"Lady Goddess."
Natsume knocked and entered.
Kaguya sat by the window, looking at the distant sky.
She was often like this.
Hearing Natsume's voice, she turned her head, white eyes falling on him.
After two years together, she completely trusted her servant.
She'd even developed a slight dependence.
Because she did nothing and harvested good chakra every day.
She had wondered: if one day Natsume left her due to lifespan ending, what would she do?
She would surely be at a complete loss.
She wasn't very knowledgeable to begin with, and after having Natsume, this had only become more pronounced.
To put it simply, she had been raised into a cripple.
Aside from raw power, she relied on Natsume for everything.
In short, this servant was very good.
She was reluctant to part with him.
"I need you to find someone for me."
Suppressing the sudden cascade of thoughts, Kaguya said expressionlessly, "My enemy, named Otsutsuki Isshiki."
"Any leads?"
Natsume asked calmly, "As long as there's a distinct trait, I can have the entire shinobi world look for him for you."
Kaguya was slightly taken aback.
Why didn't I think of Skynet?
Those ants might be weak, but they win by numbers.
And given Otsutsuki Isshiki's arrogance, he disdains such weeds.
Without precautions, he could be found.
If Kaguya searched herself, there was almost no hope.
Isshiki knew she wanted to kill him—any sign of danger, he'd flee without hesitation.
Kaguya looked at Natsume, once again surprised by his keen mind.
She should've told him about Isshiki earlier.
Maybe they'd have found him by now.
"He should currently be lodged in a human."
Kaguya thought, then said, "This human will not age or die, and there's a black diamond mark on his palm as a sign."
"That's enough."
Natsume smiled. "Don't worry, Skynet will drag him out."
In truth, he knew slightly more than Kaguya did.
For example, Isshiki had lodged in a monk named Jigen.
As long as it's a person, there are traces.
Unless he stayed in some extremely hidden place.
Seeing his smile, Kaguya's lips also faintly curved.
The worry and vexation in her heart suddenly eased.
She pondered and said, "Once Isshiki is found, I'll give you a better reward."
Natsume's eyes lit up.
Better than a kiss—what would that be?
He felt instantly motivated.
"Lady Goddess, Skynet needs your help with something."
Watching her expression and noting her reaction, Natsume continued, "I hope you'll set a button on all login devices that can contact you. They're about to start the unification campaign and might run into gods. If they die, we'll have to spend time retraining them."
"Okay."
Kaguya nodded.
She wasn't about to let someone else harvest her leeks.
"Summoning you won't be free, of course."
Natsume added, "I'll set a reasonable chakra currency amount."
Looking at him, a thought suddenly arose in Kaguya's mind.
Why not turn him into a branch-member Otsutsuki?
He was just that useful.
Though she hadn't met many beings, she had interacted with the exalted main-house Otsutsuki Isshiki.
Setting aside bloodline and power, she considered Natsume a hundred times better.
With him, her second chakra fruit didn't seem far away.
"What is it?"
Natsume was puzzled.
He actually felt a hint of aggression in her gaze.
Not uncommon.
That's how she looked at chakra.
But toward a human—for the first time.
Natsume wondered if he was about to rise up—flip the script and be the master?
"It's nothing."
Kaguya withdrew her gaze. "Go do your work. In a couple of days, I'll teach you Summoning."
Natsume nodded. He didn't dare ask further and pressed his curiosity down.
Unifying the world was a big deal.
Though he'd posted the quest, he didn't want the players' power spread thin.
They were still relatively weak.
If they ran into the Three Great Holy Lands or a god, they could be wiped.
Hence he'd have Kaguya bestow a summoning method.
Now that was a true forbidden technique.
He also had a login device, and it didn't cost him. He could use it freely.
At least in this world, he could walk unhindered.
Thinking as he walked, Natsume arrived at the square.
It was now designated as a skill-learning area, with two permanent instructors:
Hagoromo and Hamura.
Speaking of those two—Natsume could only envy.
The elder was born with Rinnegan, the younger born with Byakugan.
Beyond that, their talent was monstrous.
They learned anything after seeing it once.
As a teacher, he was mad enough to vomit blood.
Two years old, seriously?!
In terms of strength, Hagoromo—the Sage of Six Paths—was about to surpass him.
Hamura was a bit dimmer—maybe due to his personality.
Carefree and boisterous.
Hagoromo already had the vibe of the future Sage:
Calm, smart, steady.
To Natsume, he was a perfect tool.
Natsume had assigned Hagoromo to develop the Five Nature Transformations.
With his future knowledge as a base, it was faster than creating from nothing.
Thus, Hagoromo admired him.
He could casually think up an interesting ninjutsu.
Hmm, what was that called?
Natsume thought: I'm basically teaching myself.
"Teacher."
Hagoromo greeted politely.
"Teacher!"
The same address, but Hamura's volume doubled, his face bright with a warm grin.
"How are things?"
Natsume nodded and asked.
"They learn so slowly."
Hamura scratched his head. "Why is that?"
Because you're not human.
Natsume grumbled inwardly but said, "It's a talent issue. You and your brother are heaven's favored, with exceptional gifts. They're far behind."
"Oh!"
Hamura's face lit up, excited. "So I'm a genius!"
"Today's lessons are done."
Natsume patted Hamura. "Go play."
They were only two-year-olds; play was more in their nature.
Hearing this, both brothers happily left the square.
"I've posted the first main quest: unify the world."
Natsume turned to the crowd on the square. "There are many side quests under the main quest, each with its own rewards, so work hard."
"Yes!"
The response came as one.
They were quite obedient.
"Next, you three thousand will form the Land of Ancestors' first ninja army. Let's call it the Goddess Corps."
