Chapter 16: The Natural Energy's Prophecy
"So this is the God Tree…"
Hagoromo stood before it, staring up at the towering canopy, and couldn't help letting out a quiet breath of awe.
"It's… so tall."
After decades of growth, the God Tree had become far more magnificent than it once was.
Across the vast wasteland, only a single tree stood, yet it radiated a pressure so immense it made the air feel heavy. It did not feel like a tree at all, but like a deity that brushed the heavens.
Terrifying chakra churned within its trunk and branches, intertwined with an overwhelming amount of Natural Energy.
As Hagoromo stood there, that aura resonated with the chakra in his own body.
And in a place no one noticed, a faint outline surfaced in his eyes, a subtle purple hue that hinted at something deeper.
But when Hagoromo turned away, the change vanished completely, as if it had never existed.
"I wonder how much more it will keep growing," Hamura murmured beside him.
As Yuu's sons, they knew many things ordinary people would never be allowed to hear.
They knew, for example, that the God Tree was growing at an astonishing pace every year.
To feed that growth, the Land of Ancestors collected a massive amount of chakra crystals from all across the world, year after year, and used them to nourish the tree.
Yet even now, it still did not look anywhere close to its limit.
The God Tree rose straight toward the firmament, its end almost impossible to see.
Hamura couldn't imagine when it would finally stop.
Perhaps… it never would.
Under normal circumstances, the energy contained in a world was limited. A God Tree would simply drain it dry, quickly and mercilessly.
But this one still stood, still reaching higher.
"Is that… the God Tree's fruit?"
The brothers lifted their gaze.
There, within the canopy, a single fruit could be seen.
It had already taken shape, and it continued to grow under the constant nourishment of massive chakra, though it was not yet ripe.
The two of them stood in silence for a long time before finally leaving.
Even without anyone saying it aloud, the experience had clearly left its mark.
That night, they had a dream.
In the dream, they saw a toad.
It was nothing like an ordinary toad.
Its body was enormous, and it carried an oppressive aura of Natural Energy so dense it felt like the air itself was saturated.
"Who are you?"
The moment they saw it, Hagoromo and Hamura tensed, their instincts sharpening.
"Is this genjutsu?"
In the same breath, they realized something was wrong.
They were not in reality.
They had been pulled into a genjutsu space.
"My name is Gamamaru. You two Highnesses may also call me the Great Toad Sage."
The giant toad watched them steadily. After a long pause, it finally spoke again.
"I have been waiting for you for a long time."
"Waiting for us?" Hagoromo asked, confused. "Why?"
"Is there something you want us to do?"
"Yes."
Gamamaru nodded.
"A crisis capable of destroying the world has already appeared. In the near future, a great danger will emerge."
"And you two are the children of destiny chosen by the world, the ones destined to save it."
"A crisis that will destroy the world?"
Hamura's brow furrowed, and his voice turned cold.
"Nonsense."
"Everything outside is beautiful right now. The world is at peace. Where is this 'crisis' you're talking about?"
This era was an unprecedented golden age.
Even an ordinary civilian could grow up safely, without fearing disaster at every turn.
The brothers had seen it with their own eyes.
Now a strange, mysterious toad appeared out of nowhere and claimed that the world was about to face ruin?
How could they accept that?
"Even if a crisis really appears," Hagoromo added, steady and confident, "Father's ability and Mother's power would be enough to handle it."
In the long history of the Ninja World, Yuu's capability needed no explanation to them.
No matter how difficult the problem, no matter how tangled the situation, it always seemed to become manageable in his hands.
As for Kaguya's power, it was the greatest power the brothers had ever witnessed.
No matter how terrifying the threat, it did not feel like it could stand against those two.
"The Daimyo of the Land of Ancestors…"
At the mention of Yuu, deep admiration appeared on Gamamaru's face.
"He truly is remarkable."
"In all the years this world has existed, this is the first time someone has reached this level."
"Not only has he eliminated war, but even the demons that once ravaged the land have gone extinct…"
"And your mother's power is indeed strong enough to suppress any disaster."
Gamamaru's voice softened.
Then he let out a long sigh.
"However… the one threatening the world is none other than your mother herself."
The words hit like a blade.
The one destroying the world… is our mother?
The brothers' expressions shifted immediately.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Hagoromo's face turned solemn in an instant.
He stared hard at Gamamaru, as if trying to pierce straight through him.
"What is your purpose?"
To appear before them without warning, drag them into a genjutsu space, and then speak ill of their mother?
No one would accept that calmly.
The brothers were no exception.
Their bodies tightened, the air around them changing, as if they could strike at any moment.
"What I say is not false," Gamamaru said with another sigh, "but a scene that is truly real."
"Beneath the light of the Land of Ancestors, darkness also hides."
"Most of the time, that darkness is covered by the radiance, so you cannot see it clearly."
"But destiny will guide you to see everything."
"When that time comes, you will naturally have the answer in your hearts."
As his words fell, the genjutsu space rippled.
Then it shattered.
With a crisp sound, the brothers returned to reality, breaking free of the dreamlike realm.
"The Great Toad Sage… just who was that?"
Hagoromo and Hamura remained grim as the question echoed through their minds.
After that night, Gamamaru did not appear again.
What happened felt like a dream, leaving behind only a faint impression.
And as time passed, even that impression began to fade.
Just as the brothers were about to forget it entirely, something else happened.
On this day, they were patrolling near the God Tree.
From ahead, a line of prisoner carts rolled forward, heading straight toward the central forbidden area where the God Tree stood.
"Those are… prisoner carts transporting convicts?"
Hagoromo's eyes widened slightly.
"Why would they be coming here?"
.....
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