"To be honest, I'm really surprised he's letting us go," Gyūki (Eight-Tails) said, gazing at the figure in the sky.
Matatabi (Two-Tails) followed up, "Indeed. Just releasing our other halves would have fulfilled his promise."
Son Gokū (Four-Tails), the first to trust Shūichi, chimed in, "He could deceive us, but he cannot lie to himself."
"Though he's cunning, lustful, and covets our power, he is still a man of his word. There are humans who can be trusted."
Gyūki nodded silently, though his heart still ached for Killer Bee's death.
Meanwhile, in the sky, Shūichi had successfully separated Uchiha Madara from the Gedo Statue and began consuming the statue bit by bit.
Even without the tailed beasts, the Gedo Statue, as the Shinju's (Divine Tree's) original form, still contained immense power.
What's more, Shūichi wasn't just consuming it for its energy; he was after the core essence of the Divine Tree—the fundamental source behind the Sharingan, Rinnegan, and Rinne Sharingan!
As the Gedo Statue was devoured and assimilated, Shūichi closed his eyes.
Ten seconds later, when he reopened them, an even more radiant golden light shone forth.
The Six Tomoe Golden Rinne Sharingan!
Simultaneously, a red, triple-concentric circular mark appeared on his forehead—a symbol identical to the Sage of Six Paths.
Touching the mark lightly, Shūichi smiled. "So this is it."
"A sign of unlocking the third Rinnegan."
"If I were to devour all nine tailed beasts inside me, I'd likely awaken the Nine-Tomoe Crimson Rinne Sharingan."
But a promise is a promise. Shūichi had no intention of consuming the nine tailed beasts.
Besides, even without them, he had other ways to unlock the forehead Rinne Sharingan.
Clearing his thoughts, Shūichi descended from the sky, holding Madara's lifeless body.
"Shukaku, lend me your paw!"
Extending his right hand to the eight tailed beasts, Shūichi called out.
The tailed beasts exchanged glances before Shukaku (One-Tail) stepped forward and placed his claw in Shūichi's hand.
In the next moment, Shūichi injected Shukaku's missing half back into his body.
Then came Matatabi, Isobu (Three-Tails), and so on, until Gyūki.
Now, only Yin Kurama remained within Shūichi.
"Perfect!"
"Now, just one more thing to handle."
With a flicker, Shūichi appeared beside Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu looked up, locking eyes with Shūichi's dazzling golden Six Tomoe Rinne Sharingan. "I've already figured out your Mangekyō ability—it's Izanagi, the ultimate illusion of the Uchiha clan, isn't it?"
Shūichi nodded with a smirk. "Congratulations, you're correct!"
Black Zetsu pressed further. "Then what about your Rinnegan's ability? Is it similar to Obito's space-time technique?"
Shūichi chuckled softly. "No, you're only half right."
"My Rinnegan's ability is called Eternal Celestial Stance! A purely time-based technique."
The left eye of Eternal Celestial Stance allowed Shūichi to exist outside of time, positioning himself at a future point where no attack could reach him.
This made it appear as if attacks passed through him, much like Obito's Kamui.
However, in truth, Shūichi's body existed in the future, rendering any present attack ineffective.
Of course, the technique had limitations.
Projecting himself into the future came with constraints—the further ahead he went, the greater the energy consumption.
Currently, Shūichi's maximum was ten seconds, allowing him to position himself in any moment within that timeframe.
In the future, he could still move freely.
For instance, if Shūichi chose to exist in the second second of the future, he'd have two full seconds to maneuver.
Without teleportation techniques like Flying Thunder God, however, the range of movement within those seconds was limited.
This meant Eternal Celestial Stance could be countered by continuous, all-encompassing attacks—similar to how Konan prepared for Obito's Kamui.
But Shūichi had Flying Thunder God!
And this was only the ability of his left eye.
Naturally, he didn't share these details with Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu sneered. "Shūichi Hoshita, this isn't over!"
"Mother will escape her seal again someday!"
Shūichi laughed lightly. "You mean the Ōtsutsuki clan from beyond the stars?"
Black Zetsu froze.
Shūichi smiled with anticipation. "Honestly, I'm already looking forward to their arrival in the ninja world."
"You know I have many women, don't you? For them to stay with me forever, I'll need plenty of Ten-Tails and Ōtsutsuki."
Black Zetsu stared in disbelief. "You… you're insane!"
Shūichi bowed slightly, a picture of elegance. "Thank you for the compliment."
"Well then, it's time for you to return to Kaguya's embrace."
"A family should always stick together, don't you think?"
