Chapter 292: Kaguya Revived, God Tree Planting Begins
On the surface, Black Zetsu couldn't accept the fact that Ōtsutsuki Kaguya would compromise with Kinoshita Genichi. But deep down, he knew it was a sensible choice. Escape first, then find an opportunity to strike back later, just like she did with Isshiki. As for having children… the Sage of Six Paths and his brother had both betrayed her; what difference would having more children make?
Genichi watched Black Zetsu's reaction, feeling a sense of satisfaction, but he didn't lower his guard. This thousand-year-old schemer wouldn't break down so easily. Besides, as the manifestation of Kaguya's will, would Black Zetsu truly object to her having children? Kaguya herself hadn't minded.
Previously, Genichi had been wary of Kaguya backstabbing him, just as she had done to Isshiki. That was why he had planned to find a way to control her through the clone body used for her revival, specifically tailoring the current clone for that purpose. But now, he had absolute confidence. Even if Kaguya attacked him in the future, Genichi had no fear. His overwhelming power decided everything. Strength decided everything.
"Black Zetsu," Genichi said, "Kaguya betrayed the Ōtsutsuki clan, becoming their disgrace. They will not spare her. And I must protect this planet. The Ōtsutsuki clan is my enemy as well. That is the basis for our cooperation. As things stand now, cooperation benefits us both. Resistance means only you will lose. Because I am not the Sage of Six Paths. I can kill you both permanently!"
Black Zetsu paled slightly but retorted stubbornly, "Kinoshita Genichi, you are too confident. Mother is immortal! Not even the Sage of Six Paths could kill her. Your power does not yet match his."
Doesn't match the Sage? Previously, there might have been a slight gap compared to the Sage in his prime. But now…
Genichi chuckled. "Ah, Black Zetsu, you know nothing of my true power. Prepare yourself."
Black Zetsu felt a surge of unease.
Genichi turned to Otsutsuki Genshiki. "Begin."
Genshiki nodded, summoned the Gedo Mazo, and then absorbed it into his body. The next moment, the nine-tomoe Rinne Sharingan opened on his forehead.
Meanwhile, Genichi's own eyes shifted into the Tensei-Mirror Eye. Black Zetsu watched, inwardly shocked. His eyes have changed again! In such a short time, he evolved further?
"Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's consciousness is bound within the moon," Genichi explained. "Besides the Infinite Tsukuyomi, there is another way to break the seal: dismantle the moon itself." Of course, destroying the moon wouldn't revive Kaguya, only release her consciousness or soul from its prison.
"Black Zetsu," Genichi continued, addressing him, "you are a product of Kaguya's will. Therefore, you can function like a Karma seal, perhaps even more efficiently."
"Correct," Black Zetsu acknowledged.
"Then, shortly, I will dismantle the moon and gather Kaguya's consciousness," Genichi stated. "You will guide her consciousness into the clone body. Any problems?"
"No problem," Black Zetsu confirmed. "But this alone won't revive Mother directly. She requires a sufficient amount of chakra."
Genichi smiled. "Don't worry about that. Leave the next step to me."
With that, Genichi activated his Tensei-Mirror Eye, its immense power focused on the moon beneath his feet.
CRACK~
With a splitting sound, three massive fissures spread outwards from beneath Genichi's feet. The entire moon shuddered violently, like shifting tectonic plates.
"Prepare to rescue the injured!" Mei Terumi ordered immediately from the command center.
Before the giant Tenseigan, Hinata also felt the tremors, her heart pounding nervously.
The three fissures widened, eventually splitting the massive moon into three distinct sections. Genichi had carefully deconstructed the moon and used his Tensei-Mirror Eye to nullify its internal gravity, causing the fractured pieces to drift apart. More cracks appeared, and the entire moon seemed poised to completely disintegrate. Once it did, the fragments would form countless meteorites, drawn by Earth's gravity, ultimately raining down upon the planet.
"Hinata!" Genichi's voice echoed in her mind.
"Yes, Lord Genichi!" Hinata responded. She focused her control over the giant Tenseigan, using its immense power to forcibly bind the fracturing moon, holding it in a state of being cracked but not completely broken apart. This required immense control on Hinata's part.
Fortunately, Otsutsuki Genshiki was also present. His eyes had also transformed into Tenseigan, and he worked alongside Hinata to maintain the moon's integrity.
