"Cough, cough, cough—"
Inside Kamui's space, Uchiha Obito erupted into a fit of coughing, blood seeming to backflow through his mask.
Fortunately, if Obito lacked in other skills, his ability to escape—and the toughness of his body—were unmatched.
After all, he was the "shinobi world's number one Six Paths patchwork freak." The things he had stitched together made him utterly fearless when it came to clinging to life.
"You alright, Obito?"
Black Zetsu was panicked, but seeing Obito in such a wretched state, he couldn't help asking. White Zetsu chimed in from the side.
"You look like you're about to die, y'know?"
"I won't die."
Obito forced himself to stand. He wasn't bluffing.
Having used Izanagi, he could indeed survive.
But he had no interest in discussing that now. His eyes turned instead to the mangled heap of blood and flesh that had once been Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's body had completely collapsed, the pool of blood around him nauseating to behold.
Yet within the blood, a frail white snake was flicking its tongue—its body faintly carrying Orochimaru's chakra.
"That's Orochimaru? He's still alive?"
"If I'm not mistaken—yes."
Black Zetsu gave a nod, but Obito suddenly wheeled around, his gaze locking hard onto him.
"Then what are you!"
Damn it.
Black Zetsu's body trembled slightly, a despair born from the depths of his heart welling up.
Obito might be a "fool," but there was no way he could still be oblivious at this point.
Especially with Ōtsutsuki Genshiki having been "pounding away with heavy blows" all along—only the truly brainless wouldn't start to piece things together.
"You're so fierce, Obito."
White Zetsu blinked, not understanding what was going on with him—after all, he really had no brains.
"Shut up! I want answers now!"
Obito wasn't about to indulge him. His gaze locked unrelentingly on Black Zetsu's half-body.
"What exactly is the truth that guy spoke of? And what did he mean by 'Kaguya's chakra'? Just what are you?!"
"I…"
Facing Obito's interrogation, Black Zetsu hesitated. Only after a long pause did he grit his teeth and speak.
"The one called Kaguya… she is most likely the Rabbit Goddess. That's probably her name!"
"…What?"
Obito froze for a moment, not expecting such a claim. Black Zetsu, however, seemed to find his thoughts growing clearer.
"According to legend, all chakra belonged to that Rabbit Goddess. Though the Sage of Six Paths sealed her away, it was still through her chakra that chakra was spread throughout the shinobi world. So…"
"You're saying the chakra we use all comes from the Rabbit Goddess?"
Obito's brows furrowed tightly. With a cold snort, he pressed on.
"But I've always heard chakra was spread because of the Sage of Six Paths. How does that suddenly become the Rabbit Goddess?!"
Because the Sage of Six Paths is the son of that very Rabbit Goddess…
The thought seared through Black Zetsu with agony, but this was something he absolutely could not reveal!
"This has always been the direction of my research. Don't forget—you were the one who sent me to study the ancient texts."
With no other choice, Black Zetsu could only fabricate a response.
"I found some records, though I haven't compiled them completely. The ancient texts mention that it was she who bestowed chakra upon mankind—that it was she who spread the power of chakra throughout the shinobi world.
But what happened afterward, no one knows. No one knows why she became the Rabbit Goddess, or why she was eventually sealed by the Sage of Six Paths."
"Obito, even if you suspect me, think carefully—what benefit would this bring me?"
"Benefit?"
Uchiha Obito frowned, unable to answer. He couldn't figure it out for the moment, and Black Zetsu immediately pressed on.
"You saw my birth with your own eyes. And all these years, I've been striving for our shared dream."
"Even after all that, you still doubt me?!"
"…"
Black Zetsu's words drove Obito into silence. Because he realized what Black Zetsu said did make sense.
All these years, he had advanced step by step relying on Black Zetsu's support. That was a fact he could not deny.
But the critical problem was…
He didn't believe Ōtsutsuki Genshiki would lie. Someone with that kind of overwhelming power had no reason to.
'Then why did that man say what he did? Why did he target Black Zetsu? And what was the so-called 'truth' he spoke of?'
Obito fell silent, his mind a swirl of chaos. He couldn't reach any conclusion.
After a long silence, he finally let out a sigh.
"…I understand. I watched your birth with my own eyes. I'll believe you."
"No—you're not believing me. You're believing him."
Black Zetsu's voice remained as calm as ever. Cutting Obito off, he shook his head.
"The information you need—I'll continue digging it up. I'll give you a satisfactory answer. But for now, we have more pressing matters."
"Kumogakure, you mean?"
Obito seemed to truly let it go for the moment. He gave a small nod.
"I understand. But let's wait a little longer—until that man leaves."
"Mm."
Black Zetsu nodded as well, but then a sudden realization struck him.
Ōtsutsuki Genshiki had gone to Kumogakure to seize chakra. Which meant…
How many people in Kumogakure were about to die?!
Would Kumogakure still be able to cooperate after this?
Beyond that, Black Zetsu knew that while he seemed to have smoothed things over, Obito likely no longer trusted him as fully as before.
And even worse—what would Uchiha Madara think once resurrected and made aware of all this?
'Damn it… I'll need to find a way to act.'
Black Zetsu knew he still had one solution—the Uchiha stone tablet!
Of course, both Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito had already read it, so he could no longer forge anything there.
