Chapter 287 – The Law of the Dark Forest? Don't Come Any Closer! (Ext. Chap.)
Urashiki Ōtsutsuki was lost.
Truly lost.
He didn't want to be part of this madness—
but the situation had already spiraled far beyond what he could handle.
Isshiki refused to admit it,
but Urashiki was certain:
he was the one who had unleashed the demon lurking in Gen's heart.
"So now you've done it too," Urashiki muttered bitterly.
Gen—no, Genshiki now—
was sitting on the same throne Isshiki once occupied,
and his first target was none other than Urashiki himself.
"And that one… he did it too."
Momoshiki.
That lunatic had been far too easy to sway—
a few words from Gen, and he'd turned his kin into food.
Deep down, Urashiki suspected Momoshiki had always wanted to do it—
Gen had merely given him permission.
"Everyone's done it," he whispered. "They've all gone insane."
Now, surrounded by monsters who devoured their own kind,
Urashiki realized he had no one left to trust.
If he wanted to survive—if he wanted to escape this hell—
then perhaps there was only one way.
"Maybe… I have to walk the Divine Path to Godhood myself."
The thought was madness—
but once it took root, he couldn't stop thinking about it.
They were all predators now.
Every Ōtsutsuki looked at the others like prey.
To live… he'd have to become the apex predator.
To devour, before being devoured.
"And that 'Divine Path'… maybe it's not such a bad idea after all."
Power—that was the only truth his clan had ever pursued.
And Gen's theory of Divine Path was, in a way, the perfect reflection of what the Ōtsutsuki truly were.
"So it's fate then," he murmured.
"Only the strongest survive. Only the strongest ascend."
Something in Urashiki shifted quietly.
His disgust turned to reluctant fascination.
And, disturbingly, he no longer felt such hostility toward Isshiki.
---
A faint hum rippled through the air.
While Urashiki wrestled with his thoughts, the battlefield below was changing once more.
Obito Uchiha—who had been motionless, half-lost within his own despair—
suddenly stirred.
At that moment, Gen had his hand wrapped around Kimimaro's throat,
ready to snap it and observe how the Karma seal reacted.
Then space itself trembled.
A ripple.
A distortion.
And suddenly—a surge of spatial energy engulfed them all.
"Hm?"
Gen frowned in mild surprise.
From within that distortion, Obito lunged forward—
his Kamui-charged hand reaching straight for Kimimaro.
"Oh? You're still conscious?"
Gen's voice was amused, but his movements didn't falter.
The short blade in his hand flickered once,
and the very air twisted as if reality itself were bending around the strike.
In the blink of an eye, chakra filled the entire battlefield—
Gen's domain of control expanding outward like a tidal wave.
He could attack from any direction now.
"Tch!"
But Obito had been beaten by this man too many times before.
Every muscle in his body screamed vigilance.
As the blade came for him, he twisted at the last instant,
barely slipping past the edge—
and yanked Kimimaro to safety.
Vwoom!
Gen appeared behind him instantly,
a spiraling sphere of light forming in his palm—
its chakra signature unlike any Rasengan before.
"So this is it…" Isshiki whispered within the void, eyes widening.
"Planetary energy."
Urashiki froze.
"Planetary… energy?"
He finally understood.
No wonder Isshiki had once said Obito might be a fragment of the planet's will.
No wonder Gen had taken an interest in him.
This was energy meant to feed a God Tree.
No mortal should have been able to touch it—let alone wield it.
"He's not even a lower life form anymore…" Urashiki muttered.
Before he could think further—
BOOM!
The Rasengan struck Obito full-force.
The impact sent him flying, his ribs cracking audibly.
But instead of shattering—
his body regenerated, dark markings glowing across his skin.
He hit the ground hard, dragging Kimimaro with him.
Then, somehow, he stood again.
Inside his Kamui dimension, his chakra stormed violently,
tearing through his body but keeping him alive.
"This feeling… it's the same as Nagato," Obito muttered, glancing sideways.
"I just need time to stabilize…"
---
"Obito!"
Rin's voice carried through the chaos.
Obito hesitated for a heartbeat—but his resolve returned.
