Once he sent Deidara off, Gen left the cave and found a secluded spot, where he split off a Divine Tree clone.
"Unbelievable. Not even a scrap of tailed beast chakra left for me—and after absorbing the chakra of the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails, you're telling me there's no reaction at all?"
Looking at his Divine Tree clone, Gen couldn't help but grumble. The clone tilted its head, confusion written across its face.
"Talking to yourself amusing, is it? And if the Divine Tree's Source hasn't reacted, how should I know why? You're insane."
"Insulting me is the same as insulting yourself."
"You're no different."
"I'm different. I'm the original—you're just the clone."
"Crazy."
The Divine Tree clone seemed too lazy to keep up the exchange. Insulting itself really wasn't worth the effort.
Gen also realized the whole thing was going nowhere, though the frustration lingered. He'd used Wood Dragon so many times with practically no effect?
If the Divine Tree's Source weren't right there inside him, he'd be starting to wonder if someone had "skimmed a cut off the top"!
"Forget it. Let's just move first—once I get my hands on the thing, then we'll see."
Stretching his arms, Gen lifted his gaze to the sky.
"Anyway, after this is done, it's about time I head to the moon. By now, dealing with those old, weak, and sickly up there shouldn't be much of a problem."
As his strength grew, he could naturally sense the Tenseigan on the moon becoming increasingly "clear" to him.
Though he hadn't taken full control yet, that remaining portion most likely belonged to what Ōtsutsuki Hamura had left behind.
But no matter what, he felt that with his current strength, handling all of this wouldn't be much of a problem.
Even without a concrete Ōtsutsuki as a reference point, at the very least he didn't think he was any weaker than Ōtsutsuki Toneri at his peak.
"Maybe I'm even stronger. After all…"
Changing into fresh clothes and donning his mask, Kitagawa Gen's body slowly began to float upward, his eyes radiating a dazzling stream of light.
"I fought my way here—step by step, through sweat and effort!"
"Not like those who stayed on the moon, with hardly any real combat experience."
...
"Kumogakure… has fallen?"
Land of Rain, inside Akatsuki's base.
Nagato and Uchiha Obito's eyes went wide at the news. Even Orochimaru, who had been working on the Impure World Reincarnation nearby, raised his brows.
But Orochimaru kept his silence—for after all, he had already been humiliated once before Black Zetsu.
Never in his dreams would he have thought that the reincarnations of the First and Second Hokage could actually be stolen away!
There was nothing he could do about it now. In hindsight, it wasn't strange that Konoha had made certain preparations after seeing him reincarnate Danzō.
Still, the thought of losing two of his trump cards left him somewhat frustrated. 'Fortunately, Black Zetsu promised to help me find Uchiha Madara's remains. That may turn out to be the better option…'
He had long been probing into the secrets surrounding Uchiha Madara, and perhaps it wouldn't be long before he uncovered everything.
Yet this matter was his secret with Black Zetsu alone—and he had a constant sense that Black Zetsu harbored hidden motives of its own.
"How could it happen so fast? We didn't get any intel about Konoha's attack."
Konan frowned, speaking softly. By now, virtually all affairs of Amegakure fell under her management.
That included intelligence. She knew the major villages were mustering and preparing—but none of them had shown signs of actually launching an attack!
"Your intel—are you certain there's no mistake?"
Uchiha Obito couldn't help asking, while Black Zetsu gravely nodded.
"There's no mistake. The ones who attacked… were only three."
"Three? What kind of joke is that?! Even if Kitagawa Gen was among them, he couldn't possibly pull that off. Don't tell me—"
Obito scoffed in disbelief. Kitagawa Gen was strong, yes—but in his mind the boy's abilities were limited to smaller-scale battles.
At least, that was what he remembered. But then, suddenly, a thought struck him and his gaze slid toward Orochimaru.
"It wasn't the First Hokage, was it?"
Orochimaru immediately understood what Obito meant. He shook his head, answering calmly.
"The Impure World Reincarnation wasn't perfected. Even if they had summoned him, he couldn't have wielded anywhere near his full power."
"It wasn't the First Hokage—it was Kitagawa Gen."
Black Zetsu drew in a long breath before speaking in a low, measured tone.
"Don't be surprised. That's the truth. And this time, he's gained another unbelievable power-up."
"A power-up? You mean…"
"Yes. Wood Release. With Wood Release, he overwhelmed those two jinchūriki and shattered the whole of Kumogakure."
"Impossible?!"
Everyone present gasped sharply at the words. Kitagawa Gen—possessing Wood Release?
What was with this guy?
Hadn't he already mastered Dust Release? How could he also know Wood Release?
Unfortunately, Black Zetsu gave no answer. By now, even he seemed a little numb.
