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In the blink of an eye, Ye Wen had already set foot on this desolate land.
Although the moon still had a faint atmosphere, the visible barrenness made it clear that this place was completely unsuitable for ordinary life to survive.
"The Ōtsutsuki clan is truly monstrous to be able to survive and thrive in such an environment," Ye Wen mused.
In the Douluo system, only Soul Sages or stronger could endure prolonged survival in such harsh conditions—otherwise, daily solar radiation alone would be fatal.
Ye Wen carefully sensed everything on the moon.
"Only two people remain. It seems they must be the surviving Ōtsutsuki Toneri and his father."
From a young age, Ye Wen had pondered a question: Would celestial beings truly fall for mortals?
The answer was likely affirmative. Could a wealthy, beautiful woman from a big city ever fall for a dirty pig-feeding boy from the countryside?
There were two accounts regarding Kaguya's children in the Naruto lore. One claimed they were born from the union with the daimyo of the ancient Land of Ancestors, while the other stated they were conceived after Kaguya became the Rabbit Goddess and received the blessings of the ninja world's inhabitants.
Ye Wen personally leaned toward the latter explanation.
No matter how naive or sweet Kaguya might have been, it was hard to imagine her falling for a primitive native of this backward planet.
After all, her strength spoke volumes—she was capable of ambushing and nearly killing Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, so how could she possibly look upon a powerless daimyo?
If this causal relationship held true, then the Byakugan-bearing Ōtsutsuki lineage on the moon was worth scrutinizing.
Unfortunately, the inherent flaws of living beings had led them to turn on each other, leaving only two survivors.
"Still, this Ōtsutsuki Toneri is quite a valuable research specimen.
With naturally powerful Ōtsutsuki chakra and highly pure Byakugan, he can naturally evolve into the ultimate Tenseigan—a truly unique sample.
Unlike the flashy, multifunctional Rinnegan, the Tenseigan represents the raw, brute application of chakra at its peak.
However, researching the Tenseigan isn't urgent right now. First, I should meet my main target this time."
Ye Wen withdrew his gaze and entered a phantom-like state, diving underground and heading straight for where Ōtsutsuki Kaguya was sealed.
At this moment, a shadowy figure emerged from the statue at the Ōtsutsuki clan's sacred site.
It was an elderly soul, clad in robes adorned with magatama patterns, with two small horns protruding from its head and a pair of Byakugan eyes.
This was none other than Ōtsutsuki Hamura, the second of Kaguya's three children.
"What an overwhelmingly powerful being.
Has the ninja world produced someone like this during my slumber? Even Mother might not be a match for him.
He seemed to notice me earlier but didn't care…
*Sigh.* Well, I am just a dead man now, without much power to interfere in reality.
But these descendants of mine are such a disappointment—only two left? Perhaps Brother's choice back then was the right one."
As his thoughts continued, Ōtsutsuki Hamura fell silent and eventually retreated back into his statue.
The moon of the ninja world looked similar to the moon of Ye Wen's previous life, but its actual size was much smaller. In no time, Ye Wen had reached the moon's core.
Due to the lack of sufficient pressure, the moon's center wasn't a sea of molten lava.
"So this is the core of the Chibaku Tensei… Quite oppressive indeed."
Ye Wen muttered to himself for a moment before extending his mental energy toward a nearby life form.
In Ye Wen's perception, this life form's will was pure, devoid of much malice—it reminded him of the naive, youthful gaze of university students.
"Ōtsutsuki Kaguya."
Ye Wen attempted communication, sending a telepathic message.
The short name rippled through the silence like a drop of water falling into a pond.
"Who…?
Who dares call upon me?"
Perhaps due to years of isolation, it took a while for the telepathic response to register.
But true to her status as a godly being, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya quickly stabilized herself and sent a reply to Ye Wen's consciousness.
"Who art thou?"
"…" Ye Wen was momentarily speechless. Her manner of speech was indeed archaic.
But this also indicated that Ōtsutsuki Kaguya held a high position even within the Ōtsutsuki clan's Takamagahara.
"Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, do you desire freedom?"
"…"
This time, it was Kaguya's turn to fall silent. After a long pause, she responded.
"Who art thou?" Kaguya asked again.
"Thou hast no trace of chakra within thee. Art thou from another civilization?"
At this point, Ye Wen regarded Kaguya with newfound respect. Despite being imprisoned for a thousand years, she maintained her composure and engaged in conversation—she wasn't as useless as portrayed in the anime.
"And what if I am? Answer me, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya—do you desire freedom?" Ye Wen pressed again.
Kaguya fell silent once more. After a long while, she replied.
"What is thy purpose?
I cannot believe thou wouldst release me without a motive."
From her tone, Ye Wen could tell that Kaguya wasn't easily swayed.
However, years of caution had almost made Ye Wen forget that he was a peak-level God King. No matter how advanced the Ōtsutsuki clan's technology was, they couldn't harm him now. Still, it was better to err on the side of caution, so Ye Wen fine-tuned his plan further.
Though Kaguya was somewhat naive, with subpar combat abilities and not part of the upper echelons of the Ōtsutsuki clan, the clan's obsession with main and branch families meant that a significant portion of their members could potentially be swayed in the name of freedom.
If successful, this defection would undoubtedly provide decisive assistance in the upcoming inter-civilization war.
From the intelligence extracted from Isshiki, the current Kaguya was the princess of a branch family of the Ōtsutsuki clan.
As a scapegoat for her branch family's rebellion, Kaguya had been sacrificed—similar to the fate of Hyūga Hizashi in the past.
But the Ōtsutsuki clan's numbers were limited, so every member was precious.
Yet punishment by death was deemed necessary, and thus Kaguya had become the sacrificial offering for planting the Divine Tree.
Not being from the main house or possessing any special status, Kaguya lacked the "Kama" and was destined to die.
Precisely because of this intelligence, Ye Wen hadn't immediately used hypnotic techniques to extract information from Kaguya—though the fact that she, as a branch family member, lacked core knowledge was also a factor.
However, to establish a stable cooperative relationship, sincerity was key. Any underhanded tricks would surely be detected.
After weighing the pros and cons in his mind, Ye Wen replied, "Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, I am the Vast Sea God King, ruler of the Soul Master civilization. Would you be willing to serve me and carry out my will?"
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