"This person, the so-called progenitor of chakra… turns out to be a woman?"
"Don't underestimate women. The aura she exudes is even more terrifying than Uchiha Madara's!"
The hushed murmurs broke the silence.
Behind Shūichi, Truth-Seeking Orbs floated silently. He opened his mouth and said, "Black Zetsu, shouldn't you introduce us?"
Black Zetsu responded smoothly, "Of course, no problem."
"She's the one I've been working to resurrect, my mother, the progenitor of chakra—Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. Or you may call her the Rabbit Goddess!"
"All your chakra, every last bit of it, comes from my mother!"
"And now, we're going to reclaim it all!"
The revelation left Namikaze Minato and the others stunned.
Bound tightly by Kaguya's flowing white hair, the Fourth Raikage bellowed, "Damn it! Our chakra was earned through blood, sweat, and tears!"
Senju Tobirama's eyes narrowed. "So, the Eye of the Moon Plan was, in essence, a scheme to break a seal."
He looked up at the moon. "The entity sealed there isn't the Ten-Tails after all, is it?"
Black Zetsu chuckled. "No."
"The moon indeed seals the Ten-Tails' husk."
Shūichi smirked faintly. "Sealing the Ten-Tails' husk was probably just incidental, wasn't it?"
"The nine-tomoe Rinne Sharingan this goddess possesses is identical to the one on the Ten-Tails. If my guess is right, its origin also lies with the Ten-Tails."
"The Ten-Tails, or perhaps the Divine Tree, can absorb chakra."
"Those 100,000 White Zetsu soldiers must be people who had their chakra drained by the Divine Tree in the past, correct?"
Black Zetsu's gaze sharpened. "You're clever, but you've only scratched the surface."
"My mother once ruled this world as a goddess. She had two children, Hagoromo and Hamura. Hagoromo, the older one, is what you call the Sage of Six Paths."
Jiraiya's eyes widened as he stared at Kaguya. "This stunning lady is the mother of the Sage of Six Paths? That means she's been alive for thousands of years!"
Shima replied sharply, "That person already said she's the progenitor of chakra!"
Fukasaku sighed, nudging Jiraiya. "Jiraiya my boy, this is a very serious moment."
Black Zetsu continued his tale. "Unfortunately, her own sons, Hagoromo and Hamura, betrayed her. They sealed their mother on the moon and split apart the Ten-Tails."
"Later, the Sage of Six Paths established Ninshu, and he too had two sons—Indra and Asura. They became the ancestors of the Uchiha and Senju clans, respectively."
At this point, Kaguya's expressionless face showed traces of sorrow.
Uchiha Fugaku was stunned. "So, the Uchiha and Senju clans were… sibling clans all along?"
Black Zetsu pressed on. "And I… I was created by my mother with her last strength before being sealed, with the sole purpose of breaking her seal."
"I manipulated Indra, leading him down a cursed path to rebel against his father."
"From then on, the Uchiha and Senju clans became bitter enemies, clashing for generations—all to give rise to someone like Uchiha Madara."
"After millennia of effort, I succeeded."
"So, this world you call the shinobi world? It's my creation."
Namikaze Minato and the others were left speechless, shaken by the dark truth they had just uncovered.
Senju Tobirama couldn't help but remark, "What a sinister creature!"
Shūichi snorted. "Black Zetsu, stop painting yourself as so grand."
"In the grand scheme of history, you're nothing more than a small piece."
"The White Zetsu soldiers must be people trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, transformed. Which means this technique has been used before."
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya spoke softly, "Because they betrayed me."
Of course, the more pressing reason was to deal with the Ōtsutsuki clan.
Black Zetsu reminded her, "Mother, this man is no ordinary foe. He not only possesses the Rinne Sharingan but also has extraordinary physical prowess. He defeated the last two Ten-Tails Jinchūriki."
Hearing this, Kaguya's temple pulsed with visible veins as she activated her Byakugan.
Instantly, Shūichi felt as though his entire being was laid bare before her. He muttered, "Hey, isn't using the Byakugan to peek at me a bit rude?"
Kaguya ignored him and said to Black Zetsu, "He carries the power of the Ten-Tails within him."
Black Zetsu's eyes widened in realization. "This man has divided the Nine-Tails into its components!"
"And it seems he anticipated everything, even aiming to seize the Ten-Tails for himself."
Kaguya's voice turned cold. "I won't give him the chance."
