Next Bonus, 100PS!!
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Kaguya fell silent.
She clenched her hands at her sides, and all the color left her pale face.
She had betrayed Manji. She had tried to kill her own sons. Every accusation was true, and she couldn't deny it.
"But... I had my reasons!" Kaguya jerked her head up, panic creeping into her voice as she searched for an excuse for what she had done so long ago.
Manji answered with a sneer. His words cut straight into her heart. "Reasons? I had reasons too. You were sealed. I outmaneuvered you. Your sons turned against you. All of it came from your own choices. So endure the consequences."
Manji's words hit Kaguya like a knife.
"..." She glared at Manji, angry and refusing to accept what he said.
This domineering side of him reminded her of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, the arrogant and ruthless man who saw everyone else as insects. Manji now showed a bit of that same coldness.
"How can you be this overbearing?" Kaguya demanded, anger burning in her voice as her eyes reddened again.
"When someone breaks trust as easily as you do, this is how firm I have to be," Manji said.
Manji used to be gentle and easy to talk to. His belief in equality shaped how he treated others. He respected people with skill and valued choice, never fitting into the strict Shinobi hierarchy.
Even when Uchiha Sa wrote a bold, flirty poem about him, he didn't bother to punish her.
But with Kaguya, he had to be as strict as possible.
People like her saw kindness as weakness. The gentler you were, the more they tried to take advantage. If you gave them a little, they would take everything.
"..." Kaguya glared at him, cheeks puffed with anger.
Deep down, she knew the blame for what happened a thousand years ago was hers.
Her earlier excuses were just ways to convince herself she wasn't wrong. Manji's words forced her to face the truth, leaving her nowhere to hide.
She got up from the floor, brushed off her clothes, and pushed down her swirling emotions. Then she looked at Manji and asked, "What year is it now?"
"That's a long story. You don't need to know the era." Manji's voice stayed flat. He clearly didn't want to explain. "I summoned you out this time because I have a use for you. Once the matter is settled, I'll throw you back where you came from."
"You..." Kaguya's heart sank.
The way Manji spoke made her feel uneasy.
What was she to him? A tool? An object?
The difference between the past and now was too obvious. She still remembered Manji as he was before her betrayal—open and honest. Now he was distant.
"What exactly did you summon me for?" Kaguya suppressed her emotions and asked.
Manji finally got to the point. He looked at her and spoke slowly. "You should remember that when you came here, you brought a treasure from the Ōtsutsuki Clan. Its name was Karasuki. It could cross time and space."
Kaguya's expression changed at once.
"How do you know that?!" Her pupils shrank as she stared at Manji in shock. "Even Ōtsutsuki Isshiki knew nothing about it... How do you know so much about the Ōtsutsuki Clan?"
She had hidden that secret as deeply as she could, but Manji talked about it like it was nothing special. He knew the artifact's name, what it did, and where it came from. Realizing this made her panic.
A knowing smile appeared on Manji's face. "You don't need to ask about that. You only need to tell me where that time-space artifact is."
"..." Kaguya paused, lost in thought. Her fingers curled a little. Finally, she said, "I hid it in a secret place on this planet. I put a restriction on it that only I can undo. Unless I release it, no one will ever find it."
"How long can that restriction last?" Manji asked right away.
"More than a thousand years," Kaguya answered without thinking.
Suddenly, it all made sense.
No wonder he had sent White Zetsu searching everywhere and still found nothing about Karasuki.
In canon, Konoha's archaeology team had found the artifact by chance only because the restriction had already expired after a thousand years.
But now, the seal was still active. No matter how hard White Zetsu searched, they would never find it.
"Then you're coming with me." Manji's voice echoed through the hall, making it clear there was no room for argument.
Kaguya's heart sank. Her reluctance showed clearly on her face.
She really didn't want to face this Manji... The difference between the warmth she remembered and his indifference now made her chest hurt.
She turned her head away, refusing to meet his eyes. She made her voice flat and distant on purpose.
"I'm only a mortal now. I have no power. I can't open that restriction."
"That artifact can only be opened with my power. Otherwise, you'll have to wait over a thousand years for the seal to fade on its own..."
"I won't wait a thousand years." Manji cut her off.
He needed Karasuki to develop real space-time techniques. Waiting a thousand years was out of the question. More importantly, as long as the seal was active, only Kaguya could open it. He wasn't willing to wait for it to expire. He needed to act now.
Kaguya scoffed, her tone lazy and intentionally provocative. "But I don't have any power now. What do you expect me to do? You can only wait."
"...You've always been so good at enduring, haven't you? You love hiding more than anyone. Then hide and wait for another thousand years."
After that, she looked at Manji with a mischievous glint in her eyes, clearly trying to get under his skin.
Manji's brow furrowed, and his eyes turned cold. The air around him grew heavier.
But only for a moment...
Then Manji laughed out loud. A hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.
"Hahaha. Well said, Kaguya." His smile grew wider. He stared at her intently, choosing each word carefully. "Do you truly think you've lost all your power? I remember you left a portion of your original power in this world. Without that contingency, how were you planning to carry out that painstaking resurrection scheme of yours?"
"..." Kaguya froze.
Her heart jumped, and her thoughts raced.
Had Manji already discovered Black Zetsu?
She tried to stay calm, but her fingers clenched before she realized it. She was about to make an excuse when Manji answered with a slight smile.
"Have you forgotten Black Zetsu?" Manji said lightly. "That being born from your will. He was a separated portion of your own power, wasn't he?"
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