Chapter 397
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was the daughter of the leader of the Ōtsutsuki clan.
She did not belong to the same generation as Momoshiki, Urashiki, or Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki.
Momoshiki and Kinshiki were merely the last surviving members of their branch family. Their status within the clan was similar to that of Toneri—but there was a thousand-year gap between them and Kaguya.
The Ōtsutsuki clan had planted God Trees on countless planets, and Earth was just one of them.
Kaguya's parents were killed in a rebellion within their clan.
To escape, she used a teleportation device from the Ōtsutsuki homeworld and fled to Earth alone.
Rather than calling it a journey to Earth, it would be more accurate to say she was forced into exile.
The first person she encountered after arriving on Earth was the Emperor of the Land of Ancestors.
---
One night, the Emperor witnessed an abnormal phenomenon in the sky.
He followed the celestial disturbance and witnessed Kaguya descending to Earth through the teleportation device.
After losing her home and family, Kaguya had become withdrawn.
Whenever she had a moment of solitude, she would gaze toward the God Tree.
Everyone assumed she was revering the tree as a divine guardian.
But in reality.
She was staring toward the distant Ōtsutsuki homeworld, where her parents had died protecting her.
At that time, Kaguya was still debating whether or not to consume the Divine Fruit.
She had witnessed firsthand how many members of her clan had eaten the fruit.
She knew its terrifying effects.
How it devoured a person's will, turning them into power-obsessed monsters.
She feared that if she ate the fruit, she too would lose herself and become a threat to Earth.
---
During this time, the Emperor tried to win her favor.
Having experienced countless wars on her homeworld, Kaguya immediately noticed his interest in her.
But she had no time for him.
Her thoughts were consumed by her Ōtsutsuki heritage and the looming danger from her clan.
Yet, because she had fallen from the sky, the people believed she was a goddess.
They worshiped her as a divine protector sent from the heavens.
And through their faith, the power of human prayer blessed her with pregnancy—giving her twins.
Upon discovering that she was with child, Kaguya was overjoyed.
After losing her parents, she had been completely alone.
Her two unborn children became her only emotional support.
But she never expected that her pregnancy would trigger a tragic chain of events.
---
Her maid mistakenly believed that Kaguya was pregnant with the Emperor's child.
But the Emperor himself knew otherwise.
Thus—
When neighboring kingdoms invaded, he abandoned Kaguya without hesitation.
Not only that.
He even joined the hunt to kill her.
What use was a woman carrying another man's child?
Kaguya quickly realized the Emperor's true intentions.
She had no choice but to flee toward the God Tree.
She had done nothing wrong since arriving on Earth.
And yet, she was now being hunted down like an animal.
Why?
Someone, tell me why?!
Faced with betrayal and persecution, Kaguya who had long hesitated over consuming the Divine Fruit finally made her decision.
She ate it without hesitation.
The humans of Earth were selfish and cruel.
They were unworthy of her compassion.
And thus.
The first Infinite Tsukuyomi was born.
---
Infinite Tsukuyomi was never meant to harm ordinary people.
But under its effects.
All of the Emperor's men, including the Emperor himself, were wiped out.
Although Earth did not have a moon at the time.
Infinite Tsukuyomi was a technique derived from the Divine Fruit itself.
It did not require the moon to function—the moon simply expanded its range.
Thus, the first Infinite Tsukuyomi only covered a ten-kilometer radius around the God Tree.
After destroying the Land of Ancestors forces, Kaguya used her newfound power to repel the invading armies.
But
The experience only made her colder and more withdrawn.
Her only solace was her unborn children.
Once they were born, she made her first decree.
To rule the world.
---
Kaguya knew that sooner or later, the rebellious Ōtsutsuki clan members would come looking for her.
And when they arrived.
Not only would she be in danger, but all life on Earth would suffer.
If she wanted to resist them, she needed to eliminate all uncertainties first.
So domination became a necessity.
With the power of the Divine Fruit, Kaguya's strength became unmatched.
No mortal kingdom could oppose her.
To them, Kaguya was a god.
Who would dare defy a god?
Yet, as she expanded her rule, she made a crucial discovery.
The people of Earth were too weak.
Even if she united them, they would never stand a chance against the Ōtsutsuki rebels.
She needed to make them stronger.
And she needed to become even stronger herself.
But there were no natural methods left to enhance her power.
So—she devised a solution.
She ordered humans to worship the God Tree.
This method would accomplish two things:
1. It would allow her to create a White Zetsu army, stronger than ordinary humans.
2. It would nurture the God Tree, allowing it to bear another Divine Fruit, which would make her even stronger.
A perfect strategy.
As for sharing her power with humanity?
That was impossible.
Even after devouring the entire Divine Fruit, she still wasn't confident she could defeat the Ōtsutsuki clan.
If she split her power, her chances would be even lower.
Not to mention.
Humans were war-loving creatures.
If given power, they would eventually turn on each other.
She had seen it countless times before.
So, she chose her own way.
A necessary sacrifice—hundreds of people each year, fed to the God Tree, to sustain the White Zetsu army.
---
Hamura and Hagoromo were born from the power of human prayer.
Though they inherited some of Kaguya's strength.
Compared to her, they were insignificant.
Yet, under the guidance of the Toad Sage, they discovered the truth.
That their mother had been offering human sacrifices to the God Tree.
They could not accept it.
They refused to believe that their mother, the one who had planted the tree, would sacrifice people to it.
When Kaguya took the beloved woman of the Sage of Six Paths as an offering, the war between mother and sons erupted completely.
As Hamura and Hagoromo confronted their mother, wielding Truth-Seeking Orb weapons, they demanded answers.
But Kaguya.
A woman hardened by war, betrayal, and loneliness, who had spent centuries staring at the God Tree, could not find the words.
She only uttered.
"You know nothing. Just do as I say."
"I am protecting humanity, yet you raise your weapons against me?"
"In that case… return my power to me!"
The pain of a mother, seeing her own children turning against her…
But Hamura and Hagoromo, too young to understand, fought back.
And after months of battle, they finally sealed her away.
A familiar story.
But now, as Kaguya spoke.
Orochimaru felt something new in her words.
"…What a pitiful woman."
(To be continued.)
***
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