Chapter 87

Two days had passed since the decisive meeting, and the reverberations of its outcomes echoed throughout the ninja world like thunderclaps. The once-mighty Iwagakure and Kumogakure had bowed in surrender, their armies retreating within their borders, tails between their legs. Meanwhile, Konoha, under the shrewd leadership of Tsunade Senju, emerged as the undeniable victor of the conflict.

With Takigakure now firmly under Konoha's control, the balance of power had shifted decisively. The terms of the treaty were overwhelmingly favorable for Konoha, leaving many incredulous at their newfound fortune. The bijuu, symbols of immense power and coveted assets, would remain firmly in Konoha's grasp. Iwagakure and Kumogakure, on the other hand, faced the burden of exorbitant war reparations, a weight that would likely cripple their economies for years to come. Kirigakure, having negotiated separately with Hiruzen, found themselves in a slightly more favorable position, spared from the harshest penalties imposed by Tsunade.

Amidst these seismic shifts in power, Kirigakure itself was undergoing a transformation. Rumors swirled about the ousting of the previous Mizukage, paving the way for the ascension of a new leader. Speculation ran rampant, with whispers suggesting that one of the village's Jinchuriki was being considered for the prestigious position.

As the Konoha army embarked on its journey homeward, traversing through lush landscapes and dense forests, Kazuki found himself amidst the towering trees of the legendary Shikkotsu Forest. The air was thick with the scent of moss and earth, and sunlight filtered through the dense canopy above, casting dappled shadows on the forest floor. Each step stirred up a chorus of rustling leaves and chirping birds, creating a symphony of nature's melodies.

The forest itself seemed alive, teeming with vibrant flora and fauna. Towering trees stretched towards the sky, their gnarled roots intertwined with the rich soil below. Moss-covered rocks and babbling brooks added to the ethereal ambiance, while shafts of sunlight pierced through the foliage, illuminating patches of vibrant greenery.

As Kazuki admired the serene beauty of Shikkotsu Forest, he was abruptly pulled back to reality by the commanding voice of his sensei, Tsunade. "Kazuki, Lady Katsuyu will see you now," she announced, breaking his reverie. Although Kazuki had initially planned to explore the forest upon their return to the village, Lady Katsuyu's impatience had necessitated his immediate attention to the study of nature beasts and their seals.

Over the past two days, Kazuki has been fully immersed in his studies, with much of the information gleaned directly from Lady Katsuyu herself. According to her guidance, the depth of the bond formed between Tsunade and the three-headed nature beast would significantly impact its benefits. Thus, Kazuki found himself reverse summoned to Shikkotsu Forest alongside Tsunade, where they would commence the sealing ritual today.

Following Tsunade deeper into the forest, Kazuki's eyes widened in awe as they approached a massive ruin that resembled an ancient temple. The structure exuded an aura of age-old wisdom and mystique, its weathered stones bearing the weight of countless centuries. As they drew nearer, Kazuki observed a gaping canyon, its depths shrouded in shadow, and at its center stood the colossal form of Lady Katsuyu.

The sight was awe-inspiring. Lady Katsuyu's sheer size dwarfed even the mighty Ten-Tails, her massive form stretching across the canyon floor. Kazuki marveled at her enormity, contemplating the immense chakra required to summon such a colossal creature. Even the legendary Hagoromo, in his prime, would have likely struggled to accomplish such a feat.

As they approached closer, Kazuki's anticipation grew, knowing that within this ancient temple and under Lady Katsuyu's watchful gaze, they would undertake a task of unparalleled importance: sealing the power of the nature beast within his sensei, Tsunade.

As Kazuki pondered the imminent ritual, a sudden disturbance behind them drew his attention. Turning, he beheld a towering wooden entity standing nearly twenty meters tall. Shock coursed through Kazuki's veins as he marveled at the massive creature. The last time he had seen the nature beast, it had been no larger than half a foot at best. Now, in less than a year, it had grown exponentially, rapidly absorbing the abundant nature energy of Shikkotsu Forest.

