As Ino was preparing to take Asuma to the hospital, she glanced around and noticed a silver-haired girl approaching her. It was Kaguya, who had left earlier.
Ino looked curiously at the girl who had come up to her, wondering what she wanted.
"Um," Kaguya said, looking a bit embarrassed, "Can I borrow some money? I didn't bring any."
Ino was taken aback, then reached into her pocket, pulled out a delicate wallet, took out a few bills, and said to Kaguya, "Is a thousand enough?"
To her surprise, Kaguya grabbed Ino's wallet, taking all the money inside, not even leaving a coin. With a look of disdain, she said, "Is this all you have? How stingy. I'll take it all."
"Ah!" Ino was shocked and snatched her wallet back, but it was already empty. She cried, "How can you do this? This is my food money for several months!"
"Oh, really?" Kaguya took one bill from the stack of money and put it in Ino's hand, saying earnestly, "Save your money."
"A hundred yen won't do anything!" Ino wanted to throw the money at Kaguya, reaching to grab the rest back. "This is too much!"
Kaguya grabbed her wrist, pulling Ino into her arms. She pinched Ino's chin and mischievously said, "You're such a pretty girl. As thanks, let me give you a kiss."
Feeling the softness on her lips, Ino froze, her body stiffening as if struck by lightning, her eyes vacant. She had only one thought: "I've been forcibly kissed again!"
If it were a handsome guy, she might have been thrilled, but since it was another girl...
Ino felt like steam was coming out of her head.
Kaguya smacked her lips, muttering, "Not bad."
Ino's face turned beet red, feeling like her face was on fire.
"Well, thank you," Kaguya said, waving the money and smiling. "I'll repay you later."
"Ahhh!" A deafening scream erupted shortly after Kaguya left.
In the dense forest.
"Mother," Black Zetsu emerged slowly from the ground. "I don't quite understand why you saved those people."
"I told you before, my true self has been affected by the God Tree. I'm not who I used to be; I'm just a monster obsessed with taking chakra," Kaguya said softly, gazing into the distance.
"Yes, exactly," Black Zetsu nodded, but then a look of confusion crossed his face. He scratched his head and asked, "But what does this have to do with those people?"
"Idiot," Kaguya tapped Black Zetsu's forehead with her slender finger. "If we gather all the tailed beasts and revive my true form, it will inevitably lead to a great war. At that time, they will be useful. Understand?"
This was not a baseless assumption by Kaguya. In the original story, after Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was revived, she displayed an extreme obsession with chakra, almost losing her sanity. This easily led to the speculation that Kaguya might have been influenced by the God Tree after merging with it.
Before consuming the fruit of the God Tree, Kaguya's personality was normal and not so extreme.
If Kaguya gathered chakra merely to defend against future threats like Momoshiki and Kinshiki, it would seem far-fetched, as anyone who has seen the movie knows that Momoshiki and Kinshiki are weaker than Kaguya.
Of course, if someone even stronger than Momoshiki and Kinshiki were to come to Earth, that would be another matter.
"I see," Black Zetsu suddenly understood. "I never thought Mother would plan so far ahead."
"You will help me in the future, right?" Kaguya patted Black Zetsu's head, her eyes curving into a crescent as she smiled.
"I will always stand by your side," Black Zetsu said, looking at Kaguya with admiration. "Mother."
Kaguya nodded appreciatively, a small smile playing on her lips.
The two stood together, exuding a sense of motherly affection and filial piety.
But no one knew that at that moment, Kaguya felt a shiver run down her spine, and goosebumps started to rise.
Kaguya's current strategy involved increasing her own power while letting Madara Uchiha gather the tailed beasts to release the true form of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. Simultaneously, she planned to utilize the ninja from various nations to weaken Kaguya, allowing her to reap the benefits from the sidelines. This plan best served her interests.
However, maintaining balance was crucial. She couldn't let Madara's side become too strong, which would significantly weaken the ninjas from various nations, thus reducing their capability to fight Kaguya's true form. On the other hand, she couldn't allow the ninjas from various nations to become too strong, preventing Madara from gathering all the tailed beasts.
And she definitely couldn't collect the tailed beasts herself. If her actions were exposed, she would become a target for everyone. Not only would she face attacks from Madara's side, but also from the ninjas of various nations, which would be disastrous.
Kaguya continued along the road, but to her disappointment, she found that this was merely a transit point, not a proper town. Frustrated, she continued on her journey. After seven days, she finally came across a small town.
As she walked into the town, she found it to be quite large, with rows of houses neatly lined up. The streets were filled with various shops, and many small vendors were selling fresh fruits and vegetables. The fruits were similar to those in her original world, not much different.
Kaguya bought an apple and held it in her hand, biting into it unceremoniously as she strolled through the streets, her eyes scanning for her target.
Finally, at the corner of a street, her eyes lit up as she found what she was looking for.