This speed simply defied all common sense!
The opponent's existence was like a bug in the Shinobi World.
An indescribable sense of absurdity welled up in Hagoromo's heart.
A Shinobi's growth in power invariably required arduous training, bloodline inheritance, the study of secret techniques, and even tempering through life and death, following certain rules that, while vague, definitely existed.
However, Takuno... he seemed to have jumped outside of all rules.
The trajectory of his power growth had no logic to speak of; every breakthrough felt like he was directly rewriting the world's underlying source code.
His Dōjutsu system was diverse yet perfectly integrated, the source of his power was mysterious and unpredictable, and his speed of evolution was even more inconceivable.
This simply wasn't an existence that could be explained by being a Shinobi or an Ōtsutsuki.
The Sage of Six Paths sighed inwardly; perhaps he was witnessing the birth of a true miracle at this moment!
"Now that you have defeated my mother, could you please end the Infinite Tsukuyomi and release all the Shinobi in the world?" The Sage of Six Paths chose his words carefully.
"There's no rush for now," Takuno yawned casually.
Hashirama seemed a bit anxious and wanted to say something, but Tobirama, who was beside him, covered his mouth, leaving him only able to mumble inarticulately.
Tobirama was also quite respectful at this moment: "We understand, then please proceed with your business."
Takuno glanced at Tobirama and then took a step forward. He vanished from the spot and reappeared in front of a white cocoon containing a Shinobi.
Meanwhile, Tobirama finally let go of Hashirama.
"Tobirama, why did you cover my mouth?!" Hashirama complained.
"Big brother, you always speak without thinking. You were about to ask The Collector directly why he won't undo the Infinite Tsukuyomi right now, weren't you?" Tobirama knew his brother very well.
"Exactly, is there something wrong with that?" Hashirama was a bit puzzled.
Tobirama sighed and glared at him, causing Hashirama to shrink his neck back.
"The Collector's words clearly indicate he intends to undo the Infinite Tsukuyomi, it's just not time yet. If he changes his mind because of your confrontation, big brother, you would be the eternal sinner of the Shinobi World."
"Well, The Collector shouldn't be that petty, right?" Hashirama scratched his head, though it did sound like a valid concern.
"Hmph," Tobirama snorted coldly. "Even if there's the slightest chance, we cannot gamble. Didn't you see that even the Sage of Six Paths is speaking very cautiously?"
"I guess you're right..." Hashirama blinked, convinced by Tobirama's reasoning.
The Sage of Six Paths shook his head nearby. While Tobirama's worry might be a bit excessive, they truly could not afford the price of The Collector changing his mind right now.
He wondered what else Takuno wanted to do.
At that moment, Takuno pulled back the white cocoon, revealing the face inside—it was none other than Shisui.
Then, he took Shisui beneath the moon.
The cold moonlight fell upon Takuno and Shisui, who was still trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
The blood-red Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan on Takuno's forehead suddenly widened, casting an eerie red light like a physical substance toward the massive blood moon hanging in the sky.
Reflected by the blood moon, a strange change occurred within Shisui.
Even though he was deep within the dream of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, his closed eyes actually moved.
The original three-tomoe Sharingan pattern instantly transformed into his unique four-point windmill Mangekyo Sharingan!
This was not an awakening of Shisui's own will, but a forced change guided entirely by the unfathomable ocular power of Takuno's blood-red Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan.
Immediately after, the blood moon in the sky underwent a dramatic transformation in response.
The nine massive tomoe covering its surface began to deform violently.
They shifted within the blood-red moonlight, eventually outlining a four-point windmill Mangekyo Sharingan pattern identical to the one in Shisui's eyes!
The entire moon seemed to have become a giant eye of Shisui's Mangekyo Kotoamatsukami, overlooking the Shinobi World.
Takuno gazed at this stupendous sight, an inscrutable smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
This scene was clearly witnessed by the onlookers—the Sage of Six Paths, Hashirama, and Tobirama—and waves of shock surged in all three of their hearts.
Takuno's actions had long since surpassed their understanding; they had no idea what he was trying to do now.
