"Impossible!"
Almost at the instant that indifferent voice resounded, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, who had just been preparing to return to his 'shell', suddenly turned his head around. His Byakugan, whose pupils were indiscernible, contracted into two almost sharp pinpoints. His entire body seemed to stiffen as he looked up in astonishment at the distant land shrouded in dark clouds.
Kakuzu had accompanied Isshiki for so many years, yet this was the first time he had seen such a panicked and flustered expression on his face. For a moment, he was also at a loss, standing rooted to the spot, staring blankly at him, completely unaware of what had happened.
"That Chakra reaction... Is it Lord Shibai's personal arrival?!"
"How could this be? How could this be?"
He mumbled to himself, the muscles beneath his pale skin trembling faintly.
Since the year he brought Ōtsutsuki Kaguya to this world, a millennium had passed. In this long period, even with a series of events such as himself being severely wounded, Kaguya's betrayal, and precious Chakra data being transmitted to ants-like mortals, the Ōtsutsuki Clan had made no moves, nor had they ever received any news from the other side.
Clearly, Lord Shibai's arrival could not possibly be due to his minor affairs.
If he and Kaguya were compared to a Konoha Ninja task force, then Shibai to an ordinary Ōtsutsuki was equivalent to a Kage, or even higher—he was a true deity, transcending all Ōtsutsuki, who had already touched the dimensional membrane and could transcend this world at any moment.
How could such an important figure personally arrive for their trivial matters?
Moreover, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki also did not wish for others to discover this world.
This seemingly ordinary world held too many unexpected elements.
Whether it was the lower-tier animals hidden within the subsidiary spaces of this world, mastering 'Sage Mode', or the various intellectual crystallizations formed by the people of this world who acquired Chakra.
If he could enjoy it exclusively, he had a good chance of ascending another level beyond his current one.
However, now, all his attempts had come to naught.
But why?!
Could it be that Lord Shibai had already seen the uncontrollability of this world, or of that fellow Sawara Kiri, in the distant future?
What exactly happened?
At that instant, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's mind was flooded with complex and unclear thoughts, leaving him momentarily at a loss as to what to do.
"Lord Isshiki?"
It wasn't until Kakuzu's voice sounded that he was suddenly jolted awake.
He abruptly turned his head to look at the man beside him, not saying a word. Beneath his seemingly solemn face, there was a hidden urgency and panic.
It seemed he wanted to get some feasible method from his subordinate.
Kakuzu's heart was startled by his gaze, but he still braced himself and said, "Since an elite of the Ōtsutsuki Clan has arrived, then the defeat of Sawara Kiri and others is surely a foregone conclusion. So, shouldn't we... get involved?"
His tone carried a hint of uncertainty, as if he was handing the decision to Isshiki.
But he was certain that the other party would never make any other choice.
Because he had already deduced an answer from Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's expression.
The newcomer must be someone whose status or power within the Ōtsutsuki Clan was far superior to Isshiki's, so much so that he couldn't even maintain his composure.
Since that was the case, he had the possibility of changing allegiance.
Kakuzu thought this to himself, secretly rejoicing.
That bastard Isshiki, after getting his hands on him, didn't treat him like a human at all. He spent his money, took his intelligence, and ordered his people around. His accumulated savings over the years were almost entirely spent in just a few short years, with only expenses and no income.
How was this any different from taking his life?!
Now it was good. Since there was a new option, of course, he would defect to someone of higher status!
Who could be more skilled at being a traitor than him?
How many years had others been traitors?
By then, there would definitely be a way to squeeze back all the money spent over the years from Isshiki!
Kakuzu's conviction was firm.
For money, he could give everything!
As expected.
Almost the instant his words fell, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's expression calmed down, and he whispered, "That's right, if Lord Shibai has arrived, then what's the use of hiding here?"
"At least, we should first see what that lord intends to do."
Even now, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki was still somewhat unsure whether Lord Shibai had come for this world or because of Sawara Kiri.
As for his trivial matters with Kaguya, Isshiki had never considered them as an option from the beginning.
As he thought, his expression even became invigorated.
'If I can offer some merit in Lord Shibai's important affairs, then not only will I recover my strength, but it's not impossible to even ascend another level!'
