Kaguya's true intention, of course, was not to cooperate with Isshiki. No one knew better than her the cruelty and ruthlessness of Isshiki.
But Black Zetsu kept insisting, not spouting nonsense or giving reckless orders…
In Black Zetsu's eyes, Naruto and Sasuke, who sealed him and Kaguya, were far more detestable. Moreover, Kaguya's current condition was indeed too poor—she likely couldn't even muster a tenth of her peak strength.
He always prioritized his mother's safety.
Overall, a temporary compromise might not be a bad choice.
Of course, as a devoted son, Black Zetsu would never allow anyone to dare threaten or oppress Kaguya.
While compromising, Black Zetsu secretly devised nine ways to kill Isshiki!
He would make this Isshiki pay dearly with blood!
"I can agree to your request."
Seeing Kaguya compromise and agree, Isshiki rejoiced.
This foolish princess was indeed easy to deceive, far less cunning than those native ninjas.
And that black Yin-Yang Release creature shrinking in her sleeve didn't seem like much either—probably no smarter than Kaguya.
Persuading Kaguya to join him so easily was truly a gift from heaven!
"Good, you finally didn't make the wrong choice again."
"Then, as a sign of good faith, hand over the Gedo Statue to me!"
Isshiki shamelessly made his demand.
Obtaining the Gedo Statue from Kaguya was one of his primary goals from the start.
"What do you want with the Statue?"
Kaguya grew wary. She'd suffered too many losses before. Every time something was taken from her, it was purely without compensation—no one would willingly return it.
"I still have a spare Juubi."
"As long as you give me the Gedo Statue and let the Juubi consume it, the Juubi can skip its juvenile phase, take root, and grow."
"What, do you still want to be the Juubi's food?"
For a young Juubi to mature, it must consume an Otsutsuki, acquiring their genes—it's programmed that way.
But with Boruto and Kawaki out of their hands, the only ones who could be sacrificed were Isshiki, Kaguya, or the Gedo Statue.
Setting aside their cooperation, no one would willingly sacrifice themselves to feed the Juubi.
So the only option was to feed the Gedo Statue to the young Juubi.
Moreover, in Isshiki's eyes, with Naruto already reclaimed by Sasuke and the others, it was impossible to gather all nine Bijuu and revive the Juubi without defeating Six Paths Sasuke.
So the simpler method was to let his young Juubi consume the Gedo Statue, take root in the ninja world, and start absorbing energy to grow back into a God Tree.
He could also wait until after he and Kaguya defeated Sasuke, capturing 'Otsutsuki Boruto' alive as Juubi fodder.
But Isshiki didn't want to wait that long.
Getting the Gedo Statue from Kaguya first was undoubtedly safer.
"…" Kaguya fell silent for a moment, feeling Isshiki's words made sense.
(Mother, don't agree with him!)
Black Zetsu hurriedly interjected: (Mother, you and he are partners; you absolutely can't give without getting something in return!)
(Since he wants the Gedo Statue, he must offer something in exchange!)
(What do you need most now? You need chakra the most!)
(Right! Demand he give you a large amount of chakra in exchange!)
Black Zetsu was highly rational. The Gedo Statue, stripped of its Bijuu chakra, wasn't very significant to Kaguya; it even required substantial chakra and vitality to operate.
And Kaguya, having consumed a complete Chakra Fruit, fundamentally didn't need the Juubi.
In the Fourth Ninja World War, the Juubi was only needed to use Six Paths Madara as a vessel to escape the moon's seal and revive.
Thus, trading it now wouldn't be too much of a loss.
But it absolutely couldn't be given for free!
Black Zetsu felt that if he didn't remind her quickly, Kaguya might actually give the statue away.
"I can give it. In exchange, I need chakra!"
Kaguya followed her advisor's suggestion, demanding openly without any negotiation tactics.
Isshiki's face darkened.
Unexpectedly, the naive Kaguya was making conditions, asking for compensation.
