Chapter 352: Huh? Where's the Moon?
"Big! Big! Big!"
"Small! Small! Small!"
"Triple Sixes! All Win!!"
"Tsunade-sama! We've won again! We've won so much!!"
...
Inside the bustling casino, Hagoromo Gengetsu stood in a corner, his gaze sweeping over Shizune, who was excitedly hugging a pile of coins; the gamblers who had come to fleece the "fat sheep" but ended up losing miserably; and finally, he focused on Tsunade, whose face grew more serious the more she won.
Tsunade had realized something was wrong.
"No more!"
After casually rolling the dice again and getting another triple six, Tsunade abruptly pushed back from the table and turned to leave.
Winning once or twice, she could attribute to her skill and luck.
And sure, the guy named Hagoromo Gengetsu beside her seemed to have great luck too.
But winning this many times in a row and with no end in sight... such a situation had only occurred a few times in Tsunade's life. And each time, it ended badly.
That was why Tsunade's expression turned sour as she spun around to walk away.
"Tsunade-sama!!"
Shizune, though a bit regretful, quickly gathered the pile of coins like a mountain and followed Tsunade out.
On the way, she glanced back at where Hagoromo Gengetsu had been, only to find that he was gone too.
Hagoromo Gengetsuhad landed precisely in Short Book Street. Now, he was sitting atop the signboard of the street, watching the bustling crowds below as time ticked by.
It had been a long time since he’d experienced such leisure.
He had always been relentlessly pursuing Bloodline Encompassing and the path to the Six Paths level, sacrificing much for it.
After achieving it, he was embroiled in battles with Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and the Sage of Six Paths.
Now, for the first time, he could calm down and reflect on life after achieving his ultimate goal—how he viewed himself, the world, and his new insights into the future.
But this tranquility didn’t last long.
A wave of alcohol scent wafted through the air.
After leaving the casino and wandering who knows where, Tsunade now appeared on the signboard with several jugs of sake, sitting right next to Hagoromo Gengetsu.
She remarked in surprise, "I was wondering where you’d gone. Didn’t expect you to be here. Watching from afar, quietly enjoying the hustle and bustle—doesn't seem like something a young person would do."
"Young?"
Hagoromo Gengetsu chuckled, looking at Tsunade’s youthful face. He said, "True, this seems more like your style."
Tsunade’s face darkened. She had intended to hand him a sake jug, but quickly withdrew it.
However, the next second, she found her hand empty—the jug had ended up in Hagoromo Gengetsu’s hand.
After taking a few sips, Hagoromo Gengetsu casually asked, "So, has anything significant happened lately?"
Tsunade glanced at him.
The more she interacted with this man, the more unfathomable he seemed. She had lost interest in probing further. After all, she had left Konoha and no longer cared about the affairs of the ninja world.
Whatever Hagoromo Gengetsu wanted to do was fine, as long as it didn’t affect her.
Tsunade didn’t bother to question why Hagoromo Gengetsu knew so much. She shook her head with slight confusion, "No, nothing major has happened recently."
Tsunade had thought that perhaps another loved one had died or something bad had occurred.
But after going out to investigate, she found everything was normal.
This left her puzzled.
Nothing had happened, so how did she suddenly win so much?
If she had to pinpoint something unusual, it would only be this guy beside her.
Tsunade turned to look at Hagoromo Gengetsu.
Hagoromo Gengetsu understood her meaning.
He thought the same.
He and the others who had come from another world didn’t seem to bring much good fortune to this world.
Especially since they were true Six Paths-level beings, standing at the pinnacle of the ninja world, and even the universe.
Speaking of which, did this world also have Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and the Sage of Six Paths?
Hagoromo Gengetsu looked up at the sky.
At that moment, the last vestiges of twilight were fading, and the sky was gradually darkening.
It was a clear night with no clouds, and the stars shone brightly.
Just as Hagoromo Gengetsu was about to enjoy the blood moonlight of this other world, he suddenly paused.
"Huh? Where’s the moon?"
"Huh? Where’s that big moon?"
A thousand miles away, the same words were uttered by Naruto.
Naruto had just walked out of the city of Roran.
After learning the truth of this world from Sara, he had stood there dumbfounded for quite some time before finally accepting reality.
He had traveled through time!
Looking back, not just him, but Hagoromo Gengetsu and the others who had been in the light with him likely also came to this world.
No wonder there was no battle in Roran.
It seemed they had landed in different places.
Naruto had even prepared to evacuate the Roran people when the battle came, only to find it was all a misunderstanding.
Despite that, Queen Sara and the others were still very enthusiastic, inviting Naruto to stay for a few more days.
Naruto politely declined.
He had to quickly notify Konoha and the rest of the ninja world to prepare defenses. He couldn’t let the tragedies of his original world happen here again.
However, just as he was about to rush to Konoha, he noticed something strange in the sky.
The moon he had known since childhood was gone!
Upon hearing his words, Sara, who had accompanied him, casually said, "The moon? It disappeared a year ago."
"A night a year ago, the moonlight was brighter than ever, but it didn’t last long. The light vanished, and the moon completely disappeared."
Tsunade downed the sake in her jug and shrugged,
"It’s been a year, and you still don’t know? You must be from outer space."
Hagoromo Gengetsu, still staring at the moonless night sky, replied,
"I am indeed an alien."
"Tch!"
Tsunade scoffed disdainfully, shook the empty sake bottles in front of her, then discreetly glanced at the still half-full bottle beside Hagoromo Gengetsu.
Seeing that he was still gazing at the stars, her eyes lit up.
In a flash, she grabbed the sake bottle and, without any regard for decorum, drank straight from it.
Hagoromo Gengetsu didn’t mind and continued looking at the sky, thinking to himself,
"The moon disappeared a year ago… So, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and the Sage of Six Paths arrived in this world a year before me."
If only one had arrived earlier, the moon would either still exist, or this world would already be under the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Before his arrival, that mother and son, who were always at odds, must have fought once more.
Furthermore, the Kaguya and Hagoromo of this world seemed to have played a significant role as well.
Otherwise, the moon wouldn’t have disappeared.
So, does that mean I’ll have to face two Kaguyas and two Sages of Six Paths?
What about the other me?
Hagoromo Gengetsu shook his head.
As a true traveler, no matter how many parallel worlds there were, he was the only one of his kind.
Perhaps there was another Hagoromo Gengetsu, but most likely, he had already died in the wars of the Warring States period.
However, he wasn’t without his advantages.
For example...
[Ding!]
At that moment, a mechanical sound rang in Hagoromo Gengetsu’s mind.