Ryosuke wasn't just looking for Kaguya.
He was also investigating Black Zetsu and the masked man.
Ryosuke had been in the ninja world for over four years, and had killed all kinds of enemies, Ninjas, samurai, daimyos, and even tailed beasts, the White Snake Sage, as well as Nagato from the other day.
These opponents were either powerful, or strange, or had all sorts of special backgrounds.
But they only brought Ryosuke soul fragments.
The Ascension Star Cores, which symbolized the world's deviation and were used to evolve his Stand, had nothing to do with how many people Ryosuke killed, but were firmly tied to the direction of the world.
This was something Ryosuke had already understood after many experiments.
Then what exactly was the "Fate Ink," which symbolized breaking through the critical point and allowing a Stand to take one more step beyond the limit, born for?
If Ryosuke's guess was right, if Fate Ink was born for "Requiem," "Made in Heaven," and "Love Train," then in terms of rarity,
Fate Ink > Ascension Star Core.
Black Zetsu, a lump of rotten mud, what virtue or ability did he have to be comparable to altering the world line, or even more important than that?
Instinct told Ryosuke that all the answers lay in "Kaguya."
———
"And then there's the 'pen.'"
Ryosuke sat in an tavern, beside him was the slightly tipsy Kamihara Hayato.
This was the night Ryosuke returned to Kirigakure from the Land of Earth.
When Kamihara Hayato heard that Ryosuke really walked step by step from the border of the Land of Earth all the way to the Land of Earth's capital, as his bro, he immediately thumped his chest and said he had to treat Ryosuke to a foot massage to relax.
"I've already arranged the second floor."
Kamihara Hayato raised his brows, narrowed his eyes, and showed Ryosuke a look that all men understood.
Ever since the previous time at the bubble bath, when Ryosuke interrupted him halfway again, Kamihara Hayato had become enlightened.
Rather than being interrupted by Ryosuke every time, only to walk out of the bathroom and see Ryosuke sitting on a chair, it was better to drag Ryosuke along. That way, no one could interrupt him!
But Ryosuke refused.
He wasn't interested in massages.
'What?'
'You're saying having a girl's slender little hands pressing on your body feels so good?'
'Even if it feels good, can it compare to Ripple?'
Every time Ryosuke breathed, Ripple would circulate once through the 30 trillion cells in his entire body. The comfort it brought wasn't something a massage could compare to at all.
After hearing Ryosuke explain that Ripple's comfort was greater than a massage, Kamihara Hayato really wanted to complain.
However, in the end, the two still went to an tavern, ordered yakitori, small dishes, and alcohol, and for the first time in a long while, drank and chatted.
Ryosuke continued thinking about the "pen."
When it came to the pen, the first thing he thought of was Rohan Kishibe's 5-star Stand, Heaven's Door.
This was an extremely powerful mental-type Stand that could read memories, and could also "write commands" into a person's mind.
Its effect was similar to Whitesnake's commands, but compared to Whitesnake, it could issue more detailed and precise instructional operations.
Using Heaven's Door's pen, after flipping open the mental page of another Stand, using Fate Ink to write a command that surpassed the limit… theoretically, it seemed possible.
But Ryosuke always felt that Heaven's Door was a bit… not qualified enough.
It wasn't that it wasn't strong. It's just that even though Heaven's Door carried the word "Heaven," judging from how it performed in the original story, it was still far from being able to interfere with something on the level of "Requiem."
So, Ryosuke only regarded the idea of Heaven's Door being the "pen" as a possible backup plan, and would only try it if he drew it in the future.
Another possibility was the "Arrow."
Smearing Fate Ink on the Arrow, using it as a pen, and stabbing it into a 6-star Stand's body to achieve evolution that stepped into the limit.
Ryosuke felt this was more likely than "Heaven's Door."
After all, a few Stands that surpassed the limit, Gold Experience / Silver Chariot, used the Arrow.
Heaven's Door, special timing + location + fate push.
D4C, Love Train, Saint's corpse.
Soft & Wet, Go Beyond, noble fusion.
The only thing related to the concept of a "pen" that Ryosuke could think of was the Arrow, after all, using the Saint's corpse nailed to a cross as a pen would be a bit too hellish.
The last possibility was Kaguya.
Killed her son → Fate Ink appeared.
If he killed Kaguya, would the pen appear?
This possibility was the simplest and most direct, but, saying that, Ryosuke wasn't the kind of person who would kill innocent people just to become stronger.
Three possibilities, Heaven's Door, Arrow, Kaguya.
The first two were related to gacha draws and full of randomness, so Ryosuke could only temporarily focus his attention on Kaguya.
"Kaguya… just who are you?" Ryosuke murmured softly.
Kamihara Hayato, who was eating side dishes, glanced at Ryosuke's empty cup. Already tipsy, he picked up the sake pot and poured a cup for Ryosuke, asking, "Thinking about a woman?"
Ryosuke nodded, and told Kamihara Hayato about Kaguya and the pen.
He originally wanted to see if, with Kamihara Hayato's information network, he could find out something about Kaguya. But he didn't expect that halfway through listening, Kamihara Hayato's eyes Biu lit up.
"Let me get this straight."
"You're looking for a woman named Kaguya, for her pen… Ryosuke, this is what I like about you, straightforward."
"Looking for a woman is looking for a woman. Some people just have to make it about romance, and I really can't stand that. What you're doing is great, short and to the point, just for the pen..."
Feeling the strange looks from people around them, Ryosuke quickly grabbed a takoyaki and stuffed it into Kamihara Hayato's mouth.
———
Following the defeat of the three great nations, and the mass imprisonment of daimyos and conglomerates, the once small-time info broker Kamihara Hayato had suddenly become the Intelligence Director, who controlled the secrets of the entire ninja world.
For some time afterward, Kamihara Hayato mobilized the information network of the whole ninja world, searching for data regarding Kaguya and Black Zetsu.
Ancient documents from all over were delivered to Ryosuke's desk.
Ryosuke read through the information, his expression gradually becoming serious.
The information came from different countries, some were ancient treasured archives from national or village libraries, and some were folk stories passed down by word of mouth in remote villages.
All the information mentioned "Princess Kaguya."
In some, she was a goddess who saved the people, while in others, she was a demon who killed countless lives.
But all the information had one thing in common, the recorded time was extremely far back; the earliest historical record could be traced back a thousand years.
"A thousand years ago…"
Ryosuke lightly tapped his index finger on the table.
Kamihara Hayato sat across from him, slightly loosened his tie, brushed the slightly curled long hair hanging over his forehead back behind his head, revealing a pair of slightly tired, yet because of that even more deep-looking eyes.
Ryosuke and he made eye contact.
"You've thought of it?" Kamihara Hayato asked.
"Mm."
Ryosuke put down the information files.
A matter from a thousand years ago, of course you would need to ask someone who lived in that era, Mount Myoboku's Great Toad Sage.