With that, Shūichi extended his hand. The black staff pinning Black Zetsu down transformed into chains that clattered as they flew into his grasp.
Then, with a piercing scream, Black Zetsu was reduced to a mass of black substance. Bound by chains, he was dragged into Shūichi Hoshita's body and sealed within the Demon Realm: Palace of Memories, merging with Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's soul.
From that moment on, Black Zetsu ceased to exist.
As for the dismembered hand left on the ground, Shūichi didn't let it go to waste. He drained its chakra completely—better than nothing.
"Let's go. Time to return to the ninja world."
Returning to the group where Uchiha Shisui and the others waited, Shūichi opened a portal to the ninja world, stepping through with Madara's corpse in tow.
Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Obito followed next. Then, the eight tailed beasts, shrinking their massive forms, one by one entered the space-time gate.
---
Main Battlefield of the Ninja World.
The moment the space-time gate appeared, Hashirama Senju, Minato Namikaze, and Tobirama Senju immediately sensed it.
"Did he succeed?" Minato's face lit up with hope.
Soon, Shūichi stepped out of the gate.
"Shūichi!"
Mei Terumi and Pakura leaped toward him without hesitation.
Near Nagato, Konan finally exhaled in relief.
"Go ahead," Nagato encouraged her.
Konan blushed slightly, turning her face away.
Having dispelled Sage Mode, Jiraiya couldn't help but stare. "Konan, don't tell me you're…"
Nagato replied flatly, "It's obvious, isn't it, Jiraiya-sensei?"
Jiraiya froze, then let out a helpless chuckle. "That Shūichi… So lecherous, yet so many women are drawn to him. Truly…"
Especially Tsunade, who wasn't just involved but also… pregnant.
That wasn't like her at all.
It was a bitter pill to swallow.
Losing to a junior? Unacceptable!
---
By the space-time gate, Shūichi dropped Madara's lifeless body to the ground, wrapping his arms around Mei Terumi and Pakura.
This display left Minato slightly embarrassed, especially with Hashirama and Tobirama standing nearby—not to mention the Fourth Kazekage.
However, Hashirama wasn't paying attention to any of this. Instead, he knelt beside Madara's corpse, his expression a complex mix of emotions.
They had been friends once, yet also the fiercest of rivals, bound by a history too tangled to unravel.
As the eight tailed beasts emerged, the space-time gate disappeared.
Onoki and the Fourth Kazekage stepped forward.
"Lord Shūichi, is it over?" Onoki asked, addressing him with the same reverence he showed Hashirama.
Releasing Mei and Pakura, Shūichi smiled. "Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, Black Zetsu, and Madara Uchiha have all been sealed by me."
"Unless someone kills me, the seal cannot be broken."
Since they were sealed within him, the only way to release them was to kill or capture Shūichi—and the latter was undoubtedly more challenging.
The Fourth Kazekage quickly inquired, "Can the Infinite Tsukuyomi be undone?"
Shūichi nodded and activated his Six-Tomoe Rinne Sharingan.
The sight of this enhanced eye—now with three additional tomoe and even greater power—startled everyone.
Shūichi glanced at Hashirama but couldn't sense the Sage of Six Paths.
What a pity. If he could absorb some of the Sage's chakra, his golden Six-Tomoe Rinne Sharingan might evolve into a Nine-Tomoe version.
"It seems the Sage of Six Paths is wary of me as well," Shūichi thought with an amused smile.
Refocusing on the conversation, he said, "The Infinite Tsukuyomi can be undone, but…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart skipped a beat. "But what?"
Shūichi looked up at the starry sky. "Our troubles are far from over."
"Kaguya Ōtsutsuki came from beyond this world."
Everyone instinctively raised their heads.
Onoki clenched his teeth. "You're saying there are more like her?"
Shūichi withdrew his gaze and nodded. "The Ōtsutsuki clan, much like the Hyūga clan, operates with a main and branch family system."
"They usually act in pairs."
"In other words, even without considering the other Ōtsutsuki out there, Kaguya didn't come to Earth alone back then. There was another Ōtsutsuki with her."
"The most critical point is this: Kaguya was a subordinate."
Everyone's faces turned grim at his words.
Hashirama Senju stood and asked, "Something must have happened back then, which left only Kaguya Ōtsutsuki remaining. What was it?"
Shūichi nodded. "Kaguya betrayed and ambushed another Ōtsutsuki, seizing control of the Divine Tree, which is the Ten-Tails."
"The Divine Tree was planted long before their arrival and had already absorbed a significant amount of natural energy. The Ōtsutsuki's arrival on Earth was to harvest its fruit. Kaguya ate the fruit of the Divine Tree, which awakened her Rinne Sharingan with nine tomoe."