He knew what he had to do.
Gen floated calmly nearby, surrounded by a silent ring of Konoha ninja.
"You really have a talent for surviving," Gen said. "But tell me—what's your endgame?"
"My goal," Obito said, his voice steady and clear, "is peace. True peace."
Gen actually chuckled.
"Peace? You?"
"Even you crave it," Obito shot back.
"Every being does."
He drew a long breath, refusing to meet Rin's gaze.
"I told you nine years ago—I'd create a world without suffering.
That hasn't changed."
Gen raised a brow.
"By killing everyone?"
"Hmph. Not like you." Obito sneered. "You can't imagine the world I'll build."
He turned, addressing the shinobi around them as though giving a sermon.
"All of you… you've built villages that only fuel endless wars.
Every hidden village is a machine of death.
How many children, how many clans, have died in the name of that so-called order?"
The air grew still.
Even the most hardened veterans fell silent.
Because deep down—they knew he wasn't entirely wrong.
The Great Ninja Wars had left scars none of them had ever truly healed.
But Gen only sighed, his tone turning faintly mocking.
"So now you're preaching like Uchiha Madara."
Obito didn't hear the mockery.
He pressed on, his conviction burning.
"The clan wars were chaotic, yes—but they were smaller. Contained.
The formation of the villages turned every conflict into global slaughter!
Entire bloodlines have vanished since then!
How many tragedies like mine… like Rin's… have been born because of it?!"
His words struck something in the crowd.
Even the younger shinobi faltered for a moment.
Gen, however, remained unmoved.
"Peace through mass illusion?" he asked dryly. "Or just delusion?"
"You don't understand," Obito hissed. "I'll force peace if I have to!"
Gen's eyes narrowed.
"Then you're no different from Itachi," he said coldly.
"Twisting pain into justification. Drowning the world for your own guilt."
The surrounding shinobi raised their weapons.
Even Rin, though tears filled her eyes, tightened her grip.
Gen's next words were low—but final.
"You speak of love, yet bring only despair.
You claim to hate war, yet are its perfect embodiment.
You're not peace, Obito. You're its poison."
Obito's eyes widened, his resolve wavering—
but before anyone could move, a massive explosion erupted overhead.
---
A half-destroyed figure plummeted from the sky.
Everyone turned upward—
and saw Momoshiki's mutilated body hurtling toward the ground.
The impact was cataclysmic.
The earth split open; the city around them collapsed.
A blinding shockwave swallowed everything.
When the dust cleared—
Momoshiki was in ruins.
Half his body gone.
Floating above him, untouched and serene, was Gen.
"It's over, Lord Momoshiki."
His voice was calm, almost kind.
"When I reach the pinnacle of the heavens, I won't forget your contribution."
Momoshiki tried to speak, but the Yomi-no-Tsukuni had already begun.
His body was being drained—life and chakra alike sucked into a glowing core in Gen's palm.
"You'll have the same fate one day…" he rasped weakly.
"The weak are consumed by the strong," Gen replied softly.
"That is the way of the jungle."
He gazed down at the orb forming in his hand.
"And the path we walk… is the path of the Dark Forest."
Momoshiki's fading eyes flickered.
"Dark… Forest?"
"Yes," Gen said, smiling faintly.
"In the dark forest, there is only one law—
if you discover another… or are discovered yourself—
you either destroy… or are destroyed."
Momoshiki's final whisper was full of hate.
"You… monster…"
"The Divine Path allows no mercy," Gen said quietly.
"Only devour… or be devoured."
Light swallowed them both.
"Take the image of me in your final moments," Gen whispered,
"and let it be the last thing you see."
"Now ascend with me—into the heavens."
---
Konoha Village – Somewhere Hidden
"...Black Zetsu, you've been spacing out again."
In the shadowed tunnels beneath the village, White Zetsu tilted his head curiously.
Beside him, Black Zetsu stared into the distance, his usually calm gaze clouded with disbelief.
"Did you not say we should stay quiet? What if Hashirama or Tobirama find us?"
"Silence," Black Zetsu hissed.
His voice trembled.
"Obito actually ran into Gen… and two other Ōtsutsuki."
