Chapter 232: Isshiki's Chakra
Kitagawa Gen realized that the power of the Tenseigan had a natural advantage over Jigen—perhaps even over Isshiki himself.
No matter how he shrank or expanded, no matter what he stored away or pulled out, Kitagawa Gen's eyes could see through it all.
And if things became too overwhelming? The "Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion" could sweep the battlefield clean.
For direct attacks and precision strikes, the "Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion" was more than enough—its destructive power even had reserves to spare.
Without hesitation, Kitagawa Gen lunged forward, cleaving Jigen neatly in two with a single golden slash.
"Sacrificial Refinement!"
Even with his body destroyed, Jigen automatically entered the decompression state, the precursor to his resurrection.
Kitagawa Gen didn't know exactly what would happen once Jigen was "dismembered," but he couldn't afford to waste a second.
The Kāma is essentially an ultra-dense compression of chakra. If I can extract some before his revival, I'll weaken him even if he comes back…
It was a gamble, but if it worked, it was a massive gain. Isshiki's resurrection wouldn't last long anyway, and if the extracted Kāma weakened him further, Kitagawa Gen was confident he could crush him completely.
"Damn it!"
Jigen's mutilated body hadn't fully died, but the decompression state had already begun. He could feel Kitagawa Gen siphoning something from him. Rage twisted his face, but he was helpless.
He vividly recalled the kilometer-long golden blade that not only severed him but also wiped out the two descendants of Kaguya in the same stroke.
There's no point in lingering here. Even if I keep fighting Ōtsutsuki Genshiki, I'll only lose more.
"I need to find another vessel for the Kāma… otherwise—"
Boom!
His upper body, drenched in blood, surged forward on a tide of chakra.
But suddenly, space itself rippled before him. His brow furrowed.
At that same instant, Kitagawa Gen snapped his head toward the distortion. In a flash, his golden blade once again swept out.
The blinding arc devoured the rippling space, collapsing it within less than a second. Calm returned, leaving behind only burning flames, a shattered landscape, and the fading remnants of Jigen's half-body.
In Kitagawa Gen's hand, however, a strange chakra began to condense.
---
"Has the chaos outside finally stopped?"
As Isshiki fell, the earth's violent tremors subsided. The tide-like chakra surges also quieted.
Sasuke immediately sensed the shift, realizing the battle outside must have ended.
His curiosity burned, but his own fight wasn't yet over. His strikes grew fiercer.
This was a rare chance—not only was he fighting alongside his parents, but their shared target was the very man who had annihilated the Uchiha clan.
And this is the perfect opportunity to sharpen my Mangekyō.
The Mangekyō's powers demanded practice—relentless, merciless practice.
"Die!"
With a roar, Sasuke's Susanoo swelled larger than ever. Under his eye's pressure, it let out a thunderous bellow.
Armored plates wrapped around its massive form, towering higher than even Fugaku's or Itachi's Susanoo.
In its hand, a colossal chakra blade materialized. With a single swing, it struck hard against Itachi's Susanoo.
Boom!
The blow, backed by Sasuke's ocular might, made Itachi stagger. Cracks spread across his Susanoo's armor.
"Now!"
Fugaku immediately followed up, his own Susanoo wielding a radiant blade. It slashed down with brutal force, colliding against his eldest son's defense.
The sound was deafening. And then—
Crack!
Itachi's Susanoo shattered under their combined assault.
"Sasuke, don't overuse your eyes," Fugaku warned grimly, seeing blood stream from his son's Mangekyō. "Their power is immense, but the strain is even greater. You are the last of the Uchiha. You must survive."
"Listen to your father, Sasuke," Mikoto added softly. She hadn't awakened the Mangekyō, and her role in the fight was minor, but her voice carried weight.
Her eyes lingered on the broken figure of Itachi. For all her sorrow, she chose to look instead at Sasuke—the one who still lived.
"I understand, Father… Mother."
Sasuke nodded. He knew he had ways to resolve the toll on his eyes, but that wasn't a discussion for now. For now, what mattered was finishing the fight—and cherishing this moment of fighting side by side with his parents.
