A terrible thought surged through Ōtsutsuki Kōshi's mind. He looked at Uchiha Chiga in disbelief.
"A Ten-Tails? Do you intend to plant a God Tree here!?"
Chiga gave him a sharp glance and replied,
"Why not? If God Trees can be planted on other planets, why can't one be planted here?"
"Bastard! I won't let you succeed!"
With fury in his voice, Kōshi swooped downwards. Chiga followed close behind, his eyes flashing with golden light as he fired beams of energy after him.
Sensing the golden rays closing in, Kōshi dared not be careless. He quickly opened another black hole, swallowing the incoming attack.
From the very start of their battle, Kōshi had been at a disadvantage, constantly suppressed by Chiga. This humiliation stung deeply, for he was the Great Elder of the clan.
Over countless millennia, Kōshi had consumed innumerable Divine Tree fruits. Yet with each fruit, the enhancement they provided had grown weaker. He had secluded himself within the forbidden lands for so long that, although he still held immense power, he found it difficult to unleash it freely. That stifling pressure weighed heavily upon him.
The white ripples in his eyes had vanished, replaced by an unsettling pitch-black void.
Kōshi suddenly turned, glaring at Chiga. In an instant, several Truth-Seeking Orbs appeared around him, then dissolved into a mass of black smoke that engulfed Chiga.
Within the suffocating smoke, Chiga felt a terrifying corrosive force gnawing at him. The sizzling sound against his protective Divine Escort rang out sharply, its glow dimming rapidly. Even worse, the space itself seemed locked, preventing the use of any spatial abilities.
Chiga narrowed his eyes.
"This old man has been hiding away for far too long. Finally, he shows something worthy of a Great Elder."
Seeing the Divine Escort about to collapse, Chiga dismissed it and chose brute force instead. He rushed straight out of the smoke using the sheer strength of his physique.
The cost, however, was steep. His body was now covered with corrosive scars, black smoke seeping from the burns.
Kōshi, calmer now, focused his chakra. A Truth-Seeking Orb reshaped into an arm, fusing with the stump of his severed limb.
Chiga's eyes widened slightly. Other than Obito, Kōshi was the most skilled wielder of the Truth-Seeking Orbs he had ever seen.
Drawing in a deep breath, Kōshi's body radiated black chakra. Gray bones sprouted from his back, spreading outward until they formed a pair of skeletal wings. His body became clad in bone armor, even his face masked except for his blackened Rinnegan.
A bone spear formed in his hand, which he pointed directly at Chiga. The pressure radiating from Kōshi's new form was overwhelming—even Chiga's expression grew grim.
In a blur, Kōshi vanished. Immediately, the Divine Escort behind Chiga split into seven distinct weapons and struck the space behind him.
As expected, Kōshi appeared there. For a moment, surprise flashed in his eyes, but he did not flinch, allowing the weapons to pierce his chest.
Yet, the Divine Escort could not penetrate his defense. Instead, a gray corrosion spread across its surface. Kōshi sneered and shook his body, sending the Divine Escort flying away. The corrupted portions of the weapon crumbled into ash. When it finally reformed into a ring, a gaping crack scarred its surface.
Chiga caught the Divine Escort, his expression solemn as he examined the damage.
So, these were Completely Ash Bones. And not only effective against living beings—his Divine Escort itself was nearly destroyed.
If not for Chiga infusing his own power into it, the weapon would have been reduced to nothing.
Kōshi smirked with disdain.
"The Divine Escort is only borrowed strength. Without it, how long can you continue your arrogance?"
Beside him, a black hole appeared. Kōshi thrust his bone spear into it.
Chiga's instincts screamed. He twisted aside, narrowly avoiding a strike that grazed his waist.
Kōshi frowned. Chiga's reflexes were too sharp, as though he could predict the future.
This was the power of Observation Haki, something Chiga had mastered in the Pirate World. Normally, he rarely needed it—ever since awakening as an Ōtsutsuki, no opponent's movements had been beyond his perception. But now, it made the difference between survival and annihilation.
Kōshi roared, spreading his skeletal wings. From them, countless gray bone spikes erupted, filling the sky like a storm.
He sealed the surrounding space once more and hurled the deadly barrage forward.
Chiga's golden eyes flared, and he unleashed a Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, the beam clashing against the sea of bones. Yet, compared to the sheer scale of the assault, the golden light seemed pitifully small. Within moments, the tide of gray swallowed him whole.
A faint golden flicker shimmered within the massive sphere of bones. Kōshi clenched his hand, and the bones converged into a colossal gray orb—an imitation of Earth Explosion Star, forged entirely from Ash Bones.
The golden light vanished. Satisfied, Kōshi allowed himself a cruel smile.
But when he looked down upon the now-empty Ōtsutsuki Star, the smile faded.
"Damn it. Our clan numbers are dwindling. The supply of Divine Tree fruits will be greatly reduced in the future."
His thoughts shifted suddenly. What about the Ten-Tails Chiga had released earlier? Why had there been no movement from it?
That creature was unlike any Ten-Tails he had ever seen—its color was strange, its aura terrifying.
Without hesitation, Kōshi swooped down toward the ground to investigate.
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