The following morning, sunlight spilled over the hilltop. A gentle breeze blew past, carrying a faint chill.
Chiya stepped through the morning dew and returned to the place where he had met Kaguya the day before. From a distance he could already see that silver-white figure standing quietly at the cliff's edge, gazing up at the sky.
Her long hair danced lightly in the wind, carrying a soft glow in the morning light, as though she had become one with the sky and the earth.
"Kaguya."
Chiya walked up and greeted her with a smile.
Kaguya slowly turned her head. His figure reflected in her white eyes as she said quietly.
"You came."
"Have you been waiting long?"
Chiya walked to her side and followed her gaze up toward the sky, where there was nothing but a few drifting clouds.
"Not very long."
Kaguya's voice remained as calm as ever, but a trace of complicated emotion had appeared in her eyes.
"In just under two years, Isshiki will descend to this world."
Hearing this, Chiya's expression did not change in the slightest. He actually let out a light laugh.
"Two years. There's still quite a bit of time."
Kaguya glanced sideways at him, seemingly surprised by his composure.
"You're not worried?"
"Would worrying help?"
Chiya shrugged, his gaze steady.
"Rather than worrying, it's better to think about how to deal with him."
Kaguya was silent for a moment, then said quietly.
"Isshiki is very strong. The me I am now is no match for him."
Chiya looked at her and suddenly said, half joking.
"Then after we deal with Isshiki, I hope you'll be looking at me instead of the sky."
Kaguya was briefly startled. Something unusual flickered through her white eyes.
The fear rising in her heart faded considerably.
In her mind, without realizing it, she thought back to the story of Niulang and Zhinü that Chiya had told her. The corner of her mouth curved upward with a faint smile.
But it quickly returned to calm.
She did not respond to his words and simply said quietly.
"Let's sit down and talk."
The two found a clean rock and sat down. Chiya set aside his smile and said seriously.
"First, we need to understand Isshiki's abilities. The more detailed the better."
Kaguya nodded and began to speak slowly.
"Isshiki is one of the elites of the Ōtsutsuki Clan. His abilities are mainly..."
As Kaguya spoke, the blurry memories in Chiya's mind gradually grew clearer.
He listened while analyzing in his mind.
However, what Kaguya knew was relatively limited.
Especially the ability Chiya knew about but Kaguya did not. That technique called Sukunahikona, something like a miniaturization jutsu. It could shrink himself or objects down to a microscopic level, or even conceal himself in a pocket dimension, making him extremely difficult to capture.
'But that makes sense. After all, it's his trump card. Who would expose it unless absolutely necessary? It's only natural Kaguya wouldn't know about it.'
'But then again, the Ōtsutsuki Clan's strange and varied abilities are genuinely troublesome.'
"And you?"
Chiya looked at Kaguya.
"As you are right now, can you handle him?"
Kaguya shook her head lightly.
"My power is far below his. I think my only advantage is Yomotsu Hirasaka."
"Yomotsu Hirasaka?"
Chiya's eyes lit up.
"You mean the spatial movement you mentioned yesterday?"
"Yes, that one is manageable, but it consumes an enormous amount of energy and cannot be used frequently."
Kaguya said quietly.
Chiya thought for a moment, and suddenly smiled.
"Actually, we may not be without a chance of winning."
Kaguya looked at him with curiosity.
"First, Isshiki's weakness lies in the Kāma resurrection mechanism you just mentioned. He must plant the Kāma in advance to be able to resurrect. If we can strike him down with overwhelming force the moment he arrives, leaving him no chance to plant the Kāma, we can eliminate him completely."
A trace of surprise flickered through Kaguya's eyes, but she quickly thought of the key issue.
"But his abilities go far beyond that. I don't know him well. If he has other abilities we haven't accounted for, what should we do?"
"That is exactly why we need to catch him off guard and guarantee a one-hit kill."
Chiya's gaze sharpened.
"Your Yomotsu Hirasaka is the key. We can set up a diversion beforehand to put him off his guard, then use the spatial movement ability to ambush him at the critical moment."
Kaguya considered this thoughtfully.
"It seems feasible."
"Also, your combat experience needs to be built up."
Chiya stood up and extended his hand toward her.
"Starting now, I will train with you and help you bring your abilities as close to their peak as possible."
