When it came to Hagoromo Otsutsuki and Kaguya Otsutsuki, the people of the ninja world were completely clueless about them. They hadn't even heard their names.
However, Naruto was somewhat knowledgeable about them—or, rather, one of them.
Last night, after grilling the Nine-Tails again, Naruto learned that the "Sage of Six Paths," who had always existed in legends and founded the Ninja Creed to teach chakra to the world, was actually named Hagoromo Otsutsuki!
After his interrogation, Naruto went to the battle arena to "pay a visit" to this legendary figure.
Unlike other characters who had different stages or ages to choose from, Hagoromo Otsutsuki had only one form.
In appearance, Hagoromo Otsutsuki was an old man with horns on his head and a pair of Rinnegan eyes.
As a pioneer of the ninja way, Hagoromo Otsutsuki was indeed extraordinary.
But his strength... was a bit surprising.
Like old Man Madara, he belonged to the "Nanshan Nursing Home" tier and was easily taken down by Naruto.
Of course, in the real ninja world, he would definitely be a master of masters.
As for Kaguya Otsutsuki...
Also from the Otsutsuki clan, she was much more mysterious. Even the Nine-Tails inside Naruto had never heard of her.
Appearance-wise, she was a breathtakingly beautiful woman!
Her silver hair cascaded like a waterfall, and her cold, moon-like demeanor was perfectly to Naruto's taste.
However, despite being from the same Otsutsuki clan, Kaguya's appearance was vastly different from the old man's.
Her eyes were not a pair of Rinnegan, but a pair of beautiful, pure, and flawless Byakugan.
Even more astonishingly, like the god Erlang, she had a third eye on her forehead.
It was a unique Rinnegan with nine tomoe.
This appearance was truly a bit strange.
Whether it was a version issue or a missing update during his transmigration, in any case, these were the only two Otsutsuki characters in the battle arena.
With such a small sample size, Naruto didn't know if the differences between them were normal for their clan.
But one thing could be roughly confirmed: these two were ancient beings who lived a thousand years ago!
Naruto speculated that the Byakugan, the "devolved" Rinnegan, the Sharingan, and even his own "Uzumaki bloodline" all had to be inherited genetically, not just from a random mutation.
And the only ones they could have inherited from were these two.
As for their true origins?
He could let his imagination run wild!
He could at least confirm that these two were definitely not from Earth—no, not native to the ninja world.
They were two aliens!
After his initial surprise, a more critical question arose in Naruto's mind: how could he create a backstory for these two?
How could he forcibly link them to the grand plan of "unifying the ninja world"?
"Tiezhu, what do you think?"
Naruto looked up at the beautiful man with long, flowing hair who was standing respectfully.
He believed that as a journalism student, Mizuki Tiezhu must have some good ideas!
He hoped for some explosive suggestions.
"Huh?"
Tiezhu's beautiful eyebrows furrowed, and his fair face was filled with confusion. "Boss, who is Otsutsuki?"
Hmm?
Oh!
Naruto suddenly remembered that this clone was created too early, and he hadn't talked about the Otsutsuki in the group chat, so...
"Come here!"
Without another word, he grabbed Tiezhu's wrist, and a massive flood of memories poured into the other's mind like a bursting dam!
As the images appeared one after another, Tiezhu's beautiful, almond-shaped eyes grew wider and wider, his mouth slightly agape in shock, so much so that he could fit an egg in it!
He took a sharp breath,
"I can't believe there are aliens in this world. Is the map really that big? And we're all descendants of aliens!"
"Boss! This is an absolute nuclear bomb that can detonate the entire ninja world!"
His voice trembled with excitement. "If this gets out..."
"Hold on with the 'detonating.' From a journalistic perspective, write a story for these two 'alien ancestors'! The requirements are: easy to spread, captivating, and it must tie into our 'unification' grand plan!" Naruto said, giving him an exasperated look and seeking professional advice.
Tiezhu took a deep breath and calmed down. He thought for a moment.
"This needs to be done in a few steps. First, we need to establish their most crucial and eye-catching relationship anchor!"
He paused, a sly light flashing in his sparkling eyes. "Boss, how about we set them up as a pair of star-crossed lovers whose fates were toyed with?"
"Lovers?" Naruto's brow furrowed slightly. "The Nine-Tails said Hagoromo's wife wasn't Kaguya."
"No, we'll make sure this Kaguya Otsutsuki dies before the era when the Nine-Tails was born!"
...?
Naruto's interest was piqued, and he leaned forward slightly. "Tell me more!"