With this thought, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki immediately clenched his fists.
This thousand years of waiting had not been in vain after all!
"Kakuzu!"
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki suddenly became spirited, and loudly said to his subordinate, "Bring all members of the Akatsuki! Support Lord Shibai!"
Kakuzu's dim eyes immediately brightened, and he replied with an equally resonant voice:
"Yes!"
If Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's side still had the leisure to weigh gains and losses, then the Konoha group had no time to think that much.
The massive Chakra that had been spreading continuously in all directions like a surging tsunami in the previous moment, abruptly ceased the instant that voice sounded.
All Chakra within the Ninja's senses seemed to vanish into thin air, receding back into the already formed female body at a speed imperceptible to the body.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's newly formed body froze in place. On her elegant and indifferent face, a flash of astonishment and disbelief suddenly appeared.
"Lord...Shibai?"
The voice was filled with urgency and confusion.
It was both due to the crimes she had committed on this planet a millennium ago and due to her inability to comprehend.
It was very much like a novice thief who had just stolen a bicycle one second and was surrounded by the national field army the next.
Shibai personally arriving? Is it really necessary?
A moment of inexplicable bewilderment flashed through Kaguya's mind.
Immediately after, her body was suddenly deprived of control.
"Mother!"
Black Zetsu's hoarse voice came from inside her body. His head, emerging from her sleeve like clay, struggled fiercely, then immediately froze in place, as if petrified.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's recently stabilized body once again violently bulged and contracted like crumpled clay, as if countless nematodes were struggling and surging within her body.
However, most of the people present could no longer see this scene.
Whether it was Tsunade and her group enveloped within Susanoo, or Uchiha Hikari beside Sawara Kiri, or the Senju brothers and Madara on the remnants of the wooden golem...
In Sawara Kiri's vision, all the moving figures that were visible to the eye had, at this moment, fallen into a time-stopped stillness, standing still in a black and white world. Their expressions, movements, and demeanor were all frozen at the instant that voice fell.
Sawara Kiri remained in place, quietly observing the sudden scene before him.
He knew very well that this was a unique reaction of the opponent transmitting power across space and dimensions.
However, a smile suddenly appeared on his perpetually expressionless face.
"Buzz—"
The continuously expanding spherical body suddenly contracted inwards. The already formed torso was reshaped once again, transforming in a short period into a figure of similar broad white robes, but taller and more slender, with a thick bone layer like a crown encircling its forehead, floating in the sky.
The Truth-Seeking Orbs surrounding his back quickly split into thirty-six, arranged and revolving like stars around a sun.
The deep purple eye on his forehead opened, its densely arranged circular Tomoe faintly rotating.
The eyeballs in his two eye sockets were one white and one black, with no distinction between pupil and sclera.
Rinnegan, Byakugan, Black Eye.
From his handsome face, one could vaguely discern a contour similar to that of the young man from their last meeting.
"Whoosh."
It wasn't until the entire body was formed that the surrounding frozen time and space began to flow again.
The whole process appeared to onlookers as if a movie had suddenly skipped a frame, abruptly changing scenes.
"What... is that?"
Tsunade murmured subconsciously, gazing at the figure in the distance.
Uchiha Hikari, standing beside Sawara Kiri, reacted much more strongly than them, sensing a great danger as if by instinct. Like a cat whose fur had bristled, she suddenly retreated several steps, her expression stiff as she stared at the man floating in mid-air before her.
In the distance, Tobirama's pupils constricted sharply.
Proficient in hundreds of Ninjutsu, he had a very precise judgment of any situation he encountered, and thus could be quite certain that he had not fallen into any Genjutsu in the previous second, nor had there been any drastic changes in spatial fluctuations.
If that was the case...
"Time Ninjutsu?"
He murmured, somewhat uncertainly, his gaze towards the man in the distance even carrying a sense of disbelief.
What kind of monster was this?
However, Ōtsutsuki Shibai did not pay attention to their reactions. He simply went about his business, ignoring everyone else.
He first raised his hand, twisting it somewhat unskillfully as if he had just changed into a new body, gently moving his joints.
