The moment Carl finished speaking, Lily immediately shot him a dramatic eye-roll. Kaguya's white eyes were always expressionless, but judging from the faint blush on her cheeks, she clearly understood what he meant as well.
Although Kaguya had never experienced real combat, she had stayed in the human world long enough to no longer be completely naïve. In the beginning, she often observed the daily lives of humans.
Her pure Byakugan was far more useful than the Third Hokage's cheap crystal ball.
Carl had just flirted a little in front of two women whose average age exceeded eight hundred, yet he didn't get any reaction. Feeling unsatisfied, he clicked his tongue.
But this small flirtation actually affected Kaguya far more than her exterior suggested.
She was considering something: if she were to give birth naturally, then combining their bloodlines, the stronger the father, the better. Ordinary human males were obviously beneath her standards.
As for the men of the Ōtsutsuki clan, let alone that they had no interest in such things, she had already violated clan law and stolen the Chakra Fruit. That act alone had branded her an enemy of the entire Ōtsutsuki clan. There was no way she could even consider it.
Lacking a sense of security and fearing betrayal, Kaguya genuinely wanted a strong and reliable child who could protect her. So, subconsciously, she looked toward Carl, her gaze carrying a strange and indescribable meaning.
Carl, of course, couldn't understand what was going on in her mind. But Lily was different—her woman's intuition immediately screamed:
This woman is up to no good!
Lily narrowed her eyes slightly. Her figure drifted to Carl's side, and she spoke casually,
"It's dark and cold here. Let's stop staying around. I haven't even seen what the humans in this world look like."
Carl gave her a puzzled glance. His first instinct was to say that humans look like humans… but after a moment, he remembered:
Humans in the Naruto world were a little different from those in the One Piece world. At the very least, they didn't casually grow over two meters tall, nor were they mixed with all sorts of bizarre races.
So Carl nodded.
"Alright, let's go. People in this world are generally shorter than ours."
"Is that so? Then hurry up. I'm sick of this place already."
Lily grabbed Carl's hand and shot forward before Carl could even react. Kaguya followed immediately, but her flying speed was clearly inferior. In the blink of an eye, Lily and Carl vanished from sight.
Kaguya bit her lip. Behind her, space collapsed into itself, forming a black portal. Her body leaned back as she slid into it and disappeared.
On the moon, Toneri sensed the disappearance of Carl's group. Only then did he emerge from behind a massive fragment of stone. He gazed toward the direction they vanished, paused, then suddenly turned around and knelt, bowing his head heavily against the ground. Afterward, he stood with resolve and headed toward a palace hidden deep within the ruins.
...
In the clear sky, a meteor streaked through the clouds, plunging rapidly toward Konoha below—yet when it landed, it made no sound.
In the forest, Carl turned to Lily beside him.
"Uh… Lily? Why were you flying so fast?"
"Hmph. If I didn't hurry, I was afraid you'd fall right into Kaguya's trap!"
"What? I know her better than you. She's just a clueless airhead—how could she possibly outsmart me? And weren't you two supposed to be good friends?"
"Oh, wonderful! Look at you, acting like you 'understand her.' Are the women back home not enough trouble for you? You want to add someone here too?"
Carl froze. Seeing his expression only made Lily angrier.
"Kaguya's intentions are impure. You should keep your distance. And that Isshiki— is he really that strong? Can the two of us not take him down together?"
"That's not the problem. It's just safer with Kaguya around. After all, there's no way she'll side with Isshiki."
"If that's the case, then forget her."
Carl blinked.
"But where are we supposed to find Isshiki? I was planning to use Kaguya to draw him out."
"With your abilities, someone can escape your search?"
"Isshiki is different. Right now he's… well, digital—you get it? He's basically data imprinted onto a person's body. Finding something like that is… troublesome."
Lily truly didn't understand what "digital" meant. She looked at Carl suspiciously.
"Really? So without Kaguya, you can't find Isshiki?"
"I can. It'll just be harder..."
Hearing this, Lily subconsciously puffed her cheeks—an expression Carl found amusing.
He couldn't help but smile.
"You looked pretty cute just now. Rare sight."
"..."
Lily's face instantly turned red. She shot Carl a glare and turned away without speaking.
Carl stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. Lily struggled symbolically for a moment, muttering,
"Ugh… my body still hasn't fully recovered…" Then she stopped resisting, simply closing her eyes so she didn't have to look at him.
Seeing her tsundere expression, Carl lowered his head to her ear and whispered softly,
"Hey… why are you suddenly so sensitive? Even if Kaguya really had thoughts about me, you wouldn't get jealous, right? If that's enough to set you off, then what would've happened back in Mary Geoise? You'd have died of anger."
His breath brushed her ear, and in seconds the tips turned red. She squirmed slightly, humming,
"How can it be the same? This place is so far away from home. What if some woman here lures you away and you don't want to go back?"
Carl couldn't help but laugh aloud, the warm breath making Lily shiver as she snapped her eyes open and glared at him murderously.
Ignoring her, Carl said,
"Be serious. Lucia, Ginny, Monet…"
He listed several names. Lily rolled her eyes so hard they nearly got stuck.
Carl finished,
"Aren't they all amazing? You think I'd be tempted? Your imagination is honestly ridiculous."
Shaking his head, he gave Lily a look that clearly said Are you stupid?
He tapped her forehead.
"Did the sealing process make you dumb? Since when did my proud Lily-queen turn into a vinegar jar?"
Lily's hair practically stood on end. She flicked her hand, firing a black arrow that instantly skewered two nearby Anbu who had come to investigate.
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+140 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg