Obito glanced at Kakashi, then used Kamui and disappeared.
After Obito left, Minato asked,
"Kaito, who exactly is that Jigen?"
Kaito turned his head and looked at Kaguya. Under her curious gaze, he said,
"He comes from the same place as Kaguya."
Kaguya's expression changed. If he came from the same place as her, didn't that mean Jigen was also part of the Ōtsutsuki clan?
Including Kaito, that meant two Ōtsutsuki had arrived on this tiny planet?
Minato studied Kaguya curiously. When he saw the horns on her head and those Byakugan eyes, he exclaimed in surprise,
"Kaito, she looks just like you do now!"
Kaito was still maintaining his Ōtsutsuki form, and in appearance he really did look quite similar to Kaguya.
Kaguya didn't say a word. In her eyes, apart from Kaito, no one else here was qualified to speak to her.
Kaito reached out and brushed his fingers through Kaguya's long hair. The snowy white strands felt incredible to the touch, like the finest silk.
Kaguya's body trembled. She raised her head to glance at Kaito, then let a few strands of hair curl around his fingers.
Kaito smiled faintly and said,
"If you ever see someone else who looks like this again, don't think about anything—just run."
"Nani?"
"That includes the Jigen I sent Obito to find. That guy is no ordinary human. His real name is Ōtsutsuki Isshiki!"
Whoosh!
Before Minato could speak, Kaguya's long hair suddenly spread out, and she stared at Kaito in disbelief, her voice trembling,
"Wasn't Isshiki already dead?"
"He didn't die. Doesn't your clan have the ability to use Karma on other beings? Jigen is the 'vessel' Isshiki found."
Kaguya froze. She had never imagined Isshiki could survive even after being swallowed by the Ten Tails. Did that mean, like her, he had been living on this planet all along?
The thought darkened her expression. Isshiki's status within the Ōtsutsuki clan wasn't low, while Kaito was clearly a "newcomer." If Isshiki demanded Kaito hand her over, then what?
Would Kaito risk offending Ōtsutsuki Isshiki for the sake of her, a "traitor"?
Even after eating the Chakra Fruit, she doubted she could be Isshiki's match. If it came to that, her chances of survival would be slim.
As she frowned, lost in thought, Kaito suddenly asked,
"You don't look so good. What's on your mind?"
Though Kaguya had lived for thousands of years, her mentality didn't match her age at all. When Kaito asked, she actually blurted out her worries, then nervously asked,
"Master… would you hand me over to Isshiki?"
Kaito hadn't expected Kaguya to be so naïve and sweet. Her question made him burst out laughing.
Kaguya blinked her wide eyes at him, unblinking, as he laughed for a while before suddenly flicking her forehead with his finger.
He didn't use much force—Kaguya only felt a ticklish sensation. She tilted her head, looking even more like a clueless, naïve girl.
"Why would I hand you over to mere fodder?"
"Fo… fodder? Master, I don't quite understand what you mean."
Kaito smiled, took her hand, and pressed it against his chest as he said softly,
"Did you forget? I also have a Ten Tails inside me."
Kaguya stared blankly at him. Under his gaze, her cheeks flushed red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The moment Kaito released her, she quickly pulled her hand back.
She hid her hands inside her wide sleeves, kneading them furiously.
This was pure suffering for Black Zetsu, who was hiding in her sleeves. Like a lump of black dough, he was squeezed and squashed mercilessly, enduring her abuse.
Anyone watching would clearly see that Kaguya was embarrassed. But Kaito wasn't entirely convinced. In his mind, Kaguya already had two children—how could she get shy just from placing her hand on a man's chest?
He distinctly remembered Kaguya having a human husband once, some "emperor," right?
Kaito couldn't help but ask,
"Hey, didn't you used to have a husband?"
Kaguya nodded blankly, then quickly shook her head.
Taking advantage of the moment, Black Zetsu escaped her "claws," poking out a black head as he shouted,
"Mother never had a husband! That guy was just an ordinary human. How could he possibly be worthy of being Mother's husband!"
Black Zetsu was agitated. According to Kaito's words, he'd suddenly gained a human father out of nowhere. For him, that was absolutely unacceptable!
Kaito frowned, wondering if he'd been misled by the anime's filler storyline again.
He continued asking,
"Then what about Hamura and Hagoromo?"
"Hmph! Those two were just split off from Mother. The power of the God Tree's fruit was too great, so Mother had no choice but to neutralize it this way."
"And you?"
"Of course I was created by Mother!"
Black Zetsu's face was full of pride. Kaito really didn't get why—wasn't splitting and creating basically the same thing?
What Black Zetsu meant was that Hamura and Hagoromo's birth was an accident, but he was deliberately created by Kaguya, born with a "sacred" mission: to resurrect her.
Compared to his two "brothers," Black Zetsu was indeed the more filial son—even if he didn't look remotely human.
But Black Zetsu didn't notice Kaito's strange gaze.
The way he constantly melted into a pool of black fluid… Kaito couldn't help thinking he looked exactly like a puddle of black… blood.
Which made him seriously question: just what exactly had Kaguya used to create Black Zetsu? Was it really just her will?
Unaware of Kaito's dark suspicions, Black Zetsu slipped back into Kaguya's sleeve without another word.
Kaguya's mood finally calmed. She then remembered what Kaito had said earlier and quickly asked,
"Master, are you planning to feed Isshiki to the Ten Tails inside you?"
Kaito spread his hands and said,
"Mm. As fodder, he's of excellent quality. I've had my eye on him for a while."
"Then… would Master feed me to the Ten Tails too?"
"Are you stupid? If I wanted to feed you to it, why would I have waited until now?"
Kaito let out a soft sigh, then turned and flew up into the sky. Kaguya hurried to follow.
Among the remaining shinobi, aside from Ōnoki, almost no one else could fly. Minato glanced at Madara beside him, looking completely hopeless.