"Naruto: My Ninja Skills"Chapter 194: Changyue (Long Moon)
Kidnapping and abducting children—such serious crimes should theoretically warrant death. However, Indra's problem lay in his improper procedure.
Even in primitive tribes, dealing with criminals should follow due process.
Therefore, Indra received a punishment of one year imprisonment and confinement for reflection...
This punishment wasn't exactly a slap on the wrist, but at most a token gesture, considering he did eliminate genuinely wicked defectors.
The key issue was that Indra's actions had significantly damaged his standing in the Sage of Six Paths' eyes—something difficult to recover from... There was no helping it; who told the Sage of Six Paths to have two sons?
Training two backup characters at once was precisely to guard against one becoming ruined.
As for the matter Yūshin mentioned about those people possessing God Tree chakra, after thorough investigation, the Sage of Six Paths found no traces of human conspiracy. Rationally, he could only classify this as a coincidental event, but in reality, a seed of suspicion had already been planted in his heart.
Could it be his immortal mother's lingering spirit?
For someone like Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, who once stood at the world's pinnacle, arranging some contingency plans wasn't incomprehensible.
The key was that the Sage of Six Paths couldn't locate these contingencies, so he could only keep his doubts buried in his heart.
Setting aside the "mastermind behind the scenes" for now, using the defection incident as a catalyst, the Sage of Six Paths began adjusting the Ninja Sect's development approach.
First, he stopped bringing subsequent Ninja Sect personnel back to the village. Instead, after gathering some people together, he would select locations for independent development elsewhere... These people knew there were like-minded companions in distant places, but physical space prevented contact.
Second, the village would also be divided. Ōtsutsuki Hamura himself and his descendants would leave this place to establish a new village elsewhere.
The remaining Ninja Sect members would likewise relocate... The God Tree was somewhat ominous. Even leaving just a stump made people uncomfortable, so better to abandon it entirely and move far away.
After the relocation strategy was decided, everyone began packing their belongings.
Yūshin had quite a lot to take with him—he'd accumulated extensive research materials, not only on Yin-Yang Release but also some research on the Pure Land... The latter was somewhat unsavory, so he hid this portion within techniques that seemed relatively advanced for this era.
Cough, namely sealing scrolls.
This secretive research felt somewhat like Orochimaru conducting Edo Tensei experiments behind the Third Hokage's back.
However, Yūshin's research remained entirely theoretical—he lacked experimental conditions... His theories were comprehensive, but he couldn't determine their real-world validity.
This was equivalent to computer-simulating nuclear explosions—without original data, no matter how sophisticated the simulation, it was useless... You had to actually detonate one, otherwise all simulations were castles in the air.
Yūshin couldn't say whether the Sage of Six Paths' "division" approach was right or wrong, because the advantages and disadvantages were clear—it was merely a matter of choice... With vast territories and sparse populations, maintaining an organization's purity was indeed easier, so the Sage of Six Paths decided to scatter the Ninja Sect across the world.
The hidden dangers of such dispersion need not be mentioned. Even without the great war between Asura and Indra, after some years, the Ninja Sect would face complete division, strife, hostility, and warfare—Indra and Asura were at least filial enough not to let their deceased father witness such scenes.
Anyway, these two acted first.
During the busy relocation period, Ōtsutsuki Hamura brought the kidnapped child to Yūshin again—they came to formally express gratitude.
"This child is my granddaughter, named Changyue... Gan, thank you very much for your timely intervention. Otherwise, who knows what she might have endured."
Ōtsutsuki Hamura stroked the little girl's head as he spoke.
This left Yūshin somewhat stunned—Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's sons hadn't even reached adulthood, yet his younger brother already had grandchildren... The implications were strong—no additional seasoning needed.
Look at the efforts he made to restore the world's vitality; Hagoromo should feel ashamed in comparison.
"Lord Hamura, this was my duty... I couldn't allow Ninja Sect members to harm an Ōtsutsuki child."
Even based on simple moral principles, Yūshin would have opposed child abduction, so Hamura didn't really need to thank him specifically.
