Neji really wanted to kill the Shinigami and the Evil God, but that was impossible. They represented a concept in the hearts of all living beings in the ninja world. Even if they were killed, replacements would quickly appear, making things even more troublesome. It was more worthwhile to defeat them rather than kill them.
As for Obito, killing him in front of his teacher and friends wouldn't be right. However, as a person essential for unlocking Kaguya's seal, letting him go completely was also out of the question.
"Neji, where are you going?"
However, at this moment, Neji looked with surprise at the exceptionally lively Byakugan girl standing in front of him. Covered in mud, she seemed to have also gone through a bloody battle.
"Hanabi, why… why are you in this place too?"
Neji frowned, looking at his other younger sister, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. Although he didn't want to admit it, he did feel a sense of distance between them. Her suddenly blocking his path left the usually quick-witted Neji at a loss for words.
But this wasn't the time to discuss that. Hanabi was only 10 years old, undoubtedly the youngest ninja on the battlefield. What was she doing here at her age instead of staying home?
"Of course, I came to do my part to protect my elder sister! You tell me first, what are you planning to do with this person you're carrying?"
Hanabi's eyes had been fixed on Neji since he appeared. Seeing that the war had been won but Neji was about to take away the mastermind of the Fourth Shinobi War, she had a bad feeling.
As the most prominent figure in the Fourth Shinobi War, Neji's every move attracted everyone's attention. Everything that happened here was, naturally, also noticed by them.
"You guys, do you really think the war is over?"
At this moment, Madara suddenly summoned his complete Susano'o. Having poured his life's work into Infinite Tsukuyomi, he was naturally unwilling to fail like this. Even though he knew how terrifying Neji was, he wanted to take a gamble.
"Madara, the war is over. Give it up."
"Neji, I should thank you. Because of you, I don't have to bother weakening Obito anymore."
However, Madara completely ignored Hashirama's advice. His Rinnegan eyes vibrated, and dark rods suddenly emerged from Obito's body.
Obito, of course, wouldn't just stand by and be controlled. But his previous battle with Neji had cost him most of his strength. Madara, with his near-Six Paths level power, could forcibly control him for a while.
"You... you bastard!"
Seeing that Obito was about to be unable to resist the Reanimation Technique, Neji suddenly shattered the dark rods on Obito's body.
There were two ways to undo Kaguya's seal:
One was to obtain the power of all the Tailed Beasts, the Ten-Tails, and then use its vast Chakra to break the seal. The reason Black Zetsu had instigated Madara to cast Infinite Tsukuyomi was to conveniently absorb the ninjas' Chakra to meet the seal's requirements.
The other was for Hagoromo and Hamura themselves to reverse the seals of the Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei and release Kaguya.
These were things Neji had obtained from Black Zetsu's mind using his psychic power when he captured it. At the same time, Neji also learned Black Zetsu's true identity: the spirit of the Divine Tree, representing its will.
The second method might not require Hagoromo and Hamura themselves to perform it, but at the very least, it would require the combined power of the Rinnegan and Tenseigan. Compared to that, the first condition was clearly easier to meet.
Neji looked at the grim-faced Madara in the distance and sneered, saying, "Madara, wake up. From beginning to end, you've been nothing but a pawn in Black Zetsu's plan. Infinite Tsukuyomi doesn't exist; it was just a trap Black Zetsu laid for a thousand years."
"A thousand years? You mean Black Zetsu has been using me? Impossible! Black Zetsu was created by me, representing my will. How could it betray me?!" Madara roared.
"How can you say Black Zetsu was created by you? Black Zetsu has existed for far, far longer than you. That long, it had enough time to alter the stone tablet left by Hagoromo," Neji said with a cold smile, looking at an equally disbelieving Obito, and slowly continued, "Fine, let me tell you something."
"The Divine Tree descended upon this land one day and continuously absorbed the land's life force. Over time, it developed consciousness, which is Black Zetsu. During this period, its guardian, Ootsuki Kaguya, also arrived. However, she fell in love with a human who shouldn't have existed in that era."
"Because of that human, Kaguya abandoned her original plan to modify the people here into living weapons using Infinite Tsukuyomi. Soon after, the two fell in love, and Kaguya gave birth to two children named Ootsuki Hagoromo and Ootsuki Hamura."
"Finally, that human returned to the era he originally belonged to. Kaguya, to protect this land from being destroyed by the Divine Tree, had her children seal her away. However, the Divine Tree, at the last moment, left behind a sliver of its consciousness and began its path to escape."
Neji vividly recounted all of this and then looked at the somewhat dazed crowd, laughing, "That's right, that human was me. During the time I was gone, I went back to the past and became the father of Hagoromo and Hamura."
"In other words, whether it's the Senju, Uzumaki, Hyuga, Uchiha, or Kaguya clans, they are all descendants of Kaguya and me! I am your ancestor!"
A cool breeze swept through, and the atmosphere suddenly fell silent. Everyone had an incredibly complex expression on their faces, as if they had eaten a blue fly.
Everyone present was distraught. Hinata and Hanabi probably felt the worst. Their favorite brother had suddenly become their ancestor, meaning their ancestor Ootsuki Kaguya had become their sister-in-law. Thinking about how they would address her if they married into the family... wait, could they even marry into the family in this situation?
Some others shared their thoughts. After a brief moment of stunned silence, they all fainted.
Neji knew the news was a bit too much for them. So, he stopped bothering with them and carried the mentally frozen Obito to the side of the Divine Tree's trunk.
The Divine Tree had always absorbed the land's power. However, after absorbing the power of the Gelel Stone, it had already gained control of the natural energy of the ninja world. This meant controlling the Divine Tree was incredibly easy for him.
Neji closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they had changed into two red Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan, also known as Reincarnation Sharingan.
His eyes resonated with the eyes in the trunk. Under his control, the Divine Tree immediately began to devour Obito. Obito was instantly startled, but being already weakened, he was completely unable to resist the Divine Tree's power. In just a moment, the Gedo Statue and the power of the Nine Tailed Beasts within him were extracted.