Despite its immense size, the three-headed Asura behaved like an eager child upon laying eyes on Tsunade. However, its demeanor soured upon seeing Kazuki, contorting into an expression of repulsion that left Kazuki bewildered. Lady Katsuyu's resonant voice cut through the air, providing clarity to Kazuki's confusion. "Worry not, child. It's because of your dark nature. Nature beasts are highly sensitive to nature types, and you exude dark energy."

Turning his attention back to Lady Katsuyu, Kazuki inquired about the preparations for the ritual. With a nod, a miniature version of Katsuyu emerged from within the temple, guiding Kazuki and Tsunade to the ritual site. With focused determination, Kazuki began to work on the ritual circle while Tsunade stood nearby. Lady Katsuyu observed, her consciousness shifting toward the small slug as Kazuki modified the ritual under her watchful gaze.

Confusion tinged with concern colored Katsuyu's voice as she questioned Kazuki's alterations. However, she refrained from interrupting him further upon Tsunade's reassurance. After an hour of meticulous adjustments, Kazuki rose from his task, prompting Lady Katsuyu to press for an explanation.

"Child, what changes have you made?" She inquired, her curiosity piqued, and her concern was evident. It had been close to three millennia since the last contractor of nature beasts, and any deviations could prove critical.

Gathering his thoughts, Kazuki addressed Lady Katsuyu with a tone of earnest confidence. "From the records you provided, I deduced that in ancient times, the strength of nature beasts corresponded to the number of their heads. Is this correct?" he queried, prompting a brightening of Lady Katsuyu's expression as realization dawned.

"Child, don't tell me... Have you found a way?" Katsuyu, an entity alive for millennias, was taken aback. She, who knew about nature beasts, had never encountered an instance where their basic characteristics could be altered after creation. The method to create nature beasts had long been lost, yet the child before her was defying convention with his actions.

"Well, it cannot be concretely said that more heads mean stronger, but yes, similar to a chakra beast or bijuu, the more heads mean the more nature energy the beast can hold," Katsuyu shared in delight.

"Wait, Katsuyu-sama, are you saying the nature beasts are similar to bijuu?" Kazuki couldn't contain his curiosity. If true, it changed everything. With enough bijuu in Konoha, he could study them to potentially create his own bijuu, or nature beast, in the future.

"Hahaha, kid, you jest. Where do you think that Brat Hagoromo got the idea of creating a bijuu from? He originally wanted to fight Kaguya after creating a nature beast, but he was unsuccessful, as the information regarding creating nature beasts has been lost for millennia and is incomplete. So, you could say bijuu were derived from the partial technique of creating nature beasts. If Hagoromo could create a nature beast back then, he wouldn't have resorted to sealing the Otsutsuki," Katsuyu explained, each revelation blowing Kazuki's mind. Even Tsunade, standing at the side, was dumbfounded, as Lady Katsuyu's words confirmed the existence of the mythical Sage of Six Paths, a figure previously relegated to myth in their eyes.

"Wait, Katsuyu-sama, are you saying that you know about the Otsutsuki clan? And you even know about Kaguya being sealed?" Kazuki's questions flowed freely. This information changed everything, and Tsunade, whom he trusted, raised no objections to his inquiries.

"Oh, child, you sure are surprising. How do you know her name? Well, never mind. Do you think Kaguya was the first Otsutsuki who made it to this world?" Katsuyu's curious eyes probed, eager to unravel how much more knowledge this young child possessed, for no one should have known about Kaguya.

"Wait, are you saying that Kaguya wasn't the first Otsutsuki in this world? If you knew about Kaguya, why didn't anyone other than Hagoromo try to stop her?" Kazuki's curiosity surged. According to his knowledge, Kaguya was supposed to be the first Otsutsuki. Katsuyu's revelation challenged that understanding, prompting Kazuki to wonder why they hadn't intervened and what had happened to the Otsutsuki before Kaguya.