With that, the chakra of those entangled in her hair, including the Fourth Raikage, was abruptly drained.
The Edo Tensei bodies of the First Raikage and others began to crack before their souls ascended.
Boom!
The Fourth Raikage's tall frame withered to skin and bones, lifelessly discarded by Kaguya.
Namikaze Minato's gaze sharpened. "She's terrifyingly strong…"
Someone like the Fourth Raikage, a top-tier shinobi, was utterly helpless before her, nearly drained to death without resistance.
"Sensei, everyone else except Obito and Shisui—retreat!" Shūichi commanded.
Minato hesitated. "Shūichi, my Flying Thunder God technique can still be useful, right?"
Kakashi chimed in. "And me!"
Shūichi shook his head. "The three of us are enough. Too many will only get in the way."
Senju Tobirama immediately ordered, "Follow Shūichi's lead. Everyone except the two from the Uchiha clan, fall back!"
Mei Terumi and Pakura retreated reluctantly, knowing their strength would likely be more of a hindrance against someone like Kaguya.
Besides, they had absolute confidence in their man!
As Senju Tobirama spoke, Namikaze Minato, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the others began to retreat.
Jiraiya couldn't help but sigh, "I never thought there'd come a day when we'd be the ones holding others back."
Nagato said calmly, "Jiraiya-sensei, there will always be people who stand above the rest."
Konan, standing nearby, added, "He must be the 'Child of Prophecy' you've always talked about, right?"
Jiraiya felt a bit dazed at her words. This didn't quite align with the prophecy of the Great Toad Sage.
Nagato glanced at him and said, "Perhaps there is no such thing as a 'Child of Prophecy.' If there were, the world wouldn't be in its current state."
...
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya made no move to stop Namikaze Minato and the others from retreating. In her eyes, only Shūichi mattered now.
As for the rest? They were not even worth comparing to crumbs or grains.
After all, Shūichi carried within him the power of all nine tailed beasts. If she could take him down, the others would be nothing.
Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Obito used Body Flicker to appear at Shūichi's side. Shisui asked, "Shūichi, what's the plan?"
Placing a hand on each of their shoulders, Shūichi replied, "Create an opportunity for me to land an attack on her."
"Also, you remember the Izanagi technique, don't you?"
The two Uchihas immediately understood his intent.
At that moment, Kaguya, her long hair flowing, flew towards them. Shisui and Obito stood ready for combat.
But in the blink of an eye, all three of them, along with Kaguya, vanished from their original location without a trace.
"What just happened?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others were startled.
"Was that space-time ninjutsu?" Senju Hashirama asked, his eyes narrowing.
Tobirama focused intently for a moment, then turned to Minato. "Fourth Hokage, can you track them?"
Minato shook his head. "Flying Thunder God can't sense anything. It seems they've been transported to another dimension."
Hiruzen said grimly, "In that case, we can only wait and see how this plays out."
Minato smiled faintly. "Don't worry. Shūichi and the others will definitely win!"
Mei Terumi and Pakura both nodded firmly.
They had absolute faith in their man!
...
Inside the Lava Dimension.
Suspended mid-air, Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Shisui breathed in the scorching heat as they surveyed their surroundings.
"A dimension similar to Kamui?" Obito thought to himself, marveling. "If we fall into that lava…"
Though both he and Shisui could fly using their Susanoo even without the Light-Weight Rock Technique, being caught off guard would still expose them to potential attacks.
"Shūichi planned for this perfectly," Obito couldn't help but admire.
On the opposite side, Black Zetsu analyzed the situation. "It seems he used the Light-Weight Rock Technique earlier. I originally planned to ambush and eliminate these two first."
"Well, now we'll have to test Shūichi's dojutsu."
"And that Uchiha Shisui… we still don't have intel on his Mangekyō Sharingan ability."
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya nodded slightly. "Understood."
The next moment, her Byakugan expanded, releasing a powerful shockwave rivaling the Shinra Tensei of the Rinnegan.
Boom!
Shūichi countered with a punch, shattering the shockwave head-on.
Meanwhile, Shisui and Obito were forced backward by the impact. Before they could recover, a barrage of Rabbit Hair Needles came whistling toward them.
Both activated their Susanoo, stabilizing their positions while blocking the incoming needles.
Shūichi, on the other hand, used his Truth-Seeking Orbs to intercept the attack, neutralizing the Rabbit Hair Needles entirely.
As Kaguya fired her Rabbit Hair Needles, a space-time portal quietly opened behind Uchiha Shisui.
