HSU: Ch. 306

The Susanoo that had "collapsed" inward soon shrank down to the size of a normal person.

Masashi moved his body a little.

Chakra was inherently a formless energy, but when ordinary ninjutsu could no longer meet the needs of war, people began to explore other paths.

Susanoo was capable of creating form from nothing. As such, it also gained mass, the more chakra used to form and wield it, the greater the mass, and consequently, the greater the power.

If one wanted to retain mass while reducing size, the only option was to compress it. This wasn't an easy feat. Masashi had spent a very long time mastering it. He could proudly claim that in this version of the shinobi world, the ultimate in chakra shape transformation wasn't the Rasengan, it was his ultra-thin, portable Susanoo. But this thing wasn't for everyone. Once compressed, the Susanoo's mass became a burden.

That was when a little trick came in handy, Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock Technique.

A good jutsu never went out of style.

After warming up, he felt great. At this moment, a single punch from him would probably leave an ordinary person in tears for a long time.

"This... ahem, interested in taking a punch from me?" Masashi extended his fist and gave it a little shake.

Across from him, Kaguya remained silent, her expression still icy. With limited methods at her disposal for the moment, she intended to continue with her original strategy.

Ever since chakra first appeared in this world, she was the first to bring order to chaos. In that process, she had accumulated considerable real combat experience. She had faced opponents like this before, slippery types who dashed around endlessly.

The current prominence of chakra in this world? That was forged by her battles.

Hagoromo and Hamura's abilities? The fundamentals were all taught by her.

In the beginning, those two kids had no clue how to use chakra, or even what it was.

Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack wasn't just mindless hammering.

She waved both hands, and chakra surged once again.

Centered around her was now a chakra sphere with a radius of several dozen meters. Under her command, it served both as defense and as a cage to bind her enemy.

Even Masashi didn't charge blindly into the range of this chakra sphere.

All over the surface of the sphere extended countless "tentacles." Some were fists, some claws, although he had cut many down or pinned them, they still weren't neutralized. Now, even more poured out.

First, bulges appeared on the sphere's surface. Then, they burst outward, forming massive hands that lunged for Masashi.

Masashi didn't recklessly use Amenotejikara, it consumed too much chakra. So the sky turned into a game of eagle catching chick.

And this chick? A little feisty.

Masashi darted upward, then dived. Sometimes he circled based on the situation around him. If all else failed, he charged straight in.

The Light-Weight Rock Technique didn't reduce actual mass. With high mass under the effect of lightening, the impact was even more terrifying. That was how the Fourth Raikage could pierce the budget-version Susanoo.

Kaguya's Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack was also a low-end version. In terms of defense, the "tentacles" she extended weren't necessarily tougher than Madara's Susanoo. So he was having fun crashing into them.

As she watched the figure darting through the sky, Kaguya finally smiled.

"You've fallen for it."

Her voice was light and cheerful, drifting into Masashi's ears word for word. The next moment, bubbles swelled across the armor of Masashi's Susanoo.

That was her chakra.

The chakra that made up Susanoo was being drained rapidly.

Masashi wasn't surprised. A person trying to reclaim all chakra in existence, it would be strange if she couldn't absorb it. But he could do the same now.

The same technique, now deployed by him.

Kaguya's chakra sphere began to move, expanding as it did. Pushed by the chakra, she swiftly shifted toward the edge.

Her eyes never left Masashi.

Sensing his "resistance," her smile deepened.

Her chakra, now reproducing across Masashi's Susanoo, tightly clung to it, increasing the rate of chakra absorption.

At the same time, she quietly used her true body's power to connect directly to Masashi's chakra.

At last, Masashi slipped, he still had his Rinnegan active. Up until now, Kaguya hadn't exploited that.

"You belong to me now. Hahaha!" Kaguya looked up at the figure in the sky and finally laughed out loud with satisfaction.

In that moment, she felt even happier than when she first consumed the chakra fruit. Every Ōtsutsuki that consumed a fruit gained power in different areas. For her, it was mental strength, making her a mage-type Ōtsutsuki.

As long as she connected to chakra, she could do anything.

Reading memories? Child's play.

But after delving into Masashi's memories, what caught her attention wasn't his reincarnation or his chaotic thoughts… It was the memories of the world he came from.

