Chapter 279 – Urashiki and Isshiki
Isshiki Ōtsutsuki's mind was buzzing—
literally ringing in disbelief.
His worst fear had come true.
Across from him, Urashiki Ōtsutsuki was backing away step by cautious step, his expression full of suspicion, resentment, and unmistakable fear.
The look on his face said it all: "You stay right there!"
Isshiki clenched his jaw so tightly he thought his teeth might crack.
Of all the worlds in all the galaxies, he thought bitterly, why did the Ōtsutsuki have to produce a lunatic like Genshiki?!
Mad was one thing. But slandering others while being mad? That was next-level insanity.
The man had tried to devour him, and yet somehow had the gall to frame him for everything afterward.
Ōtsutsuki Genshiki, Isshiki seethed internally, where is your sense of honor?
He forced a pained smile.
"Don't look at me like that. It's not what you think—"
"Not what I think?" Urashiki interrupted sharply, voice dripping with hostility. "You're calling him a lunatic? Fine. But he said you were his inspiration—that your ideals are what led him to 'the Path to Godhood.' You still want to pretend you're innocent?"
"I am innocent!" Isshiki snapped, his patience cracking. "Look at me! Do I look any better off than you?!"
"Hah! Genshiki said you'd say that too!"
"…"
"He told me you killed Kaguya, devoured the chakra fruit, and faked your death just to escape punishment!"
"…"
"Unbelievable," Urashiki hissed. "Breaking the clan's laws, releasing another maniac into the cosmos—who knew you'd sink so low, Isshiki?"
Isshiki's fists trembled. His temples pulsed.
He was on the verge of exploding.
I didn't even do anything! he screamed inside. It's all Genshiki's fault!
He, Isshiki, was the victim here—
so why had he suddenly become the villain of the story?!
"You've got it wrong!" he shouted, unable to hold it back any longer. "I didn't do any of that!"
Rubbing his forehead, he took a breath and forced himself to calm down.
"Listen—Genshiki's insane. Everything he said about me is a lie! He's just using me as his scapegoat!"
Urashiki folded his arms, his eyes narrowing with distrust.
"Scapegoat, huh? Then where's Kaguya?"
"Sealed," Isshiki said wearily.
Urashiki sneered.
"Sealed? More like dead. You probably erased her completely—no Karma, no trace."
"No, I didn't! She was sealed by someone else!"
"And the chakra fruit?"
"She… absorbed it."
"And who did she sacrifice to make it grow?"
"…"
"Don't tell me," Urashiki said coldly, "that she attacked you and used you as an offering before eating the fruit?"
Isshiki fell silent.
Because, well… that was exactly what had happened.
And he realized, with grim despair, that it sounded exactly like something Genshiki would've said just to ruin his reputation.
No one would believe him now.
Not even he would believe himself.
What's wrong with this universe? Isshiki thought numbly. You tell the truth, and everyone calls you a liar. But that lunatic spouts nonsense—and they all nod along!
He took a deep breath.
"Believe what you want. But Genshiki has nothing to do with me."
Urashiki gave him a look that said "Sure, keep talking."
Still, Isshiki pressed on. He needed allies, and Urashiki was the only other Ōtsutsuki available—even if he was an idiot.
"He attacked me too," Isshiki said gravely. "Forced me into a dying vessel and made me relocate my Karma to survive."
Urashiki's glare didn't fade.
"If I were like him," Isshiki added sharply, "do you really think your Karma mark would still exist?"
That gave Urashiki pause.
"You just placed yours," Isshiki continued. "Mine is already in its second stage—and both our hosts are in the same organization."
"What?" Urashiki's eyes widened. "You mean—Akatsuki?"
Isshiki nodded, dead serious.
"So don't try anything foolish. We have a common enemy now."
Urashiki frowned, but the logic was sound.
"It's true," he muttered. "If you've been missing for a thousand years, the clan wouldn't send only me to investigate."
"Exactly," Isshiki said. "Momoshiki and Kinshiki are probably on their way too."
