Chapter 29: Arrangements Before Departure
"I am leaving, but I will return sooner or later."
At last, Yuu spoke to the family before him. His voice was calm, but the weight behind it made the air feel heavier.
"I hope that when that day comes, you can give me a surprise."
"Hagoromo. Hamura."
He called the brothers by name, his gaze steady.
"This country will be handed over to you from now on."
"I hope you can carry this cause forward and treat it well."
"We will."
Hagoromo and Hamura nodded solemnly, their expressions serious.
"We will take care of the country and its people until the day you return, Father."
"Then I can rest easy."
Yuu nodded, then shifted the topic, his tone lowering slightly.
"So, what about your mother?"
"What are your thoughts?"
He asked while Kaguya was away.
"Mother…"
At his words, Hagoromo and Hamura fell silent. For a moment, neither of them knew how to respond.
Yuu could read their hesitation without them saying a thing. He could only sigh, a faint weariness passing through his eyes.
"You've grown up. From now on, do whatever you believe you should do."
"I have only one request."
He looked at the two brothers, his expression turning grave.
"If one day in the future, you and your mother clash again, I am not asking you to hold back and do nothing."
"I only hope you don't go too far."
"Letting her stay peacefully in the palace is enough. There's no need to push things past that."
"Do you understand what I'm saying?"
His words were deliberate and heavy, each one landing with intent.
He made this arrangement for a reason.
In the original path of history, Kaguya's ending had been far too tragic. Defeated by her own children, sealed within the moon, left to endure lonely silence for thousands of years.
Even imagining that kind of imprisonment was unbearable.
And that was something Yuu could not accept.
As his wife, he could accept Kaguya being defeated.
But he could not accept her suffering such a miserable fate, especially at the hands of his own two children.
Because he understood that outcome, he gave this instruction now, before he left, while his words could still shape what came next.
"We understand."
Meeting Yuu's gaze, Hagoromo and Hamura exchanged a brief look, then nodded, giving their promise.
Only then did Yuu finally breathe out, the tension in his shoulders easing.
"I want to meet the Great Toad Sage behind you."
Before leaving, Yuu expressed his desire to meet the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku.
Hagoromo and Hamura naturally did not refuse. They agreed immediately.
That night, the Great Toad Sage came to the palace of the Land of Ancestors to meet Yuu.
It was the first time Yuu had ever seen him.
To Yuu, the Great Toad Sage felt unusual. On the surface, he looked like an ordinary toad, but his body was massive, and the wisdom in his eyes was unmistakable.
"Are you the Great Toad Sage?"
Yuu studied him with open curiosity.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Facing Yuu, the Great Toad Sage spoke respectfully.
"I heard you wished to see me?"
"Yes."
Yuu nodded.
"I heard you possess the ability to foresee the future, so I wanted to ask you something."
"What will my future be like?"
"Your Majesty's future is something my ability cannot fathom."
The Great Toad Sage shook his head.
"This so-called foresight is only the ability to see countless possibilities in dreams. It is far from true prophecy, and it cannot reveal everything."
"And in my dreams, Your Majesty does not exist."
"You mean you cannot see my future?"
Yuu's eyes narrowed slightly, thoughtful rather than angry.
"Yes."
The Great Toad Sage nodded.
"In fact, the future itself is already different from what I once saw."
"In my dream, your wife should have already been sealed by Hagoromo."
"But right now, your wife is perfectly fine. She has not been sealed."
Hearing that, Yuu fell silent, a quiet calculation turning in his mind.
The main reason he had wanted to meet the Great Toad Sage was to see what the other could truly do.
In the original story, the Great Toad Sage rarely stood in the spotlight, but he played an enormous role at critical moments.
Without his guidance, Hagoromo and Hamura could not have grown so quickly, nor gained the power to contend with Kaguya.
In the future, without his prophecy, Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, would never have embarked on the journey to find the so-called Child of Prophecy.
Yuu had always been curious about an existence like that, someone with such a subtle presence, yet such deep influence. That was why he insisted on meeting him before leaving.
But after seeing him in person, Yuu realized the Great Toad Sage's ability was not as absolute as people imagined.
At the very least, for an outsider like Yuu, the Great Toad Sage could not see him at all. In his dreams, Yuu had simply been absent.
"Regarding Kaguya, I have already given my instructions."
Yuu spoke softly, bringing the conversation back to what mattered.
"From here on, the authority over the God Tree will be transferred to Hagoromo and Hamura."
"I believe that under their control, the God Tree's growth can be managed reasonably. It won't continue as it did before."
Planting the God Tree was still necessary for them. Even Hagoromo and Hamura understood that.
But as long as the growth rate was controlled, and the rate at which it plundered Natural Energy was slowed, many problems could be eased, and the situation would no longer be as tense as it had become.
"I understand. Thank you, Your Majesty."
The Great Toad Sage nodded, then expressed his gratitude with solemn sincerity.
The restoration of Natural Energy in the ninja world was vital for sacred lands like Mount Myōboku.
Their very existence relied on Natural Energy.
If the world's Natural Energy were drained completely, then not only would the world collapse, sacred lands like Mount Myōboku would also crumble and eventually face extinction.
That was why the Great Toad Sage had sought out Hagoromo and Hamura in the first place. He had been trying to prevent that ending.
"I am very interested in Mount Myōboku's Senjutsu training."
Yuu continued, his tone steady.
"Can you give me a copy of the secrets recorded within?"
Obtaining Mount Myōboku's Senjutsu inheritance was his second reason for meeting the Great Toad Sage.
He already had a version of Senjutsu inheritance from Hagoromo and Hamura, summaries they had each compiled themselves.
But what they had summarized might not be suitable for him.
Their foundations were too high, and the Sage Modes they eventually trained demanded even higher requirements from the practitioner.
Yuu might not be able to meet those conditions.
In comparison, the original Senjutsu inheritance was more suitable.
Because in theory, even an ordinary person could learn it.
.....
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