Chapter 125: "That Guy… Is He One of Mother's Kin?"
"Again?"
On the moon, three elders of the Ōtsutsuki clan gathered together, their expressions dark and solemn. Once more, the power of the Tenseigan had been activated—this time by an unknown force.
For a moment, they were all consumed by the same question:
Who is this person repeatedly tapping into the Tenseigan? What is his goal?
Why does he keep doing it at intervals—what is he planning?
"This time, though, the energy drawn wasn't as much as before," muttered the Grand Elder, his aged Byakugan flickering with a mix of anger and relief.
"Last time, he almost destroyed the Tenseigan!"
"So what's he trying to do?" the Third Elder growled. "It felt like he was about to wipe out something entirely…"
The Second Elder finally spoke, voice grim:
"Regardless of his motives, his control over the Tenseigan is getting more refined, and his level of access is increasing. We may soon be unable to stop him."
The Third Elder scowled. "Then what do you propose?"
The Second Elder glanced at the Grand Elder, then finally replied:
"We observe. If his intentions don't directly endanger us, we refrain from interfering.
Don't interrupt—I'm not saying we do nothing.
We're running out of time, and we still have to mentor Toneri. If we keep getting distracted by these incidents, it'll hurt both us and him."
He paused, then added firmly:
"As long as he's not trying to destroy the Tenseigan or doing something extreme, we'll monitor quietly. At the same time, we continue investigating his identity—consider it preparation for Toneri's future."
The room fell into brief silence, before he concluded:
"Rather than waste our final days chasing shadows, I'd rather focus on nurturing the one who will carry our legacy.
You've said it yourself, Grand Elder—Toneri is our future."
---
Meanwhile, in the Land of Hot Springs…
"Why are you so tense lately, Blacky?"
White Zetsu's light, carefree tone drew a sigh from Black Zetsu, who waved him off irritably.
"Stop bothering me. Maybe I'd feel better if you shut up."
But he didn't lash out. Not this time.
Too much had happened lately—and none of it sat right.
That guy, Kitagawa Gen… he was too strange.
Something about him felt wrong. Suspicious. Black Zetsu had even begun to wonder if he might be related to the Moon Branch of the Ōtsutsuki.
But he had no proof.
And the incident in Sunagakure… it had been too unusual to draw clear conclusions.
"Was it the Dragon Vein… or something else?"
Black Zetsu looked up at the moon, thoughts churning with unease.
Too many variables. Too many mysteries. He was starting to see ghosts.
"I don't get you," White Zetsu chirped, still clueless. "Why not just relax and enjoy life?"
Then he added, "Oh yeah, we still haven't found that guy, Hiruko. You think Obito's gonna get mad again? He's scary when he's mad."
"…Tch."
Black Zetsu shook his head. He wanted to be mindless like White Zetsu, but he couldn't afford to be.
"For now, forget Hiruko. Let's check on Obito. Uchiha Itachi's making moves—we need to stay alert. Where are they now?"
"Fire Country, but—"
Before White Zetsu could finish, Black Zetsu had already plunged them both underground, tunneling at speed toward their destination.
"Hey! I wasn't done talking!" White Zetsu protested.
"Later," Black Zetsu snapped. "We need to move."
---
Soon, they arrived.
"Hm? What's going on?"
Just as they surfaced, Black Zetsu's instincts screamed that something was wrong.
BOOM—
Even underground, the rumbling was deafening, the ground shaking violently.
"I tried to tell you…" White Zetsu blinked innocently. "But you just kept saying we had to hurry."
"…What the hell is happening?"
Black Zetsu's eyes widened. There was a strange sense of familiarity in the air—power he recognized, but couldn't place.
White Zetsu grinned and pointed toward the sky.
"There. Look up."
Following his gaze, Black Zetsu saw a blinding flash of blue light streak across the sky—
BOOM!
Another earth-shaking explosion.