Urashiki exhaled through his nose, finally easing his stance.
"Fine. When they arrive, we'll confirm everything. If you're lying, you're dead."
"Fair enough," Isshiki replied, straightening. "When this is over, I'll return to the homeland with all of you watching. Our clan's truth-seeing devices will reveal whether I've lied."
That seemed to satisfy him—for now.
"Alright," Urashiki said at last. "I'll… tentatively believe you."
Isshiki allowed himself a small exhale of relief.
After all, Urashiki hated Genshiki even more than he hated him.
The fool might actually prove useful.
"Then tell me," Urashiki said, folding his arms. "What's his deal? How is that lunatic so strong?"
"Simple," Isshiki replied grimly. "He's absorbed something unique to this world."
"You mean that worthless energy these mortals use? Chakra?" Urashiki snorted in disdain.
"Yes," Isshiki said, ignoring him. "They're short-lived, fragile creatures—but their lives are filled with battle. Centuries of war. Constant evolution."
Urashiki frowned.
"War? For that long?"
"Over a thousand years," Isshiki said solemnly. "Someone—or something—has been deliberately pushing them into endless conflict. Even children train for combat from birth. Their entire civilization is built around fighting."
Urashiki's expression darkened.
"Generations of war… building on one another. Techniques refined and passed down…"
He clenched his fists.
"And that freak Genshiki learned all of it?"
Isshiki nodded.
Urashiki's face twisted in disbelief and fury.
"Whoever orchestrated a millennium of bloodshed just to forge that monster… deserves annihilation."
He spat the words like venom.
"And after all that, Genshiki reaps the reward. Unbelievable."
"That's why," Isshiki said quietly, "our interests align."
He took a step forward, extending a hand.
"So, Urashiki. Do we have an agreement?"
Urashiki hesitated—then nodded once.
But when Isshiki stepped closer, his instincts kicked in and he immediately took a step back.
Both of them froze.
The silence hung awkwardly between them.
Urashiki's face flushed slightly, while Isshiki's went perfectly blank.
No words were exchanged.
But deep inside, Isshiki's fists were clenched so tight they might break.
---
Meanwhile — In Konoha
On the quiet streets of the Hidden Leaf, Sasuke stared in disbelief at Naruto's swollen, panda-like eye.
Then his gaze shifted toward Gen, who was leaning lazily against a tree.
"Wait… your parents are the Fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki?" Sasuke asked, dumbfounded.
"Is that actually true, sensei?"
Gen blinked, then nodded casually.
"You mean you didn't know? No one told you?"
"No!" Sasuke's voice rose an octave as he glared at Naruto. "You idiot! Why didn't you ever say that?!"
"You never asked!" Naruto protested, rubbing his aching head. "Besides, Pervy Sage and Gramps told me not to talk about it. You know… the whole 'Nine-Tails-in-my-gut' thing."
Gen chuckled quietly, shaking his head.
Somehow, amid gods, wars, and cosmic conspiracies—
Konoha still managed to feel like home.
The chakra of Naruto's parents—Minato and Kushina—had long since been awakened within him.
But that was still one of Konoha's highest-level secrets.
Even though Sasuke had been told fragments of the truth, the details were never made public.
Now that the Fourth Hokage and his wife had both been revived through Edo Tensei, Naruto couldn't exactly pretend ignorance anymore.
He could only scratch his head and throw together a clumsy excuse.
"Alright, that's enough," Gen intervened lightly, seeing Naruto's embarrassment. "You know his situation, Sasuke. Some things he has to keep secret."
Sasuke blinked, then nodded seriously.
"Got it, sensei. It's just… hard to believe."
"What's hard to believe?" Gen asked.
Sasuke hesitated, then looked at Naruto with a blank expression.
"That the son of the Fourth Hokage… turned out like this."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Naruto snapped, fists already tightening.
"It means exactly what I said," Sasuke replied flatly. "Aside from the blond hair, you don't resemble him in any way."
"You bastard!"
"The Hokage's son… a total dropout and idiot. Unbelievable."
