Chapter 643: The Main and Branch Families of the Otsutsuki Clan

Chapter 643: Chapter 643: The Main and Branch Families of the Otsutsuki Clan

Chapter 643: The Main and Branch Families of the Otsutsuki Clan

"This is troublesome. If Isshiki’s soul has already dissipated, then the only remaining option is to use the time machine."

Kenichi sighed.

Hagoromo looked at him curiously.

He could not understand why Kenichi was so determined to pursue this matter.

After all, the chakra fruit had already been consumed by his mother. There was no second chakra fruit in this world.

Even if Kenichi somehow obtained the correct cultivation method, what difference would it make?

Kenichi himself could not use it.

The method would only be useful to Kaguya.

That left Hagoromo somewhat confused.

Kenichi, however, had his own reasons.

There might only be one chakra fruit, but if he could obtain the correct cultivation method and use it to make Kaguya stronger, that would also benefit him.

At the very least, Kenichi could gain more experience from observing Kaguya, especially experience related to confronting the Otsutsuki Clan.

That alone made helping her worthwhile.

Furthermore, if Kaguya continued growing stronger, it would make Kenichi’s later research even more valuable.

He wanted to observe exactly what changes would occur in her body during the process.

If Kaguya’s condition changed, then perhaps her genes would change as well.

That would provide Kenichi with extremely valuable information for his research into the Divine Tree and the Otsutsuki Clan.

Of course, there was no need to tell Hagoromo any of that.

Kenichi was now certain of one thing.

Kaguya’s current condition was unusual.

She might even be hiding somewhere nearby, silently watching him.

The fact that she had abruptly delivered Hagoromo to him before disappearing made that entirely possible.

So Kenichi had no intention of saying too much.

The more one spoke, the more opportunities there were to make a mistake.

"But how do you plan to handle these things?"

Seeing that Kenichi had no intention of continuing the previous topic, Hagoromo did not press him.

Instead, he turned his attention toward the cavern before them.

A trace of scrutiny entered his eyes.

Deep inside the dim cave stood three enormous stalactite-like formations.

Each had a distinct shape and carried an indescribably eerie atmosphere.

Their surfaces were covered with layer upon layer of tiny organisms.

Those creatures were arranged so densely and regularly that they almost looked as though they had been permanently frozen in place, forming complicated patterns across the structures.

A faint blue glow radiated from them.

Against the darkness of the cavern, the light resembled countless stars that had fallen deep beneath the earth.

The moist air carried a faint fragrance mixed with water vapor and the subtle fishy odor released by the organisms, making one instinctively want to hold their breath.

Drops of liquid slid from the tips of the formations.

Each droplet carried a faint glow, resembling a meteor falling through the night sky.

They eventually gathered into thin streams of light that wound through cracks in the surrounding rocks.

The presence of those strange creatures made the air itself seem heavier.

Every breath carried the excitement and tension of uncovering an unknown world.

The single-celled organisms almost seemed to breathe.

The glow covering the formations brightened and dimmed in a slow rhythm, like the pulse of some enormous underground life-form.

It was Hagoromo’s first time seeing these creatures in such a state.

In the ancient past, beings composed of organisms like these had been regarded as gods by the people of this world.

He had never expected them to eventually take on a form resembling stalactites.

Kenichi stared at the formations with a conflicted expression.

Handling them was not simple.

Their structure was complicated, and more importantly, they were extremely valuable to him.

Kenichi needed the energy they produced.

As far as he was concerned, this cavern was currently his best source of fuel for the time machine.

So far, this was the only place where that energy could be obtained continuously.

Everywhere else, Kenichi had to interfere with and destroy atomic structures in order to produce it.

Naturally, he placed enormous importance on the organisms here.

He had considered conducting experiments on them directly.

After all, he was still extremely curious about why these single-celled organisms had transformed into their current state.

But precisely because they were so important, Kenichi hesitated.

Any careless interference might destroy the delicate balance that allowed them to continuously produce this energy.

Nature could sometimes create extraordinary phenomena through events with incredibly low probabilities.

But such systems could also be extremely fragile.

One small disruption might cause the entire structure to collapse.

After thinking about it repeatedly, Kenichi still had not decided to experiment on them directly.

The safest option was to leave this place exactly as it was.

He would assign a Shadow Clone to remain here and continuously collect the strange energy for the time machine.

For now, that was the best solution.

As for studying the single-celled organisms themselves, there was no need to rush.

Kenichi already had another idea.

He could simply study the native gods directly.

"I think it’s better to preserve this place exactly as it is."

Kenichi briefly explained his reasoning to Hagoromo.

"These organisms have already reached an extremely unusual state. We don’t know what happened to them or what conditions created this balance."

"If we interfere carelessly, we might cause consequences that are difficult to reverse."

Hagoromo had no objection.

But before he could respond, Kaguya suddenly appeared.

She looked at the strange formations with a scrutinizing gaze.

Kenichi immediately became curious.

Had she remembered something?

Was this substance useful to the Otsutsuki Clan in some special way?

If so, that would be excellent.

Kenichi knew very little about these organisms.

If Kaguya recognized them, he might be able to obtain more information.

He looked at her expectantly.

Kaguya frowned slightly.

Something about the scene seemed familiar.

She vaguely remembered hearing an elder mention something similar long ago.

If the memory had not resurfaced by chance, she probably would have forgotten it completely.

Rumors were extremely common within the Otsutsuki Clan.

Strange stories circulated every day.

