"All right, tell me your decision. Although the Ōtsutsuki pursuers won't arrive anytime soon, I still need to make good use of this time to grow stronger…"

Kazuki's crimson eyes gleamed playfully as he watched the faintly trembling Black Zetsu, and spoke softly: "Say it."

"I… I accept."

Black Zetsu clenched its fists, and forced the answer out from the depths of its throat in a hoarse voice.

And yet, something strange happened.

Before making the decision, Black Zetsu's heart had been filled with turmoil—but after agreeing to Kazuki's offer, it felt an overwhelming sense of ease and relief.

After all this time in a constant state of conflict with Kazuki, the pressure had been unbearable…

But now, standing on the same side, Black Zetsu finally understood what it felt like to be allied with him. No more scheming, no more planning—just focus on being a diligent cog in the machine and carry out the tasks assigned.

Heh. What a relief.

"Good. That's all I needed. Just remember—You and I don't know each other, Black Zetsu."

Kazuki patted Black Zetsu lightly on the shoulder with a grin.

"As for what to do or say next, I won't waste words… I trust your acting skills."

"After all, you once tried to treat me like Uchiha Obito—corrupting me, turning me dark, and making me the so-called sole mastermind behind the shinobi world... all while remaining Uchiha Madara's pawn, didn't you?"

Black Zetsu's face froze.

That thought—it had existed once, buried deep in its mind.

How did Kazuki even know that!?

So… from the very beginning, Kazuki had already seen right through it.

"The reason I was able to appear here… the reason Obito was able to rescue you, was because he received my chakra."

As Kazuki's figure began to fade away, his voice echoed within Black Zetsu's spiritual realm: "By the same logic, your body also contains my chakra…"

A few moments later…

Black Zetsu exhaled slowly and heavily, murmuring to itself: "So I'm being monitored by Uchiha Kazuki's chakra too? Then maybe—whether I agreed or not, the outcome would've been the same…"

"Should I… thank him, for at least giving me the illusion of a choice?"

Black Zetsu sank into thought.

And gradually, the content of those thoughts had nothing to do with Kazuki at all.

As someone who had just switched sides, Black Zetsu knew that his first act of loyalty needed to be clean and decisive…

What kind of persona should he assume? What words should he use? What motive should he present—

In order to align with Kazuki's expectations and push Kaguya's emotions to the brink?

That was a question both intriguing and cruel...

...

"The Sage of Six Paths wasn't a bad person. It was just that, back then, he wasn't the one trying to destroy the shinobi world."

On the battlefield, as the crowd tried to piece the logic together—after Pakura and Uchiha Sasuke had shared intelligence regarding the Ōtsutsuki clan and what they had learned about Isshiki, Momoshiki, and Urashiki—all eyes turned to Senju Tobirama as he spoke: "It's simple logic. Isshiki used to be Kaguya's partner, and now he's her enemy. The version of history he gave is far more credible. It's true… the Sage of Six Paths really did sacrifice his body for Kaguya back then. I was wrong to doubt that."

Senju Tobirama let out a long sigh and looked sincerely at the Sage of Six Paths.

"Due to a lack of accurate ancient records, I made a false judgment. For that… I apologize."

The Sage of Six Paths gently shook his head. "I understand…"

But before he could finish, Tobirama crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, continuing sharply: "Still, you've got questions to answer. This chakra of Indra and Asura that Uchiha Sasuke mentioned—what's that all about?"

"You just let your sons' chakra keep reincarnating over and over again, igniting war after war across the shinobi world? Did you think the entire world was your test tube?"

Uchiha Madara shot the Sage a dangerous glare, his voice ice-cold: "Old man… even if you did save the shinobi world once, that doesn't give you the right to let Indra's chakra try to possess me!"

"Long ago, Hashirama and I both sensed strange chakra within us. Back then, I didn't think much of it. But now that I look back, many of my decisions—were influenced by that chakra!"

Madara's tone grew darker.

