Kaguya stood high in the sky, looking down at the world below that had been completely enveloped by the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Moonlight spread across the land like a silver veil. Everything had fallen into eternal sleep. The world was silent.
Kaguya narrowed her eyes slightly. Her figure flashed, and she sped toward the Land of Ancestors.
The royal palace of the Land of Ancestors had already fallen completely silent.
Kaguya landed in the familiar palace corridor and slowly walked inside.
She pushed open the doors to the bedchamber. Her eyes swept across the empty bed and the furnishings around it.
The corpse of the Emperor of the Land of Ancestors was gone.
"Something's wrong."
Kaguya frowned deeply, a trace of coldness flashing through her eyes.
Even under the Infinite Tsukuyomi, although all living beings would fall into an illusion and sleep, corpses would not disappear into thin air.
What's more, with the Emperor of the Land of Ancestors' ordinary mortal body, he should have been lying here peacefully under this technique.
She stretched out a hand, sending out a trace of chakra to carefully sense the lingering aura inside the hall.
She sensed nothing.
A chill rose in Kaguya's heart. She vaguely realized that things were far more complicated than she had imagined.
'A mere mortal could not simply vanish like that.'
At that moment, Kaguya unconsciously placed a hand over her lower abdomen.
Her once-flat stomach was now slightly swollen, and a strange pulse of life came from within.
Kaguya's body stiffened slightly. She lowered her head to look at her belly, her eyes filled with complicated emotions.
Kaguya had originally planned to get rid of this child.
But now...
"I actually became pregnant with that useless man's child..."
Kaguya closed her eyes and sighed softly.
She had kept the Chakra Fruit for herself and personally fed Isshiki Otsutsuki and the suddenly appearing Reki to the Ten-Tails.
Sooner or later, the clan would learn of it.
The Otsutsuki Clan would never tolerate such betrayal. When the time came, they would surely send even stronger members to hunt her down.
"I can only use these few years before they arrive to increase my strength as quickly as possible."
Kaguya's gaze fell back to her stomach, and her eyes gradually became resolute.
This child carried the bloodline of the Emperor of the Land of Ancestors. Perhaps the child could also inherit part of her power.
If raised properly, the child might become her most reliable ally, perhaps even her greatest trump card in the future.
After that, she would use the Infinite Tsukuyomi to cultivate an army of White Zetsu.
Thinking of this, she gently placed her palm on her stomach.
Kaguya closed her eyes and silently cursed.
Outside the palace, the light of the Infinite Tsukuyomi still covered the entire world. Everything seemed to be progressing according to her plan.
Yet a faint uneasiness had quietly appeared in Kaguya's heart.
She turned and left the bedchamber, her figure once again disappearing into the sky. High above, Kaguya clapped her hands together.
"Infinite Tsukuyomi: Partial Release!"
Kaguya released part of the population from the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
In the days ahead, she would have to make use of every moment to prepare for the coming storm.
———
On a hillside, a gentle breeze blew.
"Arisu, what would this world do without you..."
Arisu shook his head. With his hands behind his back, he quietly gazed at the white figure in the sky, Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Just then, Aino quietly appeared behind him.
"I never imagined... Sister Kaguya's identity was actually like this..."
She looked up at Kaguya in the sky. Her eyes were full of shock and mixed emotions as she murmured softly.
Arisu turned his head slightly and looked at her with a gentle gaze.
As soon as the Infinite Tsukuyomi descended, he had secretly acted, enveloping Aino within his domain and making her completely immune to the illusion that had covered the entire world.
Aino asked worriedly, "Won't Sister Kaguya see us?"
Arisu raised a hand slightly.
"It doesn't matter. We're currently in Observer Mode. She can't see us, nor can she sense our existence."
Aino nodded, half understanding.
Then she looked up at Arisu. With a complicated expression, she bit her lower lip lightly.
"I... how should I address you..."
"Just call me Arisu."
Arisu answered without turning around.
Aino looked at Arisu's incomparably handsome face, as ethereal as an immortal banished from the heavens. She was dazed for a moment before gently nodding.
Arisu turned around and looked directly into her eyes.
"You can make your choice now."
"You can leave on your own. I'll send you to a peaceful place untouched by war, where you can live your life freely from now on."
Without the slightest hesitation, Aino immediately knelt to the ground and bowed in the most respectful manner of a servant.
"There's no one left in the world... I wish to stay by Lord Arisu's side and depend on you for the rest of my life. Would you please take me with you?" Aino said.
Seeing this, Arisu nodded lightly.
To be honest, being a lonely observer all by himself was rather boring.
He waved his hand.
With Aino, his figure flashed, and they instantly disappeared.
———
[Outer Space]
A triangular spatial rift glowing with Sage Art light appeared out of nowhere.
Arisu and Aino stepped out of it, arriving in a space he had personally created.
It was similar to the Pure Land, but this was an independent dimension created by Arisu. Even those with spatial abilities could not enter it.
The place was filled with brilliant starlight, a pure land existing independently of the real universe.
Aino stared at everything before her in complete astonishment. She was so shocked that she could barely speak. After a long while, she finally asked in a trembling voice, "My lord... are you a god?"
Without turning around, Arisu said, "I am not what you call a god."
"I am the Observer of this world."
"I exist beyond cause and effect, above the timeline."
"I was born before chaos first began, and I remain after all things come to an end."
"Everything you have experienced, reincarnation, fate, even the arrival of those uninvited guests, has unfolded beneath my gaze.", Arisu spoke slowly.
Hearing this, Aino's delicate body trembled violently. Deep shock and reverence filled her eyes as she stood frozen in place.
She had never imagined that the "Emperor" she followed was such a transcendent existence.
What Aino couldn't understand was why someone like him had chosen to play the role of the Emperor of the Land of Ancestors.
She didn't dare ask.
Arisu continued, "In the future, your world will be visited by a great number of outsiders. They call themselves transmigrators. They carry powers that don't belong to this world and seek to disrupt the course of fate."
"My duty is to ensure this timeline is not completely thrown into chaos. When necessary... I will personally eliminate those who bring disorder."
"The Emperor of the Land of Ancestors was one of them. I dealt with him.", Arisu explained to Aino.
"My lord... so you've been silently protecting this world all along... This servant, this servant wishes to follow by your side forever and serve you with all my strength.", Aino said.
Arisu glanced at her.
"You should read more books. Your education is too poor."
Aino turned around and saw that, at some point, numerous bookshelves had appeared behind her.
Arisu said, "Study well. I happen to need a clerk."