Looking at Maiko once more, Daigo reflected before asking his question."So you want her to lead us? To lead this new Kaguya clan?"
"You understood perfectly," Akeno replied. "She is the one I chose. For a clan destined to disappear because of its arrogance and thirst for battle, I want someone pure of mind at its head."
"Hmph, I don't see why I should obey someone weaker than me!" Gekido said arrogantly.
"She is stronger than you," Akeno replied immediately. "You can test it on the training grounds if you want."
Hearing this, Maiko—who had remained slightly behind—stepped forward, trying to show confidence.
She had trained hard and reached the fourth level of cultivation, in addition to learning new techniques such as multi-shadow cloning. Even though she could no longer use her bones in combat due to the impact it would have on her body, she firmly believed she had the ability to defeat Gekido.
"She doesn't seem to have the qualities of a leader," Daigo interjected, also uncertain about her. "Strength is respected, but one must also be able to demonstrate it."
"That's why I need you," Akeno said, locking eyes with Daigo. "Maiko will grow and become the best leader your clan could ever hope for—you'll see. But for now, she'll need help keeping your people in line."
"Me?"
"You," Akeno confirmed. "Accept her as your clan leader. By her side—and by my side—you will see your clan become one of the most powerful clans to have ever existed. You will reach heights you never dared imagine, and take part in battles that will make the clan wars you've known seem like children's play."
As Gekido watched Daigo's back while he reflected on the future, the other unconscious Kaguya began to wake up.
After a few moments of thought, Daigo seemed to reach a decision."A new world? New perspectives?"Looking at Akeno, he asked, "You said you know our ancestor. Who is he?"
"Hamura Otsutsuki—brother of the Sage of Six Paths and son of Princess Kaguya Otsutsuki. That is your ancestor."
Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Daigo walked toward Maiko."If what you say is true, then I accept."
Bending one knee, Daigo knelt before Maiko and lowered his head."I, Daigo Kaguya, acknowledge my clan leader. My blade and my bones are at your disposal—for our future."
…
Meanwhile, in the Uzumaki room, the atmosphere was completely different.
Shock, surprise, disbelief—the Uzumaki who had regained consciousness didn't know how to react.
If the Uzumaki princess was standing before them, alive, then what had been the point of the war they had just taken part in?
It was because of her death that the Uzumaki clan had decided to allocate part of its forces to the war against the Uchiha.
No—more astonishing still, her body had been returned to the clan. It was impossible for the Uzumaki clan to have made a mistake in identifying the young princess's body.
In truth, there was only one explanation that could make this situation logical."Are we in the afterlife?"
Staring at the one who had spoken, Kaede replied as if it were the most normal thing in the world."Of course not."
"Phew…"
"But you're all dead," she continued.
"What?!"
"And you were saved!" Kaede exclaimed with a wide smile.
"…"
The Uzumaki were exasperated…
…
In the Hyuga room, the atmosphere was different yet again.
At first, they felt sorrow upon learning they might never see their families again, but a spark of joy ran through them when they learned they would belong to a new Hyuga clan.
A clan without a Sōke or a Bunke.
A clan where the seal on their foreheads would never again be used to force them to die for the main branch.
"You have a choice," Izaya said, his tone as cold and serious as ever."Follow me. Acknowledge me as the new patriarch of the Hyuga clan, and you will finally belong to—and be proud of—the Hyuga clan, freed from your cursed seal."
"Yes, Patriarch," the Hyuga replied in unison, kneeling.
…
In the Senju room, Renji was having some trouble with his clan members.
Umeko and Hanaki Senju were close friends. When they woke up, they were incredibly emotional and overjoyed to find each other alive.
They also recognized Renji, their former comrade who had fallen months earlier. They were happy to see him again, but as Renji explained that they were now in another world and that they had to recognize him as the new clan leader for a fresh start, they flatly refused.
"I belong to the one and only Senju clan. I refuse to betray my clan by joining a fake one!" Umeko exclaimed.
The other Senju were visibly in agreement. They were proud of their clan and had no intention of betraying it.
"But I'm telling you, this isn't a betrayal! I, Renji Senju, am proud to be a Senju, and I swear my greatest dream is to raise the Senju clan to new heights. We all died on the battlefield—we've been given a second chance in this world. Let's recreate the clan," Renji said, doing his best to make his intentions clear.
