Chapter 6: Chakra Fruit
"Are you saying I shouldn't have arranged for Kaguya to stay in the palace?"
Inside the daimyo's residence, Minamikawa Yuu looked at the old man in front of him, his expression calm.
The man wore luxurious robes and was clearly advanced in age. His hair and beard were as white as snow, yet he still carried himself with stubborn resolve even before Minamikawa Yuu.
His name was Sawada Kawano.
He was an elder retainer left behind by the previous daimyo of the Land of Ancestors, and could be considered one of Minamikawa Yuu's most senior subordinates.
Over the years, Sawada had assisted in ruling the Land of Ancestors and worked diligently.
But today, he had rushed over specifically to warn Minamikawa Yuu.
"Has Your Highness forgotten the efforts you once made to revive the Land of Ancestors?" Sawada Kawano spoke loudly. "To revive the Land of Ancestors, Your Highness once worked so hard. How can you forget now? How can you neglect the affairs of the state for the sake of a woman?"
He did not stop there.
"Furthermore, with Your Highness acting like this, are you not afraid that the daimyo of the Land of That will have objections?"
He brought up the daimyo of the Land of That.
When Minamikawa Yuu had first arrived in this world, he had promised, for the sake of stable external conditions, that he would marry the daughter of the daimyo of the Land of That.
Nominally, that princess, whom he had never even met, was his legitimate fiancée.
In the past, Minamikawa Yuu had always performed flawlessly.
But now, after meeting Kaguya, in only a short span of time, there were already signs of him neglecting state affairs.
That was what truly alarmed the elders led by Sawada Kawano, and why this admonishment came so urgently.
However, it was clear the warning had little effect.
"And what of it?"
Minamikawa Yuu met Sawada Kawano's gaze, smiled gently, and spoke in the same mild tone he used for everything.
"I have taken Elder Sawada's warning to heart. I will consider it carefully later."
Then he lifted his hand slightly, dismissing the matter like a passing cloud.
"For now, please take your leave."
In front of the elders, his attitude remained polite and steady, leaving little room for open criticism.
The superficial courtesies were fully observed.
As for whether he would actually listen later, that was his own business.
Of course, listening was out of the question.
After all, he had finally managed to latch onto a wealthy woman and live off her. The most important thing now was to enjoy it while it lasted. Why would he push her away?
As for the Land of That, Minamikawa Yuu was not worried at all.
He had spent years developing his land and had already accumulated sufficient strength.
The reason he had not broken ties with the Land of That was simple. He wanted a few more years of peace.
But if the other party really dared to say too much, then there would be nothing left to discuss.
He would simply act.
And the chances of the other side acting first were not high either.
After all, up until now, the annual tribute Minamikawa Yuu offered had not decreased in the slightest.
Even for the sake of that tribute alone, they would not easily move against him.
With Minamikawa Yuu's firm stance, the disturbance gradually settled.
After several months, the few people who still dared to mention the matter one by one disappeared.
The people of the Land of Ancestors also grew used to Lady Kaguya's unmatched status.
And so, several more years passed.
Time continued to march forward.
During those years, the surrounding world changed constantly.
Under Minamikawa Yuu's direction, the Land of Ancestors began to expand outward, annexing several small countries over time.
Within the Land of Ancestors, the population continued to multiply, creating a scene of great prosperity.
But the most noteworthy of all was the God Tree.
As the years went by, the God Tree grew even more massive. It truly looked like a divine tree now, so tall it was visible from a great distance.
During this period, Kaguya brought Minamikawa Yuu there once.
Before his eyes, she reached into the canopy and plucked a special fruit.
The fruit of the God Tree carried an indescribable mystery. The moment it appeared, it produced a powerful attraction toward Minamikawa Yuu, making him lock his gaze on it unconsciously.
"What is this?" he asked, staring at the fruit in her hand.
"This is the fruit of the God Tree," Kaguya replied.
As she looked at it, her eyes held complicated emotions.
There was heavy longing within that gaze, but also fear, and many other feelings intertwined together.
Like Minamikawa Yuu, she also felt an irresistible desire for this fruit.
In fact, because she was a member of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, her craving for it was even stronger, almost instinctive.
Minamikawa Yuu could understand, at least a little, the conflict twisting inside her.
The God Tree was a tool used by the Ōtsutsuki Clan to absorb Natural Energy and produce chakra fruits. Its purpose was to drain the energy of a planet and bear a chakra fruit.
For the Ōtsutsuki Clan, this kind of fruit carried immense value.
By consuming it, one could obtain vast power, and even directly awaken the Rinnegan, which was the standard evolution of the Ōtsutsuki bloodline.
Speaking of the Rinnegan, Minamikawa Yuu had once assumed it was a standard trait all Ōtsutsuki possessed.
But from what he had seen, Kaguya did not seem to have awakened the Rinnegan yet.
So a reasonable conclusion was that even within the Ōtsutsuki Clan, unless someone had an exceptionally pure bloodline and was born able to awaken the Rinnegan, they still needed to consume a chakra fruit to reach that stage.
Just as most members of the Uchiha Clan cannot awaken the Sharingan and remain ordinary people, a similar situation existed among the Ōtsutsuki.
But as long as they could eat a chakra fruit, their bloodline would evolve.
They would gain the power of the Rinnegan and complete their own transcendence.
The God Tree in this world had been planted for that purpose.
As for Kaguya, she was the "farmer" assigned to guard it.
As a guardian sent by the Ōtsutsuki Clan, her duty was to protect the God Tree, ensure nothing happened to the chakra fruit it produced, and wait for the arrival of the Ōtsutsuki main family.
However, judging by Kaguya's behavior right now, she had her own private thoughts about the chakra fruit.
For the Ōtsutsuki Clan, the temptation of a chakra fruit was simply too great.
Kaguya stood there for a long time, struggling as she stared at the fruit.
In the end, she gave up.
She sealed it away and did not use it.
"Not going to use it?" Minamikawa Yuu asked quietly as he watched.
Kaguya shook her head.
She looked at Minamikawa Yuu, her face as indifferent as usual, but what she said next was nothing like her usual detachment.
"If it were just me, I would have used it. Even if I were captured and taken back to the main family, it wouldn't be a big deal."
Then her gaze did not move as she spoke one more sentence, steady and clear.
"But I don't want you to die because of me, Yuu."
As her words fell, Minamikawa Yuu instinctively lifted his head, momentarily stunned.