After everyone had eaten their fill of Ichiraku Ramen and left thoroughly satisfied, Hagoromo went straight to Kushina to ask about Minato's mission. He was clearly more concerned about that than anything else.
Once the question left his mouth, Kushina began her explanation.
"Long, long ago, at the very center of the world, there grew an enormous tree that towered into the heavens. Because of its overwhelming scale, people regarded it as a miracle. They believed a god resided within it, and over time, they came to call it the Divine Tree…"
Kushina was in a particularly good mood lately—likely due to several factors coming together—so she was unusually patient and willing to start from the very beginning.
However, she had barely begun when Hagoromo already felt something was off.
"Wait a second… this sounds strangely familiar."
Hagoromo finding it familiar wasn't surprising at all. When it came to a really, really big tree, there were only a few possibilities.
First, there might be a Ging Freecss living in it.
Second, maybe Yuuki Asuna.
Third—and most likely—the mother of the Sage of Six Paths.
He understood perfectly well what the term Divine Tree meant in the Naruto world.
"You've heard of this before, Hagoromo? That can't be right," Kushina said, puzzled.
Ancient legends like this—basically unverifiable, half-forgotten stories full of speculation—were usually passed down only within old shinobi sects. They weren't something a ninja of Hagoromo's age or background should know.
After all, she had practically watched him grow up.
"…No. It's probably just déjà vu," Hagoromo replied. "Please continue, Sensei."
The tragedy of life, he thought, was that even if he complained, Kushina wouldn't understand any of it.
"Anyway," Kushina went on, "people once lived together beneath the Divine Tree. Even though warfare was far more chaotic than it is now, and the settlement was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times, the Divine Tree itself was never damaged."
"Hold on—now that part sounds familiar too."
Wasn't this just like that legendary tree whose wood occasionally showed up on the black market?
Endure it. Absolutely do not say it out loud.
Interrupting her again would definitely derail Kushina's storytelling momentum—and crushing her enthusiasm for explaining things was a sure way to awaken her violent side.
"So," she shot him a dangerous look, "are you listening or not?"
"I am! Please continue—absolutely no more interruptions," Hagoromo said immediately.
"I'm old now?" Kushina asked flatly.
"N-no! I meant—Kushina-sama, please go on."
She finally restrained herself again. Considering her student was already fourteen, she decided not to hit him casually anymore—at least, to limit it to no more than five times a month.
"Eventually," she continued, "even the Divine Tree and the settlement beneath it were destroyed together."
"Many years later, humans began living once again on the ruins of that city. By chance, they discovered that the place where the Divine Tree once stood still contained residual energy. Over time, people learned to control that energy…"
"That power later came to be known as the Dragon Vein."
"The settlement eventually grew into a nation—though a very small one, with a population of less than fifty thousand. Its ruler possessed the ability to control the Dragon Vein."
"This small country, located between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers, was called Lōran ( Tsuchigumo clan territory )."
"And the power of the Dragon Vein has been passed down ever since."
Hagoromo: "..."
So why does it have to be called Lōran ( Tsuchigumo clan territory )? Is this place just allergic to survival?
And less than fifty thousand people? That wasn't a nation—that was barely larger than a village. Even Konoha was several times bigger.
Still, Hagoromo had doubts about Kushina's account.
The Divine Tree hadn't really been destroyed—it had gone berserk after someone harvested its accumulated fruit of ages, transforming into the Ten-Tails, hadn't it?
Either that truth had been lost over generations within the Uzumaki Clan… or Kushina simply believed some things weren't appropriate to tell him yet.
Kurama knew all of this perfectly clearly. Kushina really should communicate with him more.
Even so, Hagoromo had gained crucial information.
So Lōran ( Tsuchigumo clan territory ) was the place where the Divine Tree once stood? And traces of the Ten-Tails' power still remained there?
For now, he chose to believe it—after all, even Kushina herself couldn't be completely certain.
"So Minato-senpai went to Lōran ( Tsuchigumo clan territory ) because something went wrong with the Dragon Vein?" Hagoromo asked.
"Yes," Kushina nodded. "Konoha received intelligence about abnormal fluctuations and energy leakage from the Dragon Vein, so Minato was sent to investigate."
She even wore a deeply satisfied expression, as if Hagoromo's sharp thinking was entirely thanks to her teaching.
Hagoromo quietly looked away and began thinking.
Some events were outside his knowledge, but if Minato's mission was tied to the Ten-Tails' remnants, then there might be deeper forces at work.
Could a hidden mastermind already be moving?
If so, he needed to see it for himself.
Of course, as a shinobi, Hagoromo couldn't just leave the village on a whim. Leaving without authorization meant becoming a missing-nin.
So he had to wait until he completed his current task—assisting Orochimaru with tissue-sample research—before taking action.
By the time Hagoromo finished his preparations, Minato's team had already exceeded their mission time limit without returning to Konoha.
That gave Hagoromo the perfect excuse to submit a request to the Hokage to go and rendezvous with them.
The Hokage considered it briefly. Since Hagoromo had nothing better to do anyway, he approved it.
Besides, refusing would likely result in Kushina stepping in to "persuade" him. Considering that scenario, agreeing immediately was the safer option.
Hagoromo's mobility was exceptional—there was no need to worry about him.
After all, he could fly.
Thus, six days after Minato's team departed, Hagoromo set out as well.
Yatagarasu was clearly a strategic bomber, yet Hagoromo kept using it like a transport aircraft. This left the summon deeply confused about its role in life.
They ascended straight into the clouds. Hagoromo kept Yatagarasu flying at an altitude between the White Sea and the White-White Sea, ensuring no one on the ground could detect them.
After all, Sunagakure was always very enthusiastic about welcoming the "White Yaksha." If they spotted him, they'd surely celebrate with a grand fireworks display—made entirely of ninjutsu.
Only after approaching Lōran ( Tsuchigumo clan territory ) did Hagoromo lower their altitude.
It was already dawn. The sun had not yet risen, but refracted light illuminated the land below.
Within the swirling morning mist, an enormous, towering silhouette appeared before Hagoromo's eyes.
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
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