Obito paused for a moment and said,
"Better wait a bit. Let me first go and scout the Mist Village."
Deva Path didn't say anything further, nodded, and with a single leap, descended a few levels before disappearing from Obito's view.
After Deva Path left, Obito lingered for a while, not moving until Zetsu's figure emerged from the ground beside him.
Making eye contact with Zetsu, Obito reached out and caught a few drops of rain. Zetsu understood his meaning— the entire Mist Village was under Nagato's Rain Tiger at Will Technique. Almost nothing happening in this village could escape Nagato's perception.
So the two didn't exchange many words. Obito simply left a single remark:
"I'm leaving," and his figure vanished into the Kamui vortex.
...
In Mist Village, Carl and the other two remained by the lake, not leaving yet. The water had settled, and aside from the disappeared Three-Tails, everything else was normal.
Kaguya raised her hand and condensed a water sphere—this was the Three-Tails' specialty Water Release technique. Though the sphere was small in size, its density was extremely high. Once launched, it could easily destroy an elite ninja squad.
Of course, for Kaguya, this was still child's play. She was merely adjusting to the power she had just reclaimed.
Lily spoke to Carl from the side,
"You mentioned earlier that the way back depends on the Ōtsutsuki. Are you certain they are the Moon People who migrated here long ago?"
Carl crossed his arms and nodded,
"About ninety percent sure. You can tell just by the adaptability in their eyes."
"If that's true, what do you plan to do? Attack their planet directly?"
"I've thought about it. But the Ōtsutsuki are deep—there could easily be someone stronger than us among them. Plus, there are many of them, most with spatial abilities. Rushing in could leave us trapped if things go wrong."
Hearing the conversation between Carl and Lily, Kaguya casually dispersed her water sphere and said softly,
"Lord Carl, if you intend to go there, I can guide you."
"Hm?"
Carl looked at Kaguya in surprise,
"Kaguya, you're sure you want to guide me? That place is extremely dangerous for you."
Kaguya gently nodded,
"Wherever you go, I will follow you."
At this point, Kaguya had made Carl her sole reliance—a gamble. She had once depended on her two "sons" only to be betrayed.
For someone like Kaguya, who had experienced betrayal, this was almost karmic. Normally, after such experiences, she shouldn't trust anyone—but this time was different.
She believed Carl might be the only person in her life she could truly rely on.
With Carl's strength, taking down the weakened Kaguya would have been trivial. Yet he hadn't. Back on the Moon, he let her leave freely, even though her body was high-quality material for the Ten-Tails and easier to "obtain" than Isshiki.
What moved Kaguya most was observing the interactions between Carl and Lily. Though they often bickered, Kaguya could sense genuine enjoyment from Lily, who usually appeared weaker.
She remembered when she first met Carl—he came to the Moon specifically to rescue Lily, and Kaguya was just incidentally brought along.
Later, when Carl obtained the top-tier chakra fruit produced from Ōtsutsuki Isshiki as nourishment, he offered it to Lily without hesitation. For Kaguya, born of the cold Ōtsutsuki clan and betrayed before, this struck her deeply.
Kaguya longed for a place that felt truly safe—perhaps why, despite her immense power, she activated the Amenominaka ability. It allowed her to travel across multiple spaces she created and controlled. But this was also a form of escapism. What she truly lacked was security.
Seeing Carl's actions toward Lily, she realized he could be the shelter she sought—and this might be her only chance. She had to seize it fully.
The first step of this gamble: take Carl to the place she feared most, the Ōtsutsuki planet.
She wanted to show her resolve. She would never betray Carl like she had betrayed Isshiki.
Carl looked deeply into Kaguya's eyes. He sensed her thoughts. In simple terms, Kaguya was like those women on Earth who had been forced into betrayal in past marriages. When facing a new partner, they would humble themselves, always reminded of their past.
Yet to Carl, Kaguya's "betrayal" of Isshiki wasn't betrayal at all. From the start, Isshiki never saw Kaguya as a person—she was merely a consumable. In that context, her actions were rightful resistance.
In truth, Carl admired her past actions. Facing Isshiki, far stronger than her, she struck at his moment of weakness using the Ten-Tails' lethal strike. Bold and clever—he had to respect that.
Seeing the determination in Kaguya's eyes, Carl smiled faintly and reached out to hold her cold hand hidden in her sleeve. Surprised, she looked at him as he said,
"Don't overthink. How could I treat you poorly? No matter what happens, I will protect you."
Kaguya's eyes widened. Her lips moved, but no words came out.
Lily sighed quietly, thinking,
"Alright, Kaguya's completely under his control now."
Carl squeezed Kaguya's cold hand, about to speak again, when he suddenly raised an eyebrow,
"Hm? A little mouse is here."
He spun abruptly. His gaze locked on a rapidly closing gray vortex in the distance.
The next moment, the almost-vanishing gray vortex tore open. A figure wearing an orange mask flew out.
It was Obito, who had just come to scout Mist Village.
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+80 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg