Kitagawa Gen truly had no idea that those three Ōtsutsuki had already gone completely mad.
Of course, if he had known, he probably would have added fuel to the fire.
That already-condensed Kekkei Mōra was absolutely something that could drive all Ōtsutsuki into madness!
Still, looking at Nagato and Obito's group, Kitagawa Gen was considering what he should do next.
"Continuing to get entangled with them has no meaning at all."
Nagato and Obito would not release the Ten-Tails—at least, not for now.
"Because they are waiting for the final assembly, to release the Ten-Tails and summon 'Ōtsutsuki Genshiki.'"
Beyond that, this fellow was also currently using Kitagawa Gen for "evolution."
"Or rather, helping those Ōtsutsuki to 'thaw' would be a more accurate way to put it."
Kitagawa Gen had no intention of telling Obito and the others what their real situation was.
If he did, and they were unwilling to continue fighting and "thawing," then his own "Divine Tree Source" would lose its nutrients.
After all, for people with exceptionally firm wills, being made to accept that their future would no longer be themselves, but that they would become someone else's "vessel"—they would inevitably use every possible means to prevent such a thing from happening!
Yet saying nothing at all also made Kitagawa Gen feel somewhat uncomfortable.
That was why he simply chose to speak in riddles, to disgust the three of them first.
At the same time, it was also meant to disgust the three Ōtsutsuki inside their bodies.
"So the current situation is a bit awkward."
Kitagawa Gen pressed his lips together. If he fought too fiercely, the Kāma would thaw ahead of schedule, and then his Ten-Tails would be gone.
But if he did not fight, the Kāma would thaw too slowly, and his "nutrients" would be gone.
This awkward predicament also gave him a headache. Fortunately, he had his own ideas.
For example—another Ten-Tails!
"Although Nagato's Ten-Tails should be able to provide enough energy, why shouldn't I make more preparations?"
Kitagawa Gen's "Divine Tree Source" was not far from fully recovering, and his first fruit would, barring accidents, soon be born.
But to proceed more smoothly and obtain more energy, he felt he could take some actions in advance.
"My second fruit planting is basically certain to use the remains of 'Ōtsutsuki Shibai,' so the first fruit cannot be too inferior either."
What was more, the remains of 'Ōtsutsuki Shibai' were, with high probability, sealed within the same space as that Ten-Tails. Sooner or later, he would have to retrieve them anyway.
"And besides, it will still take time for Kabuto to deliver the items, so—"
Thinking of this, Kitagawa Gen already had a plan.
Rather than having his main body remain entangled with these three—too heavy-handed would not do, too light-handed would not do either—it would be better to let his clone play with them for a while.
As for himself, he could go and raid Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's old nest, making preparations for his future!
"Then—"
As the thought settled, his fist grew heavier!
Boom—!
Boom—!
Boom—!
The tremendous roars echoed across the sky. The four of them were like gods, the overflowing energy ravaging everything within sight.
Moreover, under Kitagawa Gen's pursuit, they fought their way from the Land of Hot Water toward the Land of Whirlpools.
Along the way, enormous boulders, forests, mountains, rivers, and the like had a very high probability of being completely destroyed by that spilling energy!
"Damn it, this guy…"
Obito and the others were also being beaten into a daze, yet at this moment none of them chose to evade.
Even though it was a case of "fighting while retreating," they were indeed constantly battling, because they could truly feel their strength continuously growing!
Only, the joy brought by this growth was mercilessly smashed to pieces by Kitagawa Gen's iron fists.
By now, their bodies had long since suffered extensive damage. If not for the energy within them constantly repairing it, they truly would not have lasted until now.
"You're far worse than I imagined."
However, just as they were cursing inwardly, Kitagawa Gen seized the opportunity.
Amid the howling roar, Obito felt his vision blur. In the next instant, his body—now only half of it—slammed heavily into the ground!
