"Do you even know who you really are?"
When these words left Kitagawa Minamoto's lips, Obito Uchiha's reaction wasn't particularly strong—after all, he was already dazed from the beating.
But within Obito's body, Isshiki's expression darkened considerably.
"This guy... he's probably noticed something off about Obito's power."
Though the question seemed directed at Obito, asking whether he understood his own heart or something deeper, Isshiki knew better than to interpret Minamoto's words at face value.
"Especially since he's fought with Minamoto-shiki before. It's normal for him to be more perceptive."
As Kitagawa Minamoto stepped closer, Isshiki quickly sensed the state of Obito's Kāma seal. A faint smile crept onto Isshiki's face—though the battle hadn't lasted long, its effects were significant.
Despite wasting a considerable amount of energy to repair Obito's body, this had accelerated the unlocking of the Kāma seal.
"Keep going. The harder you hit, the faster the seal will unlock."
Isshiki muttered to himself, but Obito suddenly roared in anger.
"Of course I know who I am! Stop spouting nonsense!"
Obito's body continued to heal under the power of the Kāma, and this rapid regeneration only intensified the seal's release.
He staggered to his feet, his face filled with fury and unwillingness. But as his gaze fell upon the White Fang short sword in Minamoto's hand, an eerie and terrifying energy intertwined on the blade, his anger momentarily cooled.
Then, to Isshiki's astonishment, Obito suddenly activated Kamui!
Isshiki: "..."
"Kitagawa Minamoto, you truly are an 'Evolved Being.'"
Obito remained oblivious to Isshiki's desire to strangle him. Gritting his teeth, he stared at Minamoto.
"But do you really think you're unique?"
"Are you talking about yourself?"
Minamoto replied nonchalantly, paying no mind to Obito's use of Kamui. After all, continuing the fight would only trigger another burst of the Kāma seal's power.
Minamoto wasn't ready to let Obito transform into Isshiki—not before he'd thoroughly extracted everything Isshiki had to offer.
"So Isshiki either stays a 'cross-dressing clown,' or becomes 'Isshiki the Llama.' That would be better."
"You actually believe in that so-called 'evolution'?"
"Because it's the truth!"
Obito shouted, his body fully healed as he stood upright once more.
The black markings on his skin became even more prominent, and the power of Yin-Yang Release quietly gathered around him.
"If you hadn't undergone 'evolution,' do you think you'd have this kind of power? Do you think you'd have come this far?"
Minamoto fell silent for a moment. Wasn't "evolution" just something he'd made up as a joke? How had it become gospel to Obito?
"Are you... jealous of me?"
Suddenly, Minamoto tilted his head, asking with genuine curiosity.
"I heard you once yearned to be Hokage, to earn the recognition of everyone in Konohagakure. You must have desired everything I have now, but—"
"Shut up!"
This time, Obito seemed genuinely enraged. He glared coldly at Minamoto, taking a deep breath before speaking.
"The only thing I envy about you is that you received the power of 'evolution' before I did. But I have something you don't!"
"?"
"I have Rin's guidance. It makes me feel less alone. No matter how difficult my path becomes, I will keep moving forward!"
"..."
"Besides, do you think I came here without purpose? I've already achieved my goal!"
Minamoto stared silently at Obito, momentarily impressed by the man's resolve.
Leaving aside his beliefs and worldview, Obito's words left Minamoto at a loss for how to respond.
For once, Minamoto found himself rendered speechless—a rare occurrence.
Buzz—
Obito's body began to distort, indicating his intention to leave. Minamoto raised an eyebrow, watching as Obito spoke one last time.
"Guess what's happening elsewhere right now?"
With those words, Obito's figure vanished, leaving behind the wreckage of their battlefield.
"Elsewhere, huh…"
Minamoto tilted his head, already guessing that Obito's visit was likely orchestrated by Isshiki behind the scenes. Now, with Obito's deliberate hint, Minamoto had a new theory.
"That guy wants to lure me to the 'White Kāma,' but is Isshiki really that generous?"
Of course, Minamoto also considered the possibility that this was Obito's own scheme.
"The 'White Kāma' was probably set up to attract Ōtsutsuki Minamoto-shiki. But Obito must have realized he couldn't defeat me, so…"
As the thought crossed his mind, Minamoto seemed to reach a decision. Meanwhile, the First and Second Hokages appeared beside him.
"Are you alright, Minamoto?"
The two surveyed the devastation around them, unable to resist asking.
"That guy ran away again?"
"Yeah, he's gone. But he was probably here to distract me."
Minamoto nodded, choosing to follow Obito's lead in conversation.
"They're likely targeting the Tailed Beasts elsewhere, and probably our allies. So…"
"Obito came here just to distract you, so you wouldn't reinforce them quickly?"
Tobirama immediately grasped the situation, even pinpointing the likely location.
"Is it Kirigakure? It's the only ally we have, and Obito used to rule over it, making him very familiar with it."
"In that case…"
Hashirama's eyes lit up, his curiosity piqued.
"Could Madara be there too?"
"Hard to say. He might not have recovered yet."
Minamoto scratched his head thoughtfully before responding.
"Last time, he was beaten badly by Ōtsutsuki Minamoto-shiki. His Impure World Reincarnation body collapsed, so it's hard to say if he's fully restored."
"Regardless of his state, we'll go with you to check it out."
Tobirama spoke decisively. Having regained his strength, he wasn't about to sit idle!
"I need to gather intel on the Akatsuki as well."
"I think I should go too."
Hashirama chimed in after some thought.
"My presence might draw Madara out, making it easier for you to fight him. After all, he took something from us…"
Hashirama trailed off, while Tobirama clenched his fists in frustration. Obito had stolen their clan's relics right in front of them—this grudge couldn't be left unsettled!