"Be careful, she's disappeared..."
Shisui reacted swiftly. "Not good, she's behind me!"
Before he could respond, his green Perfect Susanoo suddenly disintegrated.
"She has the same ability as Uchiha Madara…"
Turning around, Shisui saw Kaguya with her palm extended toward him, effortlessly dissolving Susanoo in her hand, her long white hair already surging forward.
Kotoamatsukami!
For the first time in this war, Shisui unleashed the full power of his Mangekyō Sharingan technique.
However, the next moment, he groaned in pain, fresh blood streaming from his right eye.
"It backfired!"
Shisui was shocked, his body flung backward.
At that moment, Obito's Kamui Shuriken sliced through the white hair attacking Shisui, cutting it off.
Meanwhile, Shūichi had silently appeared behind Kaguya, releasing a devastating blast of Truth-Seeking Orbs.
Boom!
Kaguya's long hair exploded as she let out a scream, her body pierced by Shūichi's Truth-Seeking Orb.
But before the trio could press their advantage, a space-time portal appeared above Kaguya. She quickly escaped through it, vanishing without a trace.
"Shisui, are you alright?"
Shūichi approached Shisui.
"I'm fine," Shisui replied, shaking his head. "But my right eye's ability has no effect on her."
Shūichi wasn't surprised. "The genjutsu capabilities of the Rinnegan aren't particularly strong, but the Rinne Sharingan combines the powers of both the Rinnegan and the Sharingan."
"Moreover, her Byakugan isn't ordinary—it's far superior to the Hyūga clan's Byakugan."
Obito couldn't help but ask, "Does that mean the Hyūga clan is also connected to the Sage of Six Paths?"
Feigning speculation, Shūichi said, "They're probably descendants of the Sage's brother."
Shisui then asked, "Kaguya has an immortal body. Killing her seems nearly impossible; otherwise, the Sage of Six Paths wouldn't have chosen to seal her. Shūichi, do you have a way to deal with her?"
With a confident smile, Shūichi replied, "I'm not entirely sure yet, but I've been preparing for this day all along."
...
In the Starting Sphere Dimension, Kaguya's wounds were healing rapidly.
Black Zetsu advised, "Mother, aside from that Shisui, the other two possess space-time ninjutsu and can cooperate extremely well. We'll need to separate them."
"At least now we've confirmed Shisui's Mangekyō ability—it's genjutsu. In this area, we hold a clear advantage."
"Mother, let's eliminate him first!"
As her wounds closed, Kaguya immediately activated her divine power.
The next moment, Shūichi, Obito, and Shisui vanished from the Lava Dimension, each transported to a separate dimension.
Obito found himself in a desert, while Shisui was sent to a sea of acid.
In the Glacier Dimension, Shūichi quickly realized Kaguya's plan.
Although his Flying Thunder God Technique couldn't locate Shisui, he had an even stronger space-time ability: the Space-Time Gate.
Opening the gate, Shūichi stepped into the Sea of Acid and arrived just in time to see Shisui's Susanoo shattered by Kaguya's Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack and his chakra points sealed by Rabbit Hair Needles.
Swish!
Shūichi appeared in front of Shisui, twirling his staff to block the incoming white hair.
Black Zetsu couldn't hide his frustration. "This guy moves too fast!"
Kaguya said nothing, unleashing another barrage of Eighty Gods Vacuum Attucks.
The powerful chakra fists rained down on Shūichi, who created a Truth-Seeking Orb barrier, only for it to be shattered moments later.
Shūichi then summoned the True Several Thousand Hands: God Manifestation, engaging Kaguya in a direct clash.
Despite the enhancements from Susanoo and Star God, Shūichi's strikes were ultimately overpowered by Kaguya's Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack.
However, within Susanoo's protection, both Shūichi and Shisui managed to avoid the densest part of the assault.
At that moment, as Kaguya's attack paused, Shisui activated the ability of his left eye.
Kotoamatsukami!
A powerful genjutsu capable of altering one's will in an instant.
"Huh?"
Kaguya's body froze momentarily, but her Byakugan erupted with energy waves, dispersing the effects.
Black Zetsu was stunned. "Shisui's eye technique can even shake Mother's will!"
At that moment, a Truth-Seeking Orb cloaked in lightning shot forward at supersonic speed.
Before Kaguya could react, boom!—her head exploded in a brilliant flash.
(End of Chapter)
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