Chapter 185: The Deal with Ōtsutsuki Kaguya
With a wave of his hand, the palm-sized human-remnant of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, along with his lower body and both arms, floated into the air.
"We can awaken the Divine Tree now. Do I just throw this thing straight into its mouth, or what?"
Seeing Isshiki's miserable state, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's expression turned momentarily dazed.
"Hey, don't just stand there. If you want to mourn your fallen companion, wait until he's actually dead."
Faced with Franklin's urging expression, Kaguya didn't dare show the slightest delay. She brought Franklin with her and flew directly to the bottom of the Divine Tree.
As she formed hand seals and finally pressed her palms onto the Divine Tree, the enormous fruit at the top of the tree—shaped like a gigantic dragon-fruit—began moving slowly.
A huge toothless abyss-like maw appeared at the very spot where Kaguya had struck moments earlier.
"Just throw him in. Once the Divine Tree finishes breaking him down, the Divine Tree Fruit will ripen."
Franklin didn't hesitate at all and tossed the unconscious Isshiki, along with all of his remaining parts, into the maw.
As Kaguya formed hand seals once more, the abyssal mouth gradually closed.
[Sub-Mission 3: Feed Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's body to the Divine Tree (Completed)]
[Sub-Mission 4: Persuade Ōtsutsuki Kaguya to accelerate the ripening of the Divine Tree Fruit]
Seeing Sub-Mission 4, Franklin's brows tightened. After thinking it over, he relaxed his expression slightly and looked at Kaguya beside him.
"How long does the Divine Tree Fruit normally take to ripen?"
Hearing his question, Kaguya answered without hesitation: "A large number of native lives have already been sacrificed. Now that Isshiki's body has also been offered, the Divine Tree only needs to devour Blue Star's natural energy. It can mature within a hundred years."
After hearing this, Franklin shook his head at once. "Too slow. Tell me how to accelerate the ripening. The shorter the time, the better—faster is always better."
Seeing his serious expression, Nymph was already itching to directly read Kaguya's mind.
Feeling her body completely controlled again, with three extraordinarily powerful beings surrounding her, Kaguya had originally intended to simply give up. But when she sensed the Kāma inside Franklin's body, she kept feeling as if there was still a faint chance of survival.
"Can you at least tell me who you really are? I don't want to die still clueless."
Franklin had no intention of explaining his identity. He asked with a blank expression:
"Die? What do you mean? Does accelerating the ripening require sacrificing your life?"
Kaguya no longer concealed anything. "I once obtained a secret technique by chance. Right now, I *am* the Divine Tree, and the Divine Tree is *me*. If I fully fuse with it and disregard life and death, the Divine Tree Fruit can mature very quickly.
"But once the Fruit is picked, both the Divine Tree and I will die shortly afterward. Your target is the Fruit, but you don't have that much time. Earlier, you also had me implant a Kāma into your body—I understand your intention now. You want to use the Kāma to erase the negative effects of eating the Divine Tree Fruit.
"This method has a high chance of succeeding. And afterward, my Kāma will remain available for your use. That is what you're planning, isn't it?"
Since Kaguya had already spelled out the entire plan, Franklin nodded slightly. He didn't answer directly but looked toward Nymph.
"Nymph, did she lie?"
"Master, everything she said is true. But whether she truly *is* the Divine Tree and the Divine Tree is her—I can't confirm. The Divine Tree's nature is unusual. I can't invade its deepest layers."
Nymph openly acknowledged her own limitations, leaving Franklin a little speechless, though he quickly realized there was no point hiding it anyway.
Turning back to Kaguya, Franklin let out a quiet breath.
"Tell me your conditions. Since you've already laid out your value, you must want something in return. As long as it's not excessive, I might agree."
Kaguya's gaze was solemn. "When this body dies, don't erase my consciousness within the Kāma. I can promise never to try to take over your body. In critical moments, I can offer advice—or even help in battle."
Meeting her lifeless white eyes, Franklin rubbed his chin and then glanced at Nymph.
"Master, you don't have to worry. I'm the strongest when it comes to defending against intrusions of consciousness."
Seeing Nymph's confident look, Franklin shifted his gaze back to Kaguya.
"I accept your request. I can promise not to erase your consciousness. But there are a few things you need to understand: don't attempt anything harmful to me—or I will erase you instantly. You should know that."
Kaguya fell silent for a moment. "I don't trust you. I know nothing about you. Your verbal promises mean nothing. I have a contract-type divine technique. If you agree to sign a fair contract with me, and uphold what you just promised, I will immediately fuse with the Ten-Tails and hasten the ripening of the Fruit."
Since rejecting her would be pointless, Franklin nodded directly.
"All right. If the contract looks fine, I'll sign it."
Franklin's easy agreement left Kaguya visibly stunned.
"You agreed?"
Seeing her strange reaction, Franklin was the one who felt puzzled.
"Why wouldn't I? Is the normal thing supposed to be me refusing, invading your consciousness, forcing you to fuse with the Divine Tree, and then hoping the Fruit ripens properly? What if something goes wrong? And your request isn't unreasonable. As long as it doesn't harm me, I don't mind signing a contract."
After staring deeply at Franklin, Kaguya formed hand seals. With a flick of her hand, a strange gray-brown sheet of paper appeared out of thin air.
The terms written on it matched exactly what they had just negotiated. Still cautious, Franklin looked to Nymph first. After she nodded in confirmation—
Franklin copied Kaguya's movements, slicing his palm and squeezing out a drop of blood to fall onto the contract.
The moment his blood fused with it, Franklin felt a strange sensation ripple through his heart—an instinctive awareness that violating the contract would bring unimaginable consequences.
"If someone breaks this contract, what happens to them?"
Kaguya looked at him oddly. "Isn't it a little late for you to ask that?"
"Not really. I never intended to break it anyway, so the timing doesn't matter. I just thought of it and asked. If you don't want to answer, forget it. You can accelerate the Fruit now."
"I don't know the consequences either. You're the first person I've ever signed this technique with."
After saying so, Kaguya again formed hand seals and pressed her palms onto the Divine Tree. The familiar abyssal opening appeared once more. She lifted her foot, ready to step inside.
Seeing this, Franklin frowned. His spiritual consciousness surged outward, and with overwhelming spiritual pressure, he froze Kaguya in place.
"You don't seem particularly willing to accelerate the Fruit. If there's something you're unhappy with, say it."
At the moment his words landed, Kaguya's body stiffened under the suppressive force.
"I don't understand what you mean."
And just as she spoke, new text appeared before Franklin's eyes.
[Sub-Mission 4: Persuade Ōtsutsuki Kaguya to accelerate the Divine Tree Fruit (Completed)]
[Sub-Mission 5 (Final): Consume the Divine Tree Fruit and correct the flawed Naruto timeline to ensure the timeline proceeds smoothly]