"Rin… don't worry. I'll find a way to change the situation…"

Uchiha Obito's voice was weak, tinged with the unique frailty of someone whose life force was slipping away: "At the very least, I'll find a way to keep you alive. Just believe in me…"

"This shinobi world… is too damn murky. If I die, don't avenge me. Just stay hidden in the Kamui dimension and live out the rest of your days in peace…"

Obito struggled to gather chakra, but the black rods suppressing him—along with the severe physical pain—only worsened his condition. Blood flowed in thick streams from his body.

"Don't move, Obito!"

Black Zetsu shouted in a panic. "Don't do anything reckless!"

But Obito simply smiled and stubbornly kept trying to form chakra.

Black Zetsu watched the scene unfold, a swirl of complex emotions flooding his heart…

Has anyone ever risked their life for you like this?

Black Zetsu had—he had toiled in the shinobi world for a thousand years for Kaguya…

But the only one who had ever risked his life for him was Uchiha Obito.

"Trust Kazuki!" Black Zetsu suddenly shouted. "There will still be a miracle!"

"When Kazuki sealed himself, he had already laid out his entire plan. We have to believe in him!"

Obito hesitated and slowly shook his head. "Rin, even Kazuki couldn't have foreseen an enemy like this…"

But Black Zetsu seemed to have come to a realization, and replied with rare certainty: "No—believe in Kazuki, Obito!"

In that split second of clarity—

Black Zetsu understood something crucial…

Today's failure—his own, Madara's, Tobirama's, and Izuna's—was because none of them had accounted for Isshiki's existence, or his ability to temporarily restore his peak form.

But Kazuki?

Maybe it was desperation, or maybe the pressure was pushing Black Zetsu to the brink of collapse.

Yet at this moment, it was more convinced than ever:

Kazuki must have foreseen Isshiki's existence.

Black Zetsu didn't know whether Kazuki could defeat Isshiki…

But this was the last hope it had. The final way to ensure Obito survived—and didn't die a senseless death because of him.

Compared to Isshiki—if it were Kazuki who seized control of Kaguya's body, defeated Isshiki, and ultimately emerged victorious—

Black Zetsu, though unwilling to admit it, honestly believed that Kazuki wouldn't kill Kaguya, wouldn't kill him, and definitely wouldn't kill Obito…

Kazuki, for all his terrifying obsession with power, still possessed something the rest of the Ōtsutsuki clan lacked—a sense of human empathy.

The best example of that?

Kazuki had never killed him. Despite allowing Black Zetsu to stir up chaos and manipulate others from the shadows, Kazuki had always let him live. At times, Black Zetsu even felt like Kazuki was just an older brother who enjoyed toying with his younger sibling—his actions left deep psychological scars, sure, but he'd never gone so far as to truly harm him.

At worst, he'd been scathingly sarcastic.

And now, in a moment like this…

When it came to rescuing Kaguya… Black Zetsu, despite himself, had already silently given up.

He had even begun to root for Kazuki in his heart.

"Brother… please… succeed in seizing Kaguya's power…"

A twisted thought flashed through Black Zetsu's mind, one that made him want to slap himself: "If it were Kaguya who appeared… with her combat skills, she'd never be able to defeat Isshiki!"

Black Zetsu might not be a fighter, but he knew his people.

In the original timeline, he had served as Kaguya's strategist—her loyal dog-headed tactician—guiding her through the use of her abilities and helping her suppress Naruto and Sasuke, even when they wielded the Yin-Yang powers of the Sage of Six Paths.

From Black Zetsu's ruthless perspective, it was clear at a glance: Isshiki, after surviving for over a thousand years in the shinobi world, was not someone who could be overcome without the power of the Ten Tails…

If Kaguya were the one to emerge from the coffin and seize control of Kazuki's body—everything would be over!

But if it was Kazuki—

Then there was still hope. The shinobi world could still be saved.

Unknowingly, Black Zetsu had begun to act like a traitor…

And at that moment—

Isshiki slowly approached Kazuki's coffin. With both hands pressed together, he activated a technique—and the momentary freedom the Reanimated Five Kage had regained after Madara's fall was abruptly revoked. Their eyes became cloudy again.

They began unleashing a barrage of jutsu, frantically trying to block Konoha's shinobi from reaching Isshiki.

Only now—

Did the shinobi truly realize a horrifying truth:

These Reanimated bodies—the so-called Five Kage—hadn't been controlled by Uchiha Madara all along. They were under Isshiki's control the entire time.

Uchiha Madara, collapsed on the ground, clenched his teeth in agony.

