"It is not your father who wishes to do this, but your mother."
"Ōtsutsuki Kaguya."
Beside them, the voice of the Great Toad Sage suddenly rang out.
He had arrived at some point and was now standing near the temple, quietly watching them.
"Ōtsutsuki Kaguya is an outsider from the heavens."
"She views the entire world as her territory and will surely bring a great disaster upon it."
"And if her desire is not curbed, it will eventually destroy this world sooner or later."
"What exactly do you mean by that?"
Otsutsuki Hagoromo looked at the Great Toad Sage before him and couldn't help but frown. "To say the world will be destroyed is a bit too exaggerated."
They indeed found the use of human lives to sacrifice to the God Tree distasteful, but it was merely out of compassion.
But they still didn't believe that such actions would destroy the world.
After all, looking at it now, even the lives lost in the sacrifices to the God Tree were not many compared to the total population of the world.
It was still within a reasonable range.
"I am not exaggerating the facts..."
The Great Toad Sage shook his head, indicating he wasn't exaggerating, and simply said, "That God Tree is the source of all evil."
"It not only needs to absorb the life force of living beings but also needs to continuously drain the Natural Energy within the world."
"In this process, the world's Natural Energy will gradually dry up until it completely turns into a wasteland."
The Great Toad Sage's eyes were deep, reflecting various scenes as he spoke, as if illuminating events of the future.
The Hagoromo Brothers frowned.
At this moment, they felt a slight change in themselves.
The Great Toad Sage stepped forward and handed them an oily substance.
"This is toad oil, a substance used to assist in contacting Natural Energy. Just by applying this to your body, you can feel the flow of Natural Energy."
He spoke thus, signaling the Hagoromo Brothers to experience it for themselves.
"Brother..."
Hamura looked at Hagoromo, a trace of hesitation appearing on his face.
He felt that it was somewhat foolish to believe the words of an unknown person and apply something that looked quite dangerous to their bodies.
If the other party harbored ill intent, the resulting consequences would be unimaginable.
Hagoromo, however, shook his head.
He was naturally aware of his younger brother Hamura's concerns, but for some reason, looking at the Great Toad Sage before him, he felt an inexplicable sense of trust.
He had a feeling that the other party wouldn't lie to him, at least not about such a small matter.
So he took the toad oil from the Great Toad Sage's hand and began to apply it in front of Hamura.
After the toad oil was applied to his body, various reactions immediately appeared. The reaction was quite intense, causing Hagoromo to subconsciously frown as he felt a change occurring.
"Hiss..."
He sucked in a breath, feeling a sharp sensation.
Hamura watched Hagoromo warily.
A faint silvery-white glow rose within his Byakugan as he carefully observed Hagoromo's appearance, recording every detail.
In his eyes, Hagoromo's arm was gradually petrifying, appearing to undergo some unknown change.
"Brother!"
Seeing the scene before him, Hamura was startled and immediately wanted to step forward to stop him.
"It's alright."
Hagoromo waved his hand, stopping Hamura in time, and then said, "Don't worry, I'm fine."
"I see. So this is what Natural Energy is..."
Hagoromo stood there, feeling the changes throughout his body, his face suddenly showing a dazed expression. "If it's like this..."
He waved his hand, and the Chakra within his body combined with the Natural Energy in an instant, unleashing a terrifying strike.
With just one strike, it pierced through a small hill ahead, leveling everything within.
Its power was far superior to when he was in a state of using pure Chakra.
Seeing this, Hamura was in awe, and even the Great Toad Sage was somewhat surprised, a hint of admiration showing in his eyes.
"As expected of the offspring of the outsider Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. Not only is he powerful, but his talent for Senjutsu is also remarkably strong."
"With such talent, if he were to diligently practice Senjutsu, his future achievements would likely surpass everyone from the past..."
Hagoromo glanced at the Great Toad Sage.
He didn't say much, but simply gazed at the God Tree before him and began to sense it carefully.
At this moment, he had not yet formally begun practicing Senjutsu, so his perception of Natural Energy was not very sensitive.
However, the presence of the toad oil compensated for this, giving him a clearer perception of Natural Energy.
Thus, he knew that the Great Toad Sage had not lied.
The God Tree before him was not only devouring life but also slowly devouring the Natural Energy within the world.
The amount it devoured was not small; if it continued for a long time, it would likely drain the surroundings completely.
Within the God Tree, there existed an incredibly vast amount of Natural Energy.
It was the accumulation of the Ninja World's past, gathered by the God Tree within its body to serve as nourishment for its fruit.
If this process continued, it would only be a matter of time before the God Tree completely drained the Natural Energy of the entire Ninja World.
"What would happen if the Natural Energy within the world were completely drained?"
Hagoromo slowly opened his eyes and asked the Great Toad Sage beside him.
"That would lead to a great calamity and even the destruction of the world itself."
The Great Toad Sage explained.
The so-called Natural Energy is a type of power generated as the world functions.
This power is continuously produced during the world's operation. Generally, the more prosperous the world, the greater the Natural Energy produced.
This power is like a cornerstone for the world's basic existence; only with a sufficient amount of Natural Energy can the world's stability be guaranteed.
Once the Natural Energy is completely drained by the God Tree, a massive disaster will occur.
The world itself will become extremely fragile and will likely fall into the abyss of self-destruction.
Calamities will arise across the land, and the entire world could collapse.
Hearing the near-apocalyptic outcome, the brothers Hagoromo and Hamura felt a tightening in their chests.
"If that's really the case, then why would Father keep this God Tree?"
Hamura questioned.
Planting the God Tree, even if the world were destroyed, wouldn't be surprising if it were their mother Kaguya's doing.
But Minamikawa Yuu hadn't stopped it either. Instead, he had specifically ordered people to bring sacrifices here, which was beyond their imagination.
If the God Tree truly led to such a terrifying result, why didn't he stop it?
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