Neji didn't want to lie to himself. After living together for over half a year and going through so much, this dorky, cute, yet aloof and proud girl had already captured his heart.
For him, Hinata, Shion, and Kaguya were all people he couldn't bear to leave behind. If possible, he wished he could take Kaguya with him.
But he knew it was impossible. No one could say what kind of impact an ancient being like Kaguya would have if she traveled to the future; the entire ninja world might change drastically.
"Idiot."
Hearing Neji's words, the tears Kaguya had been holding back finally fell uncontrollably. Neji couldn't bear to leave her, and how could she bear to leave Neji?
But she understood. Constantly restraining Neji would only cause him pain all the time. More than her own sorrow, seeing the person she loved happy was what she truly wanted.
"Don't hesitate anymore, go back."
Kaguya closed her eyes, and a drop of blood flowed down from the Rinne Sharingan on her forehead, shining with an eerie red light.
Under her pupil's power, the black rift played the history of the ninja world like a slideshow, starting from the Warring States period, to Konoha's establishment, and then to the fated battle at the Valley of the End...
Finally, the scene froze on Neji being ambushed by five people and falling into the same dimension, then it stopped.
"Alright, go back to your own era." Kaguya's eyes welled up with tears, and she turned her head to say coldly.
Even though she had decided to send Neji back, at the moment of parting, she still couldn't face him. She was afraid she would suddenly regret it and keep Neji here.
Neji didn't move. He looked at the path home that had appeared in his dreams countless times, but he didn't have the courage to take that step.
He admitted he wasn't a loyal person, but he was also not a scumbag who would abandon his pregnant wife and leave alone. If he had known it would turn out like this, he would have rather been killed by Obito and the others than jump into the dimensional rift.
This difficult choice made him feel worse than death.
"Found you, Goddess of Rabbits."
As the two were in silence, a spatial rift irregularly opened in the sky, and a white-haired, fanged Oni slowly walked out. Carrying immense hatred, an intense cold aura swept around them as soon as he appeared.
"Shinigami!!"
The moment Neji saw the newcomer, anger surged within him, his fingers cracking audibly. The helplessness stemming from his dilemma turned into deep hatred, and with a raise of his hand, a dense barrage of purple punches blasted towards the Shinigami.
Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack!
The Shinigami glanced at Neji briefly before looking away. Although he had a childish temperament and the arrogance of a god, Neji, while powerful, was nowhere near capable of fighting a deity.
Without him doing anything, numerous spatial rifts appeared before him. The purple punches vanished into them, only to reappear the next moment from spatial rifts beside Neji.
Neji was startled and quickly phased his body, narrowly dodging the heavy blows. However, a steep cliff face on the other side of his body exploded, scattering like fireworks.
"Dodged it? What's going on? And that strange feeling just now... No, none of that matters now."
Neji's method of dodging the attack and the familiar aura within him felt strange, but his target wasn't Neji.
"The one who should be buried here today is you, Goddess of Rabbits!"
Rifts reappeared before the Shinigami, and a fist rapidly pierced through, emerging behind Kaguya. Kaguya watched it all calmly. Only when the Shinigami's fist approached did she act. Using Yomotsu Hirasaka as well, she cleverly superimposed it over the Shinigami's, causing his fist to twist and turn before striking his own face.
"Hmph!"
Kaguya's move further enraged the Shinigami. To be defeated by someone using his own technique was like rubbing salt in his wounds.
"You are a fake."
"You are a fake."
These thoughts flooded the Shinigami's mind, making his already fragile psyche even more twisted. His form flickered, and in an instant, he appeared before Kaguya, a strange gleam in his eyes.
"Illusions are useless against me."
Before he could feel any joy, Kaguya's voice, clear and pure as a secluded orchid, pulled him back to reality. Before he could react, Kaguya lightly flicked her jade-like finger towards the Shinigami.
Naturally, the Shinigami wanted to dodge, but at that moment, he felt as if the space around him was sealed. The five Chakra nature transformations—wind, fire, lightning, water, and earth—seemed to betray him, firmly pinning him in place. He could only watch helplessly as Kaguya's index finger approached.
*Thump!*
With a crisp sound, the Shinigami was sent flying backward uncontrollably, like a rocket propelled along the ground. He couldn't control his body at all. The immense impact force made him tumble and slide for several kilometers before he finally stopped.
Gazing at him, his entire body was covered in injuries, which filled him with even more terror. Kaguya gave him the impression of the heavens and the earth; this vast difference in strength made his heart ache. He finally understood the immense power of the one known as the Goddess of Rabbits.
But all of this was even harder for him to accept. After extreme fear, all that remained in his heart was hatred and rage.
"All of this should have been mine!"
The Shinigami roared. He was referring to the reverence of people, the statues they had built, and the endless offerings of delicious food. He stepped into the black rift before him and reappeared not far from Kaguya.
Flames surged in his palm, and a fire dragon shot out from his hand. Two large hands then emerged from the earth beneath Kaguya's feet, grabbing her legs.
Kaguya sighed softly. She had understood what was happening when the Shinigami appeared. She just hadn't expected people to worship her to such an extent. However, as an extraterrestrial being, she couldn't absorb the faith and belief of these people. By chance, this had created a new god.
Modeled after her.
She didn't know how to comment on the situation. She could understand the Shinigami's feelings, but for whatever reason, she wouldn't stand by and do nothing.
Her hair suddenly extended, twisting itself into thick ropes that lashed out in all directions.
When the fire dragon touched Kaguya's hair, it dissipated instantly as if encountering its natural enemy. As for the stone hands that emerged from the ground, they couldn't block Kaguya's advance. Kaguya simply moved her feet slightly, kicking them away.