He hadn't told the others yet, but the intel he had received was even more outrageous—Kitagawa Gen had used True Several Thousand Hands!
That technique truly carried the power to destroy heaven and earth.
"All right, enough of that."
In the end, Black Zetsu only shook his head. True Several Thousand Hands was powerful, yes—but compared to his mother, it was still far too inferior.
The entire shinobi world was nothing more than pasture. Only a handful of people could truly be considered a threat.
What mattered most right now was handling the situation in Kumogakure, paving the way for his mother's eventual return.
"I think it's time we head to Kumogakure as well. Right now, they're at their most broken."
"Go now?"
Nagato arched a brow, asking in puzzlement.
"Isn't it a bit too soon? They may have fallen, but the armies of the other three villages haven't even arrived yet. If we go now—"
"That's exactly why it's the perfect time. They won't accept us outright the first time."
Before Nagato could finish, Black Zetsu interrupted with a shake of his head.
"Going now is only to plant a seed. To let them realize that, at this moment, the only ones they can rely on are us."
"When the three great villages carve them up by force and their pride is utterly shredded, that seed will sprout and grow strong."
"Only then will they turn to us completely, only then will they fully depend on us to stand against the entire shinobi world."
Black Zetsu had no combat strength to speak of, but when it came to scheming, there was no faulting him.
Even so, his words made Nagato, Konan, and even Uchiha Obito all raise their brows.
That sense of déjà vu—it was strong.
"Perhaps it's worth a try."
Nagato gave a small nod, though with some regret.
"But right now, I don't think I'm in any condition to move."
"You should focus on recovery. This time, we don't need that many to go."
Black Zetsu nodded in agreement, though he couldn't help but feel frustrated as he looked at Nagato.
After being beaten half to death by Ōtsutsuki Genshiki, Nagato was essentially crippled. And yet, his conviction still made Black Zetsu feel he was worth using.
Thus he could only resort to the riskiest method—transplanting White Zetsu's cells, so that Nagato could truly grasp power!
Up until now, what Nagato had been using was merely White Zetsu's outer shell, borrowing its energy.
But in truth, that had proven worthless.
Even if transplanting White Zetsu's cells into Nagato wasn't much better, it would at least strengthen him somewhat.
Looking at Nagato's withered frame, which now showed faint signs of recovery, Black Zetsu let out a silent sigh in his heart.
Fortunately, he had already prepared for Uchiha Madara's return, and for now, everything was still within his control.
"This time, Obito, Orochimaru, and I will go. The others should remain here to rest and recover."
"Yeah, that's for the best."
Obito gave a small nod. Akatsuki had been devastated by Ōtsutsuki Genshiki, and those who could still move were now far too few.
"Orochimaru once worked together with the Raikage—I think that adds some credibility."
"Then it's settled. We move."
Black Zetsu spoke directly, his gaze falling on Obito.
"Perhaps Konoha will accelerate their actions once they get word. We must finish this quickly, or problems will arise."
"Understood."
Obito nodded. Orochimaru, too, had no objections.
With the discussion over, the three of them immediately set out. With Obito's Kamui, they could reach Kumogakure instantly.
As space twisted, the three figures vanished from sight, leaving only Nagato and Konan behind.
"Nagato, are you really all right?"
Only after the others were gone did Konan speak, unable to hold back.
"Right now you—"
"I'm fine. Better than ever."
Nagato clenched his fist lightly, feeling the strength slowly returning to his body. He gave a small nod.
"Of course, they'll probably pull some tricks—but that doesn't matter."
Though recent events had forced a certain easing between Nagato, Black Zetsu, and Obito, mistrust was still mistrust. That could never change. All of them understood they were merely using each other.
"The most important thing is that I can recover. I can walk the path of the Sage of Six Paths once more. I will bring peace to the world!"
"Nagato…"
Konan looked at him quietly, and in the end, could only let out a soft sigh.
All she wished was that everything might turn out all right.
...
"We're here."
Meanwhile, on the other side, Obito brought Black Zetsu and Orochimaru down to solid ground.
The convenience of Kamui was overwhelming—they barely needed any time at all to arrive.
"Truly unbelievable…"
Even Black Zetsu couldn't help but sigh as he gazed at the collapsed mountain range in the distance, sensing the lingering chakra still heavy in the air.
Obito and Orochimaru only gave small nods—the scene before them was terrifying.
"Hm?"
Before they could act, all three suddenly sensed something. Almost in unison, their heads turned upward.
At some unknown moment, a man in white robes and a mask had appeared in the sky, looking down at them with puzzlement.
For a long moment, the four simply stared at each other, the air itself seeming to freeze solid.
"…You again?"
At last, the figure in the sky spoke, a faint amusement in his voice.
"Inferior creatures—and… Kaguya's chakra?"
"!!"
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