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"Hah… hah…"
Nagato panted lightly as he watched the dust slowly settle before him.
"Not continuing?"
A faint golden glow shimmered within the dissipating haze. Kaito, enveloped in a golden mist, stepped forward unhurriedly.
"I never expected…" Nagato stared at him intently, "that even now, at this stage, I still can't defeat you."
Kaito smiled without responding.
"This is the third time." Nagato's voice was quiet. "I once believed that if I obtained the Ten-Tails' chakra, I could easily eliminate you."
Kaito's expression remained unchanged. "Apologies, but shinobi and onmyoji operate on entirely different systems. You won't find my weaknesses that easily."
"Perhaps." Nagato's tone was now tinged with resignation.
"As long as I stand upon this land, you cannot defeat me," Kaito said with a faint smile. "Of course, I also cannot kill you right now."
"Heh…" Nagato chuckled dryly. "But you don't need to do it yourself, do you?"
"This was your own choice," Kaito replied impassively.
"Yes, in the end, it was my own choice." Nagato nodded slowly. "All of this… is just the result of a man who lost his dream, trying to drag the world down with him."
"Was that truly your dream?" Kaito suddenly asked. "Or were you merely carrying someone else's?"
"Does it matter? If I hadn't carried something, I might not have survived this despairing world at all." Nagato's voice took on a self-reflective tone.
"A pity."
Despite his words, Kaito's expression remained unreadable.
"This is fine. At the very least, you don't offer me false pity."
Nagato suddenly tossed aside his staff and formed hand seals once more.
"So it begins?"
Pity? Nonexistent.
That was what Kaito thought.
So he simply watched Nagato's movements in silence.
"Though I won't see it…" Nagato continued forming seals without pause. "Whether it's rebirth or destruction… I hope this so-called 'god' will truly change this world."
"It will change."
Kaito gave him a slight nod.
"Good."
Nagato's expression finally settled into calm.
---
"What is he doing?!"
"Why isn't anyone stopping him?!"
Hashirama and Tobirama had circled the battlefield, unable to save anyone. Now, they could no longer hold back and rushed to intervene.
"Don't interfere!"
Madara suddenly blocked their path, hurling two talismans toward them.
Just as Hashirama and Tobirama dodged the talismans and tried to bypass Madara, Kaito raised a single hand and formed a seal.
The talismans burst into radiant light midair, their inscribed characters glowing brightly. Moving at an impossible speed and angle, they instantly attached themselves to the two Hokages' backs.
"What?!"
"Damn it!"
Their bodies stiffened immediately, frozen in place.
"Please remain calm, former Hokage-sama," Kaito's voice carried over. "Under normal circumstances, it might be different, but as an onmyoji, controlling you two through the Edo Tensei is effortless."
"You brat!" Tobirama glared at Kaito's back. "What kind of scheme are you plotting?"
"You misunderstand. I simply don't want you disturbing Nagato."
Kaito shifted his hand seal, and instantly, Hashirama and Tobirama found themselves unable to speak.
"Heh."
Madara and Izuna smirked in perfect sync, further enraging Tobirama.
---
At that moment, Nagato's hands stilled, the complex emotions in his eyes fading away.
"Nagato…"
A pure white figure emerged from the ground beneath Nagato, its face twisted into an eerie, stiff smile.
It stared blankly at Nagato before its features and body blurred, dissolving into grotesque spores that seeped into Nagato's flesh.
Nagato tilted his head back calmly. The nine-tomoe Rinnegan on his forehead aligned with the moon, and a beam of crimson light shot toward it.
Simultaneously, a massive scarlet ray descended from the distant moon, piercing through the night sky to envelop Nagato's body.
The wind howled.
"Outer Path — Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique!!"
An overwhelming aura erupted from Nagato's body. The blood-red light expanded, dyeing the entire battlefield in a ghastly crimson hue.
"Ahhh—!!"
Nagato's head snapped back as an unconscious scream tore from his throat.
Thump… thump… thump…
A heartbeat-like sound pulsed through the air. White, fleshy spores surged from Nagato's body, swelling grotesquely like a pulsating heart.
"The world's fate… is now in your hands." Nagato's voice grew fragmented as the spores consumed his face. "I… hate this… world…"
Thump… thump… thump…
The enormous mass of flesh hovered in the air, throbbing violently. The sound grew louder, the tremors intensifying.
Kaito smiled, shifting his hand seals once more while his other hand formed a second seal.
The restraints on Hashirama and Tobirama dissolved, and at the same time, the barrier trapping the others dispersed.
"Finally free!!"
"What the hell is that?!"
"We need to save them!"
"Damn it! What are those Uchiha bastards planning?!"
Kaito ignored the clamor behind him, his focus entirely on the pulsating monstrosity before him.
Bzzz… bzzz…
The air trembled violently. The crimson light condensed, converging entirely onto the fleshy mass.
Bzzz… bzzz…
The vibrations intensified. The flesh, now dyed deep red, resembled an undying titan's heart, ceaselessly pounding.
"Is she coming?"
Madara strode to Kaito's side, his gunbai resting on his shoulder.
"Ōtsutsuki Kaguya."
Bzzz—!
The red light erupted once more. The fleshy mass contracted rapidly, reshaping itself into a humanoid figure at blinding speed.
"Who…" A regal, feminine voice echoed. "Who dares call upon my name?"
"It seems she's truly emerging!"
Madara's aura surged violently, his wild mane of hair whipping in the turbulent energy.
"Madara!"
Hashirama stepped forward, his expression grave as he observed the coalescing figure.
"Is this the 'god' you spoke of?"
"I have awakened at last."
Long, flowing white hair spilled to the ground. Twin horn-like protrusions crowned her head. Her eyes, pure white and serene, radiated an otherworldly grace.
A woman of unparalleled beauty and majesty opened her eyes.
"What is this?" Her gaze swept over the assembled figures. "Where is my herald, Black Zetsu?"
"Greetings, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, progenitor of chakra." Kaito smiled faintly. "Black Zetsu has been sealed away by me."
"You…" Kaguya's focus sharpened on him. Her elongated fingernail traced his cheek, drawing a single drop of blood.
"You are Hagoromo's descendant."
Tears streamed silently from Kaguya's eyes.