And then… a massive figure cloaked in red chakra came crashing down from the sky, slamming into the ground with bone-rattling force.
"That's Susanoo?!"
Black Zetsu was shocked. He had seen many Susanoo before—but not many that were being beaten this badly.
BOOM!
Before he could think further, another blast echoed. This time, a colossal water-style jutsu transformed into a dragon and surged toward a floating figure in the sky.
"Don't tell me you're still trying to hit me with something that childish," came a clear, echoing voice.
"Didn't you learn your lesson last time?"
A brilliant blue barrier appeared, effortlessly deconstructing and absorbing the massive water dragon.
Then, in the blink of an eye, the white-cloaked figure vanished—just as Obito reemerged from his Kamui space.
Far below, the red Susanoo rose to its feet again.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The four figures engaged in chaotic battle, leveling the once-majestic Fire Temple into a field of broken stone and craters.
Susanoo's massive longsword swept through the battlefield, toppling towers and structures in its path. Kisame Hoshigaki and Uchiha Obito also launched constant attacks from the sidelines.
The deafening booms of destruction echoed across the land. Earth trembled underfoot, and thick clouds of smoke billowed into the sky, sweeping outward like a shockwave.
"What the hell is that?!"
Black Zetsu was stunned, nearly speechless.
It may have been three against one, but anyone could see they were the ones getting thrashed.
And yet, facing that white figure, Black Zetsu felt his entire being tremble.
Could this guy be...?
"Host, who are these people exactly?"
Elsewhere, as Obito and the others appeared, the monks of the Temple of Fire quickly began evacuating with Chiriku and Sora in tow.
Watching their once-majestic temple reduced to rubble, and the distant battle tearing the horizon apart, someone finally couldn't hold it in anymore.
"I don't know either... but we need to leave. Now."
Chiriku spoke weakly. He hadn't even had the chance to lift a finger before being instantly incapacitated.
That kind of power gap made one thing painfully clear—they had no business staying here.
Feeling the earth quake and watching the shockwaves of shattered debris rip through the air, he couldn't help but sigh.
Maybe the only consolation was...
"At least... even Sora's still alive."
While Chiriku reflected, things were going terribly for Obito and the others.
"This guy…"
All three were in terrible shape, struggling just to hold off Kitagawa Gen's relentless assault.
Kisame was covered in wounds, and Samehada was trembling in his hands as though sensing danger.
Blood streamed from the corner of Itachi's eyes, and his Susanoo was in tatters, too damaged to recover. He could barely stay standing himself.
He had tried using Tsukuyomi earlier, but it failed. Now he was forced to maintain Susanoo just to survive, and even that had pushed him to the brink.
"Damn it!"
Obito wasn't faring any better. It was like every move he made was predicted in advance—nothing he did could land a hit on this man!
"Possible Rinnegan-like abilities… Space-Time Ninjutsu… and even Yin-Yang Release?"
High above, bathed in moonlight and utterly pristine, stood Kitagawa Gen. His eyes glowed with brilliant light as they stared them down.
For once, the thoughts of all three aligned perfectly—they couldn't keep fighting. Not like this.
"Thinking of running?"
Suddenly, the voice came from above, as if he could read their thoughts.
"Honestly, I've had my fun. But it's time to wrap things up—I'm on a schedule. And frankly, this has gotten boring."
As he spoke, he glanced up at the sky.
He was a little confused. Why was the chakra from the Tenseigan still flowing steadily?
Could it be that the quantity was too small to draw attention?
Either way, he figured it was time to stop. He didn't know when the moon would stop feeding him chakra.
More importantly, he was finally starting to understand and adapt to this new combat mode.
That mattered a lot—it meant he'd be able to "swap accounts" more easily later, and explore this form's battle potential more deeply.
"I didn't intend to kill anyone. After all, there's no pride in slaughtering lesser beings... but still."
If he was going to sever his connection to the moon, he might as well "siphon" as much as possible first. Slowly, he raised the black rod in his hand. Chakra surged as it transformed into a blade.
