Chapter 234: Could Ōtsutsuki Genshiki's Path Also Be a Viable One?
"Are you insane?!"
Inside Kamui's dimension, Black Zetsu stared at Obito in utter disbelief.
"You actually dared to meddle in that chaos? Do you have a death wish?!"
"I just want to know," Obito said as he fitted his mask back on and rubbed his battered body, "who exactly Genshiki Ōtsutsuki was fighting… and what kind of being could push him that far."
The surge of power had nearly obliterated him—his body reduced to scraps, the lingering phantom pain gnawing at him.
"Anyway, I have Izanagi. With this power, I can afford to test the waters. Even if it means snatching fire from the jaws of death!"
"…And what was the result?"
Black Zetsu sighed. This man was reckless beyond belief. Did Obito have any idea how terrifying that battlefield was? And yet… he had to admit, Izanagi's resilience was astounding. Even in the midst of such devastation, Obito had survived.
But curiosity gnawed at Zetsu too. He wanted to know what had happened over there.
"So—did you see anything?"
"Barely," Obito admitted, irritation creeping into his voice. "The moment I poked my head out, Genshiki struck. I tried to Kamui away half a corpse that was still clinging to life—but before I could finish, his attack was already upon me. The body vanished."
"…A corpse with horns. And it was still alive."
Obito fell silent for a beat before asking gravely:
"Was that… one of his kin?"
"I don't know."
Black Zetsu swallowed, though in his heart he was almost certain. Otherwise, how could such monstrous power exist?
The thought alone left him shaken. Could it be true—that Genshiki Ōtsutsuki had actually defeated another Ōtsutsuki? Perhaps even… killed one?
"What in the world is happening…?"
A chill crept up Zetsu's spine. A sudden realization struck him.
"Don't tell me—it was someone from the Moon who descended?"
If it were Ōtsutsuki from beyond the stars, conflict was unlikely. But if it was the lunar branch family… Genshiki might have had every reason to strike them down. Still, it was too early to say.
"…Maybe. Maybe not," Zetsu muttered, shaking his head after a long pause. "But instead of fixating on them, perhaps we should focus on our matter."
"That's exactly what I've been thinking," Obito said with a sigh. He couldn't abandon his goals, not now. "Forget it. We've already secured the Senju relics. Let's examine them first."
"Agreed. Perhaps they hold more secrets."
Zetsu's tone was distracted, his mind still wavering. But like Obito, he too carried burdens he could never set down.
And then—Obito froze. His brows furrowed.
"…This is strange. The records claim that the Rabbit Goddess was indeed an Ōtsutsuki, and the progenitor of chakra itself. But her seal—it wasn't just the Sage of Six Paths. His younger brother helped too."
"It matches the Uchiha stone tablet," Zetsu muttered, unease prickling at him.
"Exactly. But then why… why did the Sage advise Ashura to abandon his conflict with Indra, to choose peace instead?"
"Huh…?"
"What secret is hidden within the Uchiha-Senju feud?!"
"!!!"
Black Zetsu's heart nearly stopped. That couldn't be right! He never inscribed such words into the stone!
Snapping his head up, he glared at the bark that contained the Senju relic inscriptions.
And there it was. At the very end—one final line.
'The shinobi world may conceal dangers and conspiracies unknown. Tread carefully.'
Just a single sentence, yet it froze Zetsu's blood cold.
"What…? When did I write this?!"
Terror gripped him. He was supposed to be the forger—how had it become more authentic than reality itself?
"Someone… someone's onto me?" His mind reeled. "No—that doesn't make sense. If they knew, they would've exposed me outright. Then what is this…?"
A horrifying thought crept in.
Could it be… the Moon's people?
Or perhaps… remnants of Kaguya's Yin–Yang consciousness, her very descendants?
As Obito and Zetsu puzzled over the relic, a figure lurked in a darkened corner of Kamui's dimension.
His presence was masked so completely he seemed no more than a speck of dust. Yet his eyes glinted coldly.
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
A proud being—reduced to hiding in secret. But even he felt dread at the tangled schemes now suffocating the shinobi world. His life force was nearly spent. He had to tread carefully.
"Tch. A descendant who inherited the fruit's power, who even clashed with Genshiki himself—and yet claims ignorance of this world's truths?"
Isshiki's teeth ground together as he recalled Genshiki's treachery. That bastard had framed him, singled him out, intending to devour him as nothing more than fodder for power.
