Chapter 173: A Great Harvest
Black Zetsu could tell — Uchiha Obito was on the verge of a breakdown.
Surprisingly, he could actually understand Obito's feelings.
After all, he was close to losing it too.
"Ōtsutsuki..."
He was well aware of how terrifying an Ōtsutsuki could be. But in their current situation, how were they supposed to deal with something like that?
Honestly, staying sealed might even be safer. At least then they wouldn't have to face this nightmare directly...
---
"Do you know who he is?"
Obito suddenly spoke, lifting his head with bloodshot eyes as he stared hard at Black Zetsu.
"Tell me. Who the hell is that guy? Who exactly is he?!"
Black Zetsu opened his mouth slightly, about to answer—
BOOM!
Suddenly, the ground shook. The head of the Gedo Statue burst out from underground!
Its grotesque face, with nine tightly shut eyes and countless cracks spreading across its surface, told a grim tale of suffering and destruction.
What made Black Zetsu's scalp tingle was the massive gaping wound on one side of its head.
Thankfully, the Gedo Statue could regenerate. Otherwise, he might've truly given up hope.
---
Krrrk—!
The statue's jaw creaked open with a grating sound, echoing painfully in their ears. A frail figure tumbled out from its mouth and hit the ground hard.
"Nagato?!"
Obito's eyes widened in disbelief, a rush of joy flashing across his face.
Although Nagato had clearly lost half his body and was clinging to life only thanks to White Zetsu's support, his Rinnegan was still intact — and that was all that mattered.
"Bring Konan here."
Black Zetsu quickly took control of the situation, instructing White Zetsu to channel chakra into Nagato.
But even in his critical condition, Nagato's voice was weak but firm:
"No... don't call Konan."
Before leaving for this mission, he had suspected it would be dangerous — so he'd gone to great lengths to leave Konan behind in the Land of Rain.
And clearly, he'd been right.
He didn't want her to see him like this.
"I'll be fine... I just need some rest."
---
"Now... tell me everything you know about that so-called Ōtsutsuki Genshiki."
Obito exhaled slowly and turned his attention to Black Zetsu again.
"How much do you actually know?"
Black Zetsu hesitated, then clenched his teeth. There was no avoiding it now.
"I don't know much... but—"
He paused, then continued slowly:
"You've both heard the legend of the Sage of Six Paths sealing the 'Rabbit Goddess,' right?"
"The Rabbit Goddess?"
Obito frowned in confusion. But Nagato's eyes lit up. Despite his weakness, he asked urgently:
"What about her? Is she connected to this?"
"According to legend..."
Black Zetsu didn't want to say it — this involved his mother, after all. But he had no choice.
"The Rabbit Goddess had a surname. And that surname... was Ōtsutsuki."
"What?!"
Nagato and Obito were both stunned. They'd never heard of such a detail before.
Nagato grew even more anxious.
"Are you sure? Is that really true?"
"I can't be completely certain. But I've seen it mentioned in a few ancient texts."
Black Zetsu could only push the responsibility onto the old scrolls.
After all, even Madara didn't know the truth. He had no reason to risk exposing himself now.
He was just thankful that most ancient knowledge had been lost — nobody even remembered the real names of his two "big brothers" anymore...
"It didn't seem important at the time, so I never paid much attention. But now... seeing that guy..."
"It makes sense. It all fits."
Nagato was visibly shaken, but in a strange way, also... excited.
"If the Rabbit Goddess was an Ōtsutsuki, and now we face another Ōtsutsuki — then maybe..."
He didn't finish the thought, but he didn't need to.
He was convinced — the so-called "new god" they were facing was cut from the same cloth.
---
"If he's an Ōtsutsuki... then I will walk the same path as the Sage of Six Paths. If he could do it, so can I. Once I defeat him... I can bring peace to this world."
Nagato clenched his fist with renewed determination.
Obito was baffled by this sudden resurgence of conviction.
Black Zetsu just stayed silent for a moment, then shook his head with a sigh.
"...Well, maybe this isn't so bad after all."
Though annoyed, he had to admit — having the will to keep fighting was more important than anything.
"Maybe it's time to make some real decisions."
He stared at Nagato in silence.
Could Nagato truly stand against Ōtsutsuki Genshiki?
He wasn't sure.
But right now... there weren't many choices left.
He needed to revive Uchiha Madara — and he wasn't going to waste the Rinnegan to do it directly.
He wanted maximum return on this investment.
And Orochimaru's Edo Tensei might be the perfect tool.
"Nagato still needs time to grow. He can hold onto the Rinnegan for now — I can still control him if needed. Besides..."
The Gedo Statue was damaged and needed repairs. Only Nagato could handle that.
Black Zetsu had made up his mind:
He would nurture Nagato, use Orochimaru to resurrect Madara via Edo Tensei, and if Nagato fell, forcefully seize control and use the Rinnegan to bring Madara back permanently.
Not only that — Nagato would also serve as the perfect test subject against Ōtsutsuki Genshiki.
---
"But it's not enough. I'll need more..."
At that thought, he turned to Obito.
"Did you retrieve the bodies?"
"Yes. All of them — even the dead ones."
Obito nodded.
"Orochimaru's jutsu left a deep impression on me... though the bastard escaped."
"I'll find him."
Black Zetsu smirked. They were thinking the same thing.
Even the dead could still be useful.
"Also... I want you to investigate this Ōtsutsuki thoroughly."
