A dreadful silence engulfed the entire battlefield.

Everyone stared wide-eyed in disbelief at Isshiki, stunned and utterly speechless.

Just a moment ago—

The assembled shinobi had been bracing themselves amid the devastating bombardment from Uchiha Madara, the ground erupting with debris and clouds of dust, nervously awaiting the moment when Uchiha Obito's intangibility would fail...

Everyone had been watching anxiously.

Could this unexpected force—Uchiha Obito wielding dual Kamui—possibly stand his ground in a head-on clash against Uchiha Madara, who wielded the Rinnegan?

And more than that—

Obito himself was shrouded in countless mysteries.

His verbal exchange with Madara had just now revealed a tremendous amount of shocking information:

The forbidden technique that restored Madara's youthful vitality; the true identity of Uchiha Rin and the ocular technique that enhanced one's Sharingan; the theft of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and the truth behind Kazuki's self-sealing...

Each revelation left them hanging—everyone was still hoping for more, for the two Uchiha to keep talking and unveil even more secrets.

But in the blink of an eye—

All four of them, practically wielding eternal or near-eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, even Uchiha Madara with his Rinnegan—were skewered like porcupines by a barrage of black rods that appeared out of nowhere!

Who was this monk-like ninja?

"This... is this Yin-Yang Release? Impossible… these black rods suppress chakra even more effectively than mine!"

Uchiha Madara stared in disbelief, his Rinnegan wide with shock. He could feel his chakra sealed completely by the rods piercing his body and coughed up a mouthful of dark blood.

What baffled him even more—

How had Ōtsutsuki Isshiki managed to drive these fatal black rods into him instantly?

Madara had sensed nothing—no signal, no trace. This total lack of perception was the kind of unknown that only occurred when facing an opponent at least a full tier above oneself...

But how could that be?

He, Uchiha Madara, the sole Rinnegan user in the shinobi world—wasn't he supposed to be the ultimate force?

Failing to quickly subdue Obito had already irritated him… but now being one-shotted so effortlessly by Isshiki—this was unacceptable!

Where were all these powerhouses coming from?

Was the shinobi world really this murky…? Could it be that he wasn't the only hidden hand behind the curtain—were there others lurking as well?

Just as Madara clenched his teeth and prepared to yank out the black rods and rise to face the threat—

Isshiki's aura grew even more terrifying!

At breathtaking speed, his previously human form began to transform. Dense black markings spread across his face and body, thickening rapidly. A new patch of flesh swelled from his forehead—giving rise to a strange, otherworldly horn.

That horn was unmistakably one of the symbols of the Ōtsutsuki clan.

Isshiki sneered coldly, casting a glance at the still-resisting Madara. In the next instant, his figure shot through the air like lightning, soaring above Madara's position!

Then—he stomped down hard!

Madara sneered in return. Even under the chakra-suppressing effect of the black rods, he forcefully activated his Susanoo with tremendous ocular power!

The skeletal frame formed, grew flesh, then armor—

By the time Isshiki descended, Madara's Susanoo had already reached a semi-complete state.

"Not a full manifestation… but it's enough!"

Madara's mind raced. He commanded his black Tengu Susanoo to swing its blade in a powerful arc—intending to cleave Isshiki in half with one strike!

Watching from nearby, Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Izuna both sighed in relief.

This sudden foe had overestimated himself!

To confront a Susanoo with just his flesh and blood?

It was like an egg smashing against a boulder. Even wielding a kunai would've looked more dignified than bare fists…

Izuna could already picture the moment his brother's sword split Isshiki in two!

But the very next instant—

A scene more terrifying than anything they had imagined unfolded.

The fully armed black Tengu Susanoo—was shattered by a single punch from this half-man, half-demon monster!

Before Isshiki's overwhelming strength, the Susanoo seemed like a brittle blue plastic bag. The chakra solidified by Madara's ocular power burst and scattered in all directions—

Isshiki's foot slammed heavily into Uchiha Madara's back, as if he intended to shatter the very earth beneath him!

The impact kicked up a storm of dust, and the entire ground trembled violently.

Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Izuna both felt their hearts sink. The shock of what they had just witnessed was so overwhelming, it rendered even these two brilliant tacticians utterly speechless.

He shattered Susanoo—with just his body?

And not just any Susanoo—Uchiha Madara's Susanoo!

In their understanding, even with the most extreme physical strength—like that of Senju Hashirama exerting his full monstrous power—at most, he might crack the skeletal frame of the black Tengu Susanoo. To smash it completely with a single kick? Unthinkable.

Just who in the world was this being?

"It's over… it's all over!"

Having witnessed Isshiki's full activation of the Kāma, temporarily restoring his Ōtsutsuki form and power, Black Zetsu immediately understood who this man was...