"We can look for a way to return to our world," Hanaki said, still opposed to the idea of creating a new clan.
"Bu—"
"Renji, let me explain it to them."
Stopped by Akeno, Renji fell silent and let him speak.
"Hello, my name is Akeno. I am the one who saved you."
Standing directly in front of the Senju, Akeno felt relieved that the young Senju were patient and willing to listen.
"You are all proud Senju, aren't you?"
"Of course!" they exclaimed without hesitation. What Senju wasn't proud of their origins—one of the most powerful clans?
"I myself am a great admirer of the Senju clan," Akeno said."But do you know that your clan has been manipulated like puppets for centuries? Since its very creation, to be exact."
"What do you mean?" Umeko asked, displeased and uncertain about the words of this stranger who could save the dead and travel between worlds—though that last part still needed confirmation.
"Since the creation of Ninshū by the Sage of Six Paths, a being has hidden within your world, approaching certain individuals and manipulating them to achieve his goal. The ancestor of the Uchiha clan was one of those individuals," Akeno revealed."He manipulated that ancestor into fighting his blood brother."
Up to that point, the young Senju seemed amused by the story."Serves those Uchiha right."
As Senju, they felt nothing but aversion toward the Uchiha.
"That brother was Asura Otsutsuki—the ancestor of the Senju, descendant of the Sage of Six Paths," Akeno revealed, leaving the previously smiling Senju speechless."Since then, that being has never stopped manipulating your clans—originally blood brothers—forcing you to slaughter one another to fulfill his goals."
"That's impossible!" a Senju shouted. "We have nothing to do with those demons!"
"Yet it is the truth," Akeno said coldly."You shared the same blood. While you inherited the Sage's body, the Uchiha inherited his eyes. From the very beginning, you have been turning your blades against your own family—manipulated like puppets.
Your world follows a very specific destiny. Everything revolves around fate, and one day your clan—like the Uzumaki and the Uchiha—will disappear. Unless we rebuild it before it is destroyed."
"If all of this is true, why not warn our clans?" Umeko asked, still skeptical of the stranger's words.
"Do you think that if I, as an outsider, went to your clan leader and told him he was nothing more than a puppet manipulated by hatred and lies, he would believe me? Do you think the Uchiha—or any other clan—would believe me?
That being who manipulates from the shadows is patient, immortal, and intelligent. If he senses he's been discovered, he can simply wait a few more centuries before resurfacing—long enough for his existence to be forgotten.
Moreover, as hard as it may be to believe, destiny is something very real in your world. It cannot be altered—not without a force so overwhelming that no one could ignore it. A force capable of breaking the chains of fate.
The Senju clan does not have to disappear. The Uchiha clan does not have to be annihilated. Nor do the Uzumaki, the Kaguya, or the Yuki.
I am not asking you to betray your clan. I am asking you to free it."
Skeptical, incredulous, and shocked, the Senju children didn't know how to react. How could they know if he was telling the truth?
And yet, it was true that the Senju and the Uchiha hated each other without knowing why. No one knew how that hatred had begun.
Moreover, everyone knew that the Uchiha claimed descent from the Sage of Six Paths. As eternal rivals with immense power, it didn't seem inconceivable that they too could be descendants of the Sage.
"Why would you want to save our clan, you—an outsider?" Umeko asked.
Whether he was telling the truth or not, he had saved them. She clearly remembered Hanaki's death. Thanks to him, they had been given a second chance.
If they were truly in another world, creating a new Senju clan wouldn't go against their clan. They also knew Renji—a dreamer who had always wanted to become strong enough to support the clan. He had the qualifications to become the leader of a new Senju clan.
Despite their many doubts about Akeno, they trusted Renji. Supporting Renji didn't seem impossible. In this vision, they wouldn't be betraying their clan—they would be expanding it.
"As I said, I have always admired your clan," Akeno said."But not only yours—the Uchiha, the Uzumaki, the Yuki, the Kaguya, and the Hyuga as well. I do not intend to save only your clan."
"Together, we will form a coalition of the greatest clans your world has ever known—and change our destiny!"
Extending his hand toward them, Akeno continued."I have given you a second chance. So please—give me a chance to show you the future I dream of."