A world of wondrous civilization, where collective power was harnessed to the fullest and progress advanced at astonishing speed.

A civilization no weaker than the Ōtsutsuki clan.

The Ōtsutsuki were a civilization of individuals, but that world was a civilization of collectives. Though due to Masashi's reincarnation, the memories she accessed were fragmented and disordered, she did see it: Humans who could casually destroy rocky planets, capture stars to extract energy, and construct massive spaceships for interstellar colonization.

Different modes of civilization, but she acknowledged they had the qualifications to converse with her as equals.

The humans of this world, however, did not.

When she and her kin first descended upon this planet, it was primitive and savage, something that made her laugh. The humans here could barely be called people; calling them that already showed she was being generous and not biased. The only reason she quelled the chaos was to prevent interference with the growth of the God Tree.

That rebellious child of hers must've had something wrong with his head, how could she possibly understand a group of primitives? And to distribute the chakra she had painstakingly collected? She didn't come here to do charity work.

If it hadn't been for that rebellious son scattering chakra across the land, she wouldn't have bothered with the creatures on this planet. They brought this upon themselves, they took something that never belonged to them.

Taking advantage of Masashi being distracted by the chakra she had layered over his Susanoo, she pressed forward and launched an attack directly into his mind.

In the sky, Masashi's fast-moving figure suddenly halted. A giant chakra hand caught him midair.

Kaguya didn't harm him.

On one hand, she hoped he would serve her; on the other, as someone who excelled in spiritual power, she knew that if she let bloodlust rise, the mental connection would break.

She stepped out of the chakra sphere and landed softly beside Masashi. Though mentally invaded, his Susanoo still remained sealed around him, and his jutsu hadn't stopped. Anyone attempting to break that shell would definitely sever her link with him.

He… really knows how to make good use of my chakra.

Kaguya was quite pleased.

Her own sons had turned out disappointingly. If only this otherworldly traveler had been her son to begin with, maybe things wouldn't have turned out so badly. As someone from that civilization, there was no way he would have regarded those primitive natives as equals. In fact, compared to that civilization's treatment of other races, the Ōtsutsuki were downright gentle.

If he were truly like that, she would have long since drained this planet dry and moved on to the stars.

"You're only protecting them… because you haven't lived long enough," she spoke softly.

The Ōtsutsuki clan were long-lived, practically immortal in the eyes of short-lived mortals.

Given enough time, everything Masashi cared about in this world would fade. A few family members, how long could they last?

She wasn't so stingy as to retrieve chakra from just a few individuals. They were scraps, whether she took them or not made little difference.

"Come now… let me help you shatter the illusion, see the truth, and return to the ruthless version of yourself…"

Gazing into Masashi's Rinnegan, she began unfolding her spiritual power.

Stay among primitives long enough and you become one yourself, just like Hagoromo and Hamura.

But she adored the pioneers of the civilization in Masashi's memories. Limited lives, endless desire, utterly ruthless toward natives, giving them no chance whatsoever. She, in contrast, had become soft… because she had children.

As her spirit expanded, changes began to unfold in Masashi's mindscape. The moment he found himself in total darkness, he realized he had fallen into a trap.

Still, he wasn't flustered.

The Uchiha clan specialized in Yin Release, always scheming, always on guard against being schemed upon. Ever since reincarnating as an Uchiha, he had been training his mental defenses.

External stimuli were a classic and effective method. But he relied on himself, he created his own defense plugins.

After he acquired the ability to use Susanoo, he looked for ways to reinforce it. More importantly, he had always operated under the assumption: what if someday, a powerful entity invaded his mind?

At first, he prepared for scenarios like Shisui's Kotoamatsukami, then Itachi's Tsukuyomi. Later, those didn't even matter anymore. Eventually, he upgraded his mental "threat model" to Madara… even Hagoromo.

And now, it was Kaguya who got to him first.

Well, that figured, her anime debut was at her peak, and then she was quickly discarded. Barely any time was given to her. The moment she appeared, they just read her ability list and tossed her back into jail. She came across as absurdly strong but had less combat sense than a genin.

But in reality? The true Kaguya was not only powerful, but also tactically aware.

