"Hold up, everyone!" Jinghang raised a hand. "Personal business first."
He scanned the battlefield.
Rin—chakra flaring red, Three-Tails surfacing.
Kakashi—bleeding, broken, blades at his throat.
Tsunade—exhausted, blood-soaked, barely standing.
His gaze settled on Obito.
Jinghang's face split into a delighted grin.
"Well, well! Long time no see, buddy. Miss me?"
A shadow erupted from Obito's body—black, writhing, fleeing.
Obito collapsed. Screamed. His body—half-crushed, half-healed—couldn't support itself without the parasite.
"Oh no you don't."
Six kunai shot into the air. Arranged themselves in a perfect hexagon.
Black Zetsu hit the barrier. Bounced.
Tried to sink into the sand—
An invisible wall pressed down. Trapping him.
"Don't bother." Jinghang strolled over. Crouched beside the thrashing mass. "You think these are normal kunai? Nah. These babies were forged by Great Immortal Huang himself. Blessed by Master Bunpuku for six years. Specifically designed to counter Yin-Yang Release earth manipulation."
He tapped one kunai.
"You have no idea how long I've been planning this. The money I spent. The favors I called in. Almost had to mortgage my wife, you know?"
Everyone stared.
Rin's chakra—stabilized. Her eyes cleared.
Kakashi blinked. (What... is he doing?)
Utakata frowned. (He's not here for us. He's here for... that thing?)
Only Tsunade smiled.
(Right on schedule.)
Jinghang kept talking. Like he was chatting with an old friend.
"So here's the thing. My godfather—Great Immortal Huang, you'd like him—he said something smart. He said: 'You can't fight Yin-Yang Release with more Yin-Yang Release. That's her whole thing. You need to go sideways.'"
Black Zetsu thrashed.
Jinghang ignored him.
"See, you've been my problem for ten years. As long as you're alive, I can't relax. You're always scheming. Always plotting. 'Free Mother.' 'Resurrect Kaguya.' Blah blah blah." He waved dismissively. "So I had to figure out how to deal with you."
(Killing him? Impossible. He's Kaguya's will—he'll just reform.)
(Sealing him? Every technique uses chakra—which he can manipulate.)
(So... what's left?)
"I went to Huang. Told him everything. The whole story. Kaguya. The Sage. You." Jinghang's smile was sharp. "And you know what he said?"
Flashback: Two Years Ago
Xuanyuan Tomb. A massive library carved into stone.
Great Immortal Huang—a weasel the size of a horse—stroked his whiskers.
"The weasel clan doesn't meddle in cosmic affairs," he said slowly. "We're not like the Toads. We don't play favorites."
"But you're my godson. So I'll help. For a price."
Jinghang didn't hesitate. "Name it."
"Ten chicken farms. Moon Lake District. All profits to Xuanyuan Tomb."
Huang's eyes gleamed. "Smart boy." He gestured at the shelves. "Kaguya is the origin of chakra. Her will—" He nodded at an imaginary Black Zetsu. "—is pure Yin-Yang Release. The foundation of all ninjutsu. All sealing techniques."
"Which means you can't seal him. Not with chakra."
Jinghang's face fell. "Then how—"
"I said you can't use chakra." Huang's smile was sly. "I didn't say you couldn't seal him."
He tapped a scroll. "Before the Ōtsutsuki came, humans survived without chakra. We had other methods. Older methods." His claw traced ancient characters. "Faith. Ritual. Belief."
"Outer Path techniques."
Jinghang's eyes went wide.
"Spend two years here. Read everything. Find something that works." Huang's voice was serious. "Because if you fail—if he escapes—the whole world ends."
"So I read." Jinghang's voice was light. "For two years. Every day. At least an hour." He gestured at the kunai. "And I found something. A fusion. Buddhist six-direction binding plus an old blood-star seal. No chakra. Just faith."
He pointed at the kunai—shaped like demon-subduing vajra.
"Master Bunpuku blessed these. Every day for six years. Chanting sutras. Praying. Pouring his belief into them." Jinghang's grin was vicious. "You're not trapped by chakra. You're trapped by faith. And you can't manipulate that."
Black Zetsu writhed.
"Pain!" Jinghang called. "Your turn!"
Pain stepped forward. Raised both hands.
Two black rods shot from his palms—
—and pinned Black Zetsu to the sand.
"There we go." Jinghang stood. Dusted off his hands. "Now you're really stuck."
He turned to the others.
"Sorry about that. Had to monologue. It's tradition." He gestured casually. "Everyone might want to crouch down. This next part gets... messy."
[Strategic Genius: Jinghang's entire plan = trap Black Zetsu (not fight Kiri). Used Obito as bait (knew Madara would send him). Outer Path seal = only method that works (bypasses Yin-Yang Release entirely). Ten-year preparation = shows foresight and commitment. Faith-based sealing = exploits Black Zetsu's one weakness (can't manipulate belief).]
[Character Depth: Jinghang = eccentric but brilliant (treats cosmic threat casually because he's that confident). Great Immortal Huang = ancient wisdom (knows pre-chakra methods). Master Bunpuku = unwitting participant (blessed kunai thinking they were normal demon-warding tools). Black Zetsu = finally outplayed (thousand-year schemer caught by outside-context solution).]
[Foreshadowing: "This next part gets messy" = sealing ritual will be spectacular. Pain's involvement = Akatsuki witnessing Outer Path technique (will want to learn it). Obito's agony = Madara's plan disrupted (Black Zetsu was his secret ally). Everyone's confusion = only Tsunade knew the real plan (Jinghang told her beforehand).]
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