At the same time, the moon above shone even more brilliantly, and the chakra around him intensified.
"You three are... quite special.
One of you reeks of the howls of his dead kin.
One yearns for the light, yet walks a path straight to hell.
And one... reeking of stench, carries both Indra and Asura's power."
With just that single sentence, all three were shaken—physically or spiritually, they couldn't even tell.
Was it his words? Or his rising chakra?
"But I must admit, you are… exceptional materials."
Materials?!
"So then... let's begin. The first one."
Buzz—
In an instant, Kitagawa Gen moved.
He appeared before them in a flash. The black blade in his hand flared with dazzling chakra.
"Watch out!"
Kisame rolled away, Obito activated Kamui mid-sprint to phase out—but Itachi couldn't move fast enough.
Seeing the blade descend, Itachi clenched his jaw, forcing himself to maintain Susanoo. Meanwhile, his right eye spun furiously.
Now!
He hadn't given up. He had held back Amaterasu for this exact moment.
"You think I didn't see that coming?"
But a cold voice echoed beside his ear.
At that moment, a massive repulsive force slammed into him.
Before his eye could unleash the flames, the force scattered the chakra completely—Amaterasu neutralized.
Buzz—
At the same time, Kitagawa's black blade came down.
It didn't meet the slightest resistance.
The already-crumbling Susanoo shattered with a deafening crack, split in two with terrifying ease.
Boom—
Itachi's body was sent flying like a ragdoll, crashing deep into the forest.
"Next."
Kitagawa turned his blade, ignoring Itachi and the now-phased-out Obito. His eyes locked onto Kisame.
Because Kisame had dodged both the sword strike and the black flames, he had already pulled some distance. But now, he could only raise Samehada to defend.
"Damn it... his speed and strength increased again! What the hell is going on?! And that chakra…"
Kisame could feel it distinctly—Gen's changes were dramatic. Worst of all, Samehada refused to absorb his chakra.
That left Kisame genuinely confused. It was the first time he'd encountered such a situation.
"Now's my chance!"
Obito noticed Kitagawa was ignoring him. Sensing Black Zetsu's chakra nearby, he clenched his teeth and acted.
He wanted to retreat, yes—but he couldn't just let Kisame die. And this guy was seriously pissing him off.
Just as Kitagawa struck, Obito moved.
Kamui activated, warping him behind Kitagawa. His hand shot forward—if he could grab this guy, he could try absorbing him.
Worst-case, he'd force Kitagawa to use space-time jutsu, and then yank Kisame away.
"Wood Release: Binding Roots!"
To ensure success, he didn't hesitate to use Wood Release. A swirling vortex appeared at his eye.
But—
"You know… I was wondering when you'd finally make your move, lesser being."
Suddenly, a powerful gravitational force yanked him in.
Before he could react, Kitagawa's blade turned toward him.
He was waiting for me?!
Obito's eyes widened. Instinctively, he began phasing himself with Kamui.
It was a pure test of speed now.
But before he could completely dematerialize, Kitagawa's blade burst with terrifying chakra.
This feeling… just like back in the Land of Wind?!
BOOM—
A massive surge of energy erupted from the blade. At first, it was just a blinding white light—
Then, it lit up the entire sky like midday sun.
Power rolled and twisted like a tidal wave, spreading outward and obliterating everything in its path.
---
"What is that power…?!"
Far away, the monks of the Fire Temple watched in horror as entire mountaintops collapsed.
Panic spread like wildfire.
"Ahhh! So bright! My eyes! It hurts!!"
Not far off, White Zetsu was already by Itachi's side, wailing as he clutched his eyes.
Black Zetsu's face had turned pale—because in that instant, he realized something horrifying:
He had lost Obito's chakra.
As the monstrous shockwave tore through the forest, one thought echoed in his mind:
"Could this man… be of the same clan as Mother?"
--