"You maniac. I'll kill you."
Still, his gaze lingered on Obito.
"At least this one… is a decent vessel. Far better than Jigen ever was."
With such a body, Isshiki believed he could return at full strength, unburdened by mortal limits. In a way, it was almost a blessing in disguise.
And yet… his brow furrowed.
"Could it be… that Genshiki's vision is a viable path after all?"
---
Meanwhile, in the Pure Land, the two brothers sat in heavy silence. Something about Kitagawa Gen's words had unsettled them deeply.
"Brother…" Hamura finally broke the quiet. "Do you think… that boy's words might be true?"
"Don't ask me. I don't know."
Of course Hagoromo understood what his younger brother was really asking. But he too was lost.
That child… Gen was outrageous, sharp-tongued, and utterly shameless in his accusations. And yet—without full knowledge of the truth—his words almost sounded correct.
The thought alone made Hagoromo feel absurd. And yet… it also made too much sense.
"What exactly is that boy thinking?" Hamura muttered at last. "Why is his mind so sharp? And what else is he plotting in secret?"
"Not all of it may be bad," Hagoromo said softly, for once wearing a faint smile. "Whatever he's planning, I believe the future will be brighter for it. We, the dead, should leave it to them."
"Leave it to them, huh?" Hamura's lips curled into a mischievous smile.
"But brother, haven't you still preserved Indra's and Asura's powers? Can you really claim to have let go?"
"Call it… preparation for the future," Hagoromo replied without shame.
"At the end of the day, I trust in the choices of our successors. I have a feeling—their feud will end with this generation."
"Is that so?"
Hamura tilted his head, then chuckled darkly.
"Even if it means you playing the villain? Even if it means you allowed their battles, so the crucible of war would forge the shinobi's will? Even if it means countless corpses over a thousand years, and even your own sons trapped in endless reincarnation?"
Hagoromo's hands clenched. Even after hearing such accusations countless times, the sting never dulled.
Perhaps he should take back what he'd said earlier. "Not all of it bad"? No. This was evil beyond reason.
---
Back in Konoha, Kitagawa Gen finally returned home.
Today had been exhausting, but at last, it was over.
"As for Sasuke and his parents—they've gone back. Let them enjoy some peace for now."
Uchiha Fugaku's combat ability was still impressive. Though no one knew the exact powers of his Mangekyō Sharingan, Edo Tensei allowed him to unleash Susanoo without restraint.
But no matter how strong he was, keeping him around wasn't exactly a good idea. After all, everyone knew the truth behind the clan's downfall.
Perhaps because he had already died once, his mind seemed clearer than before. Fugaku had no intention of lingering; all he wanted was to spend a few days with Mikoto and Sasuke before departing.
"Maybe he knows the Uchiha's fate was his responsibility. Out of guilt, he doesn't want to stay—and at the same time, it saves everyone the discomfort of having him around."
Whatever his reasons, no one opposed the idea—except Sasuke. Of course, if combat demanded it, Fugaku could be summoned at any time.
"For now, I imagine he and Mikoto are busy 'guiding' Sasuke," Gen said with a faint smile.
Still, for his parents, this was important. They would surely take it seriously.
"Enough about them. My house visits are finished."
Shaking his head, Gen split off a shadow clone, then in an instant entered the Amenominaka space.
There, beneath the towering divine tree, he landed lightly on its vast canopy and nodded in satisfaction.
It was time to focus on himself again.
"I never expected this battle to accelerate the fusion of my Yin–Yang Release. Truly an unexpected gain."
Thanks to the rewards from his previous trial, his progress with Yin–Yang Release had already been advancing rapidly. Now, that progress had been compressed even further.
On top of that, he had just acquired Sasuke's Yin Release—an undeniable advantage.
But most importantly… Isshiki's chakra.
What he had extracted came directly from the Kāma seal. There was no telling what hidden information might lie within it.
Of course, it was still a gamble. No one had ever attempted such a thing before.
"If nothing else… I can always feed it to the tree."
With that thought, the Yin–Yang Release within his body surged violently. The freshly obtained Yin Release melted seamlessly into him, and his consciousness dove deep into Isshiki's chakra.
In that instant, his bloodline began to boil.
Almost simultaneously, streams of unknown information seemed to unfold before his eyes—
(End of Chapter)
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