"Star Devourer?!"
Yamanaka Shinno froze for a brief moment when he saw the system reward.
If it were just a regular green trait, he wouldn't even give it a second glance at this point.
But this trait… This wasn't an ordinary green one. As long as it could absorb enough energy, it would level up on its own.
And more importantly, it boosted his energy capacity, absorption efficiency, and conversion rate—three absolutely critical parameters.
There was just one problem...
Seriously?
Was the system telling him to just… eat the whole damn ball?
Couldn't pack it up and take it with him, so just devour it and destroy everything afterward?
Even if the population of this world wasn't as large as Earth in his previous life, it was still no small number!
Shinno couldn't help but grumble inwardly, but when he looked at the trait description and the requirements for upgrading it, he made the practical choice—he activated it.
After all, the Six Paths Chakra left behind by Otsutsuki Hagoromo was like a massive lake of energy.
And that Otsutsuki guy, Shibai—the one who devoured who knows how many God Tree fruits—his corpse was probably still lying around on this little planet too.
Not to mention, there were still quite a few Otsutsuki clan members kicking around.
They went around planting God Trees across entire worlds—surely they had a stash of rare collectibles lying somewhere...
[Star Devourer] trait activated.
Shinno felt a subtle shift ripple through every cell in his body, and then his state returned to normal.
Thanks to his previous trait upgrade to [Heavenly Derivation True Lord], his body had already been filled with spiritual energy—but now his capacity increased by another 20%.
As the system flooded his mind with new knowledge, he instinctively grasped a divine ability akin to an innate supernatural power.
With each breath, waves of energy surged toward him.
Natural energy, chakra, planetary energy, life energy...
Otsutsuki Kaguya, Tsunade, Kushina, as well as Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama—both of whom had just been healed—all turned toward him simultaneously.
Shinno quickly shut off the [Star Devourer] ability, suppressing his urge to recklessly devour the world's energy.
At first glance, this trait didn't seem to offer any direct offensive capabilities.
But combine it with [Heavenly Derivation True Lord], which already granted high energy absorption efficiency, and this new trait...
Except for ultra-fast attacks or jutsu that required time to break down and convert, he could now absorb nearly every type of ninjutsu, kekkei genkai, and even kekkei tōta—on contact.
That included Sage Energy and natural energy, which even the Otsutsuki couldn't absorb directly.
He glanced at Otsutsuki Kaguya.
If he'd had this power earlier, he could've given her another way to die—
Drained of all her energy until she simply ceased to exist.
Kaguya, worthy of possessing the Rinne Sharingan with nine tomoe, reacted in a flash.
Noticing Shinno's rather ominous expression, she immediately flung Black Zetsu from her sleeve to block his view.
"…You've gotta be kidding me."
Shinno watched Black Zetsu squirm awkwardly in midair, trying desperately to crawl back into Kaguya's sleeve, only to be frozen in place by her Yin-Yang Release.
From the nearby barrier, Tsunade, Kushina, and Uchiha Hikari had just arrived and overheard Black Zetsu's ridiculous declaration. Each reacted differently.
Tsunade gave Shinno a look full of disdain, Kushina covered her mouth to stop herself from bursting into laughter, and Hikari tilted her head, her gaze bouncing between Shinno and Kaguya.
"Don't bother guessing," Tsunade said dryly, assuming Hikari was confused about their bizarre relationship. "He probably beat her while yelling, 'A wise man submits to circumstances! Call me daddy, and I'll go easy on you,' or something like that."
"Oh~ So… did she?"
Hikari looked back at Shinno with wide, curious eyes.
"???"
Tsunade and Kushina both turned to stare at Hikari.
The mischievous glint in her eye flickered just long enough for them to catch it. Both women twitched at the corners of their eyes.
This girl—cut her open and she's probably pitch black inside.
Kaguya, still blindfolded by Black Zetsu, hadn't seen Hikari's expression. She thought the little girl was just being painfully blunt.
Recalling what almost happened in that eerie barrier earlier, she was overwhelmed with shame, frustration, helplessness, and resignation.
She forcibly turned her head 180 degrees to hide her face from everyone.
"Cut it out."
Thunk—Shinno flicked Hikari on the forehead.
Talk was cheap—like how people always joked about riding alpacas into battle.
But the ones who actually followed through?
They were monsters.
And Shinno wasn't that ruthless.
At most, he might give Kaguya a dose of that old treatment and drag her to the brink of death—just once.
...
"That's it? It's over?"
Senju Hashirama, his clothes tattered but finally free from his weakened state, walked over curiously.
"Almost. One last step."
Shinno turned to look at the God Tree.
"Hmph."
Uchiha Madara, walking beside him, glanced warily at Kaguya, then summoned his Complete Susanoo once more.
The massive figure raised a chakra blade and swung it down at the God Tree's trunk.
Kaguya's eyes flashed with reluctance.
But under Shinno's pressure, she forced down her instincts, closed her eyes, and refused to watch the destruction of the tree.
...
BOOOOOM—
With a deafening crash, the God Tree—towering like a divine pillar—was severed at the base and reverted into the Ten-Tails.
The beast howled in agony as its form shifted.
Kaguya's chakra plummeted, and the Rinne Sharingan in her forehead gradually dimmed, then completely disappeared.
The Six-Tails and Seven-Tails, both trapped within the Ten-Tails, thrashed wildly in an attempt to escape.
White Zetsu, which had reestablished its connection with the God Tree, began to collapse in waves as the tree was destroyed.
Suddenly, Shinno thought of Tobi.
He locked onto the Flying Thunder God seal on the man and teleported instantly.
"Master~! I-I-I'm dying! Save meeee~!"
The moment Tobi saw Shinno, he launched into full panic mode, wailing like a banshee.
"..."
Shinno closed his eyes, sighed, and—remembering how loyal this idiot had been—used Yin-Yang Release to cut Tobi's connection to the God Tree and restore his lost life force.
Then, glancing around at the dying White Zetsus—one by one turning into trees—he waved his hand and swept nearly a thousand of them into the Boundless Weapon Realm, sealing them away temporarily .
Orochimaru had nearly finished studying the White Zetsu's abilities. And while they weren't hard to use, creating them took time.
Saving some now would save trouble later.
Still holding a dazed Tobi by the collar, Shinno reappeared before Tsunade and the others.
Kaguya, who had been trying to avoid everyone, suddenly sensed Tobi's chakra and spun around in a flash.
Her body, which had been facing away, turned back—and so did her head.
"Aino!"
"Princess!"
Tobi responded instinctively, blurting out the title before he even processed it.
And when he did realize it, his expression twisted in disbelief as he clutched his face.
"W-Wait, what?! Why did I call this woman—whose body and head are backwards—'Princess'?! Master! You have to believe me! The God Tree was controlling me! I didn't betray you, I swear! I'm done for! I'm so—"
Shinno's brow furrowed slightly.
The name "Aino"... where had he heard it before?
He quickly searched his memory and recalled the name from Tobi's personal profile—and that peculiar occupation: "Attendant."
Got it.
Kaguya's eyes widened faintly.
With her strength down to less than ten percent, she barely managed to send a ray of Yin-Yang energy into Tobi's body.
The endless rambling stopped.
Tobi's single eye stared blankly at her.
Memories that had been sealed and buried for a thousand years slowly began to return.
Tears flowed down his face in silence.
"...Princess. You're safe… thank goodness."
"Mhm."
Kaguya nodded softly.
Her usually cold expression seemed to melt like winter snow.
A faint, gentle smile touched her lips.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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