Inferior creature?
Kaguya's chakra?
The moment those two phrases dropped, Orochimaru's face twisted into something strange.
The first one he understood. But the second—he had absolutely no idea what it meant.
Uchiha Obito's face, on the other hand, was heavy with gravity. He didn't understand what this man was getting at, but he had no time to think it over.
All he knew was—he'd run into a monster again.
But Black Zetsu was different. At this very moment, his face had already changed drastically.
His body was trembling uncontrollably, and his eyes were opened wide in shock.
It's over.
That thought burst unbidden into his mind. He had always been avoiding meeting this "Ōtsutsuki Genshiki."
This was the biggest reason—he feared that something about him would be exposed.
But he had never imagined that in the end he would still run into him—and the most fatal part was, the very moment they met, this man recognized him!
'Damn it, damn it! It's over—this is the end for me!'
Black Zetsu's thoughts spiraled into chaos, all his usual calm vanishing without a trace.
There was only one idea left in his head now: run. If he didn't run, he really would die here!
"How unexpected. I only sensed something unusual happening over here, so I came to take a look. I didn't think—"
Kitagawa Gen himself was a little surprised. He had only come here to recover the tailed beasts' chakra.
But turning around, he'd ended up colliding with the Akatsuki once again. Even he was struck dumb by such a bizarre encounter.
Especially since this was the first time he had ever truly seen Black Zetsu!
He had sensed its presence before, but had never laid eyes on it directly. This time finally counted as seeing it "in person."
And so, he would not be polite!
What's more, new thoughts were bubbling up in his mind.
'Black Zetsu is made of Kaguya's chakra. Then… wouldn't that be of benefit to me?'
'Beyond that, what if I planted a Kāma on it?'
The moment those thoughts took shape, Gen's gaze on Black Zetsu shifted completely.
That look made Black Zetsu's body tremble even harder, and Gen's voice once again rang out.
"Still, this isn't too bad. Aside from retrieving what I came for, it seems I've stumbled upon something else that interests me."
"I must admit—you people always manage to surprise me. The Rinnegan, the Ten-Tails' husk, and now…"
Even as his words trailed off, the roaring eruption of chakra made the ground tremble.
Dark clouds massed across the sky, and only the cold, pure moonlight spilled down—falling solely on Kitagawa Gen's body.
"?!"
At that instant, Black Zetsu felt an infinite pull—a force impossible to resist was tearing at him wildly.
"You—!"
Before he could finish, Black Zetsu suddenly realized his body was already being lifted into the air. His face changed drastically.
"Kamui!"
Though Uchiha Obito didn't understand what was happening, the instant he saw Kitagawa Gen move against Black Zetsu, he activated Kamui to absorb Zetsu.
In an instant, two opposing forces were tearing Black Zetsu apart, leaving him unable to even breathe—he felt like his very being was about to split open!
"Black… it hurts…"
Not only him—even White Zetsu couldn't help but speak up at this moment. But Black Zetsu himself could no longer get a word out.
"Oh? You still have the mind to resist?"
Kitagawa Gen raised his brows, letting out a quiet chuckle.
"Quite unexpected. But this might not be so bad either. In that case—"
"Watch out!"
The instant Obito heard that light, drifting voice, his hair stood on end. He roared a warning at once.
[Hum—]
Yet before his shout had even faded, a booming force came crashing down from above.
That violent torrent of chakra, in the space of an instant, reduced everything in the surroundings to ash!
[Boom—]
...
"What happened?!"
"Is Konoha attacking us?!"
Outside the ruins of Kumogakure, in the forest where countless tents had been set up—
That massive chakra blast immediately caught the attention of the remaining Kumogakure shinobi.
One by one, they lifted their heads numbly to look outside, and in their eyes flickered the faintest hint of relief.
Clearly, Kitagawa Gen had already shattered their will.
"C, what's happening out there?"
Inside a tent, Darui looked at the unconscious Killer B and Yugito. He let out a sigh and turned to ask.
"And how are the two of them?"
"Killer B and Yugito's condition is not good…"
C sighed as well, speaking in a low voice.
"But with their tailed beasts inside them, their lives aren't in danger. The problem is—the state of the Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails right now…"
At that point, even C couldn't go on.
He didn't know much about tailed beasts, but what he sensed now was clear enough—the tailed beasts' chakra within the two hosts had almost been completely scattered.
In other words, he felt as if barely a tenth of the tailed beasts' chakra remained inside them!
"As for outside… it seems someone is fighting. And that chakra…"
C had no desire to dwell further on the two jinchūriki. He extended his senses outward—and in an instant, his face changed drastically!
"That—that's impossible!"
"What is it? Is Konoha really here?!"
Darui asked in disbelief. But C stumbled blankly out of the tent, lifted his head, and looked to the sky.
There, under the moonlight, a solitary figure floated in the night sky. Around him coiled a chakra that defied description.
"What… is that?"
He muttered, but in the very next moment, an overwhelming shockwave swept across the land.
In an instant, the entire refugee camp was thrown into chaos.
And C could feel it clearly—someone was moving straight toward them.
...
"This man… is he that so-called Ōtsutsuki Genshiki?"
