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As she spoke, his swollen body began to shrink, and the dark color wrapped around it quickly faded, replaced by a slender figure.
This figure had long, white hair flowing down to her calves, and a wide robe that covered her figure tightly. Her skin was pale, her face was cold, and her eyes showed no emotion at all, as icy as a piece of frost.
"Mother!"
Black Zetsu had already hidden within the woman's sleeves, his voice cheerful and full of joy.
"Is it really so? You did it; I'm very pleased."
The woman, reveling in the long-lost sensation of freedom, smiled faintly, caring little for her surroundings.
"Mother, now is not the time to discuss this. Do you see that man? He's dangerous. We must defeat him," Black Zetsu urged.
The woman was the Rabbit Goddess, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, newly escaped from her confinement. Casting her gaze toward Ishigami Hara in the distance, she was initially taken aback, then frowned.
"That's… Hamura's descendant. That Chakra… so vast, it should all belong to me. Return my Chakra to me!"
As she spoke, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's long hair began to rise, an inexplicable aura emanating from her body. Her eyes fixed on Ishigami Hara, inexplicably filled with greed.
Ishigami Hara watched this scene, having refrained from acting throughout. Now, seeing Ōtsutsuki Kaguya escape her seal, the corners of his mouth lifted, and he smiled again.
"You finally emerged."
Ishigami Hara glanced at Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's sleeve and smiled even more. "To draw you out, I orchestrated quite a performance. Uchiha Madara was destined to fail, but from another perspective, he was successful. At least he succeeded to this point."
Ishigami Hara waved his hand, and the twenty-eight generals—his artificial life forms—changed. They closed their eyes, moved closer, and began merging with each other until they formed a single red object, less than half the size of a palm.
It resembled both a fruit and a pill, yet the intensity of Chakra radiating from it was captivating.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's gaze fixated on the red fruit, her eyes warming with desire.
"Is that… Chakra fruit?"
Ishigami Hara smiled, stepped forward, held the red fruit in his hand, and then extended it toward Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, who caught it eagerly.
"Yes, this is an elixir, the essence of a person's Chakra. Don't you want it? Then take it; eat it, and let me see what your complete state looks like."
The red fruit flew toward Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, who caught it instinctively, her gaze fixed on it, unable to look away.
"Mother, don't eat it! There's definitely some kind of trick behind this. Be cautious!"
Black Zetsu warned urgently, sensing something strange about Ishigami Hara's behavior. From beginning to end, it had all felt too orchestrated. Especially now, with him offering the Chakra fruit so readily, Black Zetsu's unease grew.
But in Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's eyes, nothing was more important than what lay in her hand.
After all… this was a Chakra fruit, the essence of an Ōtsutsuki's Chakra. Had she not rebelled, her fate would have been to transform into this very object.
Without hesitation, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya opened her mouth, eating the Chakra fruit in small bites, a look of joy crossing her face.
"Yes… this feeling… The sensation of Chakra is so wonderful."
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya closed her eyes, and two lines of tears streamed down her face.
"Mother!"
Black Zetsu grew tense, helpless to intervene. He feared the worst and kept a vigilant eye on Ishigami Hara.
Buzz!
The atmosphere grew heavy, and an inexplicable energy radiated from Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, intensifying the pressure around them.
Simultaneously, her appearance began to transform.
Two crystal-clear horns appeared on either side of her forehead, her rabbit-like eyebrows pointed outward, and black lines stretched from her lower eyelids across her cheeks.
Her exposed neck bore a ring of black lines, giving her a more eerie appearance.
"This is marvelous. I haven't felt this way in ages."
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya looked up, dazed, then raised her hand slightly, reveling in the surging Chakra within her, a satisfied smile on her face.
Then, her gaze fell on Ishigami Hara, and after a moment of hesitation, she said, "I can spare your life. Surrender to me and become my subordinate. I will grant you the Ōtsutsuki name, and you will join the branch family of Ōtsutsuki!"
Ishigami Hara's smile remained unchanged as he studied Ōtsutsuki Kaguya with a careful gaze, nodding slightly, as if understanding something.
"So, that's how it is. The Ōtsutsuki clan's hierarchy is determined by Chakra. Whoever possesses more Chakra and purer eyes is deemed the superior Ōtsutsuki, and those with less are relegated to the branch."
On Ishigami Hara's forehead, two small horns appeared, similar to hers. Compared to Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's curved horns, his horns were slightly forked and resembled deer antlers.
Simultaneously, he released the restraints on his Chakra.
Buzz!
An overwhelming aura surged forth, and the spatial pressure at that moment made Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's expression shift to one of fear as she instinctively stepped back.
"This… how can this be? It's impossible! How can you possess the aura of the main family!?"
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's body trembled, her gaze locked on Ishigami Hara, thoughts of retreat already forming in her mind.
Ishigami Hara spread his arms wide, looking up at the sky.
"You know, to maintain that previous state, I haven't enjoyed a moment of peace these past few years."
"Sealing myself away, I spent countless hours pondering over Chakra, and now… it can finally be fully released."
As he spoke, crackling sounds emanated from his body, like crisp firecrackers, each sound marking a further surge in Chakra.
"Though I don't know the full extent of your Ōtsutsuki family's structure, it seems that more Chakra and stronger eyes are the key."
"With these two principles, handling you will be quite simple."