Black Zetsu wanted to escape!
Kyoichi sensed his intention instantly. Nagato didn't even need to shout—Kyoichi had already used Yin Release nature transformation, creating a jutsu formula directly ahead.
Black Zetsu continued fleeing—only to notice the sudden appearance of a sigil in front of him.
His heart trembled.
As expected…
This kid had already mastered Yin Release nature transformation. Whether it was because he'd studied it through Ten-Tails chakra or discovered the method himself, Black Zetsu couldn't bet on anything.
He could not afford to bet.
Black Zetsu fled deeper with all his strength.
This moment—
was the most terrifying moment since the day he was born.
Back when the Sage of Six Paths and Ōtsutsuki Hamura stood before him, he was never this afraid—because they hadn't noticed him.
But now—
Kyoichi had noticed him.
Clearly. Precisely.
And had prepared a counter-strategy specifically for him.
That was what terrified him.
Black Zetsu knew his own strength well: his greatest advantage was absolute concealment—the fact that nobody even knew he existed.
Once he appeared in the open…
His danger increased exponentially.
And that was exactly the situation now.
Kyoichi had brought Nagato via Flying Thunder God.
Black Zetsu moved incredibly fast, plunging into the deeper seabed in moments—but Nagato didn't waste time either.
He began building chakra midway.
And then…
A small orb materialized in Nagato's palm—a black sphere. The instant it formed, the surrounding sea and seabed surged violently. From the ocean's depths, a terrifying tidal force erupted.
Chibaku Tensei!
Kyoichi and Nagato moved with perfect coordination.
Nagato had been researching Yang Release and the power of yang these past days. He wasn't fully proficient yet, but preparation and activation weren't difficult.
He pressed his hand against Kyoichi's.
Then—
Yin and Yang merged, flowing together into the core of the Chibaku Tensei sphere.
A roaring power erupted.
In an instant, the entire sea trembled. Everything on the sea floor was ripped upward and drawn toward the black orb, which slowly ascended.
Six Paths — Chibaku Tensei!
This wasn't an extremely deep sea—just a shallow region.
But Black Zetsu had fled far enough that no Kirigakure ninja were nearby.
Otherwise—
Even Kiri shinobi might have been caught in the blast.
A massive portion of the shallow sea was being drawn upward—formed into a rising sphere. At first it looked like a colossal tsunami from afar…
But soon—
"Look! What is that?!"
A Kiri shinobi—close enough to see—shouted in shock.
More ninja turned their attention toward the spectacle.
A huge sphere of shimmering blue water rose from the ocean.
Everyone was stunned speechless.
The sight was overwhelming—divine, almost godlike. If not seen with their own eyes, no one would have believed it. Yet the truth was right in front of them—
Someone had used a jutsu to pull an entire section of the sea upward—compressing it into a sphere.
And the terrifying part was—
The sphere kept growing.
Not just seawater now—chunks of seabed earth were flying upward as well.
"Yagura-sama… what kind of jutsu is that?"
"…No idea. Perhaps only a Sage could use such ninjutsu. And… I sense something alive inside."
Yagura frowned.
His sensory abilities let him pick up a faint living presence.
But—
It wasn't Black Zetsu's chakra.
It was White Zetsu's.
Black Zetsu's concealment was too perfect—even Kyoichi couldn't sense it properly. Truth be told, Kyoichi only found him because Black Zetsu was greedy enough to carry the original White Zetsu.
If Black Zetsu fled alone, Kyoichi might never have caught him.
Of course…
The sealing wasn't finished yet.
Kyoichi looked toward the sky, uneasy.
Would this jutsu—
truly succeed?
He didn't doubt his own Yin Release. He was extremely confident. Nor did he doubt Nagato's Yang Release.
After all, Nagato now possessed not only the Rinnegan—but also White Zetsu cells and Hashirama cells.
His concern wasn't about insufficient power.
It was about controlling and suppressing the Yang power—because as Hashirama cells grew stronger, they would continue expanding. That could shorten Nagato's lifespan.
"Will it work?"
"No idea. Let's just do our best. If not… we wait."
"Wait?"
Nagato didn't understand.
Kanda Kyoichi was already the strongest shinobi alive—no one could surpass his creativity.
What else was there to wait for?
For the Sage of Six Paths to revive?
Impossible.
"At the level of the Sage of Six Paths—even after death, he should still have some ability to intervene in the ninja world. The fact he hasn't appeared means… his time hasn't arrived yet."
Kyoichi said calmly.
The Sage was waiting.
Waiting for the reincarnation of his sons.
Madara and Hashirama had died.
The next cycle was about to begin.
If they couldn't seal Black Zetsu now, they could seal him later.
It was just a matter of time.
But—
Kyoichi wondered something else:
Could they seal Black Zetsu now—
but fail to contain him permanently?
After all, both he and Nagato were using improvised versions—
fake Yin power, fake Yang power, fake Ten-Tails chakra.
Even if it held for now, who knew how long it would last?
He pondered, watching the water sphere rise higher into the sky.
He had to admit…
It looked beautiful. The shimmering blue sphere reflected sunlight like a floating jewel. If one didn't look carefully, they might not even notice the new "celestial object" above them.
For now—
Black Zetsu was sealed.
How long it would last…
Even Kyoichi didn't know. But he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
At least in the short term, Black Zetsu couldn't act.
As for the future—
they would deal with it when it came.
No seal could trap someone forever.
The more sophisticated and powerful a seal was, the more fragile its overall structure. A single broken formula could collapse the entire thing.
Better to redirect than to trap.
Kyoichi never believed he could seal Black Zetsu forever—
nor could he seal Ōtsutsuki Kaguya forever.
Because behind Kaguya was—
the entire Ōtsutsuki clan.
Even if they came decades later, the branch families were just as troublesome.
No one could predict how events would unfold.
Nagato stared up at the sky, speechless.
After a long silence, he finally turned to Kyoichi:
"By the way… if our seal works, then I should be safe for the time being, right? These eyes—why don't you hold onto them? Konoha's medical technology is incredible. You should be able to cultivate a proper pair."
"You've already suffered enough because of them. They're yours. No need to hand them to anyone."
Kyoichi shook his head.
The Rinnegan was strong—
but at the moment, he didn't need it.
He had his own plan.
Since he'd already mastered Yin power, developing Yang power wasn't out of reach.
And if he eventually mastered Yin-Yang Release…
He would be one step closer to the Sage of Six Paths.
Not to mention—
He still had the system.
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