This allowed Genichi to act freely. He clapped his hands together, activating his Electromagnet Release. A colossal electromagnetic field formed, centered on himself. Kaguya's consciousness, freed from its gravitational prison and beginning to dissipate, was drawn inwards by the rotating field, converging towards Genichi.
Streams of light, representing Kaguya's consciousness, flowed along the three massive cracks, forming three brilliant ribbons of light. Hinata witnessed this spectacle, utterly mesmerized. "So… beautiful…"
The streams converged. Genichi held out his right hand, the electromagnetic field spinning in his palm. Kaguya's consciousness finally gathered there, forming a miniature, luminous version of herself.
"Kinoshita Genichi~" Kaguya's consciousness pulsed.
"Mother~" Black Zetsu cried out emotionally.
Genichi turned and placed the miniature Kaguya into the clone body controlled by Black Zetsu. Simultaneously, Otsutsuki Genshiki extracted another strand of consciousness from within himself—the portion Kaguya had left within the Gedo Mazo—and inserted it into the clone. Only now was Kaguya's soul and consciousness complete.
The next moment, Black Zetsu dissolved into a black substance that rapidly spread, enveloping the clone body, infiltrating and assimilating every cell. This was the process of Kaguya's revival, but it required an enormous amount of chakra.
Genichi performed another jutsu.
God: Nativity of a World of Trees!
Beneath the clone's feet, a large tree sprouted, its branches reaching up to envelop the clone within a flower bud at its peak. Genichi channeled his chakra through the God Tree created by his Wood Release, providing the energy for Kaguya's resurrection.
Time passed. After about half an hour, Genichi stopped the chakra flow. Atop the tree, the flower bud bloomed, revealing Ōtsutsuki Kaguya—long white hair flowing to the ground, two horns protruding from her forehead, and a pair of Byakugan.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya was revived.
The tree withered into dust, and Kaguya slowly descended to the ground. Her white eyes seemed devoid of emotion. "Kinoshita Genichi, reviving me like this is meaningless. My current power is insufficient to help you fight the Ōtsutsuki clan." Although revived, she lacked the immense power she once possessed. The clone body Genichi provided, while excellent, was nothing compared to a Ten-Tails Jinchuriki. Though she still technically possessed all her Kekkei Mōra, without the necessary chakra, they were useless.
Genichi looked at the uniquely beautiful Kaguya and smiled. "I will naturally help you recover your power. That, I can promise. If you fulfill your promise and cooperate with me properly, I believe we can have a pleasant arrangement. You will not only regain your strength but become even stronger. I know your clan's ultimate goal is to become a god, a transcendent being like Ōtsutsuki Shibai."
Kaguya looked surprised. "You even know of him. Did you deal with Isshiki?"
"You could say that," Genichi replied. "You'll find out later."
By now, Genshiki and Hinata had managed to pull the moon back together.
Kaguya turned to look at Genshiki. "You didn't become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki yourself. What is your goal?"
"Planting a God Tree, of course," Genichi answered with a smile.
Kaguya paused, then said, "Then prepare yourself for betrayal from all sides. However, it is indeed the only way to fight the Ōtsutsuki clan. To protect some things, sacrifices must be made."
Genichi offered no explanation, turning his head as Mei Terumi arrived on a puppet bird, leaping down from the sky.
"Genichi!" Mei called out as she landed, her attention immediately captured by the otherworldly Kaguya. She stopped in her tracks. "This woman is... could she be Ōtsutsuki Kaguya?"
Genichi smiled and made the introductions. "This is Mei Terumi, one of my wives. And this is Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, the progenitor of chakra in the shinobi world, mother of the Sage of Six Paths."
Hearing Genichi introduce her as his wife, Mei momentarily forgot her shock, feeling a flush of shyness and sweetness. But her jaw dropped the next second.
Kaguya looked at Mei and stated calmly, "I am also one of his wives now." She was serious about her promise to bear Genichi's children and intended to fulfill it.
Genichi felt slightly awkward at Kaguya's bluntness. But his thick skin saved him from blushing. He quickly changed the subject. "Mei, hand things over to your second-in-command for now. Let's return to Konoha for a meeting."
Mei snapped back to reality, shot Genichi a strange look, then nodded. "Understood." She glanced at Kaguya again before mounting her puppet bird and leaving.
Otsutsuki Genshiki gave his main body a nod and also departed to make his own preparations.
