Rip—
With a sound like tearing cloth, Izayoi sliced off one of Ōtsutsuki Toneri's arms.
Because he was sealed and unconscious, Toneri made no sound.
After tossing the severed arm into a black portal that led to who‑knows‑where, Izayoi flung Toneri's body toward the Ten‑Tails below.
The moment Toneri began to fall, the Ten‑Tails opened its bloody maw and, without the slightest politeness, swallowed the offering whole.
But that tiny morsel wasn't even enough to fill the gaps between its teeth.
Having devoured Toneri, the Ten‑Tails bared its fangs at Izayoi and let out a series of deep, rumbling growls—half begging him for more food, half demanding the chakra that originally belonged to it and now resided inside Izayoi.
Ignoring the beast's dissatisfaction and roars, Izayoi fell into thought and muttered, "So even an Ōtsutsuki who has regressed all the way back to pure blood still can't meet the conditions for a sacrifice."
The experiment's result was clear:
Even Ōtsutsuki Toneri—whose bloodline had "reverted" to pure Ōtsutsuki and whom the clan itself acknowledged—could not serve as the medium to transform the Ten‑Tails into a God‑Tree and start siphoning a planet's life force.
To make the Ten‑Tails a God‑Tree, the sacrifice must be a pure‑blood Ōtsutsuki with the colored trait tag "Ōtsutsuki Bloodline (Multi-Color)."
Thinking it through, that made sense. Ōtsutsuki Isshiki was unwilling to rely on Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki, and after Isshiki's death Momoshiki, who lodged himself in Uzumaki Boruto, immediately set his eyes on Kawaki—who, thanks to Sakura's intervention, could also be offered to the Ten‑Tails—as well as Boruto himself. Clearly, harmony is not a thing among the extraterrestrial Ōtsutsuki.
If Toneri had qualified, the pure‑blood Ōtsutsuki wouldn't have sealed him for ten thousand years; they'd have sacrificed him to the Ten‑Tails long ago and begun draining Earth's life force.
Izayoi sighed in regret. "What a pity—I still haven't mastered the Ōtsutsuki pill‑refining art."
In Boruto, Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki and Ōtsutsuki Urashiki could refine a ninja's chakra into pills.
If Izayoi knew that alchemy, he could turn chakra into an abundance of pills and feed them to Toneri, boosting Toneri's "Ōtsutsuki Bloodline (Red)" up to the coveted Multi-Color tier.
Then Izayoi wouldn't need to hunt down Isshiki or hesitate over unsealing Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
The former was a thousand‑year‑old rat whom even Kaguya and Hagoromo failed to locate;
the latter, though she had possessed Uchiha Madara and been defeated by Izayoi once, was not present in her true body.
If her jinchūriki shell collapsed or ran out of chakra, the Ten‑Tails' will would rebel.
But the progenitor of chakra who had eaten the Chakra Fruit had no such weakness.
Moreover, Kaguya had already lost once; with her caution, she would likely flee the instant she saw Izayoi.
Given her Amenominaka and Yomotsu Hirasaka, Izayoi would never find her—unless he could insta‑kill her with a Space‑Time Severing Slash.
Until he either gained control over Kaguya or could one‑shot her, Izayoi preferred to wait for a pure‑blood Ōtsutsuki to reach Earth rather than lift the progenitor's seal.
Thus, carrying the meteorite that contained Black Zetsu's seal, Izayoi headed for other pocket dimensions to deal with Kaguya's "third child."
As the third offspring of the Rabbit Goddess and one of the highest products, Black Zetsu was, for now, beyond Izayoi's ability to kill.
Because the creature had no soul at all—
or rather, its soul was Kaguya.
Only when Kaguya herself died would Black Zetsu, her embodied will, wither away like White Zetsu. Otherwise, even if Izayoi shattered him with a Space‑Time Severing Slash and hurled the pieces into a temporal rift, Black Zetsu would merely be exiled.
Nor did Izayoi intend to kill or even seal him.
As one of the greatest masterpieces of Yin–Yang Release, Black Zetsu was a walking bundle of research notes; if Izayoi could fully analyze him, his own mastery of Yin–Yang Release would skyrocket.
This was the only area where Izayoi still lagged behind Kaguya.
She had used the God‑Tree's chakra and her genes to create two Multi-Color‑tier descendants and a will‑made‑flesh like Black Zetsu—feats even Hagoromo's chakra rosary couldn't match. Only Hagoromo's creation of the immortal Tailed Beasts could be compared to her.
Though Izayoi possessed twelve Multi-Color traits and had defeated both Kaguya and Hagoromo, his superiority so far was limited to raw combat strength. In other respects he still fell short—but with his transcendent potential (Multi-Color) and foreknowledge of the plot, surpassing them was only a matter of time.
"You… what are you planning to do with me? Let me go right now!"
Black Zetsu, once again caught in Izayoi's grasp, writhed like slime in his palm while roaring in rage. "You thief! If not for you, Mother would have been fully revived already!"
"Winners are kings; losers are dogs. You've lived a thousand years—don't you understand that?" Izayoi laughed. "Blame your own arrogance. If you'd Edo‑Tensei‑ed or resurrected Madara the moment I rose to fame, I'd never have had those years to grow."
"Frankly, I owe much of my smooth success to you."
"Don't get cocky—your good days are numbered," Black Zetsu sneered. "Since you're not Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, you have no idea why Mother created the White Zetsu army. Just wait—once Mother catches up to you, thief, your death will come."
