In a place like the shinobi world, if you could figure out the tangled mess that was Konoha—even halfway—that would be more than enough.
Half the history of Konoha could practically govern the entire shinobi-world cosmos…
"From that angle, if we take Isshiki, Urashiki, and the other tree-planters as the equivalent of Konoha's chūnin or special jōnin—the ones still stuck doing all the grunt work…"
"Then Ryōshiki would be like Ōtsutsuki Hiruzen? Maybe I should place him even higher. With the way he's completely keeping Myōshiki in the dark—and judging from my own instincts—using the Third Hokage as a benchmark doesn't feel right."
"Let's call him Tobirama instead—that's enough of an upgrade."
By using Ōtsutsuki Shibai as the baseline equivalent of Senju Hashirama, Kazuki swapped Ryōshiki and Myōshiki into Konoha roles to get a sharper measure of their true power.
The current problem was—
With an Ōtsutsuki Hiruzen, Danzō, Asuma, plus Tobirama and Hashirama…
What did that make him?
Stronger than a special jōnin, but certainly not on Hashirama's level…
"Guess I'm Ōtsutsuki Fifty-Fifty—able to go a couple of rounds with anyone," Kazuki joked to himself.
"If I want to get stronger fast, I'll have to ask Shibai and the planet's consciousness to let the gods ride shotgun. After all, I'm up against Ōtsutsuki Tobirama here…"
But that said, he couldn't pin all his hopes of victory on the dangerous planet consciousness or the withered remains of Ōtsutsuki Shibai…
The risk was still considerable.
"Not having a plan to control Isshiki was the right call… Unlike Tobirama, I can't perfectly mimic the vocabulary and habits of these Ōtsutsuki. Letting them call for aid on their own is the most authentic approach…"
Kazuki scanned through Isshiki's recorded account of his call for aid.
It perfectly conveyed the crushing sense of helplessness he had felt when facing Kazuki… In Isshiki's telling, Kazuki was practically a demon.
From the very beginning, he had posed as a mere mortal willing to sacrifice himself to seal Kaguya, when in reality, the so-called sealing site had been nothing more than his laboratory for siphoning her power.
At the same time, his calculated exposure on the surface had lured out every faction in the shinobi world that sought to oppose him—people like Uchiha Madara—letting Konoha and the other villages take the heat in his place.
Even Isshiki, who had lain in ambush within the shinobi world for a thousand years, had been drawn out by this ploy. And even unexpected interlopers from other timelines, such as Urashiki and Momoshiki, had failed to seize the initiative in their battles against Kazuki, forced into a constant defensive stance.
It was only in reflecting on his own defeat that Isshiki realized—
From the very start, Kazuki had calculated everything.
He himself had been nothing more than a pawn with a fate already set, imagining himself the predator lurking behind the mantis, only to discover he'd been a fly caught in the spider's web all along.
That firsthand experience of being shattered and powerless gave Isshiki's handwritten plea for aid an unshakable authenticity.
He had even gone to particular lengths to stress Kazuki's terrifying dōjutsu—its exact effects unknown, but capable of stealing an enemy's abilities and bloodline—and warned Myōshiki and Ryōshiki to be extremely cautious.
As a request for help, it was masterfully crafted. He had laid everything out clearly—the enemy's abilities, his own current situation, and the potential rewards—structured neatly and written in the formal, customary language of the Ōtsutsuki clan.
If Kazuki had needed to impersonate Isshiki, he might not have done any worse, but there was no replacing the reliability of having the genuine article send it himself.
"Tobirama's side has news too?"
Once he'd finished processing the matter with the Ōtsutsuki, Kazuki turned his attention to the chakra hidden within Tobirama…
Though perhaps that wasn't quite the right way to put it.
Tobirama and Kaguya—both marked by his soul seal—had already reached a strange kind of bond with him, not unlike Kaguya and Black Zetsu.
Senju Tobirama was now, for all intents and purposes, Kazuki's officially appointed spokesperson.