But they knew they couldn't stop him, and any rash move on their part could lead to unpredictable and catastrophic consequences.
At that moment, Takuno formed hand seals.
An invisible yet vast surge of spiritual energy originated from Takuno himself.
Through the blood-red Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan on his forehead, a profound connection was established with the blood moon that had turned into a giant Mangekyo in the sky.
It then precisely poured into Shisui's pair of forcibly awakened Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Infinite Kotoamatsukami!"
Takuno's low voice seemed to echo between heaven and earth.
When the Jutsu Formula for "Infinite Kotoamatsukami" finished activating, the blood moon high in the night sky, now a giant four-point windmill Mangekyo pattern, suddenly saw its light become soft and profound.
It was no longer the eerie light of the Infinite Tsukuyomi that caused one to sink into oblivion, but instead flowed with the unique power of Kotoamatsukami to interfere with one's will.
This new moonlight, like its predecessor, ignored mountains, rivers, houses, and city walls, piercing through the countless white cocoons wrapping the entire Shinobi World with absolute precision.
Inside the cocoons, all beings trapped in the dream of the Infinite Tsukuyomi—Shinobi, civilians, and even animals.
The moment this moonlight pierced through the cocoon walls and shone down, their deepest consciousness was once again overwritten by an even stronger power.
They had been wallowing in the illusory worlds constructed by their own inner desires, but now they were quietly being tainted by the power of "Infinite Kotoamatsukami."
Although their bodies remained bound within the cocoons and their outward appearance was unchanged, their internal thinking and latent will were being woven with a core directive in silence.
This was not a crude overwrite, but a perfect integration of a new philosophy into their original spiritual worlds, making it a part of their own "will."
This process lasted for a long time before the moonlight finally receded from the blood moon like a low tide.
The giant four-point windmill pattern also gradually faded, and the blood moon returned to its original form.
Takuno released his hand seals, the blood-red Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan on his forehead closed, and the profound fluctuations of ocular power subsided.
He slowly floated down from the sky with Shisui, eventually landing on the messy ruins of the battlefield below.
After setting Shisui down, Takuno formed hand seals once more.
"Ninja Art: God: Nativity of a World of Trees!"
Under the Nativity of a World of Trees, before the disbelieving eyes of the Sage of Six Paths and the other two.
The sky-blotting giant trees that had covered the entire battlefield and were rapidly spreading across the globe began to emit a soft, shimmering green light.
Wherever the light reached, the massive white cocoons made of tough branches that tightly wrapped the Shinobi, civilians, and animals.
They began to decompose slowly from the top down. The branches forming the cocoons seemed to gain life and will, stretching gently and carefully cradling the sleeping beings inside, placing them steadily back onto the earth.
The entire process was silent and sacred, filled with respect for life, completely unlike the cruel scene when Madara activated the God: Nativity of a World of Trees.
However, this miraculous release was not the end.
The moment all the white cocoons vanished and the living beings landed safely, another change occurred.
At the main trunks and core root systems of those God Tree branches that spanned the globe and connected every piece of land.
Cores appeared one by one, silently "growing" out from inside the trees, embedded in the deepest parts of the tree hearts.
These cores were not inanimate objects; they throbbed slightly like living hearts, their surfaces swirling with complex and profound symbols.
They perfectly integrated into the structure of the God Tree, becoming key nodes in this new World of Trees network covering the globe.
Takuno's figure slowly descended from the sky, his gaze calmly sweeping over the reviving earth and the trees filling his vision. His lips curled up; it was finally finished.
Only after Takuno finished all this did Tobirama dare to speak: "Lord Collector, could you tell us what you just did?"
They couldn't quite understand why he had taken Shisui away, nor why he had activated another 'Infinite Tsukuyomi'.
Takuno looked at them and had no intention of hiding it:
"You should all know that every person in this world has the material basis that constitutes chakra within their bodies—that is, physical energy and spiritual energy."
"It's just that only the Shinobi profession can fuse them to form chakra, whereas ordinary people mostly waste these energies on various other things."
The Sage of Six Paths nodded. They were also beings standing at the peak of the Shinobi World, so they were naturally clear on this most basic knowledge.
