"Obito, don't be sad. This is the punishment I deserve for betraying the love between us. I accept it willingly…"
Black Zetsu protected Obito's mind and chakra, calming itself internally.
It didn't sense any loss of Obito's strength…
Which meant its assumption had been correct: Kazuki's ocular technique wasn't invincible—it could be disrupted!
With that hypothesis in mind, Black Zetsu began releasing the chakra Kaguya had entrusted to it centuries ago, nurturing it inside Obito's body. Drawing from a thousand years of knowledge and experience, it activated the latent potential within Obito's bloodline and eyes.
A reincarnation of Indra's chakra?
Then I, the reincarnation of Ōtsutsuki Rin's chakra, am no less worthy!
Obito could feel his ocular power and chakra rising rapidly. Even his body felt far stronger—but that only made him more panicked.
"Rin, stop—don't give me any more power. I don't need it!"
"I just want to be with you. That's all I want—please, I'm begging you!"
Rin's voice was soft and calm: "I won't lie to you, Obito… This dōjutsu is irreversible."
"When I saw the pain you felt because of my lies… all I wanted was to kill myself. That's the reflection cast upon me by the Eye of the Uchiha's True Emotion—it's unavoidable…"
What kind of guilt… could drive someone like Rin to the point of self-destruction?
In that moment—
There was only one thought in Uchiha Obito's heart: he could not let Rin die again.
Then how?
"Rin… you were given life through the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path combined with Yin-Yang Release… If I become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki—or if I let Kazuki become the Jinchūriki—then I can definitely create a new body for you!"
A torrent of killing intent surged through Obito's eyes.
"Uchiha Madara… I will kill you!"
But in the next instant, Black Zetsu stopped him.
"Obito, you can't kill Uchiha Madara—not yet. Kazuki, like me, has been manipulated. But the one who used him… was Konohagakure's Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama."
Black Zetsu spoke solemnly: "You don't know yet… but the White Zetsu network is under my control now. I can see every piece of intel in the shinobi world…"
"Kazuki is actually a forbidden creation born from one of Tobirama's techniques. Under that Second Hokage's control, Kazuki has been sealed deep beneath the ocean off the Land of Water. And now, Tobirama has used Kazuki to resurrect himself—he's returned to Konoha and already reanimated both Senju Hashirama and Uzumaki Mito with Impure World Reincarnation…"
"Senju Tobirama has even obtained the Mangekyō Sharingan. With a lineup like that, there's no way we can face them alone—we'll need to make use of Uchiha Madara and the others."
Uchiha Rin's voice was calm and calculated as she laid out the plan: "At the right moment, I'll have White Zetsu inform them about Kazuki. But only after you've absorbed most of my power—otherwise, we'll never be able to rescue Kazuki from among so many powerful enemies."
"Don't worry, Obito… I'll stay with you until the day we save Kazuki."
Obito nodded solemnly.
"Rin, you need to tell me everything you know about Kazuki—I need all the intel you have."
Just as the two were about to continue discussing Kazuki—
Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Izuna, and Orochimaru approached and knocked on the door.
"Uchiha Obito, what's going on in there?"
The commotion Obito had caused had drawn their attention.
"Obito, say you killed me!" Black Zetsu ordered quickly. "Make it sound extreme!"
Following Black Zetsu's command—
Obito put on the face of a madman. The raw emotions he still carried after Black Zetsu's revelation flowed naturally from him: "It's nothing. I saw that creepy black thing lurking around me—it pissed me off, so I killed it!"
Uchiha Izuna glanced at Obito, then nodded knowingly.
Classic outbreak symptoms. Yep. Nothing to worry about. Just let him cool off on his own…
"Take a break, Obito…" Izuna patted him on the shoulder and smiled toward his slightly annoyed brother: "Big bro, cut him some slack. He just awakened his Mangekyō, after all."
Uchiha Madara snorted coldly and turned away.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru gave Obito a curious look—
So this is an Uchiha, hmm?
But what none of them knew…
Was that Orochimaru—whose soul and senses had long been subdued by Kazuki—was transmitting the scene directly into Kazuki's mind.
At that moment, Kazuki was deep in conversation with Kaguya. When he saw Obito 'kill' Black Zetsu, something stirred in his heart, and he let out a gentle smile.
That soft smile left even Kaguya momentarily stunned.
So warm…
What Kaguya didn't know was—
Kazuki, inwardly pleased, was thinking to himself: 'Quite bold of you, Black Zetsu… I admire your spirit.'
'Since you've already made your move, then I suppose it's only polite that I respond in kind.'
Kazuki and Kaguya had discussed many things, and now their topic had reached the realm of human nature…
Inspired by Black Zetsu's actions, Kazuki had come up with an intriguing idea:
If Obito were to save Black Zetsu… and then made it choose between him and Kaguya—what would it do?
Would it stay firm in its resolve and resurrect Kaguya?
Or would it ultimately yield… to the love of an Uchiha?
And as for Kaguya—who had once been betrayed by the third son she trusted most—how would she react upon seeing such a scene?
Especially now.
Now, in her guise as the Rabbit Goddess, pretending to be a savior, she was awkwardly discussing trust and the nature of the human heart with Kazuki…
"Kaguya…" Kazuki looked at her, his voice low and steady: "Even after being betrayed… is there still someone you can believe in?"