"Well, now—that's a surprise," Kazuki said, a broad smile curling his lips as he grasped Tobirama's plan.
Trust Tobirama to work clean and fast—straight to the point.
'This arrangement—gathering the chakra and consciousness of every living being in the shinobi world, amplifying the Mangekyō of Uchiha Madara and Shisui, and under the combined force of twin eye techniques that boost both the power and explosive potential of the jutsu—channeling all that strength into me…'
Kazuki couldn't help but applaud Tobirama in his mind.
After all, he had never so much as hinted to Tobirama about anything like this. Everything he'd said, overtly or subtly, had been about sacrificing himself to become a weapon to safeguard the shinobi world.
And yet, in so short a time, Tobirama had just… come up with a plan that so perfectly suited Kazuki's own interests.
For someone like Kazuki, who harbored concerns about the backlash from Ōtsutsuki Shibai and the planet's consciousness, Tobirama's proposal was nothing short of perfect.
Clearly, giving Tobirama the full truth about the planet's consciousness and Ōtsutsuki Shibai had been an absolutely correct decision.
When the consciousness of every living being in the shinobi world was linked together, their resistance to possession naturally increased—further reinforced by Kaguya and Tobirama, both carrying soul seals that acted as firewalls.
It could be said that the moment this grand formation was completed…
All of the shinobi world's resources had been fully mobilized. Not a single trace of chakra, not even from a genin, would go to waste—everything was sharpened into a blade aimed at the enemy.
It was no longer like in the original timeline, where the so-called Allied Shinobi Forces looked impressive with eighty thousand troops, yet in truth were scattered and disorganized, failing to exert their full strength in the final battle.
When sages clashed, mortals could only pray to survive the aftermath.
Tobirama's formation, however, linked countless individuals—each as insignificant as a blade of grass—seamlessly together, turning them into a powerful force that could aid Kazuki.
Even Kazuki had to admit—
If every single member of the Allied Shinobi Forces could pour out their entire willpower and chakra to help him bring down Myōshiki and Ryōshiki, and ultimately seize Shibai's and the planet's power…
Then, in the new era Kazuki would forge, each one of them deserved the right to live on as equals, free from the chains of past grudges.
'Tobirama, you've done well. I'm very pleased.'
Kazuki glanced at Kaguya, whose eyes were brimming with affection, and inwardly shook his head. Though Kaguya is loyal, in terms of usefulness… my evaluation is that she's far inferior to Tobirama.
'There's no comparison.'
One was merely an obedient tool, requiring elaborate emotional plays and affections to sway.
The other was an extension of Kazuki's own will—needing only the slightest hint to complete his plans, even adding his own touches of brilliance after thinking them through.
The difference was clear.
Kaguya, unaware that Kazuki's thoughts were on Senju Tobirama, simply gazed at him with admiration.
She didn't know why, but she felt that Kazuki's power had grown significantly—so much so that she almost hallucinated, imagining him as Myōshiki himself.
Kazuki, catching her expression, smiled gently.
With someone as straightforward as Kaguya, he only needed one glance to know exactly what she was thinking.
Whether in battle or daily life, she was that rare kind of person who, despite her lofty standing, still wore her thoughts openly on her face.
Put nicely, she was pure and innocent. Put less kindly—she was simply naive.
Purifying his bloodline through Myōshiki's lineage would inevitably make Kazuki stronger.
While it wouldn't instantly elevate him to Myōshiki's level, it had already placed him fundamentally above most of the main family.
'Isshiki has already warned Myōshiki about my dōjutsu, but his analysis was incomplete. As a result, Ryōshiki and Myōshiki have been bound as my designated targets—an excellent opening move…'
'Did they think that such distance would keep me from binding them? Unfortunately for them, whether it's the Ōtsutsuki clan leader or his aide, neither can escape.'
'My dōjutsu… is a terrifying power forged over a thousand years, built entirely through my own effort—named 'System'.'