Amid the ruins, Orochimaru looked pale as he stared at the silhouette in the heavens. He had already heard from Black Zetsu and Obito that someone had delayed them.
Only afterward had he learned that the one who delayed them was called "Ōtsutsuki Genshiki."
The name was utterly unfamiliar to him. He couldn't even imagine what kind of being could, with sheer power alone, batter the Akatsuki to that extent.
But now… he understood.
"Toward Kumogakure—move, quickly!"
Uchiha Obito scrambled to his feet in disarray, shouting at Black Zetsu and Orochimaru.
He didn't know why this man had locked onto Black Zetsu—perhaps it had something to do with that so-called "Kaguya chakra."
But this was no time to think about such things. Right now, they had to find a way to get out of here!
"Go!"
Black Zetsu immediately followed after Obito, intent on slipping away.
But the thought of the Ōtsutsuki's space-time abilities stopped him cold—he didn't dare run off on his own. The only safe place was sticking right by Obito's side.
Orochimaru didn't hesitate either; he understood perfectly well the meaning of "diverting disaster eastward"!
"Why run?"
They had barely begun to move when Kitagawa Gen's voice rang out again. Immediately after, chakra surged like a mountain collapsing or a tidal wave crashing.
"Running only makes sense when your opponent's power still leaves some sliver of hope for battle. But between us…"
[Hum—]
The blade flashed, and that storm-like energy tore through the valley. In an instant, the entire gorge shook violently.
"There is no such thing as a 'gap' between us. Escape has no meaning."
That calm voice spread as though filled with boundless energy, and amid the rumble of shattered stone, the valley collapsed into ruin.
"What kind of monster is this?"
Orochimaru's face turned grim. His gaze darted toward Uchiha Obito at his side—but then his eyes widened in shock.
Somehow, without him noticing, that masked Ōtsutsuki Genshiki was already standing right next to Obito!
"Damn it!"
Obito's face changed drastically. He poured everything into activating Kamui with desperate force.
Fortunately, though transferring Black Zetsu was painfully slow, transferring himself posed no problem.
[Hum—]
As the Sword of Totsuka slashed down, with chakra surging violently around it, Obito's body slipped entirely into the Kamui space.
"A rare and precious power… no doubt a product of the God Tree's fruit."
Kitagawa Gen was unsurprised. He only sighed and shook his head.
"What a pity. In the hands of a lowly creature like you, it's no better than a sewer rat clutching treasure."
"You bastard…"
Obito spat in a low growl, but there was nothing he could do. Worse, he realized that Ōtsutsuki Genshiki didn't even spare him a glance.
In the blink of an eye, the man vanished from where he stood—and appeared beside Orochimaru!
"Damn it!"
Orochimaru's face twisted in shock. Seeing the shinobi blade suddenly descending, he slapped his hands against the ground at lightning speed.
"Summoning Technique: Triple Rashōmon!"
[Bang—]
[Bang—]
[Bang—]
In an instant, three colossal Rashōmon gates rose up, locking together to shield him.
But in the very next heartbeat, the Rashōmon gates shattered with a thunderous crash—and Orochimaru's entire body was blasted away!
"Damn it!"
Orochimaru quickly rose to his feet, only to realize that the man hadn't even bothered to pursue him—he had vanished without a trace.
A faint breath of relief escaped him, but at the same time a surge of fury welled up in his chest.
What kind of insult was this? This wasn't even contempt—it was as if he hadn't been acknowledged as an opponent at all!
He couldn't even remember the last time he had been treated with such cold disregard.
[Hum—]
Yet before he could think further, another deafening rumble tore through the air.
From the cloud of dust, Uchiha Obito staggered into view. He tumbled across the ground before finally forcing himself upright.
Half his mask had been shattered. His eyes burned with rage—but beneath the fury, there was only futility.
And within that fury, his gaze also carried urgency.
"Think of something quickly! Zetsu's been targeted by that guy!"
He turned his head and shouted at Orochimaru, making the latter raise a brow.
"Do you have a way to get us out of here?"
"Yes. As long as we can delay him, even just a little!"
Obito nodded hard, gritting his teeth as he spoke.
"If we can buy a moment, he'll definitely be able to get you all out!"
Orochimaru didn't object. His eyes flickered with cold calculation. He wanted to leave, yes—but he wasn't willing to abandon the materials Black Zetsu had given him.
More than that, he could not bear that indifferent gaze.
He wanted to see for himself—just how strong was this Ōtsutsuki Genshiki really?
"No need to run. Once I've locked onto you, you have no chance."
From the far side of the ruins, Kitagawa Gen stood tall, gazing down from above.
His eyes seemed to pierce through everything, and in that moment his voice drifted out, low and chilling.
"No need to hide either. I can see you—and your eyes are impressive."
"A thousand years have passed. Though it's only a fragment of chakra, it feels as if I can see her awakening gaze again. Only…"
As he spoke, Gen slowly extended his hand. A boundless force wrenched Black Zetsu out into the open!
At the same time, a strange, eerie power began spreading across Zetsu's body.
In his disbelieving eyes, Gen's voice resounded once more—this time utterly shattering his last hope.
"She took what was ours—and hid herself away. Is that really all right… Kaguya's chakra?"
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