White Zetsu grinned, his half-face lit with childish excitement.
"Yeah! It was incredible! That Genshiki guy wiped out two of them, then made one eat the other!"
"..."
"And then he said something about a 'Dark Forest Law'—like, if you're found or find someone, you destroy or get destroyed! What does that even mean?"
Black Zetsu shot him a glare but said nothing.
His thoughts were racing.
He understood perfectly.
Too perfectly.
The Divine Path was madness—
but the Dark Forest Law…
that was something worse.
"We can't release Mother," he muttered at last. "Not now."
White Zetsu blinked.
"Huh? But that's our whole purpose—"
"No!" Black Zetsu snapped. "If she comes out, those monsters will use her as fuel for their Ascension! She's safer sealed away!"
Freedom was precious.
But life was priceless.
And for Kaguya's sake, he would betray his very reason for existence.
"At least… I made preparations," he whispered.
"The Hyūga relics. If the 'Eye of the Moon' plan gets uncovered…"
He grimaced.
"Damn it. Why did I carve that message on the Uchiha stone tablet…?"
---
On the Battlefield
"Eh? They're all gone?"
Deidara squinted toward the horizon.
"Left in a hurry, huh… not that I blame them. The place is wrecked."
Beside him, Mei Terumi crossed her arms, her expression grim.
"Those Ōtsutsuki… their power is beyond comprehension.
And the way they devour each other…"
Her words sent a chill through the surviving shinobi.
Even the air felt thinner after witnessing that "godly" carnage.
"That's the so-called 'perspective of gods'?"
Silence fell.
Until Gen finally exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Enough thinking about it. Start counting casualties and preparing the next move."
"Yes, sir!"
The survivors snapped to attention.
They all knew—
without him, they would all be dead.
"What a headache," Deidara grumbled.
"Ōtsutsuki freaks, Akatsuki maniacs, and that lunatic Obito—everyone's insane."
"Forget them," Gen said. "The Akatsuki come next."
His eyes narrowed.
"They declared war on us.
Now they'll learn—this isn't the old shinobi world anymore."
"Agreed." Mei's voice was cold, resolute.
"We stand united now. No more hiding."
Deidara cracked his knuckles.
"Yeah. Let's end this."
Peace was within reach—
and they'd be damned if they let another "savior" burn it all down.
Gen smiled faintly to himself.
He had other plans brewing—
and one more God fruit in his possession.
"The Akatsuki's purpose has run its course," he murmured.
"Time to erase them."
Hidan's body was in pieces again,
but his mouth—of course—never stopped moving.
"Tch! I'm not even dead! Why the hell did you drag me into this mess? What kind of idiotic mission was that?! And that damn Nine-Tails brat—what the hell was that all about?!"
"Hmph. You're an idiot who forgets everything except who's supposed to be the dead last," Kakuzu muttered, crossing his arms.
Despite being shattered and stitched back together more times than he could count,
watching Hidan's tantrum somehow made him feel a lot better.
"Who knows? Maybe that kid really is the dead last," Kakuzu added. "Why don't you ask Uchiha Obito? He seems to know everything."
"Tch. He never talks," Hidan grumbled, glaring at Obito.
But Obito didn't even glance at him.
His tone was flat, distant—too calm.
"The mission's over. There were… complications. But our objective is complete."
"Complete?" Hidan barked, incredulous.
He wasn't alone in his confusion.
Kakuzu, Sasori, and even Itachi exchanged subtle glances.
They weren't fools.
They didn't need it spelled out to know something deeper was happening.
"No… he's right," Kakuzu said quietly.
"For what it's worth, we achieved what we set out to do."
Sasori smirked darkly, but Itachi's expression only deepened with worry.
"Nagato's condition isn't good," Itachi said after a moment.
"And Konoha's forces are stronger than expected—especially Gen.
And those Ōtsutsuki… I doubt things went as planned for them either."
His string of pointed questions left the group uneasy,
but Obito only shook his head slowly.
"If we do nothing, it'll be too late," he said.
"You saw it yourselves—Genshiki's so-called 'Dark Forest Law,' his 'Divine Path.'"