"That overconfidence again." Izayoi shook his head, smiling with a trace of contempt.
Without further explanation, he raised his other hand, conjured Truth‑Seeking Balls and chakra orbs, and fashioned a black box. Then he stuffed Black Zetsu inside.
Casually dropping the box to the ground, Izayoi used Yomotsu Hirasaka to return to the real world.
…
Konoha was buzzing today.
The streets swarmed with people; voices filled the air.
Outside the village gate stretched a long line of visitors and rich merchants from the other great villages. The former merely wanted to glimpse the Savior of the Ninja World; the latter, with keen vision and sharper instincts, had already sensed Konoha's coming influence and hoped to act before anyone else caught on.
With their money flowing in, Konoha was destined to become ever more prosperous.
Because Izayoi had delegated power, the great ninja clans and Hinata's group of women were all scrambling. Even when Izayoi dropped by the Hokage's office, the three women—Hinata among them—were so busy they had no time to brew him tea.
Izayoi didn't mind. He made tea himself and casually gestured with his hand.
An afterimage appeared out of thin air the next second.
"Lord Hokage."
Uzuki Yugao, wearing a cat‑mask, knelt on one knee and spoke respectfully.
"Please invite Lord Orochimaru to see me," Izayoi ordered.
"Yes."
Yugao bowed and vanished.
Not long after, someone pushed the door open.
"Izayoi‑kun—no, Lord Hokage—how may I serve you?"
Orochimaru, in a white robe, still wore that devil‑may‑care smile.
"Please sit, Lord Orochimaru."
Izayoi gestured and poured him tea. Orochimaru took the seat without ceremony.
Studying Izayoi's restored true form—white hair and horns—Orochimaru summoned his courage to ask the question on everyone's mind: "Lord Hokage… are you still human?"
"What? Do I have four eyes and two noses?" Izayoi joked. (He didn't mention a third eye—because he really had one.)
Orochimaru shook his head and sighed. "Can't help it—you feel as if you exist in another world altogether."
When Madara was reincarnated in the original story, his aura alone made a whole Allied Shinobi Force of ten thousand break out in cold sweat. Even non‑sensor ninjas could sense the chasm between them and the Demon of the Shinobi World.
Similarly, Hashirama's and Tobirama's presence terrified Orochimaru and Sasuke, nearly liquefying Suigetsu.
Even the God of Shinobi's aura could be sensed by the weak—precisely so they'd understand how powerless they were.
As a Kage‑level shinobi, Orochimaru felt it most keenly.
But right now he felt no aura, no chakra, not even a hint of life from Izayoi—much like Obito when he hid in Kamui. Yet Orochimaru was certain the Izayoi sipping tea before him wasn't a projection or in another space.
Hence the scientist inside him couldn't help exclaiming: though only a table separated them, they seemed to inhabit different dimensions. The gap was greater than that between man and ant—at least a man can see and be bitten by an ant. Izayoi, however, was beyond even having his chakra observed.
What difference was there between such an existence and a god? Orochimaru wondered whether Izayoi might already be immortal—but dared not ask.
"In fact, your feeling is correct," Izayoi replied with a gentle smile. "It's a difference of realms. Using shinobi tiers: the Five Kage stand atop ordinary ninja, and the very best among them can be called 'Peak Kage'—the limit for normal humans."
Orochimaru's eyes lit up. Realizing he'd been given a chance, he asked, "Then what about legends like Hashirama and Uchiha Madara—or your own level, Lord Hokage, who has defeated other super‑spec combatants?"
"Anyone who surpasses the Kage is naturally 'Super‑Kage.'" Izayoi held nothing back. "The first ninja was the Sage of Six Paths. Using his power as a benchmark, anyone who reaches that realm can be called 'Six‑Paths Level.'"
"Then your current strength is…?" Orochimaru probed.
Izayoi pointed at his white hair and horns. "These are the Six‑Paths markers."
"You've really become the second Sage of Six Paths?" Orochimaru's face froze in shock. "The Sage shared chakra with mankind. Was it you who reclaimed that chakra from people?"
"No—that was done by Uchiha Madara." Izayoi smiled meaningfully. "Or rather, by the Sage's own mom."
"…" Orochimaru was too stunned to speak, his brain half‑crashing.
Setting down his teacup, Izayoi stood and said, "Lord Orochimaru, do you remember what I told you? I admire you greatly. Without you, the ninja world would lose something precious. Your talent is one of the few that can break the tyranny of bloodlines. Your only limitation is your narrow field of view."
"Now it's time to display that talent. Come with me."
With that, Izayoi used Yomotsu Hirasaka to tear open a black portal and stepped through.
Snapping out of his daze, Orochimaru hurried after him.
On the other side, his eyes widened.
"This will be your new laboratory, Lord Orochimaru," Izayoi said with a smile. "Everything here is my gift to you."
Before them stretched a hyper‑advanced lab—a replica Izayoi had created with chakra orbs, modeled after the island laboratory of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki that he had seen through Tensonari.
Inside stood rows upon rows of specimens that looked like White Zetsu clones—though each was actually a real White Zetsu born of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, not the clones Madara had crafted from Hashirama cells.
"Izayoi‑kun, what would you like me to do?" Orochimaru asked, exhilaration written all over his face.
"I need you to perform cloning experiments," Izayoi said, eyes gleaming. His tone was pure temptation. "Lord Orochimaru—do you want to try… cloning a god?"
"…"
Orochimaru's breathing hitched, then turned utterly feverish.