But what did that have to do with Takuno's actions?
Takuno looked at those ordinary-looking giant trees: "Do you see those trees? Every tree in this world has now become part of the connected God Tree."
"So from now on, whether they are Shinobi, ordinary people, or even animals, as long as they come into contact with these trees, the physical and spiritual energy in their bodies will automatically combine to form chakra and be absorbed by the God Tree."
Takuno felt somewhat sentimental. In reality, the God Tree wasn't that intelligent, but he had the production method for 'Shinno's' Dark chakra in his hands, which unexpectedly fit his purpose.
The cores within these giant trees were actually the energy cores used to manufacture dark chakra.
At the height he now stood, he naturally didn't need them to produce dark chakra; after his improvements, they produced normal chakra.
The Sage of Six Paths and the others were shocked once again. If that was the case, how was this any different from the Infinite Tsukuyomi?
Takuno seemed to see through their thoughts, laughed, and spoke again:
"Don't be in such a hurry. These cores don't absorb their energy completely; they will leave them with the ability to act."
Tobirama reacted in an instant, looking at Takuno:
"So the Infinite Tsukuyomi you used just now was to write this part of the memory into the minds of all living things?"
Takuno gave Tobirama a look of approval. As expected of the Second Hokage, his reaction was fast. He nodded, a slight smile appearing on his face.
"Right, but also not right. What I used just now wasn't the Infinite Tsukuyomi, but the Infinite Kotoamatsukami. Furthermore, what was written in wasn't memory, but instinct."
Immediately, the three were shocked once more. Rewriting instinct was far more difficult than tampering with memories.
And if this became an instinct for all living things, it would be even harder to break free from it, let alone resist.
But at this moment, no one questioned Takuno because they all understood.
Although Takuno was also absorbing the world's chakra as his own power, it was much better than the one-time deal Kaguya had planned.
Takuno treated the whole world as his pasture, and chakra was the product he wanted.
In this process, the living beings were at least kept alive as the livestock being pastured; under Kaguya's plan, they wouldn't survive at all.
Even after their chakra was drained, their bodies would be turned into White Zetsu, weapons of war.
In comparison, Takuno's approach was naturally more acceptable.
And most importantly, as long as people were still alive, there was still a chance for change.
The Sage of Six Paths sighed at this point. He finally understood what Takuno meant by 'sustainable development' when they first met.
So this was what he meant by sustainable development.
If the Infinite Tsukuyomi was a one-time deal—concentrating the world's chakra into Kaguya's body in a short time—it was a direct buyout, and the immediate gains were naturally enormous.
Takuno's method was to collect chakra from the world's creatures over a long period. Although the immediate gains weren't as high as the Infinite Tsukuyomi, as long as it lasted long enough, his total gains would absolutely be higher.
After thinking for a long time, the Sage of Six Paths sighed and spoke again.
"I... may I ask you one more question?"
Hearing the change in the Sage of Six Paths's manner of speech, Takuno nodded: "Of course you can. After all, I've obtained quite a bit of chakra from you."
The Sage of Six Paths bowed his head: "When you talk about collecting chakra, do you mean that all living things will only do this one thing? Will their lives from now on only exist to provide you with chakra?"
Upon hearing this, the Senju brothers also looked at Takuno nervously. This was a crucial question.
If that were the case, then while this outcome was better than the Infinite Tsukuyomi, it wasn't much better...
Takuno glanced at the three of them.
"Although logically speaking, doing so would maximize my gains..." Takuno's voice trailed off for a moment.
This pause made the hearts of the three jump into their throats. If that were the case, everything would be over.
"But, having once been a human, I naturally won't be so heartless."
Takuno laughed as he spoke. Although he craved power, he was not some irredeemable ultimate evil after all.
Hearing Takuno say this, the three finally breathed a sigh of relief, gasping for air.
Even though they hadn't done anything, in that moment just now, it felt as if they had held their breath for a lifetime, leaving them deprived of oxygen.
Of course, with two being Edo Tensei summons and one being a spirit, whether they actually needed oxygen was another matter entirely.