Before they ever had the chance to truly speak...
Before they could honestly communicate...
Before they could even try to find a way for both sides to coexist...
He—the self-proclaimed "one who knew the truth"—had already condemned them.
Unilaterally.
Coldly.
Without ever giving them the opportunity to fully defend themselves or engage in an open and honest conversation.
"So... after all these years..."
"I've lived..."
"...such a miserable failure."
Uchiha Itachi clenched his teeth so tightly that the veins on his temples bulged.
An overwhelming bitterness, mixed with endless regret and self-loathing, surged up from the depths of his throat.
For so many years, he had believed that by bearing every sin upon himself and choosing the most painful yet "correct" path, he had been a farsighted man who endured suffering for the greater good.
Only now—
After the Heavenly Curtain had reflected his life back to him again and again like a cold, merciless mirror—
Did he finally see the stubbornness, arrogance, and cruel indifference toward those closest to him that lay buried within his soul...
The very same flaws that Hagoromo had possessed a thousand years ago.
Perhaps the "greater good" he had always believed in had been built from the very beginning upon a distorted conviction that refused communication and understanding, convinced only of its own righteousness.
Within the Heavenly Curtain, the heated argument between the two brothers ended in complete deadlock.
Hagoromo's face was as dark as storm clouds.
He cast one final look at his younger brother.
There was no warmth left in his eyes.
Only icy resolve...
And anger at being misunderstood.
Without another word, he turned sharply, his robes billowing behind him as he strode away without looking back, carrying with him both suppressed fury and profound loneliness.
Hamura remained where he stood.
Watching his brother's figure disappear beyond the doorway, countless emotions welled up inside him.
In the end, all he could do was let out a heavy sigh and slowly shake his head.
Softly, he murmured—whether to his departing brother or merely to convince himself, even he did not know.
"Brother..."
"I truly don't understand why you harbor such deep prejudice against Mother."
"Even if some of Mother's actions are open to debate..."
"We are still family."
"We share the same blood."
"We grew up together."
"Can that bond really mean less to you than a few words spoken by a toad that suddenly appeared out of nowhere?"
"The things you've said..."
"It's not that I don't believe them."
"And it's not as though I haven't noticed that something is unusual about the God Tree."
"But even if the God Tree truly is absorbing this world's energy..."
"So what?"
"Should we really listen to an enormous toad of unknown origin—whose motives are equally suspect—and turn against our own mother, the one who gave us life and raised us, simply because what she's doing might have some unclear and perhaps not even fatal effect on this world's balance of energy?"
To Hamura...
That was absolutely unthinkable.
It violated the very principles of family.
It was an absurd betrayal of blood ties.
More importantly...
The Great Toad Sage's terrifying prophecy that the world would eventually be destroyed still lacked a single piece of tangible evidence.
The world remained stable.
The sun and moon continued their endless cycles.
Life flourished as it always had.
Yet Hagoromo had become so obsessed with nothing more than a possibility that he was willing to sever ties with his own family.
Hamura simply could not accept such thinking.
Nor could he follow it.
Once he sorted through everything in his mind, the scales in his heart finally tipped decisively.
All hesitation disappeared.
Immediately, he turned around.
Instead of returning to his own residence, he headed straight for the palace surrounding the God Tree, where Kaguya resided.
He wanted an answer.
A direct answer from his mother herself.
He believed she would never lie to him.
Inside the palace...
Kaguya appeared to have anticipated his arrival.
She waited quietly.
Standing before her, Hamura dispensed with formalities and immediately asked the question that mattered most.
"Mother..."
"Is the God Tree's growth truly harmful to this world?"
Kaguya lifted her pale eyes, her gaze calm beneath the crimson eye upon her forehead, and looked steadily at her thoughtful younger son.
She showed neither displeasure at being questioned nor any attempt to evade the issue.
Instead, she gave a slight nod.
Her voice was cool and composed, as though she were merely stating an objective fact.
"The God Tree absorbs the Natural Energy that permeates this world."
"If you ask whether it is harmful..."
"Then yes."
"It continuously gathers and consumes Natural Energy, causing its concentration throughout the world to gradually diminish."
"For those who cultivate by utilizing Natural Energy..."
"That is indeed disadvantageous."
"It will make such cultivation increasingly difficult."
"And eventually..."
"No one in this world will be able to cultivate it any longer."
Her explanation was straightforward.
Neither embellished...
Nor exaggerated.
To her, it was simply an objective truth.
One disadvantage among many considerations.
Hearing those words, the weight pressing upon Hamura's heart vanished instantly.
Without the slightest hesitation...
He believed his mother completely.
Because he knew her better than anyone.
Kaguya was aloof by nature.
Direct in both word and deed.
She neither disdained lying nor had any need to lie.
If she said it was so...
Then it had to be true.
As for the world's destruction?
To Hamura, that was obviously nothing more than an alarmist exaggeration fabricated by the Great Toad Sage to manipulate his older brother.
So what if the God Tree absorbed some Natural Energy?
At worst, cultivating Senjutsu in the future would become more difficult.
How had that somehow become the destruction of the entire world?
His brother really had been deceived.
With everything finally falling into place, Hamura felt as though a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
His earlier anxiety and gloom disappeared.
A faint smile of relief even appeared on his face.
He already knew what he needed to do.
"My brother must have been deceived by that scheming toad."
"I finally understand everything."
"If the God Tree merely absorbs Natural Energy without destroying the world..."
"If it doesn't affect Mother's rule or the lives of ordinary people..."
"Then let it absorb all it wants."
His tone became noticeably lighter, even carrying a trace of dismissal.
"And even if the God Tree eventually absorbs all the Natural Energy..."
"So what?"
"Who in this world truly knows how to use such intangible power?"
"For the overwhelming majority of people, it changes absolutely nothing."
"Those who struggle every day simply to find enough food have no connection whatsoever to Natural Energy."
"It cannot protect them."
"It cannot bring them peace."
"The only one who can do that..."
"...is Mother."
"And once Mother's anger over the betrayal subsides..."
"She can always choose to abolish the human sacrifices."
"That..."
"...is the true path."
"My brother..."
"...is making far too much out of this."
"I'll find a way to bring him back."
"I'll make him see the Great Toad Sage for what he truly is."
"And I'll make him understand Mother's good intentions."
At this moment, Hamura was filled with confidence.
He believed he had uncovered the truth.
He believed he had seen through both his brother's obsession and the Great Toad Sage's deception.
He chose to stand beside his mother.
And he resolved to save the brother who had, in his eyes, lost his way.
He did not know...
That once a fracture had formed...
It could no longer be mended.
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