didn't dare show.
He needed someone—no, a toad—to help him.
Mount Myōboku had a treasure called the Sacred Seal Tag.
In canon, it revived Hamura.
With Isshiki's higher life tier, it couldn't return him to peak.
Natsume didn't think it could.
But it should restore a good chunk of his power.
"I need an inside agent."
Natsume narrowed his eyes, thinking of the Slug Sage.
In previous moves, he'd met only the Toad and White Snake Sages, not the Slug.
From what he knew, it likely didn't care.
After all, in the Shikkotsu Forest it was alone, with no pressure.
It wasn't as fixated on humans as the Toad Sage.
…
A new day.
After making breakfast for the mother and two sons, Natsume teleported to the Shikkotsu Forest.
It cost him 10 Fate Points.
Not bad.
Opening his eyes, he felt natural energy far denser than in later eras.
The Slug Sage sensed his arrival immediately.
It didn't know it was Natsume—just surprised.
A human?
Moments later, a split body of the Slug Sage appeared before Natsume.
"It's you?!"
Its gentle tone broke in shock and panic.
If Natsume had found the place—did that mean Kaguya would descend too?
Its heart stopped.
"Hello, Slug Sage."
Natsume greeted.
He didn't show his true face, but the emperor of the Land of Ancestors.
In fact, except in front of Kaguya, he always used a false identity.
"H-hello."
The Slug tilted its head, eyes strange.
This human didn't seem hostile.
And he hadn't sensed Kaguya's presence.
"I want to cooperate with you."
Natsume got straight to the point.
"Cooperate?"
The Slug instinctively wanted to refuse—betraying the Three Great Holy Lands hadn't crossed its mind.
But given the situation, refusal wasn't easy.
Kaguya wasn't here now, but it knew this human had close ties to her.
"What kind of cooperation?"
The Slug decided to listen first.
"You'll go find Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, use the sacred seal tag to heal him, then go after Kaguya."
Natsume's tone was calm.
"Huh?"
The Slug was dumbfounded.
What is this?
This human had a conscience attack and wanted to betray Kaguya?
It was too shocked to notice that Natsume even knew about the sacred seal tag.
"You're willing to help us?!"
The Slug blurted.
"This isn't 'helping'—it's cooperation."
Natsume corrected it.
"…"
The Slug stared, seeking signs of a lie.
There were none.
Could it be true?
"I have no reason to lie."
Natsume raised his wrist—the Skynet login device. "If I wanted, Kaguya would descend here now and kill you. But I didn't. That's my sincerity."
The Slug trembled.
It wasn't angered by the threat—on the contrary, it found the logic sound.
Still, something felt off.
Natsume's sudden about-face had no foreshadowing.
Clearly fishy.
"I agree to cooperate."
The Slug set aside excess thoughts and nodded.
Now wasn't the time to mull it over.
If it refused, it would face Kaguya.
Who could handle that?
"A wise choice."
Natsume smiled, taking out a summoning scroll. "A gift."
"What is this?"
The Slug's eyes showed curiosity.
"You can use it to form contracts with humans, let them work for you—be your agents."
Natsume explained. "In return, you can teach them senjutsu and natural energy."
"Who are you really?"
The Slug asked in disbelief. "How do you know so much about the Three Great Holy Lands—and use natural energy?"
"I'm just a passing ninja."
Natsume quipped.
The next second, he was back in the Land of Ancestors.
[Because of your actions, the fates of Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, the Toad Sage, the White Snake Sage, and the Slug Sage have changed. You gain 100 Fate Points total.]
Not bad.
Natsume nodded, satisfied.
…
The Metropolis of the Land of Demons.
A certain izakaya.
Many patrons glanced curiously at a monk in the corner.
He was wolfing down lunch.
There was wine and meat—a lavish spread.
Nothing like a monk.
Jigen didn't care about their eyes.
To him, they were ants.
He was Isshiki Ōtsutsuki.
After being grievously wounded, he inhabited Jigen's body.
To recover, he wandered, searching for usable resources.
But this world was too barren—no heavenly treasures.
He estimated it would take a thousand years to fully recover.
Thinking that, hatred twisted his face.
Damn Kaguya!
This lowly clanswoman!
She'd driven him to such a state.
While she was revered as the Rabbit Goddess, acting high and mighty.
Ridiculous!
She was an invader. Humans were utterly foolish.
Not far away, a young man watched him cautiously.
A monk, plus a special mark—
It matched the hidden quest description.
The youth drew a deep breath.
The hidden quest had been posted for a long time.
No one had completed it.
Even many experts failed.
Now the opportunity had come to him.
He was already fantasizing about skyrocketing with the reward—maybe squeezing onto the player rankings.
Then he could audience with the Goddess and become a man above men.
He contacted customer support.
…
A second later, Natsume got the message.
Flying Thunder God activated.
Disguised as an ordinary human, he entered the izakaya and confirmed Jigen's identity.
But he didn't inform Kaguya—he notified the Slug Sage.
After eating, Jigen went back to his mansion.
He enjoyed life.
He'd come to the Land of Demons because it was the only nation Kaguya had spared.
Though it was puzzling, it was safer than elsewhere.
He knew Kaguya was always searching for him.
Unifying the world was to gain more manpower.
But it was useless.
Unless Kaguya herself came, no one could see through his disguise.
As for the Skynet—arrogant as he was, he never bothered to learn about it.
"A toad?"
As he opened the door, he saw an orange toad and froze.
What?
He was certain he couldn't be found.
And even if he was, it shouldn't be by natives of this world.
The Three Great Holy Lands sounded impressive.
But to him, they were chickens and dogs to be crushed.
"I am Gamamaru from Mount Myōboku."
The toad spoke directly. "We can work together to defeat Kaguya."
"Ridiculous!"
Jigen sneered. "You think you're worthy?"
"We are indeed no match for Kaguya—but you are."
Gamamaru smiled.
"Of course I am."
Jigen lifted his chin proudly. "She has always been my defeated foe."
He then recalled that in his current state, he couldn't beat her, and grew irritated.
"Get out!"
He didn't strike—he feared attracting Kaguya's attention.
"We can help you recover."
Gamamaru ignored the attitude and offered a chip. "Our holy lands have existed since ancient times. Thanks to natural energy, we have some good things."
Jigen's eyes lit up.
He knew the toad's plan—pit him against Kaguya and reap the spoils.
But he couldn't stand his current weakness.
If he could return to peak, why fear her?
Even if Kaguya had consumed the chakra fruit, she still wouldn't be his match.
He considered and agreed.
Even injured, he could crush three so-called sages with ease.
Since that's the case, why not try?