The Shikotsumyaku bones were powerful, but for Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki, they weren't enough to make his body collapse instantly.
All he had to do was use his own chakra to suppress the Shikotsumyaku's disintegration effect.
Unfortunately for him, with his enemies right in front of him, he simply had no time to do so.
Orochimaru, who had just landed, knew that getting struck by Shikotsumyaku was a decisive moment in the battle.
There was no need for him to rush in for another attack.
"To you, Earth's shinobi may seem weak, but when it comes to creativity, they far surpass the Ōtsutsuki clan—who arrogantly call themselves gods yet remain stagnant in their ways."
"Earth's humans? So this is how mortals fight?" Momoshiki scoffed.
"Mortals? Haha, just call us that outright." Orochimaru chuckled lightly.
Cloning was a standard tactic among shinobi.
Even in a split-second confrontation, not even Momoshiki's Byakugan could instantly distinguish a shadow clone from the real body.
Using this technique to mislead an opponent was a tried-and-true method.
Momoshiki's Rinnegan could absorb any chakra-based attack and reflect it back with amplified power.
Of course, Orochimaru was well aware of this.
By modifying the chakra composition with his biological engineering, he had made Momoshiki's chakra sphere explode prematurely!
The explosion served as a distraction, forcing Momoshiki to react instinctively.
Then, while Momoshiki focused on absorbing the blast, Orochimaru quickly dispersed Susanoo, sent a shadow clone into Kaguya's different dimension, and launched himself high into the sky.
The sheer scale of the explosion disrupted Momoshiki's Byakugan, momentarily obscuring his vision.
By the time Momoshiki had finished absorbing the energy and his sight cleared, Kaguya had already opened a rift behind him, allowing Orochimaru's clone to attack!
With the real body, the clone, and Kaguya, they had formed a three-pronged assault!
This was basic shinobi combat logic.
Yet Momoshiki fell for it.
He was arrogant—he looked down on Kaguya, believing himself far superior.
Because of this, he focused entirely on Orochimaru, the primary attacker.
Thus, while he managed to react in time to counter Orochimaru's clone and evade the real Orochimaru's attack.
He could not avoid Kaguya.
It all happened in an instant.
---
"Let me ask you one last time… where is my father buried?"
Kaguya's cold voice echoed through the battlefield.
She raised another Shikotsumyaku bone, its tip aimed at Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki.
She would never forget the look in her parents' eyes when they risked their lives to save her.
It was because of that betrayal that pure Ōtsutsuki Kaguya was forced down the path of a murderous witch.
Hearing her question, Momoshiki let out a cold laugh.
"Who knows? Maybe some wild beast took the corpse away."
"You want to die…?"
Kaguya's eyes flashed coldly.
Whoosh!
Without hesitation, she fired another bone projectile.
Momoshiki instinctively raised his hands to block.
But just as he moved, several black rods suddenly emerged from a rift in space, piercing his back!
Orochimaru had attacked again!
As a shinobi, he would never hesitate to exploit an enemy's blind spot.
He had no need for honor in battle.
Chuchuchu!
The countless black rods impaled Momoshiki, turning him into a pincushion.
"Damn you… mortals!"
Momoshiki couldn't believe it.
He lost? Like this?
He was unwilling—furious.
He had eaten so many divine fruits…
Yet he was defeated?!
"Die!"
Kaguya's Shikotsumyaku struck again and again, mercilessly piercing him!
Orochimaru did not stop her.
He knew Kaguya needed this.
She needed to vent.
No one knew how long it went on.
But after Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki's body completely collapsed, Kaguya finally stopped attacking.
She crouched on the ground, breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
She wasn't exhausted.
She was enraged.
Orochimaru walked toward her, reaching out his hand.
"Well? Still searching?"
Kaguya grasped his hand and stood up.
"No. He refuses to say anything. Asking further is pointless. Besides…"
She hesitated.
"A thousand years have passed. Even if I find the site… there might be nothing left."
She didn't finish her sentence, but Orochimaru understood.
After a thousand years, even bones might have crumbled into dust…
---
With Momoshiki defeated, the war outside continued to rage.
Even though the Ōtsutsuki couldn't stand against Orochimaru and Kaguya, they were still overwhelmingly powerful compared to the White Zetsu army.
It often took hundreds of White Zetsu to kill just one Ōtsutsuki warrior.
And as expected, the difference in combat strength between the White Zetsu and the clones was evident.
A single White Zetsu had combat abilities comparable to an average Chūnin.
Meanwhile, a clone possessed Jōnin-level strength with Sharingan.
No—by now, the clones had even awakened Mangekyō Sharingan.
Although they couldn't manifest Susanoo, their combat power had skyrocketed.
In this battle…
If Orochimaru hadn't upgraded these clones to Mangekyō, the 100,000 White Zetsu might have been completely outmatched.
---
Now, back on the Ōtsutsuki homeworld, Orochimaru stood among the clouds, watching the battle unfold below.
A slight smirk appeared on his lips.
"These are your people. What do you want to do with them?"
"Leave no one alive."
Kaguya's expression was cold.
Without waiting for Orochimaru's response, she leapt into battle once more.
"So ruthless…"
Orochimaru chuckled but showed no concern.
Suddenly, his gaze sharpened.
On the battlefield, he spotted a mysterious figure holding a fishing rod.
"That is…?"
(To be continued.)