But… hadn't the Senju clan left behind almost nothing at all?
'Then perhaps… I should make up for that little regret.'
So Black Zetsu thought to himself, never noticing that on White Zetsu's half-body, an inconspicuous mark was quietly fading away.
...
"Finally, close to the Land of Fire—hm!"
High above the skies of the Land of Hot Water, Deidara glanced at the troops gathering below. Then he turned his eyes toward a familiar sight in the distance. He gave a firm nod.
Before long, however, she turned her head toward Kitagawa Gen with curiosity.
"Speaking of which, what exactly happened that night? Why did such a massive chakra fluctuation suddenly appear?"
"And from what I sensed, the place it erupted was Kumogakure."
Even Terumi Mei couldn't help asking, her curiosity piqued. Though the distance had been great, she was certain her perception hadn't been mistaken.
"Strange indeed. Could it be that someone else had their eyes on Kumogakure?"
"Who knows? In any case, it's nothing but a den of bandits and thieves. Whatever happens to them, I can't say I'd be surprised."
Kitagawa Gen shrugged, feigning ignorance.
In truth, of course, he knew all too well what had happened in Kumogakure—after all, it was his own handiwork.
'A shame the Hyūga clan has no idea what a fine job I've done…'
That thought rose up, and he couldn't help shaking his head.
As for the hatred between Kumogakure and the Hyūga, he was in no position to judge. After all, back then they had so decisively sold out Hyūga Hizashi.
It was hard to say whether they had done so simply to flaunt their control over the branch family—or because Hizashi's discontent with the main family had already caught their attention.
'Besides, even without Ōtsutsuki Genshiki finishing the job, what I did on my own was more than enough.'
Seizing the Eight-Tails' and Two-Tails' chakra had gone smoothly for him, especially after they had already been pummeled by the True Several Thousand Hands.
The remaining shinobi of Kumogakure had been left with virtually no will to fight.
Of course, if any other hidden village had taken such a beating, they wouldn't have much fighting spirit left either.
'Not everyone can be like Uchiha Madara. Otherwise, why was he the only one who could stand against Senju Hashirama?'
Though, Madara too had been beaten mercilessly by Hashirama's True Several Thousand Hands…
'No matter what happens to Kumogakure, the more of them die, the more it benefits us.'
Leaning against the bird they rode, Gen looked up at the sky with a smile.
"Let's hurry back. I imagine the old men in the village have been waiting impatiently."
"That's for sure. I'd like to see that old man make that face again."
At those words, Deidara grinned wickedly. He deliberately mimicked Ōnoki's dumbstruck expression, jabbing a finger at Gen.
"You—you—how dare you—hahahahahaha!"
"You really are childish. Careful, or the Tsuchikage won't let you off."
Terumi Mei gave a soft laugh at the sight, though her gaze lingered steadily on Gen.
"Speaking of which, Gen… before long, should I be calling you Hokage?"
"Cough, cough, cough—"
Kitagawa Gen nearly choked. Tilting his head, he looked at Terumi Mei with a wry smile.
"Come on, this is supposed to be our time to rest. Don't bring up topics like that. Besides, I'm still young."
"True. The old man brought up the matter of becoming Kage with me too. Really annoying, hm!"
Deidara nodded in agreement, looking rather displeased—but in the next moment, he burst out laughing.
"But that old man can probably live for a long time yet, so it shouldn't be a problem!"
"You two…"
Terumi Mei couldn't help laughing and shaking her head, but she wisely dropped the subject.
Still, she rubbed her chin, casting a careful look at Kitagawa Gen, and silently muttered in her heart: 'Indeed… still a little too young. What a nuisance.'
What exactly she was thinking, no one else knew. But Gen, glancing at Deidara slipping back into chatterbox mode, let out a quiet sigh.
'Damn it. The real me must've left me here just to avoid the hassle.'
Clearly, this Kitagawa Gen was a Divine Tree clone. The real Gen had already gone ahead to a valley in the Land of Fire.
...
"…Hm? The Kāma is reacting?"
Inside the valley, Gen shut out the "endless prattle" of his clone and raised a brow, pondering silently.
Theoretical knowledge of how the Kāma operated, he had. But how it actually functioned in practice—he didn't yet know.
He had deliberately placed a Kāma mark on Zetsu, just to see what effect it would have.
At the same time, he wanted to study how the Kāma reacted while he himself was still alive.
"So far, it seems the Kāma is lying dormant without much response. Maybe it's still… 'collecting' my latest information?"
Gen stroked his chin. This kind of "alien technology" was undeniably fascinating.
"Well, let's keep observing. For now, handling my spoils is more important."
As he thought, the Totsuka Blade suddenly appeared—this time separating from the black rod, manifesting in the shape of a gourd as it floated before him.
With a surge of chakra, three condensed masses emerged at once.
Two were chakra belonging to tailed beasts. The third, however, was utterly pitch black.
"Let's begin."
In that instant, the Divine Tree's Source within his body shuddered slightly. The two tailed beast chakras roared as they merged into him.
Almost at the same moment, he felt once again that sour, swollen ache in his eyes.
He understood—this time, he was likely on the verge of another breakthrough. Yet his gaze remained fixed firmly on that mass of black chakra.
"Black Zetsu's chakra? No…"
"More accurately, this is Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's chakra!"
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