"Later, Kaguya gave birth to the Sage of Six Paths and his younger brother, Hamura Ōtsutsuki."
"The two brothers, guided by the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, uncovered the truth about the Divine Tree. Before that, humanity had risen in rebellion against Kaguya, leading her to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi. She released some of those under the jutsu to allow humanity to repopulate."
"However, to ensure the Divine Tree continued gathering energy rapidly, sacrifices had to be made periodically. I'm sure you've guessed what the method was."
The weakened Fourth Raikage growled angrily, "Was it the same as the Infinite Tsukuyomi, draining chakra from people?"
Shūichi nodded. "The brothers discovered this truth and eventually waged war against Kaguya. In the end, they sealed her and the Ten-Tails. They extracted the Ten-Tails' power to create the nine tailed beasts."
"However, before being sealed, Kaguya gave birth to Black Zetsu, a creature that schemed tirelessly for her resurrection. It manipulated the Sage of Six Paths' sons, Indra and Asura, into conflict."
"After the Sage of Six Paths passed away, the Warring States Era began. The Senju and Uchiha clans fought for generations—guided by Black Zetsu—all to produce someone capable of awakening the Rinnegan and fulfilling its plan to resurrect Kaguya."
"Additionally, the Sage of Six Paths' younger brother, Hamura Ōtsutsuki, had descendants as well—the Hyūga clan."
Hiashi Hyūga froze, stunned by the revelation.
Everyone else stood in shocked silence.
This… This was like a convoluted soap opera of betrayal and manipulation!
Shūichi turned and looked westward. "The Land of Wind, and the vast barren lands beyond it, are directly linked to the Divine Tree's overconsumption of natural energy."
"The Divine Tree drains the land's vitality, leaving it desolate."
"You now understand how troublesome the Ōtsutsuki clan is, don't you? They're not so easy to kill."
"The Otsutsuki Isshiki who was ambushed by Otsutsuki Kaguya may not be truly dead. Kaguya's attempt to nourish the Divine Tree further was also in preparation for the main family of the Ōtsutsuki clan."
"The harvesters have been silent for a long time. They will definitely send someone here again."
Hearing this, Onoki and the other leaders' expressions darkened.
Jiraiya attempted to lighten the mood. "Well, it's been over a thousand years. Maybe they've forgotten about us?"
Tobirama Senju retorted coldly, "The power of the Divine Tree is enough to create someone as strong as the Sage of Six Paths. Who would forget such a thing?"
Shūichi nodded. "The Ōtsutsuki clan plants Divine Trees across the cosmos to harvest their fruit and achieve immortality. Forgetting is impossible."
"Besides, Isshiki Ōtsutsuki still possesses a Ten-Tails. It's likely hidden in some alternate dimension right now."
The crowd was visibly shaken.
Obito Uchiha stepped forward. "Leave the search for the Ten-Tails to me. My ocular abilities resonate with alternate dimensions—I might be able to locate it."
Shūichi nodded and handed Madara's eyes to Nagato. "Nagato, I'm entrusting these Rinnegan to you again."
"To atone for your past, you'll become the hidden guardian of the ninja world, tasked with tracking Isshiki Ōtsutsuki's movements."
Onoki, the Fourth Kazekage, and the Fourth Raikage were visibly alarmed. The Raikage clenched his teeth and shouted, "This is too important! Shouldn't we choose someone more suitable for this role?"
"This man was the leader of the Akatsuki! Don't forget, it was he who destroyed Kumogakure!"
Onoki glanced at Obito. "Iwagakure was also destroyed by him, but considering his efforts in defeating Kaguya, Iwagakure won't pursue this further."
Onoki took a step back.
Shūichi explained, "Obito joined Madara's Moon Eye Plan after Madara manipulated Kirigakure to execute the Three-Tails Rampage Plan against Konoha during the Third Great Ninja War. That was also when I first clashed with the elderly Madara."
"Later, Obito discovered the truth but was controlled by Black Zetsu and White Zetsu. To counter this, I took one of his eyes and faked Rin Nohara's death, allowing Obito to infiltrate the Akatsuki as a Konoha spy with a degree of autonomy."
"Otherwise, how do you think we got so much information?"
Shūichi bore responsibility for Obito's destruction of Iwagakure, framing it as a necessary move toward unification.
Onoki's face twisted with frustration.
The Fourth Raikage growled, "But Nagato isn't a Konoha spy, is he?"
He clearly remembered that Nagato was Jiraiya's student, one of the Three Legendary Sannin.
If this excuse were used again… The Raikage clenched his fists tightly.
(End of Chapter)
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