Kazuki shamelessly praised himself a couple of times in his mind, almost as if he had truly started to believe the lies he had told Black Zetsu.
But soon after, he calmed down.
Even with the System, victory was not guaranteed… In the vastness of the universe, every one of those who had reached the highest levels likely possessed dōjutsu no weaker than the System itself.
'Looks like I still need to observe first…'
Kazuki considered how to respond when Myōshiki and Ryōshiki arrived. As the most crucial components of the Ōtsutsuki power structure, their dōjutsu remained unknown to him…
And that was a serious problem.
At present, his own dōjutsu and intelligence—used as the price to make Myōshiki and Ryōshiki believe he had seized Ōtsutsuki Shibai's power—had already been learned by those two.
The one advantage was that Kazuki had managed to take a portion of Myōshiki's bloodline first.
'I see… Just like when I fought Isshiki and Urashiki, I need to find a way to make Tobirama's prepared formation truly effective in battle, and not just serve as my charging station…'
'Yes… that's it. If I want the beings of the shinobi world to willingly offer their power to me, they must experience firsthand the crushing pressure of the Ōtsutsuki's upper echelon. Only when they reach the brink of despair will they realize that I alone can save them…'
'Relying solely on each ninja's voluntary will isn't enough… There will always be those who try to cheat, who want to hold back a little power as a safeguard. But if they've tasted the fear of defeat and death—like a drowning man clutching at a straw—then it will be different.'
His thoughts turned cold.
He trusted Tobirama, and he trusted Kaguya, as well as Shisui, Tsunade, Asuma, Might Duy… Even Sarutobi Hiruzen—Kazuki believed they would, at the decisive moment, willingly give everything to aid him.
But what about the Third Raikage, Hanzō, Ōnoki, and the shinobi under their command?
They might contribute their strength, but the lingering fear of Kazuki from the past—and the darker impulses rooted in human nature—could easily lead to… complications.
Only by making them part of the battlefield—by letting them feel the crushing pressure of the Ōtsutsuki, the terror of world-destruction, the coldness in their limbs, and the frantic pounding of their hearts—
Only then would they truly understand, on a deeper level, what kind of great compassion Kazuki carried within him, and just how rare and precious his gentleness was, willing to open the Gate of Death for their sake.
Kazuki trusted those close to him—but he did not trust human nature.
And in the stage of gathering the shinobi world's power to face Myōshiki and Ryōshiki, Kazuki could also, through Senju Tobirama—the formation's central point—mount a proxy strike.
If Myōshiki and Ryōshiki faltered during this process, their chances of victory would drop again…
And Kazuki, after seizing their power, would see his own odds rise—whether in direct battle with them or in the contest against Shibai and the planet's consciousness.
It was a guaranteed win—a deal he had to take.
'Let me see your new forbidden technique, Tobirama…'
Kazuki lay down on Kaguya's lap pillow, closing his eyes as if to rest, thinking about how to help Tobirama refine his formation.
This was Senju Tobirama's ultimate forbidden technique—entering the game himself, using the entire shinobi world as the medium for its casting.
A lifetime spent researching forbidden arts, and now, at last, he had managed to weave a plan involving the entire shinobi world…
"Kazuki, don't worry…"
Kaguya frowned slightly as she looked at the man she loved, gently massaging him. "Why did you suddenly bring up the strongest among the Ōtsutsuki?"
"It's nothing—just something I came across on a distant planet. Besides, Isshiki and the others probably can't guess the truth about the Ōtsutsuki God, right?"
"The pursuers they send won't be that strong. Don't put too much pressure on yourself…"
Her guesses were entirely wrong, but Kazuki, eyes still closed, gently took her hand.
"I understand, Kaguya… With you by my side, I feel at ease."
Kaguya's heart instantly grew warm.
...
In Konoha, Senju Hashirama sneaked up beside Asura and nudged him.
"Ahem…"
"You're my reincarnation?"
"I heard you didn't manage to beat Madara… Indra? And you had to call for help?"
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