Black Zetsu didn't even dare think further.

It couldn't bear the thought—Kaguya, already mentally broken after being defeated by Urashiki and Momoshiki, unable to lift her head, consumed by anxiety, fearful to even face Kazuki—

Now she would also have to be stabbed in the back by him—her third son—like a second Hamura or Hagoromo.

How desperate Kaguya must have been in that moment!

And all those emotions born from that despair—Uchiha Kazuki would surely make use of them, drawing out and absorbing every last bit of power Kaguya possessed.

Black Zetsu's first reaction was to scream at that self-righteous Kazuki—No!

Who said I'm going to follow your script?! Damn you, Uchiha Kazuki—I'll never betray Kaguya!

But...

If not Kazuki—then what would happen to Uchiha Obito?

Uchiha Obito had become a hostage in Kazuki's hands, used to threaten Black Zetsu.

And the truly terrifying part was that deep inside, a voice whispered to Black Zetsu:

Even if you abandon Obito and remain loyal to Kaguya... can she really escape Kazuki's clutches?

It was only a matter of time. All Black Zetsu would be doing was accelerating the inevitable.

In fact, from a different perspective, all it would be doing was helping to amplify Kaguya's power—who wasn't good at fighting—so that it could be used by Kazuki against the outer Ōtsutsuki…

In truth, for Black Zetsu, for Obito, for Kaguya—and even for Kazuki and the shinobi world—this was the optimal path.

"Could this betrayal really be... unavoidable?"

With deep sorrow, Black Zetsu turned to glance at Uchiha Obito.

His face no longer looked like it once had—half of it now belonged to Isshiki, while the other half was his own. Black streaks, the symbol of the Kāma seal, stretched across his entire body as he struggled violently on the ground in a tug-of-war.

Using Kamui, Black Zetsu shifted far away, to the edge of the battlefield.

It had only one final hope left…

That all of this—these thoughts, these speculations—were wrong. That it was just projecting its darkest assumptions onto Kazuki…

That maybe—just maybe—its elder brother wasn't as cruel as it feared.

Kazuki glanced at Black Zetsu's grief-stricken expression and chuckled silently to himself.

Though they hadn't exchanged a single word, Kazuki could tell from Black Zetsu's posture that it had more or less guessed what he wanted it to do.

Smart people always made communication easier.

In truth, Obito wasn't the only hostage inside Kazuki.

Kaguya, sealed within Kazuki, was also a hostage of sorts.

And if Black Zetsu wanted to save the two people it held most dear, it had to become the bridge—to break Kaguya's will and crush her spirit on Kazuki's behalf.

Only then could there be a happy ending.

Black Zetsu had no other choice.

Kazuki was the only one left who could save Uchiha Obito from Isshiki, the only one who could give Kaguya a peaceful conclusion.

On the battlefield—

Kazuki was sizing up the newly transformed Urashiki and Momoshiki.

Only after their second-stage transformations did the two Ōtsutsuki finally pose a credible threat.

Momoshiki, having devoured Kinshiki, now bore golden Tenseigan in both eyes and a golden Rinnegan in the center of each palm.

A third golden Rinnegan had opened on his forehead. Black markings covered his upper body like armor, and his long white hair surged outward. His Ōtsutsuki horn had burst forward with a ferocious curve…

Urashiki's transformed state was similar to Momoshiki's: the pair of Tenseigan had turned gold, and he too bore a golden Rinnegan on his forehead. But unlike Momoshiki, his humanoid body had morphed into that of a monstrous avian creature, radiating menace.

"They really are monstrously strong… terrifying…"

Kazuki narrowed his eyes. Something seemed to stir within him—his chakra was beginning to destabilize.

In that instant, Kaguya's phantom briefly flickered into view and murmured faintly: "As expected of the Ōtsutsuki… it seems I'll need to retreat for now…"

Kazuki suddenly leapt backward. After exchanging a glance with Senju Tobirama, a red flash lit up his pupils—and without a word, he turned and shot off toward the distant ocean as if fleeing!

"Ha! So you do know fear, you damned native!"

Urashiki burst into laughter. Ever since turning into a bird-like being, his brain seemed to have lost all reason—gone was his former glib, suave persona.

With a powerful flap of his wings, Urashiki chased after Kazuki at full speed.

"Don't let him get away, Urashiki!"

"That bastard devoured Kaguya's power in reverse! That woman may be weak, but she wouldn't disgrace the Ōtsutsuki name that completely—she still knew how to resist!"

Momoshiki sneered coldly. After helping Isshiki open a black-and-red dimensional gate and sending him through, he followed close behind Urashiki, pursuing Kazuki at high speed.

