"Then the peace Mother brought would no longer be a cold order defined merely by the absence of war. It would become a truly beautiful world—filled with warmth, cooperation, and shared goodwill!"
"And in that world, everything would flourish!"
The thought stirred Hagoromo deeply.
He could almost see a future woven from countless strands of benevolent strength.
Eager and hopeful, he sought out the person closest to him—his mother—to share this vision and seek her approval.
But when he stood before Kaguya and explained his idea of cultivating more kind-hearted individuals with power to help the world, he was met with a harsher rebuke than before.
"Absurd!"
Kaguya's voice was colder than frost. Her pale Byakugan eyes held absolute rejection—and a trace of disappointment.
"I granted them peace and the right to live. That is already immeasurable grace. And now you would spread power among them?"
"Hagoromo, you disappoint me."
"Power is not a tool for pleasing ants or satisfying their endless demands."
"It is the foundation of order. The bedrock of deterrence. And it belongs—to us."
"Discard these impractical fantasies and fulfill your proper role."
Hagoromo staggered back as if struck. His face turned pale.
He could not understand why helping others—making the world better—was considered "absurd."
Was power meant only for rule and intimidation?
Why could it not be shared—so that all might govern it together?
Hamura, seeing his brother's dejection, tried to persuade him.
"Brother, why cling to this? Perhaps Mother is right. The world is already peaceful. People live and work in stability. Why must you always seek change—doing things Mother believes meaningless?"
Hagoromo raised his head. The idealistic light in his eyes had not dimmed. If anything, hardship had sharpened it.
"No, Hamura."
He shook his head slowly but firmly.
'It is already good enough' is never a reason to stop striving."
"Because we see the possibility of something better—because we know more people still need help—we must not be content with the present."
"Peace should not be stagnant and cold. It should be warm and evolving—allowing everyone to feel hope and the possibility of improvement."
Though rebuffed again, Hagoromo did not abandon his goal.
Instead, he turned to the technical problem.
If the idea was sound, then the key lay in this question: How could others gain chakra—or something like it?
He began studying methods of guiding, imparting, or enabling ordinary humans to adapt to chakra.
But as his research deepened, a harsh truth gradually emerged.
Just as Kaguya had said, the natives of this world differed fundamentally from the Ōtsutsuki Clan in both physiology and essence.
They seemed to lack a critical "interface" or "vessel"—something required to naturally generate chakra, or to stably contain and store external chakra energy.
Before Hagoromo could make a breakthrough in chakra compatibility, a long-brewing storm erupted.
The daimyō who had long coveted "divine power" in secret began to act openly.
They had observed Kaguya's cold response to her people's pleas—and noticed that Lord Hagoromo appeared more inclined toward dialogue and assistance.
They misjudged the situation.
No longer content with private ambition, they united and began subtly manipulating public opinion within their territories.
They stopped praising the peace granted by the "Rabbit Goddess."
Instead, they spoke of oppression.
They accused Kaguya of imposing order through force, stripping nations of autonomy.
They condemned her for hoarding divine power.
Some even implied she was not a true guardian, but an aloof outsider who regarded humanity as ants.
They publicly declared their withdrawal from her "unreasonable" rule and ceased offering tribute to the sacred domain.
The situation deteriorated further.
The armies originally formed by the various nations—nominally under Kaguya's command to maintain peace—began to fracture.
Large-scale mutinies erupted.
Many mid- and lower-ranking officers had long been influenced by their superiors' hunger for divine power—or harbored resentment toward Kaguya's prolonged coldness and perceived injustice.
They gathered and turned their blades toward her.
Their demand was clear:
If they were to remain loyal and continue upholding the order she had established, they must be granted power like that of the Divine Prince.
Their loyalty had become a bargain to negotiate.
When word reached the God Tree, Kaguya—who had long maintained outward calm through absolute strength—finally revealed her true emotions.
She felt affronted. Challenged.
And deep beneath it all burned fury—that ants dared defy their sovereign.
"Betrayal."
A frigid light flashed within her Byakugan.
"They dare… betray all that I have bestowed."
Hagoromo, who had been closely watching events unfold, hurried to her side in alarm.
"Mother! Please calm yourself! There must be misunderstanding here!"
"Those daimyō may have ulterior motives—but most of the soldiers and people surely do not feel this way!"
"They were incited—or perhaps they simply long for power and expressed it wrongly!"
"Misunderstanding?"
Kaguya's icy gaze fell upon her eldest son.
"Even now, Hagoromo—you would speak for these traitors?"
"What do you see, that you call this misunderstanding?"
"I see ingratitude laid bare. Greed that knows no limits. A direct challenge to my authority."
"They haven't betrayed you!" Hagoromo insisted, attempting to reason through his own framework. "They merely expressed their demands! They yearn for strength, just as they yearn for better lives. Their methods are excessive—but if we communicate, if we explain—"
"Demands?"
Kaguya shook her head slowly, as though hearing something profoundly foolish. Disappointment nearly eclipsed her anger.
"Hagoromo, my child. You disappoint me."
"Even now, you fail to understand."
Her voice dropped—cold and merciless, like a cosmic law being pronounced.
"Human desire is an endless abyss—never satisfied, never filled."
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