Had she changed?
Or was it a crazy idea from that cunning black ghost?
"Hmph! You dare demand compensation from me? Don't forget your slave status!"
Isshiki snapped harshly, trying to intimidate Kaguya.
But Kaguya didn't budge, staring sharply at Isshiki, as if saying she wouldn't hand over the Gedo Statue without payment.
Having low emotional intelligence had its perks—at least once she decided something, she stuck to one principle, hard to sway.
No choice.
Seeing Kaguya not backing down, Isshiki could only compromise; he didn't want to fight her now.
So he took the initiative to raise the offer, providing benefits.
"You need a lot of chakra?"
"Fine, trade with this."
"A Bijuu for you, the Gedo Statue for me!"
Isshiki activated his Dōjutsu, releasing the Hachibi Jinchūriki he'd previously captured into another dimension.
One Hachibi with abundant chakra should be enough to trade for one Gedo Statue.
Kaguya consulted her advisor Black Zetsu, then agreed to the deal.
After all, an empty Gedo Statue meant little to her; but a Bijuu's chakra could restore much of her strength!
As long as she could recover and regain all her power, Kaguya wouldn't fear any threat!
Soon, both sides reached an agreement.
Isshiki tossed the Hachibi to Kaguya, and Kaguya handed over the massive Gedo Statue to Isshiki.
Isshiki got what he wanted and immediately stored the Gedo Statue in another dimension.
Meanwhile, Kaguya, eyeing the fresh and tantalizing Hachibi Jinchūriki, couldn't help but have her eyes gleam, overwhelmed with hunger.
Soon after, she extracted the Hachibi from Killer B's body with her bare hands.
Rolling it into a ball, she gleefully absorbed it all.
Just the Hachibi's seal?
Even the entire Akatsuki needed days and nights to extract a Bijuu's chakra—in the face of Kaguya's power, it was nothing.
Sure enough, Kaguya, nourished by the Hachibi's vast chakra, instantly became vibrant and energized.
Both her pressure and aura made the threat in Isshiki's heart surge dramatically.
Though both had Six Paths-level power, the combat strength they could unleash with full chakra versus depleted chakra was vastly different.
If Six Paths Sasuke had enough chakra to keep firing Indra's Arrow, how powerful would that be?
Even a fully revived Isshiki might have to flee in terror…
Isshiki, sensing the threat, slightly regretted it, unable to stop worrying if Kaguya would turn on him after recovering.
But considering he still needed her to face Uchiha Sasuke and the others later, Kaguya had to restore some combat power sooner or later, so fussing over her absorbing the Hachibi now was pointless.
"How long has it been since I was sealed? What's the situation outside?"
Kaguya followed Black Zetsu's guidance, not attacking recklessly, and prepared to gather more information about Naruto, Sasuke, and the others.
Black Zetsu didn't want an unprepared Kaguya to accidentally face Naruto and Sasuke again and be resealed.
Facing the question, Isshiki fell silent for a moment.
After all, his recent crushing defeat was too humiliating, too damaging to the Otsutsuki's reputation—he was too embarrassed to speak.
But battle reports could be hidden; the actual front lines couldn't.
Kirigakure and Kumogakure had fallen, and the infamous Otsutsuki Sasuke's name terrified the world—Kaguya would learn of this sooner or later.
Rather than hiding, it was better to be honest.
So, Isshiki still broadly explained recent events.
And after listening.
Kaguya remained silent, clearly not fully grasping it.
But Black Zetsu erupted in anger.
"What?"
"You lost like that?"
"There's an Otsutsuki as weak as you? You dare claim to be on par with Kaguya?!"
Black Zetsu had thought his own loss in the Fourth Ninja World War was already humiliating and pitiful…
Now, coming out and seeing this, there was a master of micromanagement even worse than him?
Naruto and Sasuke losing Six Paths power + unmatched Six Paths-level combat strength + Byakugan + Omnipotence…
Such luxurious advantages, such a perfect hand, and he still lost?!!
