Chapter 231 – Yesterday Once More
Kitagawa Gen's specialty—his favorite pastime—was simple:
Beating down the already fallen!
Isshiki dared not fully resurrect himself within Jigen. Yes, doing so would grant him terrifying, unparalleled power, but at the cost of his lifespan, which would immediately be placed in grave danger.
And battles between Ōtsutsuki… they were rarely settled in a short time. That gamble, Isshiki could not afford to make.
Which gave Kitagawa Gen his chance. For while he had morals, those morals were—when facing an enemy—remarkably flexible.
"Crush this guy. Absorb his power. Strip away his memories. Take everything he's hiding!"
His goal was clear. In his grip, the blade forged from Truth-Seeking Orbs and the Totsuka Sword radiated endless golden brilliance.
The overwhelming force pressed down like a suffocating weight, blinding Isshiki until he could barely keep his eyes open.
"Damn it… this bastard—!"
Isshiki cursed under his breath, clapping his hands together as a surge of power burst from his eyes.
"Hm?"
Kitagawa Gen clearly saw dozens of tiny cubic "grains" emerge—then, under Isshiki's ocular jutsu, they rapidly expanded.
"His Daikokuten, is it?"
Daikokuten—a technique of crushing weight and perception obstruction, both offensive and defensive in nature.
But rather than worry, Kitagawa Gen's excitement grew. Golden light flared endlessly in his hand as his sword cleaved out in a blazing arc.
"BOOM!"
Under the supreme might of the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, even the sturdy cubes of Daikokuten buckled.
With a deafening crack, one of the constructs split cleanly in two!
"Such destructive power…?"
Isshiki's face grew grim. Still, this was within the limits he could endure. As the tidal wave of energy surged toward him, his figure vanished in an instant.
"He shrank himself?"
Even though it was just for a moment, Kitagawa Gen had seen it clearly. Then, without warning, the sky filled with countless black iron spikes, blotting out the heavens.
Whummm—
They plummeted down, infused with Yin–Yang Release. At the same time, the ground itself sprouted a field of identical black spikes, already spread wide.
"Tch. A few tricks."
Kitagawa Gen nodded faintly, then shook his head with a trace of pity.
Jigen might be wielding Isshiki's strength, even channeling some of his powers—but how much he could actually control was another matter.
These iron thorns, though small, were perilous—if overlooked, they could pierce the body. And if enlarged at the critical moment, they would become fatal.
But Isshiki was Isshiki. Jigen was Jigen.
"These… are nowhere near enough."
The golden sword flashed again, its arc wider than before. Black spikes shattered on impact, scattered into nothingness. The sky itself was swept clean in one motion.
"Senior, a battle like this… hardly seems dignified."
Kitagawa Gen's gaze dropped to the ground, chakra once again surging violently within him.
"I don't understand. Since you've already gone this far, why not carry our will forward—why not help me realize our shared dream?"
As he spoke, several massive spheres of chakra floated into existence before him, radiating overwhelming force.
These orbs pulsed with terrifying energy—within them, Isshiki could even sense a chakra aura he knew all too well.
"The Ten Tails' power… that bastard—"
Shrunken down, Isshiki instantly realized what Ōtsutsuki Genshiki was planning. The lunatic intended to erase everything.
But that wasn't even the most important part. What truly rattled him were Gen's words.
This scoundrel kept spouting nonsense about "our shared will," but Isshiki knew better—it was nothing but an excuse.
There was no time to argue. Kitagawa Gen's chakra surged again, and in the next instant, those colossal spheres plummeted from the heavens.
BOOM—!
BOOM—!
BOOM—!
The thunderous detonations shook the world itself. The ground quaked like in a cataclysmic earthquake, mountains split, and the night sky blazed like noonday.
Chakra flames roared upward, scorching heat waves rolling across the land, turning the battlefield into a blazing inferno.
Even deep within the Hidden Leaf, shinobi gaped in disbelief. The shockwaves were unmistakable, even from afar.
The Edo Tensei shinobi froze in place, uncertain. To rush toward such a battlefield, even as immortals, felt like walking into certain annihilation.
"God's power…?" Orochimaru stood at the highest vantage point, gazing out at the devastation. His voice trembled in awe.
With a mere wave of the hand, destruction unmatched. If that was not godhood, then what else could it be?
"Unbelievable…" Obito whispered, wrapped entirely within Kamui's dimension. Beaten down enough times, he'd learned caution.
Yet watching the distant clash, his fists clenched. Doubt crept into his heart.
"This scale… it dwarfs even that battle with Nagato. Can we really… defeat such a being? Even with the Ten Tails…"
For the first time, uncertainty gnawed at him. But then a realization struck.
"Wait. Who is he fighting against?"
That answer mattered. Curiosity gnawed at him until he vanished, determined to see for himself.
Black Zetsu, however, shuddered with dread. There was only one conclusion.
"He's fighting another Ōtsutsuki…"
Who else could cause such devastation? But why were two Ōtsutsuki fighting each other? The world itself seemed on the brink of madness.
"Time to leave… staying here is suicide."
Zetsu whispered in terror, slinking away.
Meanwhile, not far from Konoha, Isshiki reappeared, gasping. Around him, the shattered remains of Daikokuten littered the ground. Only through its defense, and his own power, had he survived.
But the landscape was ruined, scorched earth and yawning craters burning like hell itself.
"Damn this body…" he cursed—at Gen, but also at his mortal vessel.
If not for its weakness, if not for its failure to bear his full strength, he would not be so wretched.
Two options remained. Return to the Ten Tails' dimension to stabilize his body—or gamble everything by seizing Kaguya's descendants.
It was a dangerous bet. Fail, and he'd be forced into premature rebirth, his lifespan reduced to mere days. Useless.
And yet… what difference did it make? He had already wasted centuries.
Better to seize this chance.
"Now, you'll repay me!"
His perception locked onto the two heirs of Kaguya. Space twisted, and he appeared before them—
But in the same instant, an unseen force seized his body, twisting space around him. His senses scrambled, up and down inverted, gravity and repulsion reversed.
And when his vision cleared—Gen was already there, waiting in midair.
"Senior… if you can find them, don't you think I can too?"
That haunting voice split Isshiki's soul. Behind Gen, the Truth-Seeking Orbs fused into one.
A golden blade, a thousand meters long, shimmered in his hand.
"I knew you'd gamble. So I prepared in advance. After all, who wastes good material? Just as I won't waste you—traitor."
"Traitor…?" Isshiki snarled, forcing his body under control for a precious second—long enough to decide the fight.
"I'll never forget what you gave me, Senior. Now… it ends."
Without hesitation, Gen swung. The colossal golden sword fell, a tidal wave of chakra pouring forth.
"Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!"
BOOM—!
The heavens split. Air itself detonated. The world was torn apart like fragile paper.
And Jigen's body was severed cleanly in two. Agonizing pain tore through flesh and soul alike.
In that moment, memories surged—memories of a thousand years past, when Kaguya had ambushed him… and cut his body in half.