"Kazuki, what the hell are you doing?! How did Kaguya manage to take over your body?!"

In a state of utter despair, Black Zetsu, about to be devoured along with Uchiha Obito by Isshiki, let out a hopeless roar: "You're supposed to be the most formidable mastermind in the shinobi world—wake up! You can't lose to Kaguya!"

From Black Zetsu's perspective—

There was only one viable path left.

Kaguya needed to relinquish control of Kazuki's body immediately. Let his older brother—mysterious and unfathomable, though somehow outmaneuvered by Kaguya—take over and lead this battle.

Only then would there still be hope!

It wasn't that Black Zetsu was being unfilial. But if Kaguya stubbornly clung to control, the outcome would be clear: she, Black Zetsu, and Uchiha Obito would all be consumed completely by the trio of Ōtsutsuki—down to the last speck.

But if Kazuki returned, even if Kaguya ended up suffering a loss, her life would likely be spared.

And Black Zetsu, along with Uchiha Obito, might survive as well…

That was the best-value, and frankly the only, viable choice left!

Unfortunately, Black Zetsu also knew that no matter how heartfelt its outburst was, Kaguya couldn't hear a word of it…

Black Zetsu truly hadn't expected this—Kaguya had spent so long in the shinobi world and only won once… and it just happened to be the one time she absolutely shouldn't have!

That one victory… doomed everything!

Meanwhile, not far away, Senju Tobirama was forcing his mind to stay calm—but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't suppress the growing panic.

Kazuki's current state unmistakably mirrored that of a jinchūriki in full berserk mode!

The so-called 'Sage of Six Paths Kaguya' was in fact the Tailed Beast sealed within Kazuki's body.

But Kazuki, as a jinchūriki, had failed to control the monster inside him. What they were witnessing now was full Tailed Beast Transformation—classic loss of control.

"Damn it… these creatures seem to be from the same clan as the Sage of Six Paths inside Kazuki's body—they're here to kill her!"

Tobirama analyzed rapidly: "That damn woman's combat skills are abysmal. She's got all the power but no ability to use it—like a genin trying to control a Kage-level body…"

"What the hell are we supposed to do?!"

Uchiha Izuna drew a deep breath, his eyes dark and contemplative.

"Senju Tobirama… I hate to admit it, but the strongest form of a jinchūriki is none other than full Tailed Beast Transformation."

"As for the so-called perfect jinchūriki—well, that would require that bitch of a Sage to be in perfect sync with Kazuki. And that's just impossible."

"Objectively speaking, this is Kazuki's strongest state. But if even a fully transformed jinchūriki can't defeat the enemy—then this battle is already lost."

Uchiha Izuna cast a painful glance toward Uchiha Madara, then turned to look at Senju Hashirama.

The meaning in his eyes was clear.

Kazuki was like a captured Tailed Beast now, and Urashiki and Momoshiki were akin to the ancient shinobi gods who once hunted them all down.

Struggle was futile.

These enemies, who surpassed the known limits of the shinobi world, had appeared right after Might Duy had played his final card. All the combat-capable ninja were now severely wounded…

They had been ambushed—brutally and precisely!

"No. It's not over yet!" Tobirama said grimly.

"Uchiha Izuna, I've signed a summoning contract with the Dragon Vein's space-time energy and converted it into a mechanism like interlinked Explosive Tags…"

"It was originally meant to deal with the Sage of Six Paths. My plan is to banish her to another dimension to free Kazuki! If I can find the right opportunity to send those two fighting-capable Ōtsutsuki away—leaving only Kazuki behind…"

"Then there's still a chance!"

Uchiha Izuna stared at Tobirama in shock and lowered his voice: "You maniac! It's one thing to toy with the souls of the dead—but now you're meddling with time itself? You've gone too far!"

But as he spoke, the dim light in Izuna's Mangekyō began to brighten once more.

He thought it over—and realized there might actually be a shot.

That Isshiki, despite having taken over Uchiha Obito's body, was so weakened he needed to catch his breath just to release black rods. After getting kicked into a pulp by Night Guy, he clearly wasn't much of a threat anymore…

If they could just send away Momoshiki and Urashiki—those two who still had full fighting capacity—!

Now, with Kaguya's remaining combat intelligence nearing zero, Uchiha Izuna realized—this might actually be the Ōtsutsuki with the highest chance of being defeated!

"Now's not the time to question my ninjutsu ethics!"

Senju Tobirama's temple throbbed with anger.

"You know what I mean, don't you? The window will close in an instant—just work with me!"

Uchiha Izuna gave a short nod.

"I get it."

Meanwhile—

Kaguya, who had just been sent flying by a punch and a kick, staggered back to her feet from the cratered ground, still dizzy.

The blows themselves weren't what dazed her the most—what truly disoriented her was the looming question of how she was going to explain to Kazuki that she had deceived him…

In Kaguya's mind, Kazuki was her only support.

Without him, where would she even find the courage to face off against Urashiki and Momoshiki?

The confidence she had just begun to muster had been shattered in a single round by the brutal force of reality.

She still couldn't fight. Her brief success in suppressing Urashiki and Momoshiki had only been due to Kazuki's guidance—it wasn't her own breakthrough.

And what was worse: if Kazuki grew distant from her because of this betrayal, that would be the most terrifying outcome of all.

"A lie… lying is the same as betrayal… How do I explain this? There's no way to explain it…"

Kaguya's thoughts were a whirlwind of panic. The more she tried to think of a solution, the more anxious she became. Since the moment Kazuki had handed over his body, he had remained completely silent—even after hearing Isshiki's words, he said nothing.

That silence was like a blade—silent, but slicing mercilessly through her heart.

Kaguya hated betrayal more than anything. After all, it was the betrayal of her two sons that had condemned her to a millennium of torment.

She couldn't convince herself that Kazuki would forgive her for betraying his trust.

Because of that, she didn't even dare to ask him anything now. She could only maintain the unbearable, suffocating silence that made her feel like she was being slowly torn apart.

She feared that the moment she spoke, everything would come out—and that Kazuki's warm, sun-like smile would vanish, replaced by eyes full of cold loathing.

After all, what kind of expression could anyone show toward a traitor?

Kazuki watched this scene unfold, smiling inwardly.

To him, that beating hadn't been nearly harsh enough… If it wasn't brutal, how could Kaguya ever realize just how incompetent she was? How could she understand that he was her only real pillar of support?

Kindness alone wasn't enough.

Only the cruelty of the outside world could deliver the most brutal lessons Kaguya needed.

And that was why Kazuki had allowed Kaguya to surface temporarily—he certainly had no intention of letting his body be beaten for nothing. This kind of thing was better left to her to endure herself…

Moreover, after the terrifying physical enhancements he'd received thanks to Might Duy's self-immolating technique…

Kazuki was genuinely worried that if Kaguya took over his body, the raw power of his current physique might allow even someone as clumsy as her to brute-force an advantage—and that wouldn't do at all. She might end up misunderstanding her actual capabilities.

Kazuki remained silent, quietly amused as he watched Kaguya twist herself up in guilt and fear.

It still wasn't time for him to make his move…

And just then—

Urashiki and Momoshiki launched another wave of attacks!

Kaguya forced herself to concentrate, but she was still disoriented and could barely hold up under the pressure. Her counterattacks were clumsy and frantic.

Kazuki narrowed his eyes, observing the scene closely and analyzing it in silence.

"Among the Ōtsutsuki, or those with chakra-absorbing abilities like the Rinnegan or the Tenseigan… the true nature of ninjutsu becomes plain as day. Whether it's a Kekkei Genkai or a Kekkei Tōta, at the core, they're all just manipulations of chakra…"

"The only things that actually work are space-time techniques and taijutsu. Even senjutsu can be absorbed. Maybe… I should try constructing ninjutsu purely with natural energy? I wonder how that would perform…"

He watched coldly as Kaguya struggled to respond to the coordinated onslaught from Urashiki and Momoshiki. Already in poor condition, she quickly found herself at a disadvantage, and the number of wounds on her body began to grow.

This—this was the value of composure.

Given Kaguya's raw potential, if someone like Senju Tobirama were operating her body, and wielding the All-Killing Ash Bones as a melee weapon, they could at least put up a decent threat. At the very least, they wouldn't be this hopeless…

But Kaguya's performance?

It could only be described as utterly tragic.

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