This era was somewhat lifeless, so performing a good deed made Yūshin feel quite pleasant.
The little girl named Ōtsutsuki Changyue hid behind her grandfather, timidly observing Yūshin.
"Hehe, she remembers your chakra and says she'll never forget it."
"Uh, that's not necessary, not necessary."
The word "never" was problematic, easily associated with "etched in bone" or "scattered to ashes."
Ōtsutsuki Changyue allowed her grandfather to converse with Yūshin. When Hamura was about to bid farewell, she timidly said to Yūshin:
"Big Brother Gan, we're about to move away. Can I write you letters in the future?"
Uh, sworn siblings and pen pals—this felt very awkward, but Yūshin couldn't refuse at this moment.
"Of course you can. I'll reply to your letters promptly."
After the villages separated and everyone settled elsewhere, correspondence wouldn't be severed. Letter exchanges posed no problems... Just humoring a child, helping Yūshin assist in treating this child's psychological trauma from being kidnapped.
After the village split in two and everyone relocated elsewhere, Yūshin indeed frequently received letters from Ōtsutsuki Changyue. She wrote about nothing more than daily life, but unconsciously made Yūshin truly feel "living among humans."
Later, Yūshin specifically used a section of God Tree to create a "summoning box," making their correspondence even more convenient.
They exchanged letters monthly—each would summon this box when needed. Well, Yūshin had inadvertently developed another ninjutsu, setting a historical precedent.
Fortunately, this appeared to be a "life skill," so it didn't violate the Ninja Sect's principles.
When Yūshin saw Ōtsutsuki Changyue again, thirty years had passed.
He followed the Sage of Six Paths to Ōtsutsuki Hamura's village, because Hamura had formally decided to migrate half his clan to the barren moon, personally guarding their mother's prison.
See? Hamura's strategy of having many children and planting few trees made sense—even after dividing the family in half, both sides maintained substantial numbers.
Those going to the moon retained the Ōtsutsuki surname, while those remaining on the surface naturally became the Hyūga Clan.
Ōtsutsuki Changyue stood beside a middle-aged man, with a teenager behind her and a baby over one year old in her arms.
"Big Brother Gan, you truly haven't aged at all. This is my husband, and these are my two children..."
Yūshin approached and greeted everyone.
The Hagoromo brothers were meeting for the last time, so they had much to discuss privately.
At this moment, Ōtsutsuki Changyue approached and whispered:
"Big Brother Gan, we're moving quite far this time. I don't know if we can continue corresponding."
As expected, Changyue would follow her grandfather to the moon.
"Definitely possible," Yūshin first made this judgment, then lowered his voice to continue, "That box is made from the God Tree—it's very sensitive to chakra, with excellent signal strength."
"Really? Then I can pass the box on to my little daughter in the future."
Yūshin wisely avoided responding to inheritance topics, because he understood what this implied.
"So many years have passed in a flash... This little one is as shy as you were in childhood."
Just after calling her shy, the baby in Ōtsutsuki Changyue's arms slapped Yūshin's nose.
Everyone couldn't help but laugh.
For certain people, Yūshin carried a quality that made others worry and want to care for him, because some could keenly sense his loneliness.
The group stayed only one day before Yūshin departed the next day.
On the departure route, Yūshin deliberately slowed his pace, constantly looking back.
How strange—even including the kidnapping incident, Yūshin had only met Ōtsutsuki Changyue three times total, yet he felt she'd become his best friend.
"When we meet again, Changyue will probably have become the moon itself..." When Hamura's village disappeared from view, Yūshin couldn't help thinking this.
After returning to the Ninja Sect's main village, the Sage of Six Paths seemed to have reached some understanding. He announced he would hand the Ninja Sect over to Asura for management while he retired and began living in seclusion.
Changing Ninja Sect leadership at this time, when the Sage of Six Paths still had energy to oversee things, was wise. If he insisted on working until death before retiring, the situation might be unpredictable.
Asura inherited the Ninja Sect. Though Indra was extremely displeased, with his father "watching like a tiger" nearby, he didn't dare act out.
The Sage of Six Paths began his seclusion, and Yūshin chose to remain nearby for care.
