Within the realm of consciousness, the mental wills of Takuno and Kaguya were locked in a silent yet harrowing clash.
Yet, at this decisive moment...
In the outside world, a ghastly transformation overtook Kaguya's body—a form suspended in mid-air, coalesced from immense chakra and on the verge of fully solidifying.
Hummm!
An eerie, vibrating hum resonated through the air. Across the surface of Kaguya's near-perfect body—which had been radiating a luminous white glow—countless fine black cracks suddenly appeared!
These fissures were not static; they spread wildly like living things, as if something from within was violently tearing her apart!
"No!!"
Black Zetsu's hoarse, piercing shriek instantly shattered the deathly silence; its shadow-formed body contorted violently, wracked with sheer terror and unbridled rage.
"Impossible! How could this happen?! It's that guy... it must be the work of that bastard, the Collector!
He dares... he actually dares to tamper with Mother's body...!"
It instantly pinpointed the only possible "culprit."
Who else but the "Collector" could interfere with Kaguya's reviving true form at such a critical juncture?
Standing side by side, the Senju brothers—Hashirama and Tobirama—witnessed this sudden turn of events without a trace of surprise.
Their expressions held only deep gravity, accompanied by a sigh that escaped them almost in unison.
They knew full well that the entity calling himself the Collector had no intention of saving the world or helping them seal Kaguya away.
His gaze had always been greedily fixed on Kaguya herself—on that power which transcended the mortal realm.
He was merely exploiting this crisis, using them as a springboard and a tool to achieve his own ends.
"Even so..." Tobirama's gaze swept over Kaguya's body, where the cracks were deepening by the moment. "At this moment, we seem to have no other choice but to pray... to pray that his so-called 'success' does not bring about a catastrophe even more terrifying than Kaguya's resurrection."
It was a bitter realization: knowing full well that one was dealing with a tiger—an act fraught with peril—yet forced to pin one's hopes on that beast's fangs tearing into an even more dangerous prey.
Praying that the Collector's "success" would utterly dismantle the threat posed by Kaguya.
Even if the price might be the birth of an entity just as terrifying—or perhaps even more bizarre.
Just then.
A ripple of ancient chakra silently spread outward.
Amidst the ruins of the battlefield, a figure clad in simple white robes quietly materialized upon the scarred earth—land ravaged beyond recognition by countless ninjutsu attacks.
It was the Sage of Six Paths, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo.
His gaze did not linger long on the devastated battlefield below; instead, it locked onto the figure undergoing a drastic transformation in the sky—his mother, Kaguya.
His Rinnegan clearly reflected the harrowing clash of wills unfolding within Kaguya's body.
"Sigh