Next Bonus, 100PS!!
--------------------------------------------------
Tsuru sprinted the whole way and soon reached the main command tent of the Senju Clan Head. Ignoring the guards trying to stop him, he pushed straight inside.
The Senju Clan Head leaned over the battle map, focused on setting up Kikyō Mountain's defenses. When his son burst in, his expression turned stern. "Nonsense! Why are you here at Kikyō Mountain? The Uchiha are about to attack through this route. A big battle is coming, and it will be dangerous. Go back right now!"
"FATHER, LISTEN TO !" Tsuru did not even pause to catch his breath. "I found out what's happening on the Hagoromo front. The Uchiha aren't coming to attack Kikyō Mountain at all! They're joining forces with the Hagoromo Clan and taking a detour to strike the Senju rear!"
Using the words Black Zetsu had taught him, Tsuru spoke urgently, his voice serious. "I rode all night and crossed eight hundred li under the stars. I pushed three horses to their limits just to bring you this ssage!"
..............
Mount Myōboku, Longevity Peak.
There stood a building completely at odds with the old-fashioned style of the Shinobi world.
A villa.
Manji had built this ho to look like the modern villas from his past life, with smooth marble, shiny floor tiles, a swimming pool, and a lawn. In Mount Myōboku, surrounded by sage trees and spirit grass, it looked completely out of place.
"..." Kaguya sat upright on the sofa, her posture a bit too stiff. She looked uncomfortable as she reached out and touched the soft fabric under her fingers.
"Manji's house is strange. Why is everything arranged like this?" Kaguya murmured to herself.
She had lived a long life and seen everything from grand Ōtsutsuki temples to the simple huts of the Shinobi world. Still, these soft, unfamiliar furnishings made the Rabbit Goddess, who once ruled the world, look a little lost.
Then her gaze landed on the uniquely shaped record player sitting on the table.
"What is this?"
Kaguya's curiosity took over. She leaned forward, reached out, and started fiddling with its parts.
♪♪～～♫♫～～～
Soft instruntal music began to play. The clear notes were gentle and smooth, unlike anything she had ever heard before.
Kaguya's pale eyes widened slightly in surprise. "So this thing can make sound..."
She sat still and listened. The tension in her brows slowly eased.
"It sounds rather nice..." she whispered.
She closed her eyes and leaned back on the sofa, letting herself enjoy this rare mont of calm. The loneliness and stress from all her years slowly faded as she listened to the music.
If she had owned sothing like this in the past, she wouldn't have been so bored that she stared at the sky every day.
A short while later, however, the music stopped.
Kaguya opened her eyes at once. Confusion surfaced in them as she picked up the record player and turned it over, studying it from every side. "Why did it stop?"
She held it carefully in both hands, as if it were so priceless treasure, and tested it in a soft voice. "Are you a treasure? Can you speak to ? I want to hear the sound from before."
The record player was only a lifeless object. It gave no response.
Kaguya grew anxious. She fumbled with its parts, trying to make it work again. Suddenly, there was a sharp crack.
Snap!
The record player slipped from her hands and hit the floor hard, breaking into several pieces. tal and plastic parts scattered everywhere.
"Ah!"
Kaguya's expression changed as panic set in. She crouched down, staring at the broken pieces. She tried to gather them up, but had no idea how to fix it.
"How did it break just from being touched...?"
Her pale eyes turned red, and she felt a wave of unease.
Manji had brought her here, and she was living in his ho. He already seed unhappy with her, always looking cold and annoyed. The object that played such nice music must have been important to him. Now she had broken it. If Manji found out, he would surely be angry.
He might even... mistreat her.
She was just a mortal now. If Manji wanted to hurt her, she wouldn't be able to stop him.
Kaguya crouched on the floor, her fingertips clenched white as she tried to fit the broken pieces back together.
Just then—
Knock, knock, knock.
A crisp knock sounded at the door.
Kaguya's heart tightened. She forced herself to stand and opened the door.
The mont it opened, Manji stood outside with a dark expression, his cold gaze sweeping in.
"You... ca?" Kaguya lowered her eyes.
Since Manji had brought her back into the world, he always wore that sa cold, unhappy look, as if she owed him five million chakra fruits.
"Mm." Manji answered faintly and glanced around the room.
He had co to check on Kaguya's condition. More importantly, he wanted to consult her about Yin-Yang Release and Kekkei Mōra. After all, Kaguya had once controlled those powers. Her experience far surpassed his own.
"What are you doing?" Manji asked in a low voice.
"I..." Kaguya's lips moved, but she couldn't get the words out at first. Finally, she lowered her head and spoke in a tiny voice. "I'm sorry. I broke your treasure."
She raised a hand and pointed toward the shattered record player on the floor.
Manji followed her finger, glanced down, and frowned slightly. Then he only shook his head, his voice flat. "It doesn't matter."
"You're not angry?" Kaguya looked up at once, her eyes wide with surprise. She could hardly believe what she'd just heard.
Manji glanced at her. "Do I seem like the type to get angry over sothing that trivial? Anyway… are you bored?"
As he spoke, he crouched down and casually gathered the broken pieces of the record player. He turned them over in his hands, as if they ant nothing to him.
He could simply have Gamamaru make another one.
Speaking of which, Gamamaru seed close to building a television recently.
It was still in the testing stage.
Kaguya nodded slightly. Her voice was gentle, with the distant numbness of soone who had spent too many years alone. "A little. But I'm used to it."
She had always been like this. She had been alone with her emptiness and loneliness for so long that boredom felt like part of her. Now, in this strange house, that old boredom just felt even heavier.
Manji fell into brief thought, his gaze shifting slightly as a new idea took shape in his mind.
Perhaps he should treat Kaguya the sa way he had handled Black Zetsu: offering her so comfort and kindness might, over ti, convince her to be useful to him.
After all, gaining experience dealing with the Ōtsutsuki would be essential in the future.
Once his thoughts settled, Manji looked at Kaguya and spoke in a calm, even tone. "If you're bored, you can read."
"What kind of book?" Kaguya raised her head. A faint trace of curiosity appeared in her pale eyes.
A slight smile touched Manji's lips. With a turn of his wrist, he took an old-fashioned bound book from his sleeve.
Manji had also grown bored over the long years.
So he had taken up writing books and novels.
He handed the book to Kaguya and said lightly, "I recomnd this one. It's called: A Veteran of the Shinobi World: From the Ancient Era to the New Age."
--------------------------------------------------
~ Every 100 PS => Bonus Chapter!
~ 15 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
sp-atreon/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
User Comments
0 comments from readers