"Think about it, Boss!"
Tiezhu seemed to have found his source of inspiration, and his words sped up. "Throughout history, what kind of story can cross social classes, ignore cultural differences, and move people's hearts?"
"Love! Especially a beautiful and tragic kind of love!"
"The story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai turning into butterflies, the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meeting on the magpie bridge, and Lady White Snake forever trapped under Leifeng Pagoda—which one of them hasn't been passed down through the ages and moved countless people to tears? The ninja world has never seen this kind of high-level 'angst-filled romance' trope before!"
"As for why Kaguya died? It has to be to save the world! To protect the land that she and her lover cherished together!"
"Imagine this: a stunning goddess, for the sake of all living beings, resolutely sacrifices herself, separated from her beloved forever!"
"Once this story is out..." Tiezhu spread his hands, his tone firm. "It will be a huge hit! A tearjerker that will also be a viral sensation!"
Naruto nodded slightly, a hint of agreement flashing in his eyes.
In terms of spreadability, this was indeed true.
Why else would TV shows and movies in his previous life always have to include some kind of romance, even when fighting aliens? There was a reason for it.
As for the Nine-Tails' testimony?
He had already said that this story took place before the Nine-Tails was born.
"The story's framework is good," Naruto affirmed, then posed a core question. "But how do we seamlessly weave this 'deeply tragic romance' into our ultimate goal of 'unifying the ninja world'?"
Mizuki Tiezhu thought for a moment. "Boss, how about this?
We set the story 1,200 years ago, when there was a great kingdom that encompassed the entire ninja world. This is the 'ideal country' we'll portray.
However, twenty greedy Daimyo, for their own selfish desires, brazenly started a war that swept the world.
They joined forces to overthrow the great kingdom and crowned themselves the 'Celestial Dragons,' standing above all living beings!
Afterward, they divided the world, each establishing their own country and living in tyrannical luxury! They completely erased the truth of this bloody usurpation and sealed it away as the 'Void Century'!
Two hundred years later, a pair of lovers from across the starry sea arrived.
Witnessing the miserable state of the people enslaved by the 'Celestial Dragons,' they resolutely lent a helping hand.
With swift and decisive action, they swept away those 'divine nobles' who had placed themselves so high and threw them into the dustbin of history.
They then sealed away the terrifying weapon that the twenty 'divine nobles' had left behind, a weapon capable of destroying the world—the Ten-Tails!
And to complete this ultimate sealing, the goddess Kaguya Otsutsuki sacrificed herself, leaving her life behind!
She left behind her grief-stricken lover, Hagoromo Otsutsuki.
He stayed behind and spread the power called 'chakra' to the people of the ninja world."
Tiezhu finished the grand story in one breath, his eyes burning as he looked at Naruto. "Boss! What do you think of this script?"
Naruto stroked his chin, his eyes moving slightly.
Celestial Dragons?
This setting... was a bit out of place.
But the overall structure was quite captivating: it had the ideal country, the male and female leads, the sacrifice, it heavily vilified the Daimyo, and even included a part about getting rid of the Daimyo, which served as a foreshadowing for the future.
Hiss, it seemed good and very enlightening for the common people.
Unfortunately, in this story, the ideal country was just a vague backdrop, not the main content!
"I don't think that's good enough! There's too little description of the ideal country! Give me another one!"
Tiezhu wasn't discouraged and instantly came up with another story. "Boss, how about this?"
Ahem!
He cleared his throat twice and began to narrate his idea.
"The Otsutsuki clan is a cold and powerful clan from the depths of space.
They are born apathetic and see life as nothing more than grass. Their method of survival is to send their clansmen to planets rich in chakra to plant 'Chakra Trees.'
After the tree sucks the planet's essence dry and condenses a 'Chakra Fruit,' they have a 'sacrifice' who came with them eat the fruit and turn into a 'world-destroying beast' that goes on a killing spree.
After the beast kills everything and exhausts its rage, becoming weak, the accompanying 'harvester' will step in and harvest the beast, along with the refined 'pure chakra' inside it.
This... is the Otsutsuki clan's method of 'farming'!
One day, the Otsutsuki clan set their sights on 'Earth' and sent two of their members, a male harvester and a female sacrifice."
Naruto listened intently.
This beginning was also familiar, very similar to Dragon Ball, but with some modifications.
Tiezhu continued the plot:
"As a species that is naturally emotionally detached, the Otsutsuki clan even relied on cold 'breeding machines' to procreate.