The Ninja Sect developed steadily under Asura, even generating youthful vigor, which greatly satisfied the Sage of Six Paths.
Unaware of months in the mountains, with no waves in the world—this made the Sage of Six Paths realize he should let go.
This day, the Sage of Six Paths suddenly said to Yūshin without warning:
"Gan, it's time to deal with the Ten-Tails within me... My chakra has begun declining, the Ten-Tails' struggles grow increasingly violent, and I'll only become more powerless going forward."
"Sage-sensei, if you lose the Ten-Tails..."
"Don't worry. After losing the Ten-Tails, I can still hold on for a while. If I don't resolve this matter while I still have strength, the situation would be far worse."
The Sage of Six Paths' judgment was extremely rational. If he didn't handle the Ten-Tails while "young and strong," should he wait until power shifted and the Ten-Tails gained the upper hand?
By then, the Sage of Six Paths wouldn't be able to lift his blade.
"Sage-sensei, I'll leave all decisions to you."
"Hehe, the feeling of having the world's safety rest on one person isn't pleasant. If I don't deal with the Ten-Tails, mother might seize the opportunity to revive... Hamura made enormous sacrifices, taking numerous clansmen to the moon. As his elder brother, I certainly can't hold my younger brother back."
The Sage of Six Paths didn't deliberately conceal that the "world's end" years ago was caused by their mother, but now few people knew this secret... The original Ninja Sect members knew this secret, but most had died.
"So what should we do next?"
"I've found a good location. Next, we'll prepare the site, and you just need to guard the entrance."
"Understood, Sage-sensei."
Honestly, this was somewhat overestimating him.
At this time, the Sage of Six Paths didn't need Yūshin's help at all.
Being able to serve as security was already quite good—ordinary people couldn't even request such a position.
In a mountain range, the Sage of Six Paths found a massive cave... Whether he found this or excavated it himself, let's just consider it nature's gift.
Then, the Sage of Six Paths began carving enormous jutsu formulas within the cave.
This sage actually knew everything, but most of the knowledge he possessed hadn't been transmitted to the Ninja Sect... He'd mastered Kekkei Mōra, so theoretically he definitely knew more than any "professor"—he simply didn't engage in flashy techniques.
After preparing the cave, the Sage of Six Paths sealed the entrance and began his closed-door training.
During this period, Yūshin stood guard at the entrance. He couldn't peek into the cave's interior, nor did he want to... Although closely observing the Sage of Six Paths using Yin-Yang Release would greatly benefit his own training, Yūshin feared seeing disturbing scenes and being silenced by the Sage of Six Paths.
If the Sage of Six Paths divided the Tailed Beasts by first releasing the Ten-Tails, then binding it and placing it on an operating table for systematic dissection, everything would be fine.
But if the Sage of Six Paths divided the Ten-Tails internally and then "gave birth" to Tailed Beasts one by one...
Uh, that image was too beautiful—Yūshin truly didn't dare look.
Life always has some forbidden territories that cannot be entered, understood, or observed. This is for one's own good and for others' good.
Day after day passed. Yūshin didn't know how long he'd waited outside the cave, but there was consistently no movement inside... With the Sage of Six Paths' barrier and sealing techniques, if Yūshin could hear sounds, that would be strange.
After all, this was the... uh, this was the delivery room for nine Tailed Beasts.
Suddenly one day, the entrance seal was finally released.
Yūshin turned around. Before seeing the Sage of Six Paths' figure, an orange, fluffy, life-sized plush toy-like thing pounced toward the cave exit.
Yūshin instinctively reached out and grabbed the back collar of its "fur coat."
Like at a livestock market, Yūshin held this thing up and examined it for two circles before making eye contact.
Hey, this thing had nine tails.
As the saying goes, "feet restless, eyes confused"—this doesn't only apply to rabbits.
However, the Nine-Tails had no gender distinction, so it was neither restless nor confused.
It just stared wide-eyed at Yūshin.
At this moment, Yūshin suddenly remembered something that Kurama from the "future" had once said...
"You've always been so young."
...
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