He belonged to the main house of the Ōtsutsuki clan—the one Mother had attacked in the past!

He hadn't died after all!

"He's still alive… he's been hiding in the shinobi world for over a thousand years… and he can still unleash power at this level…"

Black Zetsu stared at the scene in sheer panic. And with his senses linked to Uchiha Obito's body, he understood even more—Obito, now pierced by a terrifying number of black rods, could hardly move, let alone resist like Madara had.

Unless those rods were completely removed, even his ocular power might be rendered unusable.

And worse—

Judging by the number of rods detonated—

Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito had been given nearly identical 'treatment', with the black rods embedded in all critical points of their bodies. In contrast, Uchiha Izuna and Senju Tobirama had merely been pinned through their limbs and internal organs—not subjected to an overwhelming saturation strike.

"Rin… Rin, that guy… he came with ill intent…"

Uchiha Obito's voice was extremely weak as he said, "These rods pierced straight through my organs… they exploded just as my intangibility ended. This man only knows how to ambush—he's a despicable coward!"

Black Zetsu was sweating in desperation.

...

After crushing Uchiha Madara with a single blow, Isshiki glanced at the snarling Madara, who still clung to a fighting spirit despite being unable to resist. Staring into the man's Rinnegan—transformed from his Mangekyō—Isshiki snapped his fingers.

[Thud!]

Two sharp black rods burst forth from thin air, skewering Madara through the clavicles.

"You… you're not bad. Once I devour Kaguya, you might even make for a decent dessert afterward… Killing you now would be a bit of a waste."

Isshiki silently smiled as he looked down at the howling Madara.

A dark red dimensional portal suddenly appeared midair. Isshiki stepped into it with elegant ease—and reemerged right in front of Uchiha Obito.

[Thud!]

The same technique—

As he arrived, sharp black rods pierced Obito through the clavicles.

But compared to Madara, Isshiki's tone now carried obvious disdain.

He looked down on Obito as if smelling something foul, a trace of killing intent flashing in his eyes. "Yes… your body carries traces of Kaguya's chakra…"

"You're that woman's pathetic little backup plan, aren't you? What a disgrace to the Ōtsutsuki name…"

A complex mix of hatred and bitterness flickered through Isshiki's eyes.

If Kaguya was a disgrace, then what did that make him—ambushed and betrayed?

Once a proud Ōtsutsuki, driven by the dream of ascension, Isshiki had been stabbed in the back by Kaguya on this very planet. And now, nearly a thousand years had been wasted!

"I will reclaim every last trace of Kaguya's chakra—then grind her into dust and scatter her to the wind!"

Isshiki muttered to himself, "This lesson… I won't forget it. After being trapped in the shinobi world for two millennia, the mindset and combat prowess I've honed here—are perhaps my most valuable treasures yet…"

"From this perspective, I should thank you, Kaguya… Perhaps this ordeal was the necessary tribulation before I reach even greater heights."

Uchiha Obito was utterly confused by what he was hearing.

"Rin, who the hell is this 'Kaguya' he keeps going on about? Another lunatic that popped out of nowhere just like him? What the hell is he even saying…"

After the verbal brawl between him and Madara, Obito's mind—once running at high speed like a CPU—now felt completely overloaded. When it came to analyzing matters that concerned himself, his mental acuity suddenly dropped off a cliff.

"Did he mistake me for someone else? What do we do now… He seems interested in my chakra!"

Black Zetsu fell silent.

Seriously? Be as foul-mouthed as you want with Isshiki, but don't drag Kaguya into this…

You're really putting me in a tough spot here, Obito!

"Obito, I don't know who this Kaguya is or what her connection is to him… Let me think, just give me a moment, there's got to be a way!" Black Zetsu gave a strained and half-hearted reply.

From its perspective, the current situation couldn't be worse!

Isshiki's sudden arrival from the sky had obliterated the hopeful future Black Zetsu had only just glimpsed…

And what was worse—his words had exposed Black Zetsu's true identity, revealing that it had deceived Uchiha Obito all along!

But right now, the most important thing was simple—survival.

Isshiki had already seized complete control of the battlefield…

But then—

As Black Zetsu glanced at the towering black coffin over the sea, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Wait a moment.

Who was inside that coffin?

To the shinobi world, it was thought to be the Sage of Six Paths. To Isshiki, it was assumed to be Kaguya…

But only Black Zetsu knew—the one sealed within was Kazuki!

Although Black Zetsu desperately wanted to believe that Kaguya could overpower Kazuki and reclaim control of her body to make a miraculous comeback…

He knew Kazuki far too well.

That elder brother of his—when he made a move, it was always a fatal strike. His mind was deep and terrifyingly meticulous.

If Kazuki had acted against Kaguya, then there was only one possibility—he had already secured absolute victory.

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I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. patreon.com/TitoVillar

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