All defeated by Isshiki?
Kaguya at least lost to four people: Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi, while this Isshiki couldn't even beat Sasuke alone?
What a beast!
What trash!
This Isshiki was even more garbage than him!
If the all-seeing Byakugan were given to him, Black Zetsu didn't even dare imagine how strong he'd be!
One could deny Black Zetsu's combat level, but no one could deny his top-tier strategic ability.
If truly blessed with a near-omniscient Byakugan, every newborn Asura and Indra reincarnation would have their backsides stabbed immediately…
Sure enough, without comparison, there's no distinction!
Compared to Isshiki's pathetic performance, Black Zetsu only felt he was triumphant once again!
"What did you say?!"
Isshiki was furious, unable to even accept insults from Kaguya, let alone mockery from this lowly black ghost.
This truly made his lungs nearly explode with rage.
"I'm saying you're pure trash, not even able to beat that lowly Uchiha Sasuke! If you're not trash, who is? Pfft—!"
"Bastard! I'll kill you!"
Isshiki, enraged, eyes red with anger, flew straight at Black Zetsu, itching to crush that foul-mouthed black ghost!
Kaguya, of course, wouldn't let Isshiki slaughter Black Zetsu and acted immediately.
Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack!
A massive chakra fist formed, launched with one strike.
Instantly, it sent the approaching Isshiki flying far away.
Isshiki, having only activated his first Kāma form, was no match for Kaguya and was lucky not to be shattered by the blow.
After all, theoretically, Kaguya's Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack could pierce a perfect Susano'o, not inferior to Isshiki's taijutsu.
At the same time, Isshiki, sent flying by the strike, quickly stabilized his position.
His heart calmed slightly, and though he still glared at Black Zetsu with hatred, he no longer attacked recklessly.
"Calmed down now?"
Black Zetsu smirked slyly, clearly having provoked Isshiki intentionally.
On one hand, he wanted to test Isshiki's strength; on the other, to make Kaguya display her power, seizing control of the conversation and subsequent actions.
"Kaguya! Do you really want to die?!"
Isshiki roared, inwardly considering whether to flee immediately…
"Mother has no intention of fighting to the death with Lord Isshiki. My earlier insults were only to make you aware of your weaknesses and failures…"
For his mother, Black Zetsu didn't care about pride, apologizing while starting to boast.
In terms of intrigue and deception, the great Black Zetsu was the number one master in the entire ninja world!
"What do you mean?"
Isshiki suppressed his urge to flee.
He'd realized this Black Zetsu was like Kaguya's external brain.
Talking to this guy seemed more effective than talking to Kaguya; only, the opponent was clearly more cunning and clever, not as easy to fool as Kaguya.
"I have a plan that can eliminate all enemies at once! Is Lord Isshiki interested?"
Black Zetsu showed his cunning, wicked smile, beginning to provoke Isshiki in reverse.
As long as Isshiki followed his plan, controlling two terrifying Six Paths-level combat forces, this time he absolutely wouldn't lose again!
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
In Konoha.
The entire village was shrouded in the tense fog of war.
The Seventh Hokage, Uzumaki Jigen, fell in battle; the Fifth Ninja World War was raging; the Temporary Eighth Hokage, Uzumaki Code, had vanished…
This series of dreadful news plunged Konoha, long at peace, into a fear not felt in ages.
Especially, based on the latest intelligence.
The enemy Otsutsuki Sasuke was attacking Kumogakure, and the main forces of Iwagakure and Sunagakure had moved to assist.
Only Konoha, under orders from the Temporary Eighth Hokage to defend the village, was strictly forbidden from attacking.
This naturally made the village's smarter ninjas extremely worried.
Anyone with sense knew that the stronger the enemy, the more they needed to gather all forces, strike the enemy in one blow, and win in a single battle. Not attacking proactively now—if the enemy truly destroyed the other major villages, Konoha wouldn't escape either.
