With a gulu sound, the Ten-Tails swallowed Ōtsutsuki Isshiki—who had already been chewed into fragments—down its throat.
Immediately after, the Ten-Tails threw its head back and let out a piercing roar. Its originally gray-white body gradually transformed into a dark, tree-trunk-like form. At that moment, Lily and Kaguya arrived. Seeing the Ten-Tails already possessing the embryonic form of a Divine Tree, Kaguya's pupils shrank. She knew what this meant—Ōtsutsuki Isshiki had completely vanished from this world, becoming nothing more than nourishment for the Divine Tree that was about to bear fruit.
Lily flew to Carl's side. Watching the Divine Tree continue to grow larger, she said in amazement,
"So this is the Divine Tree cultivated by the Ōtsutsuki clan? Such terrifying energy… truly extraordinary."
Carl smiled.
"After all, this Ten-Tails ate an entire Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. The fruit it bears later will definitely be stronger than the one you ate back then."
Carl didn't bother to hide this fact. Kaguya, standing behind them, heard it clearly—but at this moment, she felt no trace of greed toward the chakra fruit that was about to be born.
Back then, when she stabbed Isshiki in the back, her main goal had been to preserve her own life. Eating the chakra fruit had merely been a precaution against the possibility of other Ōtsutsuki arriving later—ultimately, it was all about survival.
Now, all of that responsibility had essentially been transferred onto Carl. And Carl clearly didn't take the Ōtsutsuki clan seriously at all. In that case, why would she make an enemy of such a powerful existence just for a chakra fruit?
Besides, she already had a history of betrayal where Carl was concerned. Since he dared to say such things openly in front of her, it meant he was already prepared. She wasn't some naïve fool who would rush headlong toward death.
At this moment, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya was extremely clear-headed. A chakra fruit? Nothing more than a curse of power. A fruit nurtured by Isshiki's entire bodily energy was better left to someone like Carl.
Under the gazes of the three of them, the Divine Tree rapidly expanded, growing into a giant even larger than the one Obito had produced in the original timeline.
At the very top of the Divine Tree, several enormous leaves slowly spread apart, revealing a comparatively small chakra fruit.
Upon seeing the fruit's appearance, Lily's expression changed in surprise.
"Why does this chakra fruit look so much like the Dark-Dark Fruit?"
Although Lily had never eaten the Dark-Dark Fruit, she had seen its records in the Devil Fruit encyclopedia, which naturally included illustrations of its appearance.
Carl was also somewhat surprised. He nodded.
"It really does look similar. Could this be another coincidence?"
Only Kaguya looked completely confused. She couldn't help asking,
"The Dark-Dark Fruit… is that a Devil Fruit from your world?"
Lily nodded in response, then flew forward and plucked the chakra fruit from the tree. The sight made Kaguya's eyelids twitch, and she subconsciously looked toward Carl.
In Kaguya's view, something as precious as a chakra fruit was definitely not something Carl would allow others to touch. Yet Carl remained perfectly calm, showing no intention of stopping or scolding Lily, allowing her to hold the chakra fruit in her hands and examine it carefully.
After looking at it for a while, Lily tossed the fruit to Carl.
Kaguya was stunned once again.
If that chakra fruit had fallen into her hands, even though she had already lost her desire for it, she certainly wouldn't have handed it over so casually like Lily did.
At least show a little reluctance, wouldn't you?!
Carl caught the chakra fruit. It felt warm in his hands, soft to the touch—slightly different from the cold, somewhat hard Devil Fruits.
Examining the chakra fruit up close, Carl couldn't help recalling the first time he had seen the Dark-Dark Fruit in the Valley of Gods.
He sighed faintly. Then, gripping the chakra fruit with both hands, he gently pulled it apart, splitting it into two halves.
He placed one half into Lily's hands and said with a smile,
"Try it. See how it tastes."
Lily frowned.
"Can this thing really be eaten in pieces? You should just eat it all yourself. Who knows what kind of Ōtsutsuki we might encounter in the future—what if—"
"What 'what if'?" Carl interrupted calmly. "Ōtsutsuki Isshiki was already considered a powerhouse among his clan. Aside from that so-called Ōtsutsuki God, no other Ōtsutsuki could be that strong. No need to worry."
As he spoke, Carl suddenly laughed teasingly.
"Wait… you're not worried that it tastes as bad as a Devil Fruit, are you? Afraid to eat it?"
Lily's brows shot up.
"I would never concern myself with something so trivial! Since you're being so sincere, then I'll—mmph!!!gulu…"
Before Lily could finish speaking, Carl suddenly made his move, roughly stuffing the fruit in her hand straight into her mouth. Because of the slightly forceful motion, pale purple juice smeared all over Lily's lips.
Lily choked and coughed several times, then glared fiercely at Carl. Carl burst into laughter.
"Don't get angry yet. Feel carefully—any changes in your body?"
The moment his words fell, Lily's eyes erupted with brilliant sky-blue light. A small, delicate horn emerged from the right side of her forehead, while twelve black Truth-Seeking Orbs appeared out of thin air behind her.
A pure white long robe draped itself over Lily's body. With a wave of her sleeve, a pitch-black staff materialized in her hand.
Seeing Lily's transformation, a trace of envy surfaced in Kaguya's eyes.
He actually gave the chakra fruit to someone else…
At this moment, Lily stared wide-eyed at Carl and asked eagerly,
"Well? Do my eyes look like yours now? Or did they turn into that… what was it you said—Rinnegan?"
Carl's mouth twitched.
Women… women… He thought to himself.
After eating something this absurdly powerful, the first thing she cares about is her appearance?
Seeing Lily's expectant expression, Carl helplessly summoned the Dark Bible, took out a mirror, and tossed it to her.
Lily immediately examined herself in the mirror. Her eyes were sky-blue, with a ring of white light surrounding her pupils. Overall, they looked like two pieces of blue amber softly glowing with light.
She was clearly very satisfied with the appearance of her eyes. Otherwise, given her personality, she would have shattered the mirror on the spot.
She nodded slightly and commented,
"Not bad. It's just that this horn looks a bit strange."
Carl suddenly stepped closer and reached out to touch the small horn on Lily's head, grinning mischievously.
"How is it strange? You look much cuter now than before!"
"...Don't use 'cute' to evaluate me!"
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+80 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg