Chapter 188: Inferior Creatures... Why Is It You Again?
"Oi, Gen, where are you off to?"
Deidara, who had been animatedly recounting just how satisfying this battle had been, blinked in surprise as he saw Kitagawa Gen suddenly rise to his feet.
Right now, Deidara was practically buzzing with excitent—not because the three of them had actually pulled off sothing so outrageous, but simply because he’d had the ti of his life blowing things up.
"Just going out to take a look around. Don’t forget, we’re still in Cloud’s territory."
Gen shrugged casually, answering offhandedly.
"Besides, our clones have already passed the intel back. The whole village is in an uproar. Get so rest—you’ll need it. We head back tomorrow."
"Che, so we got exposed after all. Whatever. We finished the job anyway—hm."
Deidara clicked his tongue, clearly displeased, though when he recalled that dumbfounded, almost comical expression on Ōnoki’s face as reported by the clones, he couldn’t help but grin all over again.
"And you—seriously! Couldn’t you have left at least one for to play with? Honestly."
"Enough. The fact that we wrapped things up so cleanly is already more than good enough. What more do you want?"
i sighed, a hand rubbing her temple. Truth be told, she was elated. After all, they had just accomplished what should have been impossible.
"Rest up. Once we’re back, the higher-ups will probably already be in the middle of discussions."
"Che, like I care about that political crap."
Deidara snorted but then looked at Gen with piqued curiosity.
"Want to tag along? Not like I’ve got anything better to do."
"No thanks. I’ll handle it myself—I won’t be long."
Gen shook his head imdiately. The last thing he wanted was Deidara tagging along.
After all, he wasn’t going to "investigate." He was going to stir trouble.
After brushing Deidara off, Gen slipped out of the cave. Finding a secluded spot, he split off a God Tree clone.
"Tch. Not even a scrap of tailed beast chakra left behind? And after you absorbed chakra from both the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails, you’ve got... nothing?"
Gen frowned at his clone, only for the God Tree avatar to tilt its head in puzzlent.
"You talking to yourself entertaining you sohow? And if the God Tree Core isn’t reacting, how the hell should I know why? You’re the one with the problem, not ."
"So insulting is basically insulting yourself."
"And you’re not doing the sa?"
"Wrong. I’m the original. You’re the copy."
"...Idiot."
The clone gave up the back-and-forth. Arguing with your own consciousness was a waste of energy.
Still, Gen couldn’t help but stew. Even after unleashing Wood Dragon for so long, he hadn’t seen much of an effect.
If he didn’t know for a fact that the God Tree Core was inside him, he’d have thought he was being swindled out of chakra dividends.
"Forget it. Action first. I’ll grab what I ca for, then figure it out."
Gen stretched lazily, before his gaze rose toward the heavens.
"Still... once this is over, it’s about ti I make my way to the moon. The geezers up there shouldn’t be much of a problem for now."
With each step in his growth, the pull on that Tenseigan lodged in the moon beca sharper, clearer.
So of its "control" still eluded him—most likely remnants left behind by Ōtsutsuki Hamura. But in his current state, Gen felt confident.
Even if he lacked a direct Ōtsutsuki for comparison, he highly doubted he was any weaker than Toneri Ōtsutsuki had been at his peak.
"No... if anything, I might be even stronger. After all—"
Slipping into a fresh cloak and mask, Gen rose gently into the air, his eyes glowing with a brilliant, dazzling radiance.
"I’ve fought my way to this point. Sweat, blood, and endless battles got here."
"Not so shut-in on the moon with no real combat experience."
---
anwhile, in the Land of Rain — Akatsuki’s base.
"What? Cloud... has fallen?"
Nagato and Obito both shot to their feet, eyes wide with shock. Even Orochimaru, busy tinkering with Edo Tensei preparations, raised an eyebrow.
He, of course, kept his silence. The mory of being humiliated in front of Black Zetsu still stung.
Who would have thought his Edo Tensei versions of the First and Second Hokage would be stolen from him?
On reflection, though, it wasn’t that shocking. Konoha had already seen him parade around with Edo Danzo; of course they’d make preparations against him.
Still, losing two of his trump cards left him bitter.
"Fortunately, Black Zetsu agreed to help locate Uchiha Madara’s remains. That may be an even better option..."
Orochimaru’s interest in Madara had long since turned into obsession. Perhaps soon he would uncover all the secrets.
But those dealings were between him and Black Zetsu alone. And Zetsu... always had hidden motives.
---
"How could Cloud fall so quickly? We never received word of Konoha mobilizing."
Konan’s brows furrowed as she voiced the obvious. She’d been overseeing intelligence networks—every indication was that the major villages were preparing, but none had launched an offensive.
"You’re sure your intel is solid?"
Obito’s tone was sharp. Black Zetsu, however, nodded solemnly.
"No mistake. The assault force... was only three people."
"Three? Don’t joke! Even if one of them was Kitagawa Gen, that’s still impossible. Unless..."
Obito scoffed at first—Gen was strong, yes, but his abilities had always been limited to smaller-scale fights. At least, that was the impression Obito rembered.
But then the thought struck him. His eyes flicked toward Orochimaru.
"...It wasn’t the First Hokage, was it?"
Orochimaru imdiately understood the implication. He shook his head.
"No. The Edo Tensei is incomplete. Even if they had summoned him, they wouldn’t have gotten full power."
"Correct. It wasn’t Hashirama. It was Kitagawa Gen."
Black Zetsu’s voice was low, steady.
"Don’t be surprised. It’s fact. And this ti... he’s advanced again."
"Advanced? Don’t tell ..."
"...Yes. Wood Release. He used Wood Release to crush the two Jinchūriki, shattering Cloud in the process."
"Impossible!"
Everyone present drew in a sharp breath. Kitagawa Gen—wielding Wood Release?
Was this man bottomless?
Hadn’t he already mastered Dust Release? And now Wood Release too?
Zetsu offered no explanation. In truth, he was still numb himself.
He hadn’t even told them the most outrageous part—that Gen had unleashed True Several Thousand Hands.
That technique... possessed the very power to sunder heaven and earth.
But in the end, Zetsu shook his head. Against Mother, such jutsu were aningless. The entire shinobi world was nothing more than a pasture. The only threats were... exceedingly few.
What mattered now was Cloud’s fall—and the opening it gave for Mother’s eventual return.
---
"I believe we should move on Cloud now. At this mont, they are at their most broken."
"Now?"
Nagato arched a brow.
"Isn’t it too soon? True, they’ve collapsed, but the other three great villages haven’t even arrived yet. If we go now..."
"Precisely. That’s why it’s perfect."
Zetsu cut him off with a shake of the head.
"They won’t accept us right away. That isn’t the point. What we plant now is a seed—so that when the other villages co to carve them apart, when their pride is ground into the dirt, they will rember us.
They’ll rember the only hand that reached for them... and in ti, that seed will sprout, grow, and bind them to us.
Only then will Cloud turn completely to our side—only then will they truly rely on us against the shinobi world."
Manipulation, deceit—this was Zetsu’s domain.
Even Nagato, Konan, and Obito couldn’t help but arch their brows.
That feeling... oddly familiar.
"...It may be worth a try."
Nagato gave a slow nod, though a hint of regret lingered.
"Though I fear I’m... in no condition to move personally."
"Rest. We don’t need numbers for this."
Zetsu nodded, though watching Nagato only deepened his irritation.
Ōtsutsuki Genshiki’s beating had left Nagato crippled—half a man. But his sheer willpower kept him useful.
So Zetsu chose the most dangerous solution: grafting White Zetsu’s cells into Nagato, to grant him true power.
Up to now, Nagato had rely worn White Zetsu like an outer shell, drawing upon its chakra.
But that was nowhere near enough.
Although he knew that even transplanting White Zetsu cells into Nagato might not make much difference—Ōtsutsuki power was simply beyond mortal comprehension—at the very least, it could strengthen him a little.
Watching Nagato’s withered fra slowly show faint signs of recovery, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
Fortunately, he had already prepared for Uchiha Madara’s return. Everything was still under his control.
"Next, Obito, Orochimaru, and I will move together. The rest should remain here and recover."
"Mm, that’s for the best," Obito nodded. The Akatsuki had suffered terribly at the hands of Ōtsutsuki Genshiki; there were few left who could even stand, let alone fight.
"At least Orochimaru once worked with the Raikage. That should lend us so credibility."
"Then it’s settled. We move out."
Black Zetsu’s gaze turned to Obito, his voice sharpening.
"Konoha may accelerate their plans once they hear of this. We need to secure matters quickly before complications arise."
"Understood."
Obito gave a curt nod, and Orochimaru—ever enigmatic—raised no objection.
Their discussion ended, and the three imdiately set out. With Obito’s Kamui, they could reach Kumogakure in an instant.
As space distorted, the trio vanished, leaving only Nagato and Konan behind.
---
"...Nagato, are you truly alright?"
Once the others had gone, Konan finally broke the silence, her voice tinged with worry.
"I’ve never felt better."
Nagato clenched his fists lightly, savoring the sensation of strength slowly returning to his frail body.
"Of course, I’m sure they’ll tamper with in their own way... but it doesn’t matter. What matters is that I can recover. I can once again walk the path of the Sage of Six Paths. I will bring peace to this world."
"...Nagato."
Konan could only sigh softly as she looked at him, helpless. She prayed silently that everything would end well.
---
"Here we are."
Elsewhere, Obito, Black Zetsu, and Orochimaru landed steadily.
The convenience of Kamui was staggering—they had arrived almost instantly.
"Remarkable..."
Even Black Zetsu exhaled as he gazed at the collapsed mountains and felt the lingering waves of chakra saturating the air.
Obito and Orochimaru nodded wordlessly. The devastation before them was terrifying.
"Hmm?"
But before they could act, sothing stirred. Instinctively, all three lifted their eyes to the sky.
At so point, a man in white robes and a mask had appeared above them, staring down with quiet curiosity.
The three of them froze, eting his gaze. For a heartbeat, even the air seed to congeal.
And then, with a trace of mockery, the figure finally spoke:
"So... it’s you again?"
"Lowly creatures... and—"
His eyes glimred.
"Kaguya’s chakra?"
"!!!"
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