Let's return to the Gedo Statue.
After more than ten minutes of fierce fighting, the Gedo Statue's chakra was severely depleted. It had stopped moving, reverting to the wooden giant-like statue it was before, standing silently on the ground.
The ice clone reabsorbed the ice Nine-Tails, turning it back into frost power to replenish the energy he had expended in the battle. Looking at the towering Gedo Statue, however, he was stumped. "What do I do with this thing? Leaving it here is definitely not an option; that would be like handing it over to White Zetsu on a silver platter. But taking it with me would be too difficult..."
Soon, he no longer had to worry about it.
A dark red vortex suddenly appeared, enveloped the Gedo Statue, and then vanished along with it, right before the ice clone's eyes.
"??? What the hell was that?"
A short while later, the chakra clone returned. Seeing the ice clone standing there alone, he said in surprise, "Wow, you actually managed to completely destroy the Gedo Statue?"
"You're overthinking it." The ice clone rolled his eyes and recounted what had just happened.
"A dark red, mist-like vortex? I feel like I've seen that somewhere before." The chakra clone then told him about Tobi's mysterious disappearance.
The two looked at each other, a flicker of realization in their eyes.
"Who else could pull off a move like that besides him?"
"Let's go. Back to the original. Oh, and don't forget the spoils of war."
They collected the discarded Gunbai and scythe and headed back the way they came, soon finding Kaito sleeping leisurely on a tree branch.
"Back so soon?" Kaito sat up and yawned. "You guys were fighting so fiercely, it was too noisy for me to sleep."
"You've really got a lot of nerve. Weren't you afraid we'd get captured and used as superweapons?"
"Unless Madara Uchiha suddenly leveled up to his Six Paths form, how could he possibly capture the two of you? Now, tell me, did you complete the mission?"
"I guess so. See for yourself."
"Alright." After using his Aura to confirm there was no one suspicious within a one-kilometer radius, Kaito recalled the Chakra Plate and the Icicle Plate and dispelled the shadow clones.
A massive wave of memories flooded his mind. This time, Kaito was prepared and easily weathered the after-effects, absorbing all the information.
"Hmm, so Madara Uchiha chose to take his enemies down with him to preserve his dignity. That's just like him. The one who teleported the Gedo Statue away must have used space-time ninjutsu. Right now, the only one capable of such large-scale space-time ninjutsu is Jigen."
"No, to be precise, it's Isshiki Otsutsuki."
Isshiki Otsutsuki was the one who came to this planet with Kaguya Otsutsuki to plant the God Tree. In the Otsutsuki clan, his status was much higher than Kaguya's. The original plan was to sacrifice Kaguya to the Ten-Tails to quickly grow the God Tree. However, Kaguya, who believed that her fate was her own and not decided by the heavens, launched a surprise attack on Isshiki, turning him into the sacrifice for the Ten-Tails instead. This allowed the Ten-Tails to successfully grow into the God Tree, absorb the planet's energy, and bear the God Tree Fruit. Kaguya then consumed the fruit that was meant for the Otsutsuki main family, successfully defying her destiny.
As for Isshiki, after most of his body was devoured by the Ten-Tails, he managed to escape. Using the secret jutsu Karma, he attached himself to an unlucky fellow named Jigen and took over his body. He has survived for a thousand years, secretly plotting in the shadows, scheming to be revived.
"But... wasn't he supposed to show up decades from now? Why did he suddenly appear here? Is this because of my influence?" Kaito sighed. "I hate the butterfly effect."
Unlike his own fake and shoddy clones, Isshiki Otsutsuki was a true powerhouse in the Otsutsuki clan, having destroyed countless planets. In his prime, while he might not have been a match for Kaguya after she ate the God Tree Fruit, he wouldn't have been much weaker. He was a bona fide final-boss-level villain.
Even now, only able to survive temporarily in someone else's body, he was still undeniably at the pinnacle of the ninja world. Even if Kaito, along with his ice and chakra clones, were to team up, a victory was not guaranteed.
The crucial part was that his abilities were incredibly formidable. Not only did he have Sukunahikona, which allowed him to freely shrink himself and other objects, and Daikokuten, a different dimension for storage, but his ability to traverse different dimensions with space-time ninjutsu alone made him nearly invincible. That was without even mentioning his terrifying taijutsu, capable of shattering a Perfect Susanoo with a single kick.
As for his ability to absorb ninjutsu, Kaito wasn't too worried about that. To counter him, they would need to seal his space-time ninjutsu and engage him in a continuous, high-intensity battle of attrition to make Jigen's body collapse under the strain.
"Space-time ninjutsu... that's something beyond my reach for now. Does this mean I really have to steal the Second Hokage's Scroll of Seals?" Still, that seemed unrealistic.
Isshiki's appearance this time was most likely to seize the Gedo Statue. It probably didn't matter if he got his hands on Madara's remains. Could he clone another Madara? The Gedo Statue was a bit more troubling. He had always wanted to replant the God Tree. Fortunately, the Nine-Tails' chakra was in Kaito's hands and wouldn't be so easily taken. As for the Tailed Beasts held by the other Great Nations, they would have to fend for themselves.
"Sigh. The ninja world is truly a calamitous place."
Kaito shook his head, momentarily setting aside the problem of dealing with Isshiki Otsutsuki. The ones who had revealed themselves were the chakra clone and the ice clone. Let Isshiki go after them. What did that have to do with him, Kaito? Besides, those two were going to change their appearances anyway. Let him find them first.
"Let's put the matter of Kannabi Bridge aside for now. Next, I need to think carefully about where I should go."
He would let the chakra clone handle the Land of Grass. His abilities were more flexible than the ice clone's and, at the same time, much more ordinary than Kaito's, making him easier to disguise. As for the ice clone, he could go to the Spark Sanctuary in the Land of Rain and act as its guardian. Jiraiya would probably be summoned to the battlefield soon, so they needed someone strong to protect the place. Coincidentally, Kaito had used plenty of ice-type moves during his battle with Hanzo, so the disguise would be flawless.
"As for me, it's time to return to the Land of Rivers and manage my own home base."
It had been almost a year since he had left the Land of Rivers, and Kaito genuinely missed Kushina and the others.
"I wonder how much they've grown."
With a smile, Kaito once again separated the chakra clone and the ice clone from his body. To avoid any tracking jutsu that might be on the original scrolls they had stolen from Konoha, they each made copies to carry with them. These ninjutsu would be an important foundation for developing their forces.
"I'll take the original scrolls. I'll find a black market to sell them later," the chakra clone said with a smile. "If Konoha investigates, it will draw their attention to me. You two hurry up and build your forces."
"Alright. See you in six months!"
"Bye!"
The three clasped their hands in a farewell gesture, shared a laugh, and went their separate ways.