Obito's voice turned dark and cold.
"That man... he's not just targeting the Tailed Beasts. He's after the Rinnegan too. He will be our greatest obstacle."
"Understood. I'll handle it."
Black Zetsu nodded solemnly.
Though he said it calmly — inside, he was already reaching his limit.
But soon, Black Zetsu sensed something was off—like he'd forgotten to do something.
"Wait a second… it's just you and Nagato who came back? Where are the others?"
"I brought them too. They're in the Kamui space."
"…??? Then why didn't you release them!?"
"…"
"Hurry up! If you don't let them out soon, they really will die!"
---
On the streets of Konoha, Kitagawa Gen, Deidara, and Terumi Mei strolled through the village.
The Chūnin Exams had ended, and Konoha was busy cleaning up the aftermath of the battle. Even shinobi from Iwagakure and Kirigakure had been assigned to help.
Not that Kitagawa Gen needed to get involved in any of that. In fact, he had been given a different task—playing host to the two beside him.
Terumi Mei was quiet and composed. Deidara, on the other hand, had returned to his usual talkative self. Fortunately, Kitagawa Gen was in a good mood and didn't mind too much.
"Wow, you're seriously impressive. Not only did you take down those two guys, but you even used your Flying Thunder God to redirect attacks. Don't tell me… you developed that technique just to fight me, hmm?"
"Idiot. That's the Fourth Hokage's jutsu. What are you even imagining?"
"The Fourth Hokage used this technique to teleport a Tailed Beast Bomb—and even the Nine-Tails itself—out of the village. I just made some improvements."
"Huh? So it wasn't meant specifically for me?"
Deidara sounded genuinely disappointed. Terumi Mei, however, sighed in quiet admiration.
"An amazing jutsu… I'd heard of the Flying Thunder God, but this is the first time I've seen it in action. Truly astonishing."
"Thank you. Actually, the jutsu from Kirigakure is impressive too."
Kitagawa Gen replied politely, but the moment the words left his mouth, he realized something was off.
Wait... wasn't his Ice Release technique from Kirigakure?
Sure enough, from the corner of his eye, he noticed Terumi Mei suddenly go quiet. Quickly, he changed the topic.
"Alright, let's not dwell on that. As the host, I should be giving you both a proper tour of Konoha. But given the situation… how about I treat you two to a meal instead?"
"Food? Hey, hey—don't tell me it's Ichiraku Ramen again?"
Deidara's eyes lit up at the mention of food, but quickly turned sour as he remembered something. The mouths on his palms opened up, tongues hanging out limply.
Clearly, he hadn't forgotten the last time he shoved ramen into them, which made both mouths vomit it back out…
"Relax. I'm treating you to barbecue."
Kitagawa Gen shrugged with a grin.
"Everything's mostly settled. Let's go check it out afterward."
"I'm good with that," Terumi Mei replied casually. She had a general idea of why Master Genji had sent her here, so she didn't really care what they ate.
Deidara, however, eyed Kitagawa Gen suspiciously and asked:
"That's strange… all this chaos during the Chūnin Exams, and yet you're in such a good mood?"
"…?"
"I mean, with how stingy you are, you never treat people. So what gives?"
"…"
"Naruto told me, you know. Said you're the stingiest person in the whole village."
"…"
Kitagawa Gen clenched his fist. That little brat Naruto was slandering him!?
That said, he couldn't deny it—he really was in a great mood right now.
[Konoha Exclusive Side Quest Completed]
[I Am the Village's Hope]
[Defend Konoha and Resolve All Threats]
[Reward Acquired: One-Tails Chakra]
Looking at the interface in front of him, Kitagawa Gen chuckled. This would've been a fantastic reward under normal circumstances.
But right now?
He'd gotten better loot from "jungling" out there on the battlefield!
Having manifested as Ōtsutsuki Genshiki this time, he not only got to test his powers properly—but he also shattered the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
He left none of the broken parts of the statue behind. Sure, for "style reasons," he couldn't be seen scavenging the battlefield...
…but on his way out, a sneaky Universal Pull activated "auto-loot mode" and swept everything up just fine!
---
"What's more, the statue fragments seem to resonate strongly with the Divine Tree's Source inside me…"
Kitagawa Gen grinned inwardly. He knew these pieces would be incredibly beneficial to him.
Once he used the Divine Tree's Source to absorb all that debris, he was certain the gains would be massive.
"And now with One-Tail's chakra too… I might even be able to push my Ōtsutsuki bloodline to Level 50."
50% development meant his bloodline had passed its halfway point. He didn't yet know exactly what that would mean—but it would definitely be a major breakthrough.
And from there? He could start plotting his path toward the Giant Tenseigan on the Moon.
---
"Hey, why'd you go all quiet?" Deidara asked, tilting his head.
"Don't tell me I was right?"
"No," Kitagawa Gen replied coolly. "I was just thinking about the next phase of the Chūnin Exams."
"Even after all this?"
"The exams haven't ended yet. We'll be continuing. After all, only two contestants have been eliminated so far. No reason to wrap things up prematurely."
"…Huh? But isn't the first match still ongoing?"
"Unfortunately, the Raikage and Kazekage failed to pass this joint Chūnin Exam," Gen replied calmly. "So they've already been… eliminated."
"…"
"And more eliminations are definitely coming. Personally, I'm hoping a certain blond-haired idiot gets the boot."
"…"
---