Kaguya had heard so many unusual things during her time there that she could not possibly remember every single one.

She walked closer.

At close range, she examined the densely packed single-celled organisms constantly intertwining with one another.

A thoughtful expression appeared in her eyes.

Kenichi followed beside her.

Seeing her reaction, he could not resist asking.

"Did you remember something?"

Kaguya remained silent for a moment.

"I remember hearing one of the clan elders mention something."

She continued examining the organisms.

"The special energy used by the Otsutsuki Clan has an extremely valuable source."

"But occasionally, when the clan discovers a new planet, they encounter unusual native life-forms."

"Some planets naturally produce very strange organisms."

Kaguya narrowed her eyes slightly.

"I remember hearing about one planet where countless tiny insect-like creatures produced the kind of energy we needed."

"They were called something like... Zhen Insects."

Kenichi immediately became interested.

"Zhen Insects?"

The name was unusual.

And the description certainly sounded similar to what they were seeing here.

But whether these creatures were truly the same species still required verification.

Kenichi looked toward Kaguya expectantly.

Unfortunately, she knew nothing more.

That was understandable.

Kaguya had originally been only an ordinary member of the Branch Family.

If she had not fought for her survival, she would never have consumed the chakra fruit.

She would have become the sacrifice offered to the Divine Tree.

And to prevent sacrifices from threatening members of the Main Family, the Otsutsuki Clan had naturally prepared various safeguards.

Even the knowledge taught to members of the Main and Branch Families was different.

So it was hardly surprising that Kaguya lacked detailed information about the Zhen Insects.

Hagoromo looked at his mother with a complicated expression.

Kaguya was his mother.

She was the person closest to him.

Although they had once stood against each other and experienced enormous conflict, much of that resentment had gradually faded.

But whenever Hagoromo remembered the increasingly strange situation between Kaguya and Kenichi, he felt uncomfortable all over.

Kenichi was simply too young.

Kenichi himself noticed none of Hagoromo’s thoughts.

He remained beside Kaguya, studying the single-celled organisms and waiting to see whether she might remember anything more.

But Kaguya remained silent.

Clearly, nothing else came to mind.

Then she noticed Kenichi standing beside her.

Her attention shifted toward him almost involuntarily.

Kaguya stared at his back.

Panic and contradiction filled her heart.

Her expression changed subtly as she struggled to control herself.

Her gaze drifted over Kenichi, then quickly moved away, as though she were afraid he might notice how closely she was watching him.

Yet despite her efforts, she could not suppress the complicated emotions inside her.

Kaguya felt lost.

She did not know how she should act.

Nor did she understand how she was supposed to deal with feelings like these.

Her attention kept returning to Kenichi.

His mannerisms.

His expressions.

Even small movements of his hands.

Without realizing it, Kaguya began searching for clues that might tell her what place she held in Kenichi’s heart.

Her eyes followed him again and again.

Almost as though simply watching him might somehow provide an answer.

At times, panic filled her.

At others, faint hope and expectation appeared.

Her eyes flickered with confused emotions.

Her heartbeat quickened.

Her lips trembled slightly, as if there were words she wanted to speak, only for her to stop herself at the last moment.

She tried to understand Kenichi’s thoughts.

Tried to interpret what he actually felt toward her.

Her expression shifted subtly between hesitation, brief relaxation, and renewed tension.

It was as if she were considering some enormously important problem.

The emotions within Kaguya continued surging.

Her pale eyes carried a complicated light.

She desperately tried to suppress the turmoil in her heart.

But she still could not stop herself from occasionally looking at Kenichi with a trace of longing.

Those silent glances conveyed emotions she could not bring herself to express aloud.

Love, resentment, confusion, and lingering anger had all become tangled together.

Kaguya felt trapped within them.

Sometimes her gaze became lost.

Sometimes it carried expectation.

It was as though she were desperately searching for one quiet place within the storm inside her.

Hagoromo covered his face.

He genuinely had not expected his mother to become like this.

His emotions became even more complicated.

If he had known Kenichi would somehow cause this situation, Hagoromo almost wished they had never cooperated.

He certainly had never expected that Kenichi might one day become something resembling his father.

Just thinking about it made Hagoromo uncomfortable.

Yet when he looked at Kaguya’s expression again, some of that frustration turned into helplessness.

Since being unsealed, Kaguya had become somewhat stronger.

Her attitude had also changed.

That at least made Hagoromo feel better.

He no longer needed to consider sealing his mother again at the slightest problem.

But when he looked at the strange atmosphere between Kenichi and Kaguya, Hagoromo still felt exhausted.

He almost wanted to travel back into the past and slap his younger self.

Stay where you are.

Do not release Kaguya.

Even if it meant working harder himself, Hagoromo would rather endure the trouble than watch his mother become trapped in this strange emotional situation.

He looked gloomily at Kenichi.

Kenichi did not notice.

His attention remained entirely focused on the organisms.

After analyzing them more carefully, Kenichi discovered something else.

Their internal structures were surprisingly simple.

There were no particularly complex organs or specialized structures.

More importantly, there was no leader.

Every one of the single-celled organisms possessed an identical physical composition.

That made Kenichi even more curious.

"Then why have they separated into three different groups?"

He frowned.

"And why are the substances they produce different?"

Kenichi wanted to investigate further.

But he hesitated.

If he acted recklessly and destroyed the only sustainable source of this energy he had found, the loss would be enormous.

Until he found a safer method, he could not experiment on them with peace of mind.

....

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