Genichi remained, conversing with Kaguya, trying to learn as much as possible about the Ōtsutsuki clan. Although he had extracted significant information from Isshiki, Electromagnet Release couldn't retrieve all memories; there were still gaps to fill.
Earth, Village Hidden in the Rain
Otsutsuki Genshiki, disguised as Genichi, appeared and went to the command center. The current guardian of the Rain branch was the Edo Tensei Yahiko. Nagato's soul had long since departed.
"Genichi?" Yahiko was pleasantly surprised to see him. It had been a long time. After offering him a seat, Yahiko asked, "Is something the matter?"
Genshiki nodded. "I've come to fulfill an old promise."
Yahiko paused, then smiled faintly. "You're a clone?"
Genshiki nodded. "How about it? Exciting, right? By the way, have you and Konan thought about having a child? Let them inherit the Paper Release?"
Yahiko looked slightly embarrassed. "Well... that depends on luck, doesn't it? Kekkei Genkai are inherited by blood, but they don't always awaken."
"Then just have a few more," Genshiki chuckled.
After a brief chat, Genshiki performed the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique, reviving Yahiko. With his promise fulfilled, Genshiki took his leave. As a Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, using the technique wouldn't kill him.
He returned to the underground base at the Mountain Graveyard and issued orders to the Aloe Zetsu and Tobi: Find the remains of the Sage of Six Paths!
Meanwhile, Genichi had returned to Konoha with Mei Terumi and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
Grand Conference Room
The high council of the Ninja Creed was assembled. All eyes were fixed on Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
Genichi scanned the attendees and spoke slowly. "The enemy of my enemy is my ally." This set the tone. In truth, he had already discussed reviving Kaguya with Minato, Tobirama, and the others.
With that single sentence addressing Kaguya's presence, Genichi immediately shifted topics. "Current estimates suggest that Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki, Ōtsutsuki Kinshiki, and Ōtsutsuki Urashiki will descend upon Earth within the next twenty years to harvest chakra and replant the God Tree."
Pakura looked at Kaguya. "How strong are these three?"
"Besides Genichi, no one here is their match, including my current self," Kaguya stated. "Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki is the strongest among them. Even at my peak, I would have to be wary of him. Of course, they are only the beginning. The high-ranking members of the Ōtsutsuki main family are the truly terrifying ones. Having consumed pills refined from God Tree fruits multiple times, they possess unparalleled strength and command powerful Divine Techniques (Shinjutsu)."
"What are Divine Techniques?" Tobirama asked gravely.
"Divine powers that require no hand seals," Kaguya replied. "You can think of them as akin to dōjutsu or Kekkei Mōra."
Her words cast a heavy pall over the room. Although Genichi had mentioned most of this before, hearing it directly from Kaguya herself lent it a far greater sense of urgency and dread.
"The path to the Six Paths level is difficult," Genichi said. "Currently, no one else has reached it through their own training. Relying on my power alone is clearly insufficient to deal with the entire Ōtsutsuki clan. There is another option: seize the Ten-Tails and create more Jinchuriki. However, not every Jinchuriki can reach Madara's level."
"Therefore, there is only one way to fight back against the Ōtsutsuki clan."
"Plant the God Tree!"
His words caused a stir. Many faces changed color.
Kitsuchi spoke up immediately. "Lord Genichi, if I recall correctly, you previously stated that planting the God Tree would cause Earth's natural energy to decline, leaving the land barren and unsuitable for life."
Darui added, "If we plant the God Tree, how are we any different from the Ōtsutsuki?"
Genichi nodded. "That is indeed true. Therefore, the God Tree I intend to plant is different from theirs. I will plant it on the moon. But it will not be the parasitic type the Ōtsutsuki use. It will be a symbiotic type."
"Genichi," Minato asked, "has the research yielded results?"
Kitsuchi, Darui, and others who were unaware finally understood.
"We are ready to begin trials," Genichi replied, "but success is not guaranteed yet. However, this is a path we must take. The war against the Ōtsutsuki will inevitably be a long one. And it will be a war for survival. Unlike the wars between villages, there will be no negotiation!"
The room erupted in discussion, but consensus was quickly reached. The true core leadership—Minato, Tobirama, Hashirama, Tsunade—had known about the God Tree plan for some time. Today was about unifying the rest of the council.
Genichi wasn't sure if planting the tree on the moon would still provoke the Sage of Six Paths, but he had to be prepared. Achieving ideological unity was crucial. Today's meeting was just the beginning. A larger assembly involving all Jonin would follow.