For the first time, he had tasted the feeling of being utterly toyed with…

And within the Pure Land, the Sage of Six Paths and Ōtsutsuki Hamura—watching the events unfold—were both overwhelmed by confusion and fear.

A member of Kaguya's clan… had truly been hiding within the shinobi world!

Meanwhile, in an alternate dimension, high above, Momoshiki, Urashiki, and Kinshiki observed the scene unfold—and their expressions turned grim.

"I told you… that man wouldn't die so easily. But something's clearly different in this timeline… Everything happening here is way off from what happened on our side," Momoshiki narrowed his eyes as he stared at Isshiki, now fully immersed in his Kāma: State Two.

"Looks like the chakra we planned to divide among ourselves… might need to be split again."

Urashiki glanced sideways at Momoshiki and whispered, "How about we just…"

He made a throat-slashing gesture.

Momoshiki gave a cold chuckle. "If you want to bear the stigma of crossing dimensions and murdering a fellow clansman, go right ahead. I won't stop you. Just don't expect me to help."

He sneered again, "And with your combat skills—you think you could take on Isshiki? You wouldn't fare much better than those mortals down there."

His tone carried deep dread toward Isshiki—and unveiled open contempt toward Urashiki.

Urashiki gave a sheepish laugh, but a glint of cunning flashed in his eyes.

'Little Momo's not as dumb as he looks…' he thought privately.

Back on the battlefield—

Konoha's shinobi were desperately charging toward Isshiki, but he drew ever closer… closer… closer to Kazuki's coffin.

Until—

A man in a green bodysuit, wreathed in dazzling blue steam, stepped in front of the coffin.

"Shisui! Yashiro! Use your dōjutsu on me!"

Might Duy let out a thunderous roar: "Konoha's crazy old Duy… will now burn his youth for Kazuki-sama!"

"Eight Gates Released Formation — Gate of Death… Open!!"

As that furious cry echoed across the battlefield, Senju Tobirama felt a jolt shoot through his brain like a lightning strike. He instantly shouted at Uchiha Izuna: "Hey, bastard! Lock down that guy's space! Give Duy some time!"

"I'm doing it already, quit yelling!"

Uchiha Izuna snarled back, frantically driving his ocular power as space around Isshiki was instantly sealed in place.

Back when Isshiki was still talking to Uchiha Obito...

These two crafty bastards had been secretly working to pull out the black rods from their bodies as quietly as possible. They hadn't acted—until now.

Meanwhile, within Kazuki's body—

Kaguya, seeing the furious, overwhelming momentum Isshiki now carried, was nearly in tears.

"Kazuki! We can still run! There's time! He's come for revenge—he's stronger than ever before!"

"With your talent, as long as you survive, you'll eventually have the chance to avenge everyone!"

Kazuki looked ahead at Might Duy, whose body was now surrounded by blazing red steam, and shook his head.

"Kaguya… just watch. The idea that a mortal can stand shoulder to shoulder with the gods… isn't something only I can achieve."

"That man— I believe in him."

Kazuki expressed his full trust in Might Duy's performance...

But the more Kazuki trusted, the more anxious Kaguya became!

She knew all too well what kind of person Isshiki truly was…

Especially someone like Isshiki, who had clawed his way up from the very bottom of the shinobi world and accumulated experience over the course of a thousand years. Even if he activated Kāma: Second State and had his vessel bear the power of an Ōtsutsuki, he still could not reach the might of his prime…

Yet the subtleties and posture he displayed during combat made one thing painfully clear to Kaguya—

During the time she had been sealed by the Sage of Six Paths, Isshiki had been continuously absorbing nourishment from the shinobi world, enriching his techniques…

Whereas she, apart from having been taught some new skills by Kazuki recently, had effectively remained stagnant for a thousand years.

A disparity that was already considerable had now widened even further!

In Kaguya's view, Kazuki's raw strength still fell short of her own…

The only reason he had managed to defeat her was, first, that he had prepared in advance with various techniques specifically meant to counter a Sage of Six Paths—essentially ambushing her; and second, she had to admit she was rather poor in actual combat—her fighting ability simply wasn't on the same level as Kazuki's.

But in terms of bloodline and other hard-wired attributes, Kaguya believed that Kazuki only had the prototype of an Ōtsutsuki. At the very least, he was still far from possessing the standard kekkei mōra expected of the clan…

The fact that Kazuki had managed to kill her in a surprise attack and across realms…

That was one thing.

But if it were a fair one-on-one battle between men…

Isshiki was not someone of her level—he was a seasoned and ruthless Ōtsutsuki warrior. For Kazuki, defeating him would be exceedingly difficult!

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

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