In the dense darkness, a sudden light appeared. Like sunlight piercing through storm clouds, color returned to the world before his eyes.

This world didn't resemble the real one exactly, it was far more vibrant.

He stood in a wide field.

Surrounding him were unfamiliar plants that covered the ground, and in the distance, a massive tree stretched high into the clouds, dominating his vision.

At its peak was a radiant, multicolored flower bud.

At the base of the tree stood a wooden house, like a shrine from Earth.

Even here in his mindscape, he still bore the Rinnegan. From a distance, he saw a woman step out from the shrine.

Her white eyes carried a strange mystique, not seductive, but oddly sorrowful. A plain sash cinched her waist, accentuating her figure.

Far better than that oversized robe she wore in the anime.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time."

She didn't open her mouth, but her voice rang out clearly. Of course, this place was the mindscape.

Super convenient.

Thinking this, Masashi focused his thoughts, and instantly appeared in front of Kaguya.

Perfect.

This was his mental domain. Even invaded, he still had the power to protect himself. Years of preparation hadn't gone to waste.

Apparently, prison food in Kaguya's dimension wasn't bad. Her lips were glossy and well-hydrated. Clearly, someone still caring about their appearance had some minimum standard of life.

"I'll give you 90 points, any more and I'm afraid you'll get cocky," Masashi said, glancing at the giant tree beside him. "That's the God Tree?"

"No need to pretend anymore, not here," Kaguya said with a faint curl of her lips.

Why don't you strike a pose while you're at it? Masashi thought to himself.

"So what do I call you? Ancestor of Chakra? Yeah, no thanks."

"Just call me Kaguya-hime. That fits your habits, doesn't it?"

---

Among all the ninja techniques, genjutsu was probably the hardest to master. Mainly because the conditions for using it were just too demanding.

It required precise chakra control, a strong imagination, and more, it was really something else.

The illusion crafted by Kaguya had remarkable attention to detail.

You could say it was a case of brute force yielding miracles, if you had enough chakra, you could reconstruct memories and recreate an environment. It was essentially like projecting a scene.

Masashi recalled that her genjutsu could actually achieve the creation of form from nothingness through Yin Release, turning the virtual into the real. But that definitely didn't include the tree in front of him. After all, this was his mindscape.

He raised his hand, and from the earth at his feet sprouted a seedling. In just a few breaths, it grew and fused into a chair. Another identical chair appeared beside Kaguya.

Since this final boss hadn't started off by attacking, and even showed up with interior design, he figured he shouldn't act too petty either. Whether or not they fight later, that was for later.

"Please."

Kaguya looked at the chair next to her, bent down and touched it, then sat down.

Masashi's action looked polite, but it could also be seen as a subtle declaration of ownership of this space. If a regular ninja had done this, she'd have thought of it as a monkey flaunting a grass skirt in front of her.

But Masashi… She found it acceptable. She was also curious about his civilization. Of course, just curious, she didn't have the time to think beyond that.

Her children's seal had, in some ways, separated her from her clan's pursuit of her. She had no regrets about the choice she made back then.

Masashi sat down opposite her and studied the strongest individual in the shinobi world carefully.

In the mindscape, she appeared in her true form. Ignoring the horns on her head and her unnaturally white skin, her looks and aura were perfectly in place, she could be called a classic beauty.

Time had left few marks on her.

But the eyes couldn't lie. Her gaze was aloof and detached, looking down on all things.

Based on reasonable inference from the story, she viewed the shinobi world with condescension. Aside from her children and clan members, everyone else was likely seen as wild monkeys, not truly human.

In the original timeline, she shed tears upon seeing Naruto and Sasuke because they reminded her of her grandsons, which in turn reminded her of her chakra-bearing sons. But that was just a mother's instinctive reaction, not genuine sentimentality.

Kaguya was also observing Masashi.

After her sons spread chakra throughout the world, the natives here had started exploring and studying this energy. When Hagoromo reverse-engineered the components of chakra, its concept evolved from merely energy into a method of harnessing energy.

The people of this world had become her "competitors." Their research wasn't deep, but because chakra could carry consciousness, they also began to explore reincarnation. Even though Masashi was from beyond the stars, he had joined that effort.