"Damn it…"
Obito sensed grave danger. Nagato and Kimimaro were also splitting headaches—Obito's abysmal combat ability truly dragged them down.
They could only rush over to rescue him immediately, yet this move instead created an even better opportunity for Kitagawa Gen.
"How truly pitiful."
A black-and-white Rasengan condensed in Kitagawa Gen's hand. The Rasengan tore through the air and, almost head-on against Nagato's defenses, slammed heavily into his body.
Immediately after, space-time ninjutsu activated once more. He had already arrived at Kimimaro's side, and in the next instant the Yin–Yang Release short blade was suddenly swung out.
Kimimaro was sent flying backward as well, and his body was no longer able to hold on!
"So this is what you call 'evolution'?"
That unhurried voice continued to echo. This time, Kitagawa Gen did not continue the pursuit, but instead stood quietly within the dust and smoke.
The endlessly spreading haze made his figure flicker in and out of sight. That vast natural power made him appear incomparably mysterious and terrifying.
"Cough, cough, cough—damn it, can you even do this?"
Nagato slowly struggled to his feet. He could not help but curse in a low voice; this kind of battle was truly becoming too much for him to endure.
"And if you can't, then leave. I'm preparing to release the Ten-Tails."
"Now is not the time. We must wait until everyone has gathered!"
Obito was also extremely uncomfortable. He knew that he was most likely dragging them down, but this was something he would never admit no matter what.
"If we release the Ten-Tails now and draw Ōtsutsuki Genshiki here, then—"
"Hmph!"
Kimimaro naturally saw through Obito's attempt to change the subject, and he could not help letting out a cold snort.
"The Ten-Tails can wait, but can you actually do this or not?"
"You—"
Obito had not expected that even Orochimaru's plaything would dare speak to him like this, and it made his expression exceptionally ugly.
Fortunately, before he could say anything more, Kitagawa Gen had already blown away the dust and smoke and was once again walking toward them.
Facing Kitagawa Gen's indifferent gaze, the three of them no longer dared say anything. They could only prepare for battle once again.
Only, within Obito's mind, that so-called "Divine Ascension Stairway" involuntarily surfaced.
'Kitagawa Gen came into contact with evolution earlier. His strength is understandable—but I can't go on like this!'
Obito clenched his fists, his gaze unconsciously shifting toward Nagato and Kimimaro at his side.
He was truly beginning to think about how to extract the energy of these two, in order to complete his own "evolution."
...
"What exactly is going on?"
And while Obito and the other two were "suffering," Uchiha Madara's expression at this moment was also far from pleasant.
Facing the five "Hokage," he did not feel anything particularly unusual. However, Black Zetsu's sudden appearance immediately made him realize that something was wrong.
"Weren't you supposed to be retrieving the relics of the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother? Did something go wrong?"
"Something did go wrong. I was discovered by that brat, the Nine-Tails jinchūriki."
Black Zetsu was thoroughly irritated as well. He truly had not expected to run into such rotten luck.
"However, I've already found the item. I've just temporarily handed it over to one of Orochimaru's nails left behind in Konohagakure. I don't think there should be much of a problem."
"Orochimaru's nail in Konohagakure?"
Uchiha Madara's expression darkened slightly. He had been planning to use his own battle to draw everyone else's attention, to create space for Black Zetsu.
In the end, this fellow had still been discovered. That made him rather irritable.
"What happened over there, Naruto?"
As Uchiha Madara's mood soured, Minato Namikaze could not help but ask.
"You just said you discovered Uchiha Madara's scheme?"
"That's right!"
Naruto nodded seriously. His words immediately drew everyone's gaze.
"I discovered that that black guy was searching for something inside the Hyūga clan, so I launched an attack."
"But he can split apart. I locked the white half-body inside the village—Mom is guarding it. This guy ran over here…"
"Hyūga? Searching?"
