Chapter 26: On the Verge of Conflict
"Father…"
Hearing Yuu's plan, the brothers were stunned.
"This is too precious," Hagoromo said, stepping forward as if to persuade him to retract the order.
But Yuu only shook his head.
"It's just two desolate islands. They're nothing to the country. Giving them to you two is perfectly appropriate."
Then he smiled and looked at Hagoromo and Hamura.
"Of course, the same goes for you."
"You've trained outside for many years. It's about time."
"I will give you the territories that used to be Dog Country and Cat Country to govern."
"From this day on, you will be the kings of those lands."
His voice was gentle, but the weight behind it was unmistakable.
Compared to the islands granted to his grandsons, the fiefs he granted to Hagoromo and Hamura were prosperous territories. They were vast, densely populated, and rich. Excellent lands in every sense.
"Father…"
Hearing those words, the brothers felt tangled emotions rise in their chests.
To be entrusted with such responsibility by Yuu, they were naturally glad.
But along with that joy came unease.
This was not how Yuu usually acted.
It did not feel like a normal reward.
It felt like settling affairs in advance, like someone preparing for the day he might leave.
Then Yuu's next words deepened that feeling.
"It's not only you," he said. "If Hamura has children later, I've already prepared fiefs for them as well."
He looked at Hamura, encouragement in his eyes.
"The documents are already written. When the time comes, you can simply claim them."
"Father…" Hamura frowned.
He clearly wanted to ask something, but the words stuck in his throat. In the end, he said nothing.
Silence fell.
The air grew heavy, almost oppressive.
Only after Yuu had someone lead Hagoromo and Hamura out did the atmosphere in the room finally loosen.
"Mother."
Hagoromo took a slow breath and faced Kaguya. "We didn't only come back to see you and Father."
"We also came to warn you."
"This cannot continue."
He spoke with steady insistence.
"The God Tree keeps absorbing Natural Energy. It's already pushing the world to its limit. If this goes on, something terrible will happen sooner or later."
"If this continues, the world may be destroyed by our own hands before your enemies even arrive."
"Please. Stop this."
Beside him, Hamura stood silently, his gaze fixed on Kaguya, making it clear he shared the same resolve.
The room froze.
All eyes turned to Kaguya, waiting for her answer.
Under their stares, Kaguya finally spoke.
"Are you trying to force me?"
Her voice was indifferent. Her Byakugan held no emotion.
"For the sake of a group of ants who have nothing to do with you…"
"It's not forcing," Hagoromo said, face solemn. "It's persuasion."
"The people living in this world are living human beings, not ants."
"They have families. They have peaceful lives."
"We have no right to decide their future."
Kaguya's expression turned colder.
"And if I insist?"
"What will you do then?"
"If that is the case…" Hagoromo drew a deep breath. "Then we will have no choice but to stop you ourselves."
"With these Rinnegan."
The moment his words fell, his aura shifted sharply.
The peaceful presence he had carried a heartbeat ago vanished, replaced by a pressure that was frighteningly heavy.
He was still not as strong as Kaguya, but he was no longer someone who could be dismissed.
What drew the eye most were his pupils.
At some point, his eyes had become a pair of purple Rinnegan.
They were pure, carrying an aura that shared the same origin as Kaguya's chakra. Terrifying, powerful, and profound.
"And me," Hamura said.
He stepped forward, and his own aura changed just as violently.
A faint golden light bloomed around him, and in an instant, his entire state became different from before.
Most striking were his eyes.
His Byakugan had turned a deep azure, as if the sky itself had been poured into his gaze. It stirred endless imagination.
The Tenseigan.
Its rank was not inferior to Hagoromo's Rinnegan, and the power inside it felt equally vast.
"Rinnegan… Tenseigan…"
Kaguya stared at her sons. For the first time, genuine astonishment appeared on her face.
"Hagoromo… Hamura… you actually…"
Neither the Rinnegan nor the Tenseigan were common.
Even if the Rinnegan was said to be standard among Ōtsutsuki elites, awakening it was not easy.
And Hagoromo's Rinnegan were unusual. The ocular power within them far exceeded that of an ordinary Ōtsutsuki. It was already close to Kaguya herself.
Hamura's Tenseigan was also extraordinary. It was rare even within the Ōtsutsuki Clan, something only possible when the bloodline reached a certain level.
The boys who had once been naive youths were gone.
Hagoromo and Hamura were fully mature now, and their combat power could not be called weak even by Ōtsutsuki standards.
If Kaguya had not consumed the chakra fruit, with her original strength, she might not even have been qualified to stand before them.
This was far beyond what she had expected.
She stood there, staring at them, speechless for a long while.
Then, at last, she spoke again, her tone changing.
"Turn back now. Be obedient."
"I can act as if nothing ever happened."
She thought of the Ōtsutsuki who would arrive in the future.
If she faced that threat alone, dealing with an invading Ōtsutsuki force might be difficult.
But if she could bring the grown Hagoromo and Hamura back to her side, the result would be completely different.
And if they waited for the second chakra fruit to ripen, and for Yuu to consume it and awaken Ōtsutsuki power, then their side would hold four powerhouses, each of them elite even by Ōtsutsuki standards.
If they also counted Indra and Ashura, still young but carrying immense potential…
That kind of strength would be enough to form a powerful faction even within the entire Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Because of that, Kaguya's tone softened, and she showed rare patience.
"Give up," Hagoromo said.
His purple Rinnegan burned with unwavering resolve.
"As long as you refuse to abandon this path, we cannot stop."
"This world must not be destroyed by our hands."
"Then let's do this."
In the next instant, he thrust a hand forward.
Several Truth-Seeking Orbs condensed and blasted straight ahead.
.....
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