However, after arriving on Earth, Hagoromo and Kaguya, the two anomalies of the Otsutsuki clan, unexpectedly developed a forbidden emotion called 'love.'"
Naruto nodded. The romance part was here.
"They broke free from the shackles of their clan and began to live happily on Earth, just like humans!
Even when the 'Chakra Fruit' that symbolized destruction matured, Hagoromo, to protect his beloved, hid it deep away.
He would rather betray his home planet than see Kaguya turn into a monster who only knew how to kill. They naively thought they could live on this blue planet forever."
"Until..." Tiezhu's voice suddenly turned cold. "The monitor from their home planet arrived!"
Excellent!
Naruto's eyes lit up. The conflict was here!
"The monitor quickly discovered the truth about the missing fruit and became furious!
The monitor's strength far surpassed Hagoromo and Kaguya's, and their combined efforts were like a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot.
The monitor coldly subdued Hagoromo, demanded the location of the fruit, and was even prepared to make Hagoromo eat the fruit and turn into a monster."
"At this critical moment!" Tiezhu's voice grew more impassioned. "Kaguya made a decision that even the monitor hadn't anticipated!"
"She broke free of her restraints! She desperately snatched and ate the 'Chakra Fruit' that symbolized destruction, turning into a monster!
But this beast, which should have been driven to kill everything, did not wreak havoc. Why?"
A knowing smile appeared on the corner of Naruto's mouth. "Because... of the power of love!"
This trope was a bit old, to be honest. It would flop in online novels!
But, in the cultural wasteland of the ninja world?
It was a complete game-changer!
As the saying goes, "when the cat's away, the mice will play."
Look at Jiraiya's Icha Icha Paradise.
Ahem, Naruto had secretly read it yesterday. Although it seemed like a naughty book on the surface, its core was a love story, and a very cliché one at that.
And it was still a bestseller?
The people of the ninja world had truly never tasted fine delicacy!
If he had known sooner, he would have written The Arrogant Hokage Falls for Me at age six!
Jiraiya earning 500 million?
Naruto's demands weren't high; 300 million would be enough!
"Exactly, Boss! It's love! It was the burning affection that transcended instinct! Kaguya, at the moment of transforming into the world-destroying beast, forcefully suppressed the monster's urges!
And she erupted with unprecedented power, killing the high and mighty monitor!"
"However... victory was the beginning of a tragedy." His tone suddenly became somber. "Her power began to spiral out of control, and her sanity was teetering on the edge of madness!"
"She tearfully begged Hagoromo to seal her before she completely devolved into a mindless monster! To protect her lover and the planet they both deeply loved, Hagoromo, with a heart in agony, sealed away the love of his life with his own hands!"
Tsk. Very good.
Naruto felt this ending worked. "And after that? How does the ideal country fit in?"
Tiezhu was well-prepared. "After sealing Kaguya, Hagoromo was heartbroken, but he stayed behind.
He established the 'Ninja Creed' and, while silently watching over his beloved next to her resting place, he spread the way of chakra to the world to resist any potential invasion from the Otsutsuki aliens!"
"He taught people to help, understand, and restrain one another. With chakra as a bond, in a world filled with war, he painstakingly carved out a 'Ninja Creed Utopia'—a place without war where all races coexisted in harmony!
This is the physical manifestation of the 'utopia'!"
"Hmm," Naruto nodded slightly, but a question arose in his mind. "The way you wrote Hagoromo Otsutsuki, he seems so pure. How will you continue the story? What about his descendants?
Also, the first half is a love story, and the second half is all about the ideal country. Won't it feel disjointed and boring? Will anyone still want to read it in the second half?"
"It's simple, Boss. Look at how I'll arrange this, and it solves everything!"
"Oh? Tell me!"
Tiezhu's next sentence immediately grabbed Naruto's attention. "On a cherry blossom-filled morning, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, among his devout followers, happened to catch a glimpse of a figure. That brief sight sent a tsunami of emotion crashing through his heart, which had been as still as an ancient well!"
"Because the side profile of that young girl was 70% similar to his impression of Kaguya!"
"Seeing that bright-eyed girl, Hagoromo Otsutsuki felt like he was seeing Miss Kaguya again! But that had been 15 years ago."
Good heavens, is this an 'Ode to Gallantry' type of story?
Brilliant!
There may not be Kaguya, but a new Kaguya would appear to take her place!
The romance plot... it was back on track!
First, an unforgettable cosmic romance, followed by the construction of the Ninja Creed for the benefit of all.
And the romance plot would continue to run throughout!
I need the next chapter! I can't sleep!