But when it came to reincarnation, the Ōtsutsuki clan were the true masters. The reincarnation techniques of this world were crude, though varied, none could achieve true flawless reincarnation. Only the Ōtsutsuki could transmit their full consciousness and information perfectly into a new vessel.

Since she couldn't fully perceive Masashi's original memories, she didn't think it was a flaw in her own technique, she assumed he had lost a great deal of data during his reincarnation.

"It's only been a few decades, yet your memories are already this vague. Even I can only see part of them. Do you truly intend to become one of these people?"

She got straight to the point. Of course, she didn't feel the need to hide anything. Outside, it was a sea of monkeys, only she and Masashi were real people. She knew her rebellious children still existed through chakra. Otherwise, she wouldn't even have needed to come this far.

"Help me reclaim my chakra. Help me fight my enemies. In return, I'll grant you a new seed, so that you, too, can possess perfect life force."

Her true form was truly immortal. She could be sealed, but not killed. That was what it meant to be "complete."

This kind of overpowered ability, Masashi definitely wanted it, no use pretending otherwise.

"That's easy," he said. "White Zetsu is nothing compared to actual ninjas. Right in the village beneath us, there are people far beyond what any number of White Zetsus could handle."

"That's not what I need," Kaguya replied. "Don't misunderstand, my enemies can only be handled by me. White Zetsu was merely a convenient tool."

A strong monkey was still just a monkey. If it couldn't communicate, she might as well deal with mindless Zetsu.

"Let's not talk about that right now," Masashi changed the topic. "How did you do it? Your true body is on the moon. This girl and you shouldn't have any connection, right?"

"That's thanks to you," Kaguya said. "Your use of chakra is still shallow, but even so, you unknowingly built a bridge."

"What kind of bridge could I have built between me and that Hyūga girl?"

"It certainly wasn't due to me," Kaguya said. "But I'm quite satisfied with this body. However, the land is too damaged. This must stop."

War always wrecked the terrain, it was normal.

Ninjas loved explosions. Even genin who couldn't use jutsu won't hesitate to throw an explosive tag and enjoy the fireworks.

And let's not talk about Deidara...

On the battlefield, watching your own "fireworks" explode gave a powerful sense of security.

Because of explosive tags, Fire Release ended up being the deadliest jutsu in the shinobi world.

But Masashi wasn't going to explain that to her, because… Kaguya didn't care about nature. She likely just wanted to keep growing the God Tree. She was probably upset that there wasn't enough fertile land left for planting trees.

"Well then, let me be blunt too," Masashi said, cutting to the chase. "I can't accept turning people into tree decorations. I'll oppose that to the end. If you think we can't reach an agreement, then we can continue this another way."

Kaguya didn't attack. She showed a contemplative expression.

"I have a question, perhaps you can answer it for me."

"Please ask."

"You and I both come from higher civilizations. My clan has roamed the stars, just like your people. Your homeland was even more thorough in plundering other worlds. So why do you treat the people here as your own kind? My sons were the same. They were born of my blood, yet they chose to empathize with these primitive, pitiful people, people who don't even know what the stars above their heads are."

Kaguya was truly puzzled. What kind of magic did these monkeys have? Her sons, at least, grew up in this world and had never met other Ōtsutsuki.

But what about Masashi?

Was she the strange one? No, it couldn't be. She hadn't come to this world alone. The others who came with her thought just like she did.

She fell into deep thought…

On the other side, Masashi also found himself pondering.

What the hell was this conversation?

Why did the tone shift so abruptly?

What exactly did she see?

He was pretty sure he never played any VR scenario games with such exotic tastes.

Hmm… Games? Games!

As everyone knows, many game CG cutscenes are even better than movies, quite worth savoring.

Could it be… This might actually be… a very convenient misunderstanding.

Excellent.

Time for his favorite activity, bluffing and bullshitting!

His expression and posture shifted. He put on a wistful look and leaned back theatrically.

"You saw it all, huh…"

Kaguya looked at Masashi's current demeanor and thought, this felt more normal. Though she was slightly tempted to hit him with a genjutsu and make him sit up properly.

"Indeed, I saw everything. You've gained my power, in front of me, there are no secrets."

Kaguya, who hadn't had a proper conversation in ages, felt a rare sense of accomplishment.