"All together, then?"
Minamoto pondered briefly before raising his head to gaze at the starry sky. His expression turned peculiar, but after a moment, he nodded lightly.
"Alright, let's go together. After all…"
"This time, something truly troublesome might be brewing."
Minamoto suspected that dealing with this trouble might require his "alternate account," Ōtsutsuki Minamoto-shiki, to step in.
"Cough, cough…"
Inside Kamui's Dimension, Obito lay sprawled on the ground, coughing violently as blood spilled from his lips. He looked utterly miserable.
After lying there for a while to catch his breath, he finally stood up again.
"Kitagawa Minamoto truly lives up to being recognized by Ōtsutsuki Minamoto-shiki as an 'Evolved Being.'"
"..."
Isshiki remained silent within Obito's consciousness, unsure how to evaluate his host.
"How can he be this stupid?"
Though Obito possessed a resolute will and could grasp certain truths, his mind seemed perpetually clouded—sharp at times, but mostly muddled. Isshiki found this utterly exasperating.
"Ah, forget it. At least this time wasn't a total waste."
Isshiki decided to stop dwelling on Obito's shortcomings. What else could he do at this point?
Fortunately, it wasn't all for nothing—his Kāma and Kitagawa Minamoto had both yielded valuable insights.
"Judging from his aura, Minamoto seems stronger than last time. Though spatial interference might have skewed my judgment…"
Reflecting on Minamoto's battle with Obito, Isshiki's expression grew serious.
"The disparity seems significant, but it also confirms some of my theories."
Isshiki had long speculated about Minamoto, especially since he was someone even Minamoto-shiki—a lunatic—had taken an interest in.
While Isshiki couldn't definitively categorize Minamoto's existence, this battle had provided some clarity.
"Such affinity with natural energy, a robust physical constitution, the ability to use various techniques including Yin-Yang Release, and…"
Isshiki recalled Minamoto's previous confrontation with Minamoto-shiki, where he seemed to harness planetary energy. This time, however, Minamoto hadn't used it—perhaps because his opponent was Obito.
Still, Minamoto's body carried traces of the Divine Tree's aura. Combining all these observations, Isshiki arrived at a bizarre hypothesis.
"A being infused with the Divine Tree's power, constantly evolving, or perhaps…"
A unique lifeform born from the planet's will?
Given the planet's peculiar nature—having already produced a chakra fruit without collapsing, and even recovering on its own—this theory wasn't entirely implausible.
Isshiki considered the repeated arrivals of himself, Kaguya, and Minamoto-shiki, along with the inevitable future visits from other Ōtsutsuki searching for himself and Kaguya.
"Could this planet have created Kitagawa Minamoto as a defense mechanism?"
Though the idea was absurd, Isshiki couldn't rule it out entirely.
Of course, if Minamoto's power came from the Divine Tree, it wouldn't be surprising either. The Ten-Tails, though enslaved, was undeniably powerful. If it had undergone some peculiar mutation, giving rise to a lifeform like Minamoto, it wouldn't be shocking.
"Regardless of the origin, it's incredibly unique, and worth investigating further."
Isshiki thought to himself, his expression tinged with excitement.
"Minamoto-shiki probably has similar suspicions, which is why he wants to verify them. And then…"
To consume Minamoto, just as he planned to consume Isshiki.
The thought convinced Isshiki that his theory was correct. Such a unique lifeform would undoubtedly contain immense energy—whether from the Ten-Tails or the planet's will, both were highly coveted by the Ōtsutsuki.
"So my plan is solid."
Taking a deep breath, Isshiki glanced disdainfully at Obito, ultimately shaking his head in resignation.
"Cultivating Kitagawa Minamoto to fight Minamoto-shiki is definitely a viable path!"
After all, Minamoto's potential was limitless—far beyond what Obito could achieve.
"Now the question is whether Minamoto-shiki has been drawn to my 'White Kāma,' and how Kitagawa Minamoto will respond to Obito's bait."
Isshiki sighed, choosing not to dwell on the matter further. The only silver lining was that Obito's beating had accelerated the Kāma's release. Soon, Isshiki could attempt to take control of Obito.
"Finally, it's here…"
Amid the starry sky, a black, pixelated spatial distortion unfolded, revealing a sudden portal.
From the portal emerged a figure carrying a fishing rod-like staff, his expression playful yet sinister.
Dressed in white, he stood tall against the backdrop of space. His Byakugan gleamed, and a bone-like membrane resembling a forehead protector adorned his head.
Clearly, this was another Ōtsutsuki—Ōtsutsuki Urashiki.
"So this is the planet where Isshiki's chakra erupted? How peculiar—why is Isshiki's chakra so weak?"
Urashiki's goal was to locate Isshiki and Kaguya. Though he had initially traveled with Momoshiki and Kinshiki, various circumstances had led them to "split up."
Fortunately, Urashiki wasn't far from this planet, having arrived after only a few years. And for the Ōtsutsuki, such a span of time was trivial.
"Tsk, what a strange planet."
Gazing at the distant blue sphere, Urashiki clicked his tongue in amusement.
"It's clearly heavily damaged, yet still intact. Isshiki and Kaguya planted the Divine Tree here, didn't they?"
Chuckling to himself, Urashiki prepared to head toward the source of Isshiki's chakra eruption. He also intended to investigate the planet further.
"After all, Isshiki's chakra feels weak, and there's another unknown Ōtsutsuki's chakra here…"
As a black spatial distortion appeared behind him, Urashiki stepped toward it.
But before entering, he couldn't help glancing at the nearby moon.
"And what's with that moon? It feels strange."
After a brief look, Urashiki vanished into the portal.
Unbeknownst to him, deep within the moon, a massive golden eye briefly swept across his figure.
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