"Curious one, aren't you? No, child, Kaguya wasn't the first one. If I have to say so, she was even mediocre compared to other Otsutsuki clan members. As for why we didn't intervene, it's because we did not have enough strength, like in the old days, to challenge her, plain and simple. That's why we helped that brat Hagoromo in any way possible to defeat her," Katsuyu shared, enlightening Kazuki and Tsunade. The flood of new information overwhelmed Tsunade's mind, with each revelation more shocking than the last.

"Wait, Katsuyu-sama, are you implying that this world once held powers strong enough to challenge the likes of entities stronger than Kaguya Otsutsuki?" Kazuki sought clarification, his shock palpable.

"Challenge, haha, kid, there was a time when people from this world could go toe to toe with entities from the Otsutsuki clan who were believed to have ascended to godhood. They were supreme beings, even amongst the Otsutsuki clan. Chakra is not a type of energy inherent to this world; our world's true power comes from Nature energy. That's why people who practice Senjutsu are multiple times stronger than those who don't. And as days passed, even Senjutsu was modified a bit to accommodate the changing times, as the purest form of nature energy manipulation was so hard to learn that only the elites among humans could practice the art successfully," Katsuyu explained, attempting to clarify Kazuki's confusion. Tsunade couldn't hold back her curiosity and blurted out a question because Katsuyu was suggesting that in the olden days, there were humans even stronger than her grandfather.

"So what happened, Katsuyu-sama? Where did all these humans go? And if such strong humans were really alive back then, why didn't they control the whole world?" Tsunade queried.

"Well, to be honest, though the powers of this world could challenge the Otsutsuki, the Otsutsuki proved to be the superior force at the end of the great war. The forces from this world lost drastically, and almost every last one of the strong powers from this world was hunted down and destroyed by the Otsutsuki clan," Katsuyu revealed, a somber tone creeping into her voice as she recalled the events of the past.

"The various blessed lands, as you call them, are nothing more than sanctuaries that we hid after losing the great war. And kid, if you're really curious about the old era, you should get in touch with your summoned beast clan. The hell beasts have been around for far longer than I have. They were one of the major forces that fought in the old war. It's believed they still hold onto the knowledge of creating nature beasts, but I cannot be sure," Katsuyu shared, shedding light on the significance of the hell beast clan that the Nara had contracted with.

"So what happened to the other Otsusuki's that won the war? Where are they now, and if they won, how come this world survived their harvesting?" Kazuki couldn't help but ask, and Katsuyu was once again shocked by how much Kazuki knew.

"Kid, I don't know for sure where you got this information from, but you do surprise me more and more. You even know about harvesting worlds. Yes, the Otsusuki's original intention was to harvest our world. But the first Otsusuki's who came were quickly dispatched by powers native to this world. Then the Otsusuki realized that this world was not as helpless as it seemed, so they attacked this world with more determination. They understood that the chakra fruit created from such a world would be of supreme quality, enough to help an Otsusuki member ascend to godhood with a single fruit, contrary to how they had to harvest multiple worlds to achieve such a feat. Then it led to a catastrophic war. Humans derived a way to create nature beasts to counter the hundreds of Jubi that were spawned from the massive God tree. The war was so catastrophic that it destroyed the very essence of this world, making it unfit for harvest. So after winning the war, the Otsusuki couldn't do anything. They left to let this world recover on its own, so they could harvest it later. Kaguya was the one sent to check if this world was ready for harvesting, millennias after the old war. However, for some odd reason, Kaguya didn't return and harvested a subpar chakra fruit from what little world essence she could gather from this broken world," Katsuyu shared the brief history that had happened millennias ago. Now everything falls into place for Kazuki. He felt like he had enlightenment; he understood quite a few things. He had always wondered how a small Jubi was able to destroy such a massive planet, and now it makes sense. The scriptures did not talk about the Jubi created by Kaguya's God tree but about the hundreds of Jubi created from the old era during the time of the Old War millenias ago.