Chapter 642: Kaguya’s Conflict

Chapter 642: Chapter 642: Kaguya’s Conflict

Chapter 642: Kaguya’s Conflict

Kenichi had no idea what Kaguya was thinking, but even if he did, he would not care too much.

Kaguya’s current state was obviously abnormal, and Kenichi already had some guesses about what had happened.

In his view, something had probably gone wrong while she was trying to separate her humanity.

With Isshiki dead, the only being in this world capable of putting Kaguya into such a strange state was Kaguya herself.

So Kenichi was fairly certain that her current problem was self-inflicted.

His approach was simple.

Stay away from her as much as possible.

Otherwise, who knew whether Kaguya might suddenly decide that killing him was necessary to sever the last remnants of her humanity?

"Still, Kaguya’s method is somewhat similar to the ’Slaying the Three Corpses’ method of attaining the Dao from the prehistoric cultivation novels I read in my previous life."

As Kenichi installed the collection equipment, he continued thinking about the matter.

He had noticed before that Kaguya’s method of becoming more godlike bore some resemblance to the "Slaying the Three Corpses" concept from those novels.

Separating her humanity from herself was especially similar.

Moreover, Kaguya had originally been established as a divine existence.

She had never married anyone, nor had she conceived Hagoromo and Hamura with another person.

The two brothers had essentially been created by Kaguya herself.

Because of that, Kenichi increasingly felt that what she was doing resembled "Slaying the Three Corpses."

Strip away humanity.

Retain divinity.

Obtain greater power.

Kenichi suspected that this was the path Kaguya had instinctively followed after consuming the chakra fruit.

However, remembering some of the things Kaguya had shown him before gave Kenichi another idea.

Perhaps the Otsutsuki Clan possessed a special method of cultivation.

A complete inheritance that taught members how to continue growing stronger after consuming a chakra fruit.

A proper transfer of knowledge from one generation to another.

Unfortunately, Kaguya clearly had never been taught it.

So after eating the chakra fruit, she could only rely on instinct and her own understanding to develop its power.

And judging by the results, that method was obviously inefficient.

Kaguya’s current awkward state was probably the clearest evidence.

Isshiki had also once said that Kaguya had no idea how to properly use the power of the chakra fruit and was wasting most of its potential.

That meant there was probably only one reliable way to discover the correct method.

Ask Isshiki.

He should know.

Other members of the Otsutsuki Clan would probably know as well, but they certainly would not teach Kenichi or Kaguya.

They were natural enemies.

Kenichi was not entirely sure how the clan regarded people other than Kaguya, but judging from Isshiki’s attitude and behavior, they probably did not even consider the inhabitants of this world to be people.

To the Otsutsuki Clan, the Shinobi World might be nothing more than an enormous zoo.

"So what I need now is a proper cultivation method for Kaguya after consuming the chakra fruit?"

Kenichi rubbed his chin.

"But the only person who might know that method is Isshiki, and he’s already dead."

That made the situation almost impossible.

Unless Isshiki had left behind another contingency.

Kenichi thought that was unlikely.

According to Kaguya, Isshiki’s special method of resurrection relied on Karma.

To return from death, he needed to implant Karma into a vessel.

A resurrection technique that powerful had to carry enormous restrictions.

It was unlikely that Isshiki could maintain countless different backup plans at once.

But now Isshiki was dead, and his soul...

Kenichi suddenly froze.

Right.

Isshiki was dead.

But had his soul disappeared?

That was worth investigating.

If Isshiki’s soul still existed somewhere, Kenichi might be able to extract more information from him.

If it was truly gone, however, things would become much more troublesome.

Kenichi might eventually have to use the time machine to travel into another timeline, locate another Isshiki, and confront him directly.

But before doing that, Kenichi would first need enough strength to defeat Isshiki on his own.

Otherwise, with Isshiki’s arrogance, conversation would be pointless.

Isshiki was exactly the kind of person who looked down on anyone weaker than himself.

Unless Kenichi could stand on equal footing with him, Isshiki probably would not even bother taking him seriously.

"Normally, souls should enter the Pure Land after death."

Kenichi frowned.

"But Isshiki is an Otsutsuki. Who knows whether his soul follows the same rules?"

Before he could think further, his vision suddenly blurred.

Kaguya appeared in front of him.

But what truly made Kenichi’s pupils contract was the person she had brought with her.

Hagoromo.

Kaguya had actually dragged Hagoromo over and shoved him directly toward Kenichi.

Hagoromo stumbled to Kenichi’s side with a completely bewildered expression.

Then Kaguya looked at Kenichi.

The glance she gave him carried an almost coquettish softness.

Kenichi immediately felt goosebumps rise across his body.

Then Kaguya vanished.

Kenichi and Hagoromo stared at each other.

Neither spoke.

Hagoromo rubbed his head and slowly stood upright.

His expression became increasingly complicated.

He had just been handling his own affairs within the Pure Land when his mother suddenly appeared and forcibly dragged him away.

At first, Hagoromo had almost thought Kaguya intended to separate him and Kenichi so she could defeat them individually.

But after seeing the look Kaguya had just given Kenichi...

Something felt very wrong.

Could Kenichi really be about to become his stepfather?

No.

Wait.

Did Hagoromo even technically have a father?

When he and Hamura were born, there had only been Kaguya.

Their birth had not followed the ordinary process of human pregnancy.

As Hagoromo remembered it, Kaguya had used some special secret technique to bring the two of them into existence.

His expression twitched.

If that was the case...

"I treat you as a partner, and you actually want to become my father?!"

