He seemed to have an endless stream of things to say. A warm, sincere smile never left his face, and his eyes were clear and focused, as though he were simply sharing his experiences and thoughts with a dear friend.
Kaguya, however, remained seated like a statue carved from jade, eyes closed in quiet repose. She showed no reaction to Tenji's words—not even the slightest flutter of her lashes.
It was as if he were nothing more than an inconsequential breeze, or a noisy yet harmless bird.
"Seriously…?" Somewhere in the shinobi world, a young kunoichi covered her mouth, her expression a mixture of gossip-fueled excitement and disbelief. "Don't tell me this 'Goddess' is going to be won over by a chatterbox like him? That's way too… dramatic, isn't it?"
"Well… as much as I hate to admit it, where do you think the Sage of Six Paths and his brother came from? They had to have a father."
The moment those words were spoken, the surrounding crowd fell silent for a beat before murmurs of realization spread.
"So… this Tenji is Kaguya's future husband? The father of the Sage of Six Paths?"
"He actually seems like a decent man. Warm, kind, no airs about him."
"But… if that's true, what exactly happened later?"
Someone voiced the most crucial question, their expression turning grave.
"Could it be that this Tenji betrayed Kaguya later? Deceived her feelings? So she turned from love to hatred, completely fell into darkness, devoured the Chakra Fruit, and began altering humanity—maybe even doing something more extreme?"
"Yeah, yeah! That makes a lot of sense!"
"Otherwise, how do you explain it? At first, she only wanted to quietly plant the God Tree and occasionally show kindness. How could she suddenly change so drastically and start reshaping humanity in such a shocking way? She must have suffered a tremendous betrayal!"
The flow of time within the Heavenly Screen accelerated once more—so fast it dazzled the eye, yet it still captured every key moment with precision.
At some unknown point, Kaguya—who had long remained unmoved by Tenji's enthusiastic "one-man show"—unexpectedly nodded and accepted his proposal.
By marrying the "Divine Maiden," revered by all the people as their protector and spiritual symbol, Tenji's prestige soared instantly to its peak.
Originally, he had not been the most favored nor the most powerful among the heirs. But now, with the will of the people behind him, none could rival him.
The aging daimyō of the Land of Ancestors naturally named Tenji as his successor and, not long after, abdicated the throne.
Tenji became the new daimyō of the Land of Ancestors.
After their marriage, Kaguya seemed to immerse herself in this mortal union.
She moved away from the basin where the God Tree stood and took up residence in the modest "palace" of the Land of Ancestors.
She no longer guarded the God Tree day and night. Instead, she would occasionally gaze in its direction from afar, or accompany Tenji on designated days to the "sacred site" to receive the people's worship.
She began learning human etiquette. And under Tenji's gentle gaze, the corner of her lips would, on rare occasions, lift in the faintest, nearly imperceptible curve.
The Ōtsutsuki executor who had once cared only about completing her mission and returning to her clan seemed to be slowly eroded and changed by the ordinary yet warm atmosphere of mortal life.
Black Zetsu, who had always remained by Kaguya's side, witnessed all of this.
It no longer stayed curled within her sleeve, but often crawled about at her feet or across the palace floor like a true pet.
Finally, one day, as Kaguya sat alone once more, staring absentmindedly at the distant silhouette of the God Tree beyond the window, Black Zetsu wriggled to the hem of her dress and raised its "head," speaking in its sticky voice with concern.
"Mother~ I feel like… this isn't good."
"Weren't you here to plant the God Tree? To wait for it to bear the Chakra Fruit and complete your mission? But now… it feels like you've forgotten?"
Kaguya lowered her gaze to the pitch-black creation at her feet. Her cool expression remained unchanged, yet her eyes seemed to soften by the slightest fraction.
"What of it?" she said calmly. "The God Tree is there. It will grow and bear fruit naturally. Even from here, I can sense its condition. It changes nothing."
"But…" Black Zetsu hesitated before voicing its deepest concern.
"Mother, you can remain eternally youthful. You can live for thousands of years… but that man Tenji—he can only live a few decades."
"When the time comes… and he dies, what will you do? Will you stay here? Will you… be sad?"
The question clearly touched upon a realm Kaguya had never seriously considered.
She fell silent. For the first time, a fleeting trace of confusion flickered within her pure Byakugan.
The fundamental contradiction between a long-lived being and a short-lived one revealed itself at that moment.
After a long pause, Kaguya finally spoke. Her voice remained cool, yet carried a faint hesitation even she did not seem fully aware of.
"When the time comes… I will think of something."
She did not specify what that "something" would be—perhaps she did not know herself.
She had never thought that far ahead, instinctively avoiding a problem destined to arrive.
Black Zetsu responded with an "Oh," seemingly placated for the moment, and did not press further.
Yet it did not leave either, continuing to crawl across the floor at an unhurried pace, making faint rustling sounds.
Watching its ever-consistent, almost lower-life-form-like mode of movement, Kaguya suddenly spoke with mild exasperation.
"You always claim to be my 'child.' Then… how can you constantly crawl on the ground like that?"
She pointed at herself.
"You should… stand upright, like I do. Walk on two legs."
Black Zetsu paused briefly. Then it let out a mischievous, self-satisfied chuckle. Instead of attempting to stand, it crawled even faster and more gleefully, circling around Kaguya's feet.
"I like it this way! Look how fast I crawl, Mother!"
Kaguya: "…"
She seemed to give up correcting her "pet son's" strange habits and simply turned her gaze back toward the window.
—
In a dark corner of the shinobi world.
The real Black Zetsu, witnessing this scene, was so enraged it nearly ascended to the afterlife on the spot.
"Slander! This is blatant slander!!!"
It twisted, expanded, and contracted frantically, emitting a shriek sharp enough to pierce eardrums.
"How could I possibly crawl around on the ground like some worm?! And giggle?! And deliberately crawl faster?!"
"This is the ultimate insult to my intelligence, to my thousand-year scheme, to my great filial devotion!!"
"Who is it?! Who is making this up?!"
"I feel like someone is targeting me!!!"
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