Chapter 236 : Super God Tree!
Seeing this scene, the expressions of the group varied.
Nagato seemed taken aback, his gaze fixed on the expanding tree with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Yugito Nii's eyes widened slightly, her mouth slightly agape as if she had been rooted to the spot. She watched the tree grow to several times its original size in just a few breaths, an inexplicable sense of shock washing over her.
Reiko clapped and cheered, her small face blooming into a radiant smile, her eyes curving into happy little crescents.
"The tree is growing up!"
Uchiha Taiga flashed backward, retreating to the edge of the space, and looked up at the tree. His gaze swept from the roots to the canopy. The top of the tree had already hit the ceiling, its branches bending against the stone while its leaves rubbed against the surface, emitting a rustling sound.
He nodded slightly.
"I see."
His voice was low, carrying a tone of sudden realization.
"My flesh and blood acted as a catalyst."
He paused, the corners of his mouth curling up.
"If I had known, I would have given it more earlier. I was worried back then."
Nagato stood beside him, his gaze unmoving. "It was right not to give it too much flesh and blood back then, to prevent it from growing into a monstrosity that feeds exclusively on flesh."
Uchiha Taiga nodded, withdrawing his gaze from the tree to look at Nagato.
"Let's put that aside for now."
He raised his hand and pointed at the still-expanding tree.
"It looks like this growth will continue for a while. This place obviously can't hold it anymore."
The canopy had already reached the ceiling, the trunk occupied more than half the space, and the branches stretched from the center all the way to the walls.
It was still growing, showing no signs of stopping.
Nagato looked at the tree, then at the ceiling, before speaking.
"Then let's move it outside."
His voice was calm, entirely unfazed by the current situation.
Uchiha Taiga nodded, shifting his gaze from Nagato to Yugito Nii and Reiko.
"I'll handle it," Nagato said, his voice still as calm as ever.
Uchiha Taiga didn't stand on ceremony. He strode over to Yugito Nii, reached out, and took Reiko from her arms. Once in his embrace, Reiko turned her little head this way and that, her eyes fixed on the expanding tree.
"I'll take the kid up first and wait for you on the surface."
His tone was casual.
Nagato nodded without a word.
Carrying Reiko, Uchiha Taiga headed back the way they came, with Yugito Nii following closely behind. Their footsteps echoed in the cavernous space, fading from loud to soft, near to far, until they completely disappeared.
Reiko's voice could still be heard drifting intermittently from the corridor.
"What happened to the tree? Will we still be able to see it?"
Uchiha Taiga's voice drifted back, laced with a smile.
"Don't worry, you'll see it again in a little bit."
Reiko's voice returned, brimming with joy.
"Yay, okay!"
The voices grew more distant and faint until they faded away entirely.
The corridor fell silent.
Nagato stood alone in the vast space, looking up at the tree.
He activated his Byakugan. The veins around his eyes bulged slightly, extending all the way to his temples. His gaze fell upon the tree, tracing from its roots to its trunk, from the trunk to the canopy, and observing every single branch and leaf.
He inspected it meticulously.
He could see the tree's interior—the fibers of the trunk, the veins of the branches, the cells of the leaves...
He saw a unique chakra flowing within the tree, surging from the roots to the canopy. That mass of chakra was expanding.
The tree was still growing.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Taiga had already brought Yugito Nii and Reiko outside.
They stood on a small plain in the Land of Rain. The terrain was flat, offering an expansive view.
Surrounding them were rice paddies, the crops growing tall and dense in a lush sea of green. When the wind blew, the stalks rustled, sounding like hushed whispers. In the distant sky, thick, pure white clouds piled up like mounds of cotton.
Uchiha Taiga stood on the plain, sweeping his gaze over the surroundings before raising a hand to point at a distant mountain range.
"It's better to plant it in those mountains over there."
Yugito Nii followed his gesture. In the distance lay a continuous stretch of mountains. They weren't particularly tall, but they were densely packed, one peak right next to another, covered in thick, verdant forests.
She nodded.
"I think that's a suitable spot too."
Held in Taiga's arms, Reiko turned her little head, her eyes darting back and forth between the mountain range and Taiga.
She didn't fuss, simply listening quietly to the adults' conversation.
Soon, Nagato emerged from underground, coming to a halt in front of Uchiha Taiga.
Uchiha Taiga shared his idea, pointing toward the distant mountains. Nagato followed his gaze, taking in the rolling peaks, the green trees, and the blue sky. He nodded.
"Alright, over there it is."
His voice was calm.
With that, he launched himself into the air, shooting off the ground like an arrow.
His speed was incredible—so fast that he appeared as nothing more than a white blur streaking through the air, leaving a pale afterimage in his wake. He flew toward the mountain range, growing further and smaller, shrinking from a white silhouette to a tiny dot, until he vanished from sight entirely.
Uchiha Taiga and Yugito Nii remained where they were. He held Reiko, and Yugito stood beside him, both of their gazes fixed on the distant mountains.
Reiko was very well-behaved at the moment, simply nestling in Yugito Nii's arms and watching quietly. She didn't speak, her wide eyes locked on the mountain range.
Soon, as if sensing something, Reiko shifted and raised her small hand to point at the mountains.
"The tree, the tree is over there."
Uchiha Taiga smiled, simply watching in silence.
Before long, a change occurred in the mountain range.
Amidst the rolling peaks, a small patch of green sprouted from the mountains. It was tiny and faint, yet visible to the naked eye.
It grew and expanded, its canopy spreading outward. It went from a small patch to a large swath, and from a large swath to an entire expanse. It was as if someone had planted a seed in the mountains, watered and fertilized it, and watched it rapidly sprout and grow.
The patch of green was enlarging rapidly.
Even from their distance, the tree appeared to be at least four to five hundred meters tall, towering over the surrounding mountains.
Its trunk pierced straight into the sky, and its canopy formed a massive umbrella that cast a shadow over the peaks and valleys below. Its branches stretched out in all directions like countless arms, while its leaves clung densely to the boughs like innumerable scales.
It continued to grow.
At the same time, a faint mist gradually began to rise around the God Tree.
It wasn't the kind of moisture that rose from the ground, but rather a vapor emanating from the leaves, as if seeping directly from the trunk itself.
The mist was thin, draping over the tree like a veil of light gauze, yet it was distinctly visible.
Above the tree, the light seemed to dim slightly.
It wasn't that the sun had been obscured; rather, the tree was absorbing the sun's light and heat. Like a colossal sponge, it drank in the surrounding light, allowing only a fraction to filter through.
Uchiha Taiga looked at the tree and nodded.
"Not bad. It's a great success."
His voice was low, his tone laced with satisfaction.
"My theory has been realized."
Yugito Nii also stared at the tree, her brows furrowed slightly in deep thought.
"Feeding on sunlight... is that really possible?"
Even with the reality laid bare before her, she still found it incredibly surreal. After all, such a thing had never been heard of in the history of the ninja world.
Uchiha Taiga nodded, the corners of his lips curling up.
"Of course it is."
His voice was casual, as if he were stating the most ordinary fact in the world.
"Not only that, but it can also feed on cosmic rays to generate natural energy."
He looked at the tree, his eyes shining brightly.
"This is the true purpose of chakra and ninjutsu."
Hearing this, Yugito Nii could detect the obvious pride in his words.
Indeed, accomplishing such a feat was something to be proud of. However, Yugito Nii could tell that Uchiha Taiga's pride didn't stem solely from this achievement; it seemed rooted in something far more obscure.
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