Chapter 384: A Need for Greater Power

Kaguya no longer concealed the true reason behind her actions. Or rather, she believed the time had come to reveal at least part of the truth.

"Because..." she said evenly, "...I need greater power."

"Greater... power?" Hamura repeated in disbelief, his confusion only deepening. "Mother, you're already the most powerful being in this world. What kind of power could you possibly still need? And what kind of enemy would force you to obtain it through... through such a cruel method?"

That was the one thing Hamura could not understand.

In his eyes, his mother's strength had already reached the pinnacle. She possessed the God Tree, boundless chakra, and power beyond compare. What could possibly require such desperate, ruthless measures?

Kaguya's gaze drifted past the astonished faces of her two sons and slowly lifted toward the vast, endless sky.

To her, that sky no longer represented peace and freedom.

It was a place that might already be filled with unseen watchers...

...and unimaginable danger.

She did not answer Hamura's question directly.

Instead, the simple act of looking skyward—and the unmistakable gravity, vigilance, and even the faintest trace of fear in her eyes—was answer enough.

The enemy...

...came from above.

Or rather...

...from beyond this world.

Following their mother's gaze, Hagoromo and Hamura instinctively looked toward the sky .

There was nothing there but drifting clouds beneath an endless blue sky.

Yet when they recalled the overwhelming force that had obliterated the palace only moments ago, together with Kaguya's unusual solemnity and her determination to intensify the sacrifices in order to obtain "greater power"...

A terrifying possibility coiled around their hearts like an icy serpent.

Could it be...

...that Mother's sudden actions—her willingness to accelerate the world's decline—were all because an enemy from beyond the sky , one powerful enough to inspire even fear in Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, was about to arrive...

...or had already arrived?

And was her method of gaining strength simply to feed even more lives to the God Tree in exchange for the slightest chance of resisting that unimaginable threat?

That realization was far more devastating than simply believing their mother had become a tyrant.

Hamura parted his lips, staring at the rare, unfeigned gravity on Kaguya's face as she gazed into the sky.

The words of protest and persuasion he had prepared lodged in his throat.

Only numb confusion remained.

Hagoromo's expression, meanwhile, grew even more unreadable.

His gaze shifted from Kaguya...

...to the sky...

...then finally settled upon the God Tree in the distance, whose radiance seemed to have intensified with the increased sacrifices.

His fists silently clenched inside his sleeves.

Suppressing the storm of emotions stirred by the possibility of an enemy from beyond the sky , Hagoromo forced himself to focus on the immediate conflict before him.

His brows knit together, his eyes sharp as blades.

Every word struck the stagnant air with unwavering conviction.

"No matter what reason lies behind all this... no matter what powerful enemy threatens this world..."

"...you must never obtain power by sacrificing countless innocent lives."

"That isn't salvation."

"It's simply another form of destruction."

His voice carried unmistakable distrust.

To him, Kaguya's earlier silence—and now her insistence on "necessary sacrifice"—sounded less like the truth and more like an excuse to preserve her own rule and power.

Kaguya slowly lowered her gaze from the sky and looked back at Hagoromo.

Her pale eyes, tinged with crimson, remained utterly calm, unmoved by his fierce condemnation.

She merely asked, her voice as cool as flowing spring water,

"So, Hagoromo..."

"...have you finally decided to rebel against me?"

There was no anger.

No threats.

Just a simple question.

Yet it carried greater pressure than any roar.

Meeting his mother's gaze without the slightest hint of retreat, Hagoromo straightened his back.

He answered clearly, one word at a time.

"If you insist on continuing this path—accelerating the world's destruction and trampling countless innocent lives..."

"...then I, Hagoromo, will stand against you."

He paused before continuing, his voice ringing with even greater resolve, as though declaring an inevitable future.

"And even if I don't rise against you..."

"...others will."

"The more unbearable the oppression, the fiercer the resistance."

"That is an eternal truth."

"Resistance..." Kaguya repeated softly.

The faintest trace of a smile flickered across her lips—a fleeting expression that mingled mockery with cold indifference.

She raised her eyes once more.

Her gaze swept across Hagoromo before briefly passing over the increasingly anxious Hamura.

Her voice remained calm, carrying the absolute confidence of one who stood above all others.

"Other than the two of you—my sons—who inherited a portion of my power and possess the potential to reach even greater heights..."

"...there is no one else in this world who has either the ability..."

"...or the right..."

"...to oppose me."

She spoke as though merely stating an undeniable fact.

"They have only one choice."

"To accept the destiny I have decreed for them."

"Obey..."

"...or be erased."

"They are not your toys!" Hagoromo's anger finally erupted, his voice rising with righteous fury. "Nor are they pieces on a board for you to sacrifice as you please!"

"They are living people!"

"They have their own thoughts... their own right to live!"

"Their destinies should belong to them—not be taken from them by someone claiming the authority of a god!"

Seeing the confrontation spiraling toward the point of no return, Hamura could remain silent no longer.

He hurriedly stepped between them, raising both hands in a futile attempt to calm the situation.

His face was filled with anxiety and helplessness.

"Mother! Brother! Please, stop arguing!"

"There has to be another way!"

"We can sit down and talk this through—"

Before he could finish, Kaguya suddenly rose to her feet.

The chakra she had kept carefully restrained began to surge uncontrollably around her, forming an invisible yet overwhelming pressure that blanketed the ruins.

Even the air itself seemed to freeze beneath its weight.

She looked directly at Hagoromo.

Any lingering trace of complexity or melancholy had vanished from her mismatched eyes.

Only unmistakable...

...icy disappointment remained.

"Hagoromo..."

Her voice was as calm as ever, yet it carried a chill that pierced straight into the heart.

"You..."

"...have disappointed me greatly."

She spoke those words as though delivering her final judgment.

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