Even among the Ōtsutsuki Clan, Kaguya's body was simply too fragile for him.
He had to use it a little more carefully.
Then, he suddenly looked up and extended his hand towards the crimson moon high in the night sky.
"What a waste of a method."
His pale fingertip merely pointed gently at the Crimson Moon.
The 'Infinite Tsukuyomi', which had originally been wrapped around the entire moon and cast from the sky upon the entire Ninja World, was effortlessly converted by him into its most fundamental Chakra, sweeping towards him like a torrent.
Finally, under incredibly precise control, it condensed between his index finger and thumb into a crimson orb the size of an eyeball.
Watching this scene, Uchiha Hikari felt her heart pounding wildly, so much so that her body seemed to be faintly trembling.
With her Mangekyo Sharingan, she could clearly discern that the orb contained all the Chakra possessed by the entire Ninja World, gathered by her, Nagato, Black Zetsu, and others.
But the man before her, with just a stretch of his hand, had easily condensed this oceanic amount into a tiny solid.
A solid... formed by condensed Chakra energy.
Was this truly something that could be done?
She widened her eyes in disbelief.
Then, she saw the man opposite open his mouth and swallow the crimson orb whole.
The black pattern of the 'Karma' flashed across his body's surface, then quickly disappeared beneath his skin.
As if nothing had happened.
In an instant, the sky, which had been a deep, profound black, turned into a clear day. Warm light spread across the earth, illuminating everyone's vision.
But everyone present felt a chill deep to their bones.
After completing all this, Ōtsutsuki Shibai turned his head, looking at Sawara Kiri with what seemed like interest, and spoke:
"Aren't you going to stop me?"
"Sawara Kiri."
"If it were you, you might even be able to do it."
Compared to Ōtsutsuki Shibai's appearance as a youth last time, he now spoke with noticeably more emotion, allowing one to vaguely discern the meaning he wished to convey through his tone, despite his expressionless face.
"There's no need for that."
Sawara Kiri's expression remained calm. He gently drew 'Nietono no Shana' from his waist and said softly, "If it's only that level of power."
"You are always so arrogant."
"Whether now, or in the future."
Ōtsutsuki Shibai sighed softly, as if meeting a long-lost old friend.
"Compared to that level of danger, I am more afraid of you suddenly disappearing from my sight now."
Sawara Kiri smiled as he stepped towards Shibai: "You should know how long we've waited for you, right?"
A full seven years, countless calculations.
The energy consumed by Chaldea's near-future lens exceeded that of the entire Konoha by an unknown magnitude, calculating the possibility of an Ōtsutsuki Clan attack countless times, almost to the point of overdrawing the Dragon Veins.
Ultimately, all answers were fixed to this moment.
That is, the instant Ōtsutsuki Kaguya fully descended.
This was the answer known only to Sawara Kiri and Orochimaru in the entire Konoha.
His battle with Uchiha Hikari, his indulgence of Nagato, the activation of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and even the extraction of everyone's Chakra into the Gedo Statue...
All of this was for this very moment.
This was both the most dangerous moment and the moment with the greatest possibility of successfully ending everything.
Ōtsutsuki Shibai looked down at him, a hint of disdainful smile on his lips.
"Well, I've kept you waiting."
"However, before we begin, let's clear out the weeds first."
He said, and then suddenly raised a hand.
Almost at this instant, everyone present except Sawara Kiri suddenly widened their eyes, and an extreme sense of fear surged in their hearts.
As if their existence would be completely erased from this world in the next second.
"Crack!"
Before the hand could fall.
Another slender hand suddenly grasped his pale wrist, fingers digging deep into his flesh, leaving imprints.
Sawara Kiri's figure was close at hand, his gaze meeting the one white and one black eye.
A surging wave of air erupted like an explosion, spreading in all directions, raising countless aftershocks mixed with dust and debris.
Sawara Kiri met his gaze, confronting him directly. The force of their palms and wrists pressing against each other vibrated through the air, creating successive obscure aftershocks. The surrounding atmosphere seemed to tremble faintly, emitting a low rumble like an earthquake, yet only his voice remained clearly audible:
"Don't worry."
"It won't waste too much of your time."