"Someone you trust?"
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya paused in thought for a moment. She recalled her third son, the one who had seemingly worked so hard to bring about her resurrection. A hint of warmth flickered in her eyes. Her voice, a little awkward, said: "I do have someone. While I believe individual strength is important, the power of unity—when everyone stands together—is also incredibly vital..."
Kazuki nodded with understanding, silently chuckling to himself.
So she's cosplaying as the Sage of Six Paths now?
This witch, who once wanted to annihilate the world and turn all of humanity into White Zetsu weapons, was now talking to him about mutual understanding.
Kazuki understood what Kaguya was trying to do…
Before him, she was putting on the persona of the Sage of Six Paths.
With how quick her mind was, she clearly couldn't come up with a more convincing story on the spot. So she was just parroting the Sage's ideals, trying to make it sound authentic…
"Tell me about you and the Sage of Six Paths," Kazuki said softly. "And also about Ōtsutsuki Isshiki… and your clan."
Kaguya nodded. She had more or less expected this.
Thanks to the powers he borrowed from her, Kazuki had sensed the existence of Isshiki, Hagoromo, and Hamura. Of course, he would be curious and full of questions.
This was something she had to talk about…
But what parts she could share, and what she couldn't—that, she hadn't quite decided yet.
Kazuki gently patted her on the shoulder, meeting her somewhat unfocused gaze. He spoke with sincerity: "I can only help you—and help everyone get through this—if I know more."
Kaguya met Kazuki's eyes. In those deep black pupils, she saw genuine concern.
Maybe…
Maybe telling him some things wasn't such a big deal after all?
'I've already taken over that disgrace Hagoromo's persona. I can gradually bring Kazuki over to my side. Even though he's just a mortal, he's managed to rise to a level close to the Ōtsutsuki on sheer talent alone—and even summoned me from the moon and sealed me again...'
'If I tell him about the threat the Ōtsutsuki Clan poses, maybe he can help me come up with a better solution… Sharing this intelligence might also help me earn more of his trust.'
Kaguya ran through the logic quickly in her mind—and found no flaws.
And so, she began recounting information about the Ōtsutsuki Clan, mixing in a few 'adjustments' of her own…
"I come from the Ōtsutsuki Clan. We're a race that travels the universe, planting Divine Trees and absorbing a planet's energy to produce chakra fruits—constantly strengthening ourselves..."
"I was born into a branch family. Though my bloodline and talents were considered decent, my mental faculties and combat abilities were deemed subpar. I was classified as low-tier and relegated to the branch family—essentially used as a tool by the main family to hasten the growth of the Divine Tree."
"I didn't intend to rebel. But after arriving on this planet, I realized something…"
"This planet is special. Its natural energy is so rich that if I claimed the chakra fruit from here, I could turn the tables on the main family member who wanted to sacrifice me—Ōtsutsuki Isshiki..."
Kazuki frowned slightly.
"Didn't killing Isshiki make you a kind of rogue ninja? Wouldn't your clan come after you for that?"
Kaguya felt a rush of embarrassment.
Back then, she hadn't thought that far ahead. She just didn't want to be fed to the Divine Tree, and in a moment of panic, she struck first.
It was only afterward that she truly panicked. Alone and unable to decide what to do, she'd even split her consciousness in desperation—creating two separate entities: the Sage of Six Paths and Ōtsutsuki Hamura.
But how could she ever admit that?
If she said that out loud, wouldn't Kazuki think she was just some fool of a woman?
Absolutely not!
Kaguya's mind raced to come up with a better explanation. In a flash, she remembered a piece of intelligence she'd once heard within the clan…
The Ōtsutsuki, while powerful, were not the rulers of the entire universe. There were still many planets they couldn't touch.
Apart from those planets guarded by powerful beings, there was one type that was especially rare…
One that aligned perfectly with the qualities of the shinobi world—particularly with the Sage of Six Paths' constant preaching about mutual understanding.
"My clan will surely seek retribution," Kaguya said slowly, "but this planet possesses one extremely important trait—there's a high chance it could awaken a Gaia Consciousness. That's also why I've been advocating for mutual understanding among people…"
Kaguya searched her mind, trying hard to recall the information, and continued: "The so-called Gaia Consciousness refers to the awakening of a planet's core power when the organic lifeforms on it collectively generate a shared consciousness or emotional state. When that happens, the individual most recognized by all others becomes the planet's guardian…"
"I created those two ungrateful sons of mine precisely to help me spread the ideal of mutual understanding throughout the shinobi world. I wanted everyone's emotions and thoughts to align and center around me—to unify entirely—so that I could become the representative of the Gaia Consciousness, protect the planet, and fight against the invaders to come…"
"But that fool Hagoromo insisted that human hearts can't be trusted—that true understanding between people is impossible!"
"Worse yet, he coveted my power. He and Hamura ambushed me, tore the Ten-Tails away from me after it had merged with the Divine Tree, and then created the moon to seal me within it. They intended to violently extract the planet's essence!"
"Thankfully… Indra and Asura made the right choice and stopped them…"
Kazuki blinked as he absorbed all the new information.
Gaia Consciousness…
It was the first time he'd heard that term.
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