Naruto's shout echoed across the street, and within seconds, the two of them were bickering again, as naturally as breathing.
Gen couldn't help but laugh quietly.
Reincarnations of Indra and Ashura, huh…
It takes only two sentences before they're at each other's throats.
He stretched his arms lazily behind his head, watching them with mild amusement.
"Still," he murmured to himself, "this isn't so bad."
The Edo Tensei issue had been completely resolved, and he didn't have much left to worry about.
After all, he had gone to the moon to handle the most troublesome part himself.
Now that he was back, everything in the world below seemed to be running smoothly.
"Kakashi and his father, Sakumo, have reconciled. Rin's still getting used to everything, but she's fine. And Minato and Kushina…"
He chuckled softly.
"Those two are the easiest. Their chakra inside Naruto made the revival seamless. Saved everyone a lot of trouble."
For Naruto, especially—it meant no emotional disconnect, no hollow reunion.
Those three years of longing weren't erased.
They simply continued.
And for Gen himself, that was one less headache to deal with.
"The more capable people there are," he thought with a grin, "the less I have to work. Perfect for a future Shadow Emperor like me."
He had already decided—he wasn't just going to be Hokage.
He'd be the Supreme Overseer, the man behind the throne.
Why drown in paperwork when others could do it for him?
He was smiling at the thought when something crossed his mind.
Turning toward the still-arguing duo, he called out—
"Alright, you two, enough. Sasuke, how's your eye situation?"
"Idiot," Sasuke muttered under his breath at Naruto before turning back with a polite, serious tone.
"Lady Tsunade said the transplant procedure can start anytime. But we still need to refine the process first."
"I see." Gen nodded thoughtfully. "Good. We'll handle it carefully."
He had a mission involving Sasuke—one that couldn't be rushed.
But the Sharingan issue remained complicated; there wasn't enough reference data.
Then, suddenly, an idea crossed his mind.
There was someone he could consult now.
Before he could follow that thought further, a cold, detached voice echoed in his mind.
"It seems you've truly integrated yourself into this world… living among these mortals."
The voice belonged to Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
Gen smiled faintly.
As promised, he had brought a fragment of her chakra into the world—allowing her to observe through him.
Though she still didn't fully trust him, centuries of isolation had left her curious.
And perhaps, deep down, she wanted to see whether his words about this world were true.
So she had agreed—
to watch.
Her chakra now resided quietly inside Gen's body, much like the way Kurama once dwelled within Naruto.
Only this time, he held complete control.
He wasn't about to create a second "live-in ancestor."
"What's so strange about it?" Gen replied casually in his mind. "Humans are social creatures. They live through bonds and emotions."
"Hmph," came her cold snort. "Enough philosophy. What do you want?"
"Actually," Gen said with a grin, "your expertise. This kid's eyes—any advice on how to handle them?"
"Half a power, half a curse," Kaguya said icily. "You shouldn't need me to tell you that."
Her attention shifted toward the boys below. Through Gen's vision, her gaze locked on Naruto and Sasuke, who were still arguing animatedly.
She fell silent for several seconds before finally speaking again.
"…So that's why it felt familiar."
"Hm?" Gen raised a brow.
Before he could ask, Kaguya's tone dropped several degrees colder.
"I see now… I underestimated Hagoromo's cruelty."
"What?" Gen blinked.
Kaguya's voice trembled with controlled rage.
"I thought Indra and Ashura's conflict ended when their souls passed into the Pure Land. I thought only their descendants kept fighting in their name."
She paused, her tone tightening.
"But no… he didn't even let his sons rest."
"…"
"He bound their souls to endless reincarnation! Forced them to be reborn again and again—just to continue his cycle of war and faith!"
"…"
"Hagoromo…" she hissed, her fury palpable.
"You truly are a heartless, calculating creature!"
Gen exhaled softly.
"Well," he muttered under his breath, "that's one way to put it."
Kaguya's rage simmered inside him, her presence cold as moonlight.
The goddess who once sought to control humanity now looked upon her son's creation—and saw only endless cruelty.