At the place where the Divine Tree stood, beneath its enormous trunk, the roots intertwined in every direction.
Hagoromo slipped in here alone. Looking at the roots, he jumped straight down.
The moment he saw what was inside, his face instantly turned pale.
Because he saw one white cocoon after another.
"What is this!?"
Hagoromo stared blankly at the countless cocoons.
Because his Byakugan was not activated, he could not see what was inside them.
Hagoromo tried tearing open one of the cocoons. When he saw that there was a person inside, his eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at them.
"Could it be!? Could it be?!"
Hagoromo hurriedly tore open several more cocoons.
Without exception, every single one contained a person.
In disbelief, Hagoromo desperately searched for Haori.
"Haori! Haori! Haori!"
Hagoromo forcefully tore open the thick shell covering the Divine Tree like a cocoon. As the bark cracked apart, a familiar petite figure was revealed.
It was Haori.
"Haori...!"
Hagoromo's voice trembled as he rushed forward, cupped Haori's cold face in both hands, and tried to wake her.
But in the next moment, it felt as though he had fallen into an ice cave.
No heartbeat.
No breathing.
Haori... was already dead.
"Ah... Aahhh!"
Hagoromo could no longer hold it back. Hugging Haori's body, he cried out in grief. His sorrowful cries echoed around the Divine Tree as large tears fell onto Haori's pale cheeks.
"It's still the same as my previous life..."
Hidden deep within the void, Arisu silently watched the scene with a calm expression, showing no trace of emotion.
Just then, a sharp sound of something cutting through the air approached.
"Big Brother!"
Hamura hurried over from the distance and landed beside the Divine Tree. When he saw the scene before him, he deliberately revealed a shocked expression.
"Th... What's going on here?!"
Pretending it was his first time seeing the inside of the Divine Tree, he opened his mouth. His voice was full of concern and confusion.
Hagoromo, still holding Haori's body, slowly raised his lowered head.
Because of the overwhelming emotional turmoil, his eyes had quietly changed.
The three-tomoe Sharingan had awakened.
Within the blood-red pupils, three tomoe slowly rotated, and his gaze was colder than ever before.
When his eyes fell on Hamura, Hagoromo's pupils suddenly contracted.
Through the Sharingan's powerful insight, he clearly saw the completely unfamiliar soul beneath Hamura's skin...
It was not his younger brother's soul at all, but the aura of an adult man's soul he had never seen before.
A storm erupted in Hagoromo's heart.
Everything that old man had said was actually true.
At some unknown point, his younger brother had already been possessed by this unknown person.
Pain, anger, and grief surged into his heart all at once.
His younger brother had been possessed, and Haori was dead as well...
But he forcibly suppressed all of those emotions. Outwardly, he remained calm, though a bone-deep chill was hidden in his eyes.
Hamura noticed nothing unusual and continued acting like a younger brother concerned about his elder brother.
"Big Brother, let's leave quickly! Don't let Mother find out. If Mother discovers this, she'll definitely punish you!"
Hagoromo's expression wavered slightly as the veins on the arm holding Haori's body bulged.
He knew very well that if he openly turned against them now, he would almost certainly die. The one occupying his younger brother's body was no weakling, and on top of that there was Mother, Kaguya.
In the end, he took a deep breath and said in a hoarse but calm voice, "The Divine Tree is darkness. Haori is dead."
"I'm going to find a place to bury her. Hamura, please go back first and cover for me. Don't let Mother notice I'm gone."
Hamura froze for a moment, then nodded, putting on an obedient and sensible expression.
"I understand, Big Brother. Be careful."
After saying that, he did not linger and turned to fly toward the main hall.
After Hamura left, Hagoromo stood there for a long time with Haori's body in his arms. Deep pain and killing intent flashed through his blood-red Sharingan.
———
Deep within the forest, the dense canopy blocked out the sky.
Holding Haori's cold body, Hagoromo walked with heavy steps to a quiet clearing.
He dug a small grave with his own hands, gently laid Haori inside, and covered her with earth little by little.
After burying her, Hagoromo knelt before the grave and said in a hoarse voice,
"Haori... I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you.
"But I won't give up like this. I'm going to destroy that dark Divine Tree. I'm going to save more people... And I'll personally kill the bastard soul that possessed my younger brother and give my brother justice."
His voice grew firmer and firmer as the three tomoe in his Sharingan slowly rotated.
After saying those words, Hagoromo suddenly stood up, swept his gaze across his surroundings, and took a deep breath.
He suddenly shouted, "Are you there!? Are you nearby!? Elder! I need you!"
His voice echoed through the forest, startling several birds into flight.
Arisu, hidden within the void, naturally knew Hagoromo was calling for him.
He did not pretend to be mysterious, nor did he continue hiding.
He chose to reveal himself directly.
The moment Hagoromo finished speaking, he sensed a powerful presence behind him.
He spun around and saw an old man with the bearing of an immortal, his white beard flowing as he quietly stood not far behind him.
It was Arisu.
"You... were watching all of this the whole time?!", Hagoromo's voice trembled slightly.
"I am the observer of your world. I can know and see everything.", Arisu calmly looked at Hagoromo, and nodded faintly.
"Have you figured it out?", Arisu asked.
Hagoromo nodded firmly, his voice heavy with pain, "Do I still have a chance to save my younger brother and Haori?"
At that moment, he was wondering whether he could bring the two of them back to life.
The moment Arisu looked at him, he understood what Hagoromo was thinking.
Naturally, he would not allow it.
Although he could do it with his own strength, if Haori were brought back to life, what would happen to Asura and Indra afterward?
If Hagoromo lived a happy and fulfilling life, would he still create Ninshu?
Arisu would not allow that.
There were too many variables.
Arisu shook his head slightly and answered bluntly, "No."
It felt as if an invisible giant hand had clenched Hagoromo's heart. Intense pain instantly spread through his entire body.
Hagoromo closed his eyes in agony. His body swayed slightly, and his fists tightened until his knuckles turned white, but in the end, he said nothing more.
"Senior... what kind of help can you give me?"
Hagoromo opened his eyes, endured the intense pain in his heart, looked up at the old man before him with the bearing of an immortal, and asked.
"I can grant you power and teach you extremely powerful techniques."
Arisu stood with his hands behind his back. His white beard swayed gently in the breeze as he looked deeply at Hagoromo and slowly spoke.