Hagoromo suddenly grabbed Kenichi by the collar.

Kenichi’s mouth twitched.

What kind of nonsense was this?

Admittedly, he had entertained that idea before.

But that had only been part of his plan to deal with Isshiki.

At the time, Kenichi had wanted to influence Kaguya psychologically.

He had not known that the consciousness fragment Kaguya separated could transmit memories back to her main body.

If he had known, he obviously would never have done such a thing.

Unfortunately, what was done was done.

Looking into Hagoromo’s furious eyes, Kenichi understood that no matter how he explained it, Hagoromo probably would not believe him easily.

He needed a reasonable explanation before this became even more troublesome.

"Calm down, Hagoromo. Be rational."

Kenichi raised his hands helplessly.

"Rational?"

Hagoromo glared at him.

"How exactly do you expect me to be rational?"

"Enough. Your... cough, your mother’s situation is unusual."

Kenichi quickly corrected himself.

"I suspect Kaguya is having problems right now. She may have encountered some difficulty while trying to become stronger after consuming the chakra fruit."

"Besides, you know what I’ve been doing lately. I’ve spent almost all my time in the laboratory."

Kenichi spread his hands.

"I haven’t done anything to Kaguya. How could she suddenly develop feelings for me for no reason?"

"Doesn’t that sound suspicious to you?"

Hagoromo fell silent.

When Kenichi put it that way, it actually made sense.

Kenichi really had spent almost all his time inside the laboratory.

Even this trip outside had only been to visit Mount Myoboku.

He had not gone anywhere specifically to meet Kaguya.

And Kaguya had previously been extremely cold toward Kenichi.

Now she was suddenly behaving like a young girl in love.

The more Hagoromo thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

Perhaps something really had gone wrong with his mother.

Meanwhile, Kaguya was hiding in her own dimension and secretly watching them.

She bit her lip in embarrassment and anger.

Something was indeed wrong with her.

Kaguya took a deep breath.

Then she condensed chakra into the shape of a blade.

This time, she was determined.

She would cut away the last remnants of her humanity and finally become the strongest god.

Kaguya immediately tried.

But the instant she brought the blade down, she felt terrible.

The remaining humanity within her clung to her like maggots buried into bone.

It was tightly intertwined with her existence.

At the same time, the memories Kenichi had implanted began flashing through her mind again and again.

They twisted together with her emotions.

A faint blush appeared on Kaguya’s face.

Those feelings were too strong.

Eventually, she could only abandon the attempt.

There was another reason.

Just before she truly severed that part of herself, Kaguya had sensed something.

If she forced the separation now, the very foundation of her soul would suffer severe damage.

Recovering from that damage would require an extremely long time.

Under normal circumstances, Kaguya might not have cared.

But the Otsutsuki Clan could send investigators to this world at any moment.

She had to remain in peak condition.

She could not afford to weaken herself now.

"Annoying man."

Kaguya angrily stomped her foot before fleeing deeper into her dimension.

She did not dare continue watching.

If she kept looking at Kenichi, she was afraid she would lose control of the emotions inside her, rush out, hug him, and confess everything.

Back outside, Kenichi looked toward Hagoromo.

"I think Kaguya’s current condition is very strange."

"It may be a problem caused by missing knowledge."

Kenichi’s expression became more serious.

"Your mother doesn’t know the proper method of handling the changes that come after consuming the chakra fruit."

"That may be why she’s become like this."

He paused.

"That’s also why I wanted to find you."

"Can you locate Isshiki’s soul after his death?"

Kenichi looked at Hagoromo expectantly.

If he wanted the correct cultivation method for someone who had eaten a chakra fruit, Isshiki was still his best option.

Kenichi was almost certain Isshiki knew it.

Isshiki belonged to the Otsutsuki Main Family.

Originally, he had been the one meant to consume the chakra fruit and continue advancing toward godhood.

There was no way the Otsutsuki Clan would have sent him out without teaching him how to control and develop that power afterward.

No one else in the Shinobi World could possibly know such information.

This was internal knowledge of the Otsutsuki Clan.

Even Kaguya, who had belonged to the Branch Family and served as a sacrifice, had never been taught it.

So if Kenichi wanted an answer...

He needed Isshiki.

Hagoromo frowned.

In fact, he had already searched for Isshiki’s soul after the battle.

But he had found nothing.

The Pure Land contained no trace of him.

Hagoromo himself did not understand what had happened.

There was another complication.

The Otsutsuki Clan possessed techniques and weapons capable of directly damaging the soul.

Truth-Seeking Orbs were one example.

Isshiki had died at Kaguya’s hands.

Whether his soul had even survived her attacks was uncertain.

Considering how badly his body had been pierced and destroyed by Kaguya’s black receivers, his soul might simply have dissipated along with him.

Isshiki’s soul had already been in a relatively fragile state.

Because of that, Hagoromo had suspected from the beginning that there might no longer be anything left to find.

"I didn’t find him in the Pure Land."

Hagoromo sighed helplessly.

"I suspect Mother’s attacks may have directly destroyed Isshiki’s soul."

Kenichi frowned.

That was entirely possible.

If Hagoromo was right, then there might truly be no way to retrieve Isshiki.

And even if his soul had survived, another problem remained.

Isshiki was exceptionally good at hiding.

If he wanted to conceal himself, he could apparently do so without Kaguya or Hagoromo noticing anything unusual.

Even Black Zetsu, who had spent so long manipulating events from the shadows, had never realized that another organization was secretly operating beneath the Akatsuki’s own base.

Finding Isshiki under those circumstances would be extremely difficult.

.....

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