On this day, sunlight filled the backyard.
Indra ran over to Yumeko. His young face already carried a hint of composure, along with a rare trace of gentleness.
"Mother, this is the hand seal I created."
As he spoke, Indra formed a complicated hand seal in the air with his small hands. Chakra rippled along with his movements, and a faint glow appeared in the air.
"Once you learn it, you'll have power too. I'll teach it to you now, alright?"
Indra looked up. His bright black eyes were filled with expectation and sincerity as he stared at Yumeko without blinking.
Yumeko paused slightly. Looking at the son who had already grown so much, complicated emotions welled up inside her.
She instinctively reached out and rubbed the top of Indra's head, asking softly, "Indra... did you come up with this yourself?"
A trace of worry, almost impossible to notice, lingered in her voice.
Of course she knew this was probably the beginning of the path that would lead Indra to become the "founder of ninjutsu" in the original story.
But she had spent all these years carefully avoiding any interference. Now that her son had taken the initiative to extend an olive branch, she suddenly didn't know how to respond.
Looking into Indra's eyes, full of hope, Yumeko felt an uncontrollable surge of excitement.
In her previous life, she had only been an ordinary college student. She had always longed for a fantastical power like ninjutsu.
Now that she had personally seen the hand seals her son had created and he was even offering to teach them to her, she could no longer suppress that desire.
"Alright... Mother will learn from you."
In the end, Yumeko nodded, a faint smile appearing at the corners of her mouth.
She gently took hold of Indra's little hand and said softly, "Then teach me slowly. Don't laugh at your mother for being slow."
Indra's eyes lit up at once. He nodded seriously and began teaching Yumeko the first basic hand seal, guiding her hands himself.
As the sun set, the mother and son sat beside the stone table in the courtyard. Indra demonstrated it again and again, while Yumeko carefully copied him.
Although her movements were still somewhat clumsy, the Chakra Mother God System seemed to help with learning ninjutsu as well, allowing her to pick it up much faster than an ordinary person.
While she learned, another thought quietly turned over in her mind.
"I'm only learning a little ninjutsu to protect myself. It probably... won't offend that Observer, right? After all, I haven't interfered with the story between Indra and Asura. I'm just learning some power..."
She comforted herself like this, but her hands never stopped moving.
The excitement of finally being able to touch this world's true power.
In outer space, Arisu stood with his hands behind his back, calmly watching Yumeko and her son in the backyard as they seriously practiced hand seals.
As for Yumeko learning ninjutsu, Arisu merely watched for a while before ultimately choosing to allow it.
He did not stop her, nor did he appear again to warn her.
"It's only a bit of ninjutsu for self-defense. It won't have much impact.", Arisu shook his head and muttered quietly.
Since she wasn't trying to change the course of Indra and Asura's destinies, he couldn't be bothered to intervene over something so minor.
At the same time, far away on Mount Myoboku, an important event was quietly unfolding.
Inside the enormous stone hall of the toads, the atmosphere was heavy and solemn.
The White-Browed Great Toad Sage had reached the end of his life. His once imposing body now looked especially frail. His skin was dry, his breathing weak, and his eyelids were nearly impossible to keep open.
Many elder toads stood around the stone platform, their faces filled with grief.
Using the last of his strength, the White-Browed Toad slowly called Gamamaru, who had always stayed by his side, to come before him.
His cloudy yet still dignified gaze fell upon Gamamaru, and he spoke in a low but resolute voice.
"Gamamaru... from this day onward, Mount Myoboku is yours."
"I... appoint you as the next Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku..."
"N-No... Great Sage! How can that be?! H-How can I bear such a responsibility?! There are still so many things you haven't taught me. I'm not ready yet... Please take back your decision!"
Gamamaru's voice was filled with obvious panic and sorrow. He knelt before the White-Browed Toad, his massive forelegs trembling slightly as he refused to accept this sudden entrustment.
The White-Browed Toad merely smiled weakly, his eyes full of trust and relief.
"I believe in you. I believe in you."
"And don't forget the painting I left behind the library..."
The White-Browed Toad whispered a few words into Gamamaru's ear.
Gamamaru drew in a sharp breath after hearing them, then silently nodded.
After saying those words, the White-Browed Toad seemed to have exhausted all his strength. He slowly closed his eyes.
His breathing gradually settled before finally becoming completely still.
Meanwhile, on the moon beyond the earth, the situation was entirely different.
After years of development, the Otsutsuki clan on the moon had become increasingly prosperous. New clan members were constantly being born, and the moon's power continued to grow.
Inside a dark and gloomy underground prison, the air was damp and cold.
Hamura was imprisoned there. He had long since become little more than skin and bones, his face as pale as paper. His once handsome and noble appearance had been replaced by exhaustion and numbness.
Over the years, Arisu had treated him as nothing more than a breeding machine, constantly extracting his bloodline and chakra and forcing him to continue producing descendants for the Otsutsuki clan.
Iron chains bound all four of his limbs. His body was covered with old scars, and the dignity he once possessed had long since been completely trampled.
An Otsutsuki High Priest, dressed in magnificent robes, stood outside the cell. He looked indifferently at Hamura inside. There was not the slightest trace of respect in his eyes, only coldness and the indifference reserved for something that had already served its purpose.
At that moment, light footsteps echoed from deep within the prison passage.
Dressed in a plain white robe, Arisu walked over at an unhurried pace with his hands behind his back, his bearing cool and detached.
The moment the High Priest saw Arisu, his expression changed at once. He immediately dropped to one knee, lowered his head, and respectfully said in a voice full of reverence,
"My lord."
Arisu gave a slight nod. His gaze swept across Hamura inside the cell, and he asked calmly, without the slightest emotion, "How are things?"
Keeping his head lowered, the High Priest answered, "Reporting to you, my lord, Hamura has given us seven more clan members with pure Otsutsuki bloodlines over the past year."
"The moon's population has increased by thirty percent compared to five years ago. Everything is progressing according to your will."
When speaking of Hamura, there wasn't the slightest trace of respect in the High Priest's voice, as though he were talking about a tool.
Hearing the commotion, Hamura inside the cell merely raised his eyelids slightly, glanced at Arisu, then lowered his head again without strength.
Because the story had long since diverged from its original course, in the eyes of the moon's Otsutsuki clan, Hamura was no longer the noble ancestor he had once been. He was merely a breeding machine imprisoned here by Lord Observer to produce descendants.
No one held any respect for him.
Arisu stood before the cell and quietly watched Hamura's miserable appearance for a while.
"So, how does it feel? Ready to die?"
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