Chapter 416: Brother
AFTER A FEW MINUTES, Arthur found a new passage.
’The betrayal of my former partner was not out of greed. He was my failsafe in the event I became unsuccessful in using the tree’s power on my own. Deep in the valley’s edges, I left his body half dead. Enough for me to use it as insurance, but not enough for him to sustain himself. I was a fool to have thought that. For when I returned, he had vanished. Only by using his Kāma to find a new vessel could he have possibly survived. That is the only way. Even now, I can feel his presence lingering somewhere in the shadows, waiting to accomplish our clan’s mission. And when he does, I will be ready. Be it decades or centuries, my vigilance knows no bounds.’ – Kaguya’s Legacy, page 15.
After reading this passage, Arthur was left in riddles.
Kaguya had still failed to mention any name regarding who her partner was. If he were to guess, this same partner must be related to part three of the series. Otherwise, he would have known who it was.
Not all was lost, however. Kaguya believed that her partner had survived because of this thing called "Kāma". That term was written somewhere in this book.
For the remainder of the night, Arthur researched what Kāma was and how it could perhaps give him some clues. What he discovered was only a little interesting.
Kāma was a special seal used by the Ōtsutsuki clan to store a compressed copy of a member’s biological data. Its appearance resembled a pyramid-shaped barb embedded in the body. This seal could be embedded into another, suitable body to form a vessel.
Over time, the Kāma would gradually overwrite the vessel’s genetic makeup until the person transformed into a perfect Ōtsutsuki. If the Ōtsutsuki was killed, their soul could migrate into the vessel, anchored by the Kāma, and eventually reincarnate by fully taking over the body. This process was automatic if the right conditions were met. Otherwise, a member would have to rely on rituals (or technology).
What Arthur found interesting was that the Kāma allowed vessels to access some of the Ōtsutsuki’s powers and abilities, such as enhanced speed, strength, and chakra absorption. The seal also enabled space-time ninjutsu, creating portals to different locations. When fully activated, the Kāma’s markings would spread across the vessel’s body, sometimes changing patterns or colors depending on the abilities being used.
Not everyone could become a vessel for the Kāma. Compatibility was rare and often unpredictable. If the process was unsuccessful, the recipient could suffer a fatal seizure.
Sometimes, individuals who were incompatible survived but gained a variant called the White Kāma, which didn’t allow them to house an Ōtsutsuki’s soul but still granted them tremendous power and the ability to transform into a new Ōtsutsuki. This meant they weren’t true celestial beings but were still dangerous due to their heightened abilities.
While powerful, the Kāma had drawbacks. Its application required a lot of energy, and incompatible vessels could be damaged or die quickly. Activating the Kāma caused pain, especially for those less experienced, and overuse could cause physical breakdowns.