"My younger brother, Uchiha Izuna, was a strategic genius. As his older brother, I should have been even wiser and more composed. But your damned son's chakra threw all of that off!"

Uchiha Izuna gave Madara a startled glance—

Uh… Are you being serious, brother?

Because honestly… that kind of was your level.

As for the Sage of Six Paths, his expression could be summed up in a single word: strained.

Saying I'm to blame, and you actually believe it…

You really think my son's chakra only brought you harm?

Without Indra's chakra, you'd have never awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan in your entire life!

"Alright, alright, Madara, now's not the time to argue…"

Senju Hashirama stepped in to calm Uchiha Madara down, then glanced at the Sage of Six Paths and muttered under his breath: "But still… this whole reincarnation thing—it really isn't right. Who would want to be someone else's replacement?"

The Sage of Six Paths was momentarily speechless.

Even the reincarnation of Asura's chakra thinks this way?

"Sage of Six Paths, you can resurrect Asura and Indra, can't you?"

"They're powerful assets too. Things have come to this—we must follow the path Kazuki laid out. We absolutely cannot afford to sit idle."

Senju Tobirama raised his hand to signal silence, then continued with a steady, serious voice: "What Kazuki told Pakura may not sound logical on the surface, but I understand the hidden message behind his words."

"Kazuki and Pakura both emphasized that the power of the Rabbit Goddess comes from faith. What they really meant is that we must believe in him—that he can defeat Kaguya. We cannot lose hope."

"Think about it: why did Kazuki first encounter Pakura in Konohagakure, yet ultimately return to the Blackwater Coffin of Nine Dragons—and appear in Kaguya's form when he emerged?"

"There's only one answer. Kazuki did not initially succeed in subduing Kaguya. Even with all his preparations, the power of the Ōtsutsuki clan… how could a mortal possibly resist it?"

"That Uchiha Obito possessed dōjutsu comparable to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, yet even he was easily taken over by a severely wounded Isshiki…"

Tobirama took a deep breath.

"And still, Kazuki pulled it off. At the very least, he managed to drag Kaguya—who had already broken free—back into the coffin."

"Why did he seek out Pakura?"

"Because he had no other choice. In that fleeting moment, he found an opportunity to fight back against Kaguya—and Pakura just happened to be there."

The Sage of Six Paths nodded slowly, acknowledging Tobirama's reasoning.

"You're right… With Mother Kaguya's power, taking over a human would have been effortless. What likely happened is that, upon sensing the Ōtsutsuki pursuers—whom she fears greatly—her spirit fell into disarray, just like it did a thousand years ago. Kazuki seized that moment of vulnerability to regain control of the body."

"The power Kazuki has displayed is a fusion of his own dōjutsu and battle mastery, combined with Kaguya's bloodline—and many replicated bloodlines of the Ōtsutsuki clan."

The Sage of Six Paths grew solemn.

"I didn't want to say this… but just as Asura and Indra's chakras influence their reincarnations, the bloodline and chakra of the Ōtsutsuki are bound to heavily affect Kazuki's thoughts."

"If we can bring Kazuki back, we may gain a guardian who carries boundless love in his heart—and the powers of multiple Ōtsutsuki in one."

"But if we fail… the shinobi world will face a version of Kazuki even more terrifying than Kaguya, Isshiki, or any Ōtsutsuki we've ever known."

"We have no choice."

"Let me stress this—Kazuki's idea of creating an alternate dimension as a refuge for everyone—that's nothing more than a residual trace of his emotions and humanity from before his fusion with the Ōtsutsuki."

"If we cannot prove ourselves to him with strength… then the Ōtsutsuki nature within him, which reveres power above all, will take over his mind. And when that happens, he'll cast aside everything he once believed in."

Tobirama suddenly raised his hand with urgency: "Resurrect Asura and Indra, Sage of Six Paths! We're running out of time!"

"The entire shinobi world must stand united and show that damned Ōtsutsuki bloodline—We will never abandon Kazuki just because we fear his power!"

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