---
"It shouldn't… be like this."
Unlike Sasuke's exhilaration, Itachi was stunned, lost in despair.
His mother wouldn't even spare him a glance. His father struck him down with merciless force.
The pain in his chest was worse than any wound.
Why did it come to this?
His death had given him clarity, but clarity only sharpened the regret. He should never have decided Sasuke's path for him. He had been arrogant, assuming his choices were best for his brother.
And now, confronted by his parents' rejection, the truth sank in.
Why… why did it end like this?
Though he felt that perhaps this was the punishment he deserved for his past sins, this was still his family.
The sight before him—the warmth of family, the unity he had once yearned for—was now completely and irretrievably lost.
"Itachi, things have come this far. There's nothing more to be said."
Uchiha Fugaku studied his son's expression, silently cursing to himself.
He couldn't allow Itachi's words to confuse Sasuke, to plant doubts in his mind.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the silent observer—the "future Fifth Hokage"—who had yet to act, simply watching with calm detachment.
Fugaku's conviction deepened. This entire ordeal was a trial—a test for them all, and more importantly, a crucible that would shape Sasuke's future.
Back then, Fugaku himself had no such chance. The Fourth Hokage had died, and all his own efforts had turned to dust.
But now Sasuke had this opportunity—and as his father, Fugaku would seize it for him, no matter the cost.
"The things you did back then must be settled here and now. In Konoha, before everyone's eyes."
The words left a bitter taste in his mouth. Even so, Fugaku turned his gaze away from Itachi's eyes and locked onto Sasuke instead.
"Sasuke, let's end this farce together."
"Yes, Father."
Sasuke nodded firmly. Together, their Susanoo forms radiated even greater power.
Across from them, Itachi lowered his head completely, his eyes drowning in indescribable sorrow.
"So… this is the end."
High above, Kitagawa Gen's God Tree clone watched quietly, unmoving.
He hadn't intervened at all—even when he noticed Obito sneaking off to steal the so-called Senju Relics, he made no move to stop him.
After all—
"I'd be more than happy if he carried that junk away."
The "Senju Relics" were fakes to begin with. If Obito wanted to bring them back and disgust others with them, so much the better.
As for the battlefield, there was little cause for concern. Even though this was only a God Tree clone, ever since the God Tree's Source devoured Kaguya's chakra, its strength had grown.
And his true body was stronger still.
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have crushed Isshiki so easily."
Isshiki's strength had been terrifying. The fact that he could drive future Sasuke and Naruto to the brink of collapse was no exaggeration.
But unfortunately for him, he had met Kitagawa Gen.
Armed with Ōtsutsuki bloodline and overwhelming might, bolstered by sharp words that unsettled his opponent, and aided by the Tenseigan's natural advantage over Isshiki—his defeat had been inevitable.
"Not to mention, the man never truly wished to resurrect. With all those factors stacked against him… how could he possibly win?"
To Kitagawa Gen, felling Isshiki wasn't even something to boast about—especially given everything else that had happened during the battle.
"Obito… that reckless fool. To meddle in something like this? Does he have no sense of self-preservation?"
At the last moment, Obito had rushed onto the battlefield—most likely out of sheer curiosity.
But he clearly didn't know the old saying: curiosity kills the cat.
And in this case, he was very likely to be that cat.
Boom!
While Kitagawa Gen pondered, the twin Susanoo of Sasuke and Fugaku unleashed their full might.
The suffocating pressure swept toward Itachi, detonating the battlefield with deafening force.
"Yes… it seems this really is the end."
Kitagawa Gen shook his head slightly. All that remained now was the aftermath.
Still, he couldn't deny—this entire turn of events was unexpectedly satisfying.
The reunion of Hiashi, Hizashi, and Neji… the restoration of Sasuke's family standing together…
And most importantly—
"Not only was the mission of 'root and branch eradication' accomplished perfectly, but I also gained Isshiki's chakra."