His voice grew heavy.
"He's devoured two of his own kind now.
Walking that accursed Path further and further.
If he can consume his kin… how long before his eyes turn to us?"
He turned toward Itachi, his gaze burning.
"The Sage of Six Paths once defeated an Ōtsutsuki to save this world.
No one remembers the details—but tell me, knowing what you've seen…"
"Would you really feel safe letting one of them roam free?"
Silence fell.
Even Kimimaro and the wounded Nagato lifted their heads,
their faces pale, breath shallow.
Such words—cold, honest, and merciless—
coming from a man who once called himself a god…
were terrifying.
Once, they had imagined gods as saviors.
Now they understood—gods could be far crueler than any demon.
The idea of Genshiki turning his gaze upon the world…
none of them dared imagine the result.
---
"Any objections?"
Obito's eye swept over the group.
No one spoke.
"Good," he said quietly.
"Then we move. Contact the Cloud.
Prepare for the final war—the one that will decide whether this world lives or dies."
His voice hardened.
"This battle will determine the future of peace itself.
We cannot afford hesitation.
We must win… or there will be no future at all."
He opened Kamui again.
But even as space twisted around him, his mind lingered on a thought—dark and tempting.
"If the Ōtsutsuki can walk the Divine Path through the Law of the Dark Forest…
then perhaps… we can too."
The idea pulsed in his mind, poisonous and thrilling.
His gaze drifted toward Kimimaro and Nagato.
He'd sensed it before—
a faint resonance in Kimimaro's chakra,
something eerily similar to that same forbidden energy.
And now, after this battle…
Nagato's chakra was changing too.
"They're adapting," Obito thought. "Just like me."
---
Meanwhile, in their shared mental domain,
Isshiki and Urashiki stood face to face.
It was the first time they had been this close since linking their chakra pathways—
a silent, uneasy alliance born of necessity.
Their eyes darted toward one another now and then,
each wary, each pretending to be unbothered.
They didn't trust each other—
but they needed each other.
"Found it," Isshiki finally said after a moment's stillness.
"I'll need your help. His Karma was just planted.
I can't thaw his consciousness alone."
Urashiki's lips twitched.
"Not can't, you mean won't," he muttered inwardly.
Still, he nodded aloud.
"Fine. Let's just wake him up first."
Their chakra flared in unison.
Energy poured into the dormant link.
Moments later—
a faint, muffled pulse responded.
Then another.
And another.
A new chakra channel formed, glowing faintly in the void.
And through it—
a voice began to stir.
"Ugh…"
Momoshiki's shadow flickered into being,
his form still faint, trembling,
as if dragged back from the edge of death.
His memories were fractured—
the pain of being drained alive still lingered like a burning brand.
"Momoshiki," Isshiki greeted, his tone almost amused.
"It's been a while."
Momoshiki blinked, groggy.
He turned—
and froze.
Before him stood Isshiki and Urashiki,
both watching him with predatory calm.
Their pale eyes glimmered faintly in the dark—
a reflection of gods who had long forgotten mercy.
"You two…"
He took a step back.
Then another.
And as realization struck,
his face twisted with horror.
"No—no, stay back! Don't come any closer!"
---
Somewhere in the Forest of Fire Country
Gen landed lightly among the trees.
The air was calm here, untouched by the chaos of gods.
He held out his hand, feeling the newly formed Divine Pill.
Inside that glowing sphere—
rested what remained of Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki.
A satisfied smile curved his lips.
"Another offering," he murmured. "You gods really are generous… feeding my evolution one by one."
He closed his eyes, feeling the surge of power ripple through him.
"It seems I'll be growing again soon."
Reaching inward, he brushed against Kaguya's chakra,
her dormant presence pulsing deep within his body.
"I think," he whispered,
"the time to set you free isn't far now."
But Kaguya did not answer.
Instead, Gen felt something strange—
a shiver, an urge of retreat.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly.
His consciousness slipped deeper, searching for her presence.
"Has something happened?"
Then, faintly—
a voice.
Cold. Trembling.
"You…"
Gen hesitated.
"Kaguya?"
And then she screamed—
"Don't come any closer!"