Natsume casually named it. "Rest for three days, then set out for our neighbor, the Land of Theirs. Take them."
The cheers were louder.
In national strength, the Land of Theirs was stronger than the Land of Ancestors.
Being so close, the two had long had friction.
Each time ended with the Land of Ancestors suffering.
Over time, an irreconcilable hatred formed.
Now they had a chance for revenge—they were thrilled.
"There's also a hidden quest, which will unlock when you meet certain conditions."
Natsume smiled. "Complete it for very generous rewards."
This hidden quest was to find Otsutsuki Isshiki.
Of course, he didn't write the name—only the traits.
Seeing the crowd brimming with fighting spirit, Natsume left the square satisfied.
…
Mount Myoboku.
Gamamaru—the Toad Sage—listened with a grim face after the report.
For two years, it had focused on Kaguya, Hagoromo, and Hamura.
It ignored Natsume.
He seemed like an ordinary human—a lucky guy chosen by Kaguya.
No, not lucky—unlucky.
He was destined to die.
But now the Toad Sage suddenly realized a big problem.
When Skynet appeared, it hadn't been alarmed.
Only when a three-thousand ninja army formed did it roughly understand Kaguya's aim.
To harvest humans gently to feed the God Tree.
Given Kaguya's character, she couldn't have conceived such a bizarre scheme.
There was only one culprit:
Natsume.
The Toad Sage's face turned thundercloud dark.
A human, yet serving an alien—detestable!
But it had a doubt.
Why didn't its prophecies include Natsume?
As if he had appeared from thin air.
Unscientific.
Why could Kaguya randomly pick a person and get someone this smart?
Was she truly favored by fortune?
"They must be stopped."
The Toad Sage ordered in a deep voice.
They couldn't beat Kaguya—but these three thousand ninja were nothing.
Stop them and the pace would be slowed.
Besides, this Natsume must not be allowed to live.
In two years, he'd caused this much trouble.
Let this continue and it would be disastrous.
A powerful Kaguya without wisdom could still be beaten.
But a powerful Kaguya with wisdom—how do you fight that?
…
Three days flew by.
"So delicious!"
Hamura wolfed down food, exclaiming as he ate.
"Hamura, don't shout while eating."
Hagoromo chewed elegantly and reminded him.
Kaguya tilted her head slightly, glanced at the brothers, pressed her lips, and showed a gentle smile.
At that moment, she revealed a trace of maternal glow.
Though in essence, she was still a maiden.
"Mom, I was reading the book Teacher gave me yesterday, and I have a question."
Hamura ignored Hagoromo's reminder and looked up.
The books Natsume gave them weren't from the Sacred Ring of Fate, but from this world.
Just in case the two figured things out and decided not to be ninja but to be a leaders.
That would be something.
"What is it?"
Kaguya asked calmly.
"It says all children are crystallizations of their parents' love—so where's my dad?"
Hamura asked with innocent curiosity.
"Crystallization of love?"
Kaguya instinctively looked at Natsume.
Bewilderment filled her eyes.
What is love?
Why do a man and a woman together produce a child?
Noticing her gaze, Natsume's face stiffened.
He knew the principle.
But how was he supposed to explain that?
"I get it!"
Hamura looked at Kaguya, then at Natsume.
His clever little brain whirred.
"Teacher is my dad!"
Hamura declared, excited.
Two reasons for the excitement:
First, he didn't dislike Natsume; on the contrary, he liked Natsume's care and weird ideas.
Second, he thought he'd solved the riddle of his origins.
Natsume was dumbstruck.
"Hamura, don't say nonsense."
Hagoromo was clearly more mature than his scatterbrained brother. "Teacher isn't our dad."
He could tell Natsume and the three of them weren't even the same species.
The books he'd read said only the same kind could have offspring.
"Ahem, your mother is the Lady Goddess, so it's… special."
Natsume glanced at Kaguya.
She should've explained—but she was staring off, probably still wondering what "love" was.
"So we don't have a dad?"
Hamura looked disappointed.
"It's fine. You don't have a dad, but you have a teacher."
Natsume smiled and comforted him.
Hamura was just a child; his emotions rose and fell quickly. Soon he was back to his eating crusade.
"The ninjutsu you wanted is complete."
Kaguya moved her head slightly and returned to herself, no longer thinking about other things.
"Thank you."
Natsume held out his hand, thinking how useful Kaguya was.
Next time, if he had the chance, he'd have her create a ranged Gentle Fist.
Kaguya said nothing, took his hand, and transmitted the ninjutsu.
Seeing this, Hamura's eyes swiveled as if he were plotting something.
Natsume reviewed the information in his mind and nodded.
This summoning jutsu perfectly met his requirements.
Hmm—call it Goddess Summon.
After eating, Natsume went to the square.
"War often means sacrifice."
He began his speech. "Though you're stronger than ordinary warriors, you can still be injured and die. But we have the Lady Goddess. In her great mercy, she bestows two divine arts that you can all use."
Natsume added Goddess Summon and Resurrection to the Skynet login devices.
Instantly, the square erupted with shock and cheers.
"Resurrection? We can be resurrected?!"
"Doesn't that mean we won't fear death anymore?!"
"…"
"Lady Goddess!"
"Lady Goddess!"
All the talk eventually condensed into four words.
Natsume smiled. He didn't care about their loyalty—after a thousand years, none would remain anyway.
"This expedition prioritizes captives—understand?"
He planned to sort out those who submitted and make them new players, and toss the diehards to Kaguya as White Zetsu.
Natsume worried that Skynet might erase the White Zetsu route.
That impact would be too great—a net loss.
"Understood!"
The three thousand of the Goddess Corps set off for the neighboring country.
Natsume didn't go.
It was too boring—better to keep Kaguya company.