Chapter 252 : The Otsutsuki Brothers in Yomotsukuni
Setting aside Uchiha Taiga's triumph for the moment, at the exact time the God Tree began spewing natural energy just as he predicted, an old man opened his eyes in a special dimension within the ninja world.
His expression grew heavy. Upon closer inspection, a look of sorrow could be seen in his eyes, like a compassionate Buddha witnessing an unspeakable tragedy.
If Uchiha Taiga were here, he would undoubtedly recognize this person.
Otsutsuki Hagoromo!
His escape from Uchiha Taiga had not come without a price. It was obvious that his soul had been damaged; his body appeared much more ethereal than before, his silhouette somewhat blurred.
Thus, he was currently hiding in this dimension, recovering his soul.
This space was incredibly vast, stretching endlessly beyond the horizon. It felt both real and illusory, devoid of both sky and earth.
All around were hazy points of light, twinkling like stars—dazzling and breathtakingly beautiful.
These lights varied in size and brightness; some drifted close by, while others flickered in the distance. They resembled a starry sky, yet differed from a true cosmos.
Because these points of light were neither stars, nor planets, nor any celestial bodies.
They were individual souls.
The souls of the deceased wandered in this rift between Yomotsukuni and the living world, waiting for reincarnation or eternal slumber.
Otsutsuki Hagoromo sat at the center of this space, a translucent, pale blue screen of light floating before his eyes.
Images played across it, displaying the exact moment the God Tree erupted with natural energy.
Mist cascaded down from the canopy, and colorful lights danced at its peak. The entire God Tree resembled an erupting volcano, endlessly spewing natural energy into its surroundings.
The projection also showed Nagato, Namikaze Minato, and the Nine-Tails.
Nagato stood beneath the God Tree, his red hair fluttering in the wind, the colorful lights reflecting in his Byakugan.
Namikaze Minato stood beside him, his mouth slightly agape in shock.
The Nine-Tails floated in midair, its chakra flames swaying in the mist as it tilted its fox head up to stare at the canopy.
As for Uchiha Taiga, who was clearly with them, he appeared on the screen as nothing more than an illusory silhouette.
The figure lacked facial features, expressions, or even a solid outline.
It drifted slightly in the projection like a wisp of smoke scattered by the wind, looking as though it might dissipate at any moment.
Otsutsuki Hagoromo looked at the ethereal figure and sighed.
"At this rate, the ninja world will inevitably fall under his control."
His voice was soft, as if muttering to himself.
"Given his past behavior, he will undoubtedly dictate the fates of everyone in the ninja world alone."
He paused, his brow furrowing deeper.
"If that happens, the ninja world will have no future to speak of."
He refused to let that happen. His gaze lingered on the blurry, illusory figure. He didn't even dare to observe Uchiha Taiga using the same methods he used for the others.
If he did, he would definitely be detected.
That was why Uchiha Taiga's figure appeared so ethereal on the screen—it was the result of Otsutsuki Hagoromo intentionally blurring his focus.
He could only see Uchiha Taiga's general location. He couldn't see his specific movements, his expressions, or what he was thinking.
"Furthermore, I can feel that he seems to have left some sort of mark on me."
Otsutsuki Hagoromo's voice grew even softer.
"Unfortunately, the loss of my soul's power prevented me from finding it immediately."
He looked down at his chest.
There was a faint mark there—not very obvious, but undeniably present.
It was left by Uchiha Taiga's palm.
"It seems I need to wake my brother."
His voice carried a sense of helplessness.
"But before that..."
He left the rest unsaid.
He cast his gaze toward the starry expanse of this dimension.
Otsutsuki Hagoromo raised his hand and beckoned toward the distance. A point of light drifted over from the starry sky.
It wasn't large—only about the size of a fingernail—but it was incredibly bright, sparkling in the darkness.
It floated over to Otsutsuki Hagoromo and landed in his palm.
Upon closer inspection, one would realize it wasn't just a point of light.
It was a human soul, currently in a deep slumber.
Its body was translucent and its outline somewhat blurry, but its appearance could still be made out.
It was a middle-aged man wearing shinobi attire, a forehead protector on his brow, and a ninja tool pouch at his waist.
He was someone who had died in the ninja world—a shinobi.
Otsutsuki Hagoromo looked at him and fell silent for a moment.
"I'm sorry."
His voice was faint, as if apologizing to the soul.
Then, with a squeeze of his hand, the soul shattered in his palm, turning into even finer specks of light.
These specks drifted between his fingers like fireflies before merging into his body.
His form glowed briefly before returning to normal.
Clearly, the supplement of a single soul was nothing to Otsutsuki Hagoromo.
He repeated the process.
He summoned several more souls one after another, crushing and absorbing them.
With each soul he absorbed, his body solidified a fraction more.
His outline became clearer, and his ethereal state lessened.
Only after doing all this did he feel his recovery.
He looked down at his hands.
They were still translucent, but much better than before.
He clenched his fists, then released them.
Otsutsuki Hagoromo sighed once more.
This time, his gaze turned toward the depths of the starry sky.
There lay the most dazzling star of all.
It was larger and brighter than all the surrounding lights, shining in the cosmos like a massive diamond embedded in a dark canopy.
Otsutsuki Hagoromo looked at that star and spoke.
"Hamura, wake up."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried far.
"Something capable of shaking the ninja world has occurred."
As soon as the words left his mouth, that patch of the starry sky began to tremble.
The points of light swayed as if shivering.
The space itself seemed to distort slightly, ripples appearing in the air.
In that instant, the brightest star burst with blinding radiance.
The light was so intense that it illuminated the entire dimension.
Then, the star moved.
It drifted down from the starry sky, growing closer and larger.
Its light began to retract, and its shape shifted.
It transformed from a point of light into a human figure.
The figure landed beside Otsutsuki Hagoromo and stood next to him.
He was just as old as Otsutsuki Hagoromo, his face full of wrinkles and his hair stark white.
However, his facial features were slightly different—his contours were deeper, his brow ridge higher, and his chin sharper.
He wore a long white robe and leaned on a black monk's staff.
His eyes were pure white without pupils, very similar to the Byakugan, yet distinctly different.
It was Otsutsuki Hamura.
Otsutsuki Hamura looked at his older brother, seemingly a bit confused.
"What is it, Brother?"
His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a very long time.
Otsutsuki Hagoromo didn't reply. He raised his hand and waved it in front of him.
A new screen of light materialized, displaying numerous scenes.
They were records of Uchiha Taiga's past actions and deeds.
There were scenes of his battle with Uchiha Madara.
Scenes of his fight against Senju Hashirama.
Scenes from the Five Kage Summit.
And scenes of everything he had done in Amegakure over the years.
The images flashed by frame by frame, like a movie on fast-forward.
Otsutsuki Hamura watched the scenes, his eyes fixed on the young man with black hair and the Byakugan.
His brow furrowed.
"How is this possible?"
His voice carried an irrepressible astonishment.
"Is this a bloodline reversion?"
He turned his head to look at Otsutsuki Hagoromo.
"Why does he look more like the Main House from the stars than we do?"
His tone was laced with both confusion and unease.
Otsutsuki Hagoromo looked at him, his expression grave.
"That is exactly what I am worried about."
His voice was calm, but his tone carried an indescribable weight.
Otsutsuki Hamura's gaze returned to the screen of light.
He watched the scenes for a long time.
Finally, he spoke.
"We cannot let him continue like this."
His voice was deep.
"Brother, we need to stop him."
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