Naruto's words made everyone present raise their eyebrows. In an instant, they all realized something.
"Could it be that the Hyūga also have relics?"
At the thought of this, disbelief appeared on their faces.
There was no denying that the Hyūga were indeed very important to Konoha. The Byakugan's reconnaissance ability allowed everyone to grasp the situation on the battlefield more effectively.
However, the help provided by the Byakugan in combat might be outstanding for lower-level ninja.
But once things reached a higher level—such as the current battle—it truly no longer played much of a role.
Could it be that a clan like the Hyūga were also descendants of the Sage of Six Paths?
"Madara, what exactly is your objective?"
Hashirama took a deep breath. He recalled the relic of the Senju clan that had been taken from him.
"And also—what was the purpose of stealing our relics!"
"That is naturally to create a peaceful world!"
Uchiha Madara clenched his fists. Even surrounded by five people, he showed not the slightest fear.
"Hashirama, have you never considered that the system you established, the world you built, is far worse than you imagine!"
"War, lies, all kinds of struggles for interests—this is everything manifested by the world you created."
"Back then, I already told you: either pacify the entire shinobi world, or in the future the shinobi world would never have any peace."
"But your narrow-mindedness kept you from seeing the future. And just as I expected, after your death the entire shinobi world erupted into unimaginable wars!"
"What I am doing now is nothing more than setting things right. I want to restore peace to this ugly world!"
Uchiha Madara's words were fervent and impassioned. Although he never denied that he had done countless dark deeds—even this 'Fourth Shinobi World War' was the result of his indulgence—his heart had always yearned for peace.
He had always been striving for the peace his heart desired!
Madara's words left everyone present somewhat silent. Especially Sasuke and Naruto—both of them looked at Madara with expressions that were hard to describe.
"No wonder…"
After quite a while, Sasuke could not help but speak.
"So Senior Gen would say that the Sage of Six Paths favored Indra. Turns out Asura—"
"Shut up!"
Before he could finish, Senju Tobirama interrupted him.
"That's just speculation. Don't spout nonsense there!"
"Oh? That was said by Kitagawa Gen?"
Uchiha Madara raised an eyebrow and let out a cold laugh.
"That's really not strange. After all, the Uchiha inherited something remarkable!"
"..."
Black Zetsu blinked. Where did this rumor come from now?
"And Uchiha Madara—do you truly think what you're doing is right?"
Just as Black Zetsu was puzzled, Senju Tobirama spoke up with a cold expression.
"You're nothing but an ignorant fool. You don't understand anything about the present situation at all!"
"Oh?"
The cold smile on Uchiha Madara's face deepened. He crossed his arms and looked at Senju Tobirama with indifference.
"And a shameless, despicable fellow like you thinks he's qualified to speak here?"
"Hmph. That's exactly why I say you're beyond saving."
Senju Tobirama also revealed a faint cold smile. He looked at Uchiha Madara indifferently and spoke in a low voice.
"Do you really think everything my elder brother did was wrong? Have you never thought about one thing?"
"Why did war continue for a thousand years? Why didn't the Sage of Six Paths stop the war between Indra and Asura back then?"
"Why is it that even now, when the Ōtsutsuki have descended, you're still so naive—still so foolishly beyond redemption?"
Faced with Senju Tobirama's three consecutive questions, Uchiha Madara raised an eyebrow.
For a moment, he didn't know how to answer. Black Zetsu pressed his lips together—this was all because of him!
But in the next instant, both he and Uchiha Madara widened their eyes, and Senju Tobirama's voice quietly fell.
"Because all of this was the Sage of Six Paths' layout!"
"..."
For a brief moment, both Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu felt dazed.
They thought they had misheard, or that Senju Tobirama had gone mad.
But seeing that Senju Hashirama did not speak to refute it, Uchiha Madara fell silent at that moment.
Black Zetsu, meanwhile, was even more confused. Could there be some misunderstanding in all this?
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