A strange light flashed through Kaguya's eyes as she looked toward the direction where Reki had disappeared into the toad.
'I didn't expect there to be such a special native on this planet. That kind of power should be enough to stand against Isshiki.', Kaguya thought to herself.
"Strange, how did that person suddenly disappear? Could he have used some kind of strange technique?", Arisu, meanwhile, pretended to be surprised. Acting as though he knew nothing, he asked in confusion.
Hearing that, Kaguya covered her mouth and smiled softly.
"Perhaps it was some kind of folk performance. Husband, there's no need to dwell on it."
Kaguya said as she leaned against Arisu's shoulder.
Arisu nodded and played along.
"It certainly is unusual."
After that, the two said nothing more. They hunted together in the nearby mountains for a while. After a plentiful harvest, they returned to the royal palace of the Land of Ancestors.
After returning to the palace, Arisu gently bid Kaguya farewell, saying he needed to attend to state affairs, and left the bedchamber alone.
Kaguya took the opportunity to quietly leave the royal city. Following the aura from before, she made her way to the cave where Reki was hiding.
Inside the cave, the light was dim.
Then, Kaguya explained the situation to Reki.
"Reki-kun, you are one of the strongest people on this planet."
She paused before continuing, "If Isshiki is allowed to do as he pleases, your world will eventually be destroyed. And I absolutely refuse to become that monster's sacrifice. I only want to live a peaceful life with the one I love."
Kaguya looked up at Reki, determination flashing through her eyes.
"Why don't we join forces, set a trap for Isshiki, and feed him to the Ten-Tails!"
Reki looked at Kaguya with some hesitation.
He felt quite conflicted. He had only been in this world for a few years, and now he was being dragged into a Six Paths level battle?
But when he thought of the enormous power contained within the legendary Chakra Fruit, he couldn't help feeling tempted.
Seeing Reki hesitate, a trace of disappointment flashed through Kaguya's eyes.
'Sigh... It seems this native doesn't want to take the risk.'
Kaguya let out a soft sigh and said in a low voice, "In a few months, I'll be sacrificed to the Ten-Tails. If you change your mind, come find me in the Land of Ancestors."
After saying that, she said nothing more and turned to leave the cave.
Reki didn't speak. He simply stood there and watched her leave.
Then he slowly sat back down on the stone seat, his brows tightly furrowed as he fell into deep thought.
"In the original story, Kaguya successfully backstabbed Isshiki... If I'm added to the mix, it should work too, right? But right now, I've only barely reached the level of a quasi-Super Kage..."
Reki was different from Arisu.
Although Arisu had also been at Kage level in the early stages, his system had constantly suppressed him, causing him to stagnate for a long time.
As for himself, although Mount Myoboku had spared no effort in cultivating him, his foundation was still lacking.
After thinking for a long time, Reki suddenly stood up. A fierce look flashed through his eyes as he said in a low voice, "Screw it! Nothing ventured, nothing gained!"
Reki paused, hesitated for a few more seconds, then muttered to himself, "But... I still need to watch out for that woman, Kaguya. Who knows if she'll stab me in the back? Right now, she should still be that naive sweetheart, right?"
Standing inside the cave, Reki slowly clenched his fists. His eyes held both ambition and deep vigilance.
He thought to himself, 'Oh! Right, I'll go ask the white-browed toad. Maybe it has some kind of treasure. I remember that in the original story, Mount Myoboku had a kind of Sage Talisman with the power to regrow flesh from bare bones.'
Afterward, Reki immediately set off for Mount Myoboku and asked the white-browed toad if it had any treasures that could strengthen his trump cards.
To his surprise, the white-browed toad actually gave him a Sage Robe that could conceal his aura, along with several fairly powerful Sage Talismans.
Overjoyed, Reki quickly thanked it before leaving.
———
Meanwhile, in the main hall of the royal palace of the Land of Ancestors.
Arisu was sitting on the throne handling state affairs when several ministers suddenly hurried in to report, "Your Majesty! An envoy from the Land of That has come requesting an audience!"
Arisu raised his eyes slightly. His expression remained calm, and he wasn't surprised.
If nothing unexpected happened, the Land of That had undoubtedly come because of Kaguya.
It was no secret that the Son of Heaven of the Land of That coveted Kaguya's beauty.
Arisu spoke calmly, "Oh? Then invite the envoy from the Land of That inside. Make sure he isn't neglected."
Soon, an envoy from the Land of That, dressed in white and carrying himself with extraordinary poise, slowly walked into the hall.
He looked directly at Arisu on the high seat, acting with the arrogance of an envoy from a superior nation who had no need to bow before the ruler of an inferior one.
"What business brings your nation to my Land of Ancestors?"
Arisu wasn't angry. He merely smiled faintly and asked.
The envoy from the Land of That cupped his hands. His voice was neither humble nor overbearing, carrying unmistakable arrogance.
"I have heard that within Your Majesty's harem is a peerless beauty who descended from the heavens."
"Our Son of Heaven greatly admires her and wishes to behold her beauty. Would Your Majesty be willing to send this lady to the Land of That, to ease our ruler's longing?"
Although his words sounded perfectly proper, the meaning behind them was already obvious.
Arisu pretended to be slightly angry and said in a deep voice, "Do you know that she is already my wife?"
The envoy from the Land of That smiled faintly and refused to back down.
"Our Son of Heaven is willing to exchange a stretch of fertile land for her. Trading land for a single woman should be an excellent bargain for your nation."
Arisu stroked his chin and thought for a moment before asking, "What if I refuse?"
The envoy's expression changed, and his tone turned cold.
"Then it is very likely to lead to war between our two nations."
Hearing this, Arisu nodded slightly.
In truth, he knew very well.
The choice made by the Son of Heaven of the Land of Ancestors in the original story wasn't wrong.
People online all said the Son of Heaven of the Land of Ancestors was a scumbag, but Arisu felt he was a qualified ruler, one who wouldn't start a war over a single woman.
As the ruler of a nation, he had to think about all of his people.
Starting a war between two nations over one woman simply wasn't worth it.
Just imagine, if you were only an ordinary commoner, and your ruler started a war over a single woman, leaving your homeland in ruins and the people homeless, you would certainly be furious.
Because the ones who always suffer are the children of the common people.
Arisu rubbed his forehead, putting on a troubled expression as he waved his hand.
"You may withdraw for now. I need to think this over carefully."
After the envoy left, the ministers in the hall immediately began discussing the matter all at once.
Most of them believed they absolutely couldn't agree to it. It was simply too great an insult to the dignity of the Son of Heaven.
They also didn't dare openly suggest sending Kaguya away, so they could only offer tactful advice while preserving the Son of Heaven's honor.
Sitting on the throne, Arisu put on an extremely conflicted expression before finally letting out a deep sigh.
"So be it... For the sake of my people, what's the loss of one woman from my harem?"
The moment those words were spoken, the entire hall fell silent.
Every minister looked at their Son of Heaven with stunned expressions.