Chapter 219: A Shocking Goal
However, Rijiaku had still underestimated the situation.
The moment his words left his mouth, he himself became the target of attack.
Jigen merely lifted his hand slightly, and in an instant, three strange black rods pierced through Rijiaku's body.
His body immediately froze, his chakra thrown into complete chaos, leaving him unable to use it at all.
"M-My body… actually…"
Rijiaku looked in disbelief at the black rod in his arm, then instinctively lowered his head to see the identical rod lodged in his chest.
Before he could finish speaking, his vision went dark, and he collapsed to the ground.
Now, only Mifune was left.
Clang!
Despite the dread gnawing at him, Mifune still drew his katana.
With a grave expression, he stared at Jigen. "What exactly do you want, Jigen?"
"Anyone who doesn't understand what I'm saying doesn't need to be kept alive. So you can die here as well."
As Jigen spoke, he suddenly used a Body Flicker and appeared right before Mifune.
This time, he didn't use ninjutsu or unleash chakra—he fought purely with taijutsu.
In a sudden movement, he kicked fiercely at Mifune's abdomen.
Mifune's eyes narrowed, and he instinctively leapt upward to dodge.
But before he could fully rise, pain exploded in his abdomen as Jigen's kick landed squarely, sending him flying.
Boom—!
Mifune's body slammed heavily into the wall behind him, blasting open a massive hole.
He landed outside, in the world of howling wind and swirling snow.
Jigen strolled out slowly, step by step.
At the same time, as if on a whim, he finally began explaining everything about Kara.
"Since you're about to die anyway, there's no harm in telling you.
My real name is Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. I am not from this world."
"Ōtsutsuki… Isshiki?"
Mifune clutched his chest, using his katana to support himself as he struggled to his feet, his eyes filled with shock and suspicion.
He had never heard such a strange name before.
But the fact that the man claimed not to be of this world was like a bombshell, enough to shatter anyone's worldview.
Mifune finally understood why the enemy was so overwhelmingly powerful—powerful enough to leave a warrior like himself completely helpless.
It turned out the man didn't even belong to the shinobi world, but was instead a powerhouse from another world.
Jigen continued speaking to himself.
"I came here with only one main goal: to revive the Ten-Tails, cultivate a new Divine Tree, produce a Chakra Fruit, and eat it.
That is the purpose of founding Kara.
Whether you understand it or not doesn't matter—that's all there is to it."
As he spoke, Jigen arrived before Mifune.
Looking down at the badly wounded warrior, he pinched the air with his fingers, and in the next moment, a black chakra rod appeared in his hand.
This deadly weapon had just taken down Mifune's trusted subordinate, Rijiaku.
Now, Mifune was about to share the same fate.
But Mifune refused to die without a fight.
He raised his katana into a ready stance, prepared to continue the battle.
Yet at that moment, Jigen spoke again. "After hearing my explanation, do you have nothing to ask?"
"Of course I do!"
Mifune replied immediately.
Not only did he wish to avoid being killed so quickly, but he truly had countless questions he wanted answered.
"First, the Ten-Tails—you mean the tailed beasts of the shinobi world? But I've never heard of the Ten-Tails. I've only heard of nine tailed beasts, from the One-Tail to the Nine-Tails!
And what is the Divine Tree? What is the Chakra Fruit? I've never heard of any of these things!"
He fired off all his questions in one breath.
It wasn't just to stall for time.
If he even had the slightest chance of escaping, he would pass this vital information on.
Whatever this man planned to do, Mifune's instincts screamed that he was an enormous threat to the shinobi world.
And right now, the only force capable of stopping this outsider's ambitions might be the recently united shinobi nations led by Konohagakure—and that man named Uchiha Dali.
Jigen stared at him for a moment after hearing the questions.
Then, unexpectedly, he extended an invitation. "Kara has only just been founded, and for now I'm its only member.
If you are truly interested in these things, you can join my ranks. With your strength, you qualify to be a comrade."
Jigen's sudden change in attitude caught Mifune off guard.
His eyes shifted slightly as he asked, "You want me to work for you?"
"That's the only way you'll live. Otherwise, you die."
Jigen's voice was cold.
Mifune's mind raced, and after pretending to hesitate for a moment, he quickly made a decision and nodded. "I can join your group—but you must tell me the whole truth!"
"Gather the One-Tail through the Nine-Tails, seal them into the Gedo Statue, and then you can revive the Ten-Tails.
In other words, the Ten-Tails is the combined form of all nine tailed beasts, and the Gedo Statue is the Divine Tree's root system—it is also the Ten-Tails' shell.
Once revived, the Ten-Tails will absorb massive amounts of chakra, quickly growing into a Divine Tree and producing a Chakra Fruit of infinite energy. Eating it allows us to evolve. By continually consuming Chakra Fruits, we gain more and more power, eventually evolving into unparalleled, supreme gods.
That is my goal."
Jigen's explanation left Mifune utterly stunned.
He had never known—never even imagined—that the nine tailed beasts could merge into an even stronger entity.
Nor had he ever heard of the Divine Tree or the Chakra Fruit.
What Jigen described not only shook him to his core, but also stirred a dangerous temptation within him.
Chakra was the source of all power.
Even as a samurai, he used chakra in battle.
Mifune understood perfectly well what possessing an immense amount of chakra meant.
"To evolve into a supreme god…"
"Then, one last question.
Ōtsutsuki—that's your surname, correct? Are you part of a clan, or…?"
Mifune stared hard at Jigen.
Just when he thought the man wouldn't answer, Jigen spoke.
"The Ōtsutsuki Clan is a high-ranking extraterrestrial race that stands above all things. The shinobi world is merely one of the planets under our management. I was once the overseer here, tasked with cultivating the Divine Tree and harvesting the Chakra Fruit."
"The Q&A session is over. Now—what is your decision?"
Jigen's cold gaze bore into Mifune.
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