It was not that she disliked talking to people, it was just that until now, she never found anyone worth speaking to. There was even a hint of pride in her voice.

Masashi kept a smile on his face.

How many space-faring games had he played again?

Honestly, quite a few.

Ah well. Time to talk nonsense.

"I don't know exactly what you saw, but there's not much difference between people."

"I see," Kaguya nodded. "Then I understand now."

Huh? You already understand?

He didn't know what she understood, but he decided to keep being a good listener.

"It's great that we can understand each other," Masashi kept smiling. "Look, it's already late at night, and I still have homework to turn in. How about… we make a group chat and each head home for now?"

"I can generally understand what you're saying," Kaguya said with a stern face. "Can't you behave with a little more respect? That kind of low-level reproductive behavior… you should abandon it as soon as possible."

"How can something one enjoys be called low-level?" Masashi found her view rather twisted. "This is a spiritual pursuit!"

Kaguya recalled the pile of content in his memories. That… was quite a demand.

Seems like the civilization he came from placed high importance on personal material and emotional satisfaction due to their physical frailty.

That explained it, people in this world had the same biological structure, so it probably gave him a strong sense of immersion.

Compared to that, her own rule back then could actually be considered quite liberal and unrestrained.

Without comparison, there wass no harm. She never cared what these monkeys thought of her, but even she now felt calling her cruel back then was very unfair.

As expected, humans really couldn't communicate with monkeys.

Still… So that was it. He was lusting after her beauty.

What a truly shameless civilization!

Yet, she thought, if Masashi was willing to serve her, then perhaps she could slightly accommodate his cultural traditions. Those female monkeys couldn't even hold a candle to her.

Yes. That settled it.

So she said, "If you serve me, I can let you see me in the attire you like."

"Hmm?" Masashi didn't catch her meaning right away due to his preconceived notions. "What does what you wear have to do with me… hmm!"

Then it hit him.

Physically.

"Sorry, but clearly, you don't understand me very well," he straightened up, face serious. "I'm not that kind of man."

Had this been over a decade ago, this line would've qualified him to play Optimus Prime.

But now? He had kids and long since moved past such shallow pleasures.

Clothes changing? He didn't give a damn!

Kaguya was genuinely surprised.

Judging from Masashi's memories, this man was obviously very interested in such things. Was she using the wrong method?

Or…

"No! Absolutely not!" Kaguya stated with firm resolve. "You must not do that kind of thing to me! I absolutely forbid it!"

Changing clothes was whatever, like being at home, especially with no third party around. But anything hands-on would cross the line. Though she saw him as a fellow due to his origin, the hierarchy between them would not change.

She was the superior. Her compromise was to accommodate his culture, not join it.

Otherwise, who was serving who here?

"…"

This repressed woman… something's seriously off!

Masashi figured there was no point continuing the conversation. The topic had gone so off the rails, it was completely unsalvageable.

Time to start fresh.

"I don't think we'll reach any agreement today. And of course, I have no intention of becoming your enemy. My stance is non-interference and peaceful coexistence," he said sincerely.

Kaguya's expression darkened. She felt that Masashi was hinting at something. As if to say: if he couldn't touch, then he wouldn't join.

How infuriating!

This was supposed to be a highly developed interstellar civilization, and yet they were this obsessed with such things! As expected, only when ultimate power lay in one's own hands could one walk the true path.

"I will reserve judgment," she said. "This is only the beginning. You'll come around eventually."

Masashi nodded politely with a smile.

Kaguya was ultimately an ancient relic, she didn't understand modern people. Modern folks didn't care about watching. They cared about hands-on experience.

"Please," Masashi gestured.

Though he wanted to end things stylishly with a casual wave, he didn't have the power to dismiss her so easily. This was likely Kaguya projecting spiritual energy from her main body, ridiculously powerful stuff.

Hagoromo also used to barge into his and the tailed beasts' mental chat group without warning. Everyone with the surname Ōtsutsuki was ridiculously overbearing.

But no matter, the structure of the shinobi world was now stable. The oligopoly effect was set. If there was ever a group fight, no one would hold the team back.

Whatever Kaguya wanted to play at, he'd be there for it.

The surrounding scenery began to shift. The memory projection belonging to Kaguya gradually faded away. She had exited Masashi's mindscape.