Self-preservation in critical moments often led to self-destruction.
Unfortunately, including Kakashi, Shikamaru, and other village leaders, they couldn't find the missing Hokage Code, so they naturally couldn't mobilize forces for a proactive attack.
After news of the main Kumogakure forces' crushing defeat and Otsutsuki Sasuke's total assault on Kumogakure returned, the entire Konoha grew even more frantic and fearful.
*BAM!*
Sumire, having just received the news, shut the room's door and hurriedly approached Sarada.
"Sarada, what's wrong? Why are you spacing out here alone?"
Sumire shook the slightly dazed Sarada, asking with concern.
Sarada shook her head and said:
"It's nothing. I just suddenly felt a bit uneasy, like something bad has happened…"
"You're okay? Have you been too tired lately? You should rest a bit."
"I'm really fine. Class Rep, is there any new news? I don't know how Dad and Boruto are doing…"
"There's new news…!"
Sumire relayed all the information she'd just received to Sarada, who was shocked after hearing it:
"What? Dad really destroyed Kumogakure? So many people must've died!!!"
"I heard the Fourth and Fifth Raikages are dead, killed by Otsutsuki Sasuke…"
"Don't say that name!"
"But after destroying two major villages in a row, what is Uncle Sasuke trying to do? If the Seventh Hokage were here, he'd never allow it…"
"Dad must have his own reasons…"
Sarada was a bit disappointed, yet also a bit stubborn.
Suddenly realizing that the father she admired most had become the world's greatest villain, undeniably committing mass slaughter.
Though Sarada's resolve was firm, she still struggled to accept it.
She even wondered if her father's memories had been altered, gradually turning him into an evil, murderous demon.
Sumire gently comforted: "It's okay, I believe in Uncle Sasuke too!"
In this vast village, everyone was an enemy. Only these two weak female ninjas relied on each other, disguising and hiding—a tremendous test of body and mind.
If they didn't support each other, they wouldn't survive.
"I understand! By the way, any news about Boruto?"
"None…"
Sumire was a bit gloomy; she desperately wanted to know Boruto's condition.
Unfortunately, frontline news was only brief battle reports, unable to detail every enemy's specific movements…
"No news is good news. With Dad there, he'll definitely protect Boruto."
"Yeah! Definitely, Uncle Sasuke is as strong as the Seventh Hokage!"
"And, Sarada, is your operation complete?"
Sumire asked further, and Sarada's eyes lit up, quickly replying:
"It's done!"
As she spoke, Sarada deftly clicked the computer on her desk.
The screen displayed live surveillance footage of the Hokage's office and several other key meeting rooms!
"Amazing, you really did it!"
Sumire rejoiced, impressed by Sarada's operation's success.
They clearly couldn't defeat Code or the altered Konoha ninjas; thus, all they could do was try every way to gather information, seeking the enemy's weaknesses and breakthroughs.
But directly approaching Code was too dangerous.
After much thought, modern scientific equipment proved more useful.
So Sarada took advantage of Code's absence, using her Sharingan's dynamic enhancement and physical agility to sneak into the Hokage building, installing several mini surveillance cameras in the Hokage's office and other key rooms.
This way, they might eavesdrop on Code and others' secret talks, gaining more information.
Of course, there was risk—Code might not notice. But if he did, they might not escape.
But compared to Dad and Boruto fighting desperately outside, this small risk was nothing!
Sarada and Sumire both had this resolve.
"Though the cameras are installed, the target Code hasn't appeared. I've been monitoring for over ten hours, no idea where that guy went."
Sarada rubbed her tired Sharingan—even it couldn't withstand such intense use!
"It's okay, he'll show up eventually. I'll take over; you go rest…"
Sumire nudged Sarada, preparing to let her rest a bit.
*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*
A dull knock on the door suddenly sounded, startling both disguised female ninjas, their breaths catching!