Kaguya looked at his hand, hesitated briefly, and in the end placed her hand in his.
Chiya smiled faintly.
"Trust me. Two years is more than enough time for us to prepare a perfect counterattack."
Kaguya gave a light nod, and a trace of resolve appeared in her eyes.
In the days that followed, Chiya threw himself fully into helping Kaguya improve her strength.
He began by drawing on his own combat experience, using shadow clones to simulate Isshiki's fighting style, and engaged in live combat training with Kaguya.
Although Kaguya possessed tremendous power, her combat experience was virtually zero. Chiya started from the most basic foundations, explaining taijutsu and chakra application.
Every application of chakra, for Kaguya, could be understood through analogy with things she already knew.
Kaguya's talent left Chiya somewhat astonished.
She was like a dried-out sponge, now furiously absorbing water.
"Combat is not just a clash of power. It is also a contest of strategy."
Chiya stood on the training ground and looked at Kaguya.
"No technique is perfect and without flaw. Each one has its corresponding strengths and weaknesses. As long as we can identify the aspects that are advantageous to us and deliver an effective attack based on those, our chances of winning will grow even greater."
Kaguya attempted to concentrate her chakra and release a wide-range shockwave, but the results were not ideal.
Chiya patiently guided her in adjusting the flow of her chakra to make her attacks more precise.
'Power may be immense, but it also requires corresponding methods of control and restraint. Only then can you draw out a strength that exceeds the raw power itself.'
"Again!"
Chiya encouraged her.
Kaguya took a deep breath. She pressed her hands together, gathered chakra into her palms, then released it in a sudden burst.
Boom!
An enormous wave of energy swept out, instantly and precisely reducing a distant boulder to dust.
Everything surrounding the boulder was left completely untouched.
"Very good!"
Chiya gave a satisfied nod.
"Next, try combining it with Yomotsu Hirasaka."
Kaguya closed her eyes, sensing the fluctuations of space, then her figure flashed. She appeared behind Chiya in an instant.
Chiya reacted, parrying with a backhand block. Their chakra collided, sending a pressure wave rippling outward.
This was training after all, so Kaguya had not used her full strength.
"Not bad, but you can be even faster."
Chiya said with a smile.
Kaguya breathed lightly. Fine beads of sweat had appeared on her forehead. The chakra consumption had been fairly intense, but her eyes were brighter than before.
In the evening, the two sat resting beside a campfire.
Chiya gazed at the dancing flames and suddenly said.
"Actually, I've been thinking about something."
"What?"
Kaguya looked at him.
"The God Tree."
Chiya's gaze was deep and focused.
"If we could make the God Tree bear fruit ahead of time and have you eat the fruit, your power would increase dramatically. Dealing with Isshiki would be much easier after that."
Kaguya shook her head.
"The God Tree requires an immense amount of time to grow. Even if it were planted right now, it could not bear fruit within two years."
Chiya rubbed his chin.
"What if we accelerated that process?"
Kaguya was taken aback.
"Accelerate?"
"If we could find a sufficiently vast energy source, it might be possible to catalyze the God Tree's growth."
A glint of sharp focus passed through Chiya's eyes.
Kaguya's eyes widened slightly.
"You mean using the energy of this world?"
"Exactly."
Chiya nodded.
"When it comes down to it, what the God Tree needs is energy. If the energy is vast enough, it may be possible to accelerate the God Tree's maturation. And even if the energy falls a little short and cannot produce a fully mature fruit, we could draw directly from the Ten-Tails instead. That should equally be able to increase your abilities."
Kaguya thought for a moment, then said quietly.
"It is worth trying."
Chiya smiled.
"Then that's settled. Starting tomorrow, we train and at the same time search for a suitable location to plant the God Tree."
Kaguya looked at him and suddenly asked.
"Why do you help me so much?"
Chiya turned his head and met her gaze, his smile gentle.
"Didn't I say so before? Because I don't want to see you walk toward that ending. And besides..."
He paused, then said half jokingly.
"You are my very first friend in this land!"
"I don't want to lose you!"
Kaguya gently pressed her lips together, and something like a faint gleam appeared in her eyes.
The night wind blew past. The campfire swayed.
The shadows of the two were woven together in the firelight, and without anything being said, the distance between them had grown considerably smaller.
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