The power of the Ōtsutsuki…

How could a mere mortal dare to covet it so easily?

Even if she was considered the shame of their clan, Momoshiki didn't believe that Kazuki could control Kaguya so effortlessly!

And sure enough—Kaguya was resisting! This was the perfect moment to strike…

As for the other mortals—Senju Tobirama, Uchiha Madara—Momoshiki barely gave them a second glance. The only one worth noticing was Might Duy, but at this point, he had nearly stopped breathing. Nothing worth worrying about anymore.

The only one that needed to be dealt with now was Kazuki.

And so, the three most powerful fighters all surged toward the ocean, moving away from the shores of the Land of Water.

Black Zetsu watched this scene unfold, a storm of shock and fury in its heart…

As expected, it had guessed correctly—Kazuki really hadn't saved Obito directly.

And after Kazuki, Momoshiki, and Urashiki departed—

Senju Tobirama suddenly fell to one knee. Behind him, a chakra projection of Kazuki appeared, its expression cold and indifferent as it gazed upon the injured and exhausted shinobi. In his hands, he held a radiant sphere of pure chakra.

"Once your wounds are healed, leave. This battle no longer concerns you."

Kazuki's projection spoke with chilling detachment. The glowing mass of chakra rose into the sky like a miniature sun, its brilliant rays splitting off into specks of light that entered the bodies of each wounded shinobi, mending their injuries.

The Mangekyō Sharingan patterns of Shisui and Uchiha Yashiro, once faded from chakra exhaustion, now shimmered back to life.

Even Might Duy, who had burned himself to the brink of death—his body ashen like charcoal—began to show signs of returning blood flow. He breathed once more.

As for Uchiha Madara, Senju Tobirama, Uchiha Izuna, and the others who had been pierced through with devastating injuries, their recovery was even faster.

The moment everyone was restored, Kazuki's chakra projection shattered like glass—without leaving a single word more.

Uchiha Madara sprang to his feet. Thanks to Kazuki's healing, he felt stronger than he had even before the battle began.

At this moment, he truly felt like he had returned to his peak.

Compared to Kazuki's Yang Release healing techniques, Orochimaru's so-called life-force jutsu was laughable at best.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go support Kazuki!"

Madara snapped, casting a disgusted glare at the brooding Senju Tobirama as he barked out the order.

He didn't know why Kazuki had chosen that bastard to serve as a vessel of power—but he also understood that now wasn't the time for arguments.

"Madara… Kazuki won't lose…"

A flicker of something rare flashed in Tobirama's eyes—fear—so raw it left everyone shaken. He spoke in a low voice: "But the problem is… he may already be consumed by madness."

"Fallen into demonic obsession?"

That strange phrase came from Senju Tobirama's mouth, instantly plunging everyone present into confusion and alarm.

After Uchiha Madara and Isshiki had both been severely wounded, the Edo Tensei reincarnated shinobi, along with the Kage and key ninja from the other hidden villages, were all freed from control under the radiance of the Yang Release chakra orb released by Kazuki's phantom.

At this moment, these shinobi from outside villages began quietly edging closer, straining their ears so they wouldn't miss a single useful detail...

A once-in-a-millennium upheaval was unfolding in the shinobi world—right here, right now!

The twin deities of the shinobi world—Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama—who had once been revered as near-mythical figures, were now reduced to mere supporting characters on this battlefield…

Taking their place were Isshiki, Momoshiki, Urashiki, Kinshiki, and the Sage of Six Paths—beings from the heavens, previously unknown or only spoken of in legends.

This utterly shattered the simple worldview held by the shinobi.

Everyone had come to a startling realization—

The waters of the shinobi world had become so murky, they were beyond saving.

Those who led their respective factions in the open—supposedly warlords with great power and armies at their command—were, in truth, no better than clowns dancing at the edge of a dormant volcano.

So long as the volcano remained asleep, these clowns could keep playing their ultra-realistic games of make-believe, pretending to be major players on this planet, engrossed in power games and political scheming…

But when the eruption came, these so-called Kage-level elites suddenly awoke in terror!

And only then did they realize—they had nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

And as for someone on their side of this world—someone native they could still place their hopes in—there was only one: Kazuki.

Which is why information about Kazuki had suddenly become the most hotly sought-after commodity in the world.

Especially after someone as famously composed as Senju Tobirama had shouted in distress that Kazuki had fallen into demonic obsession...

Now everyone wanted to know what was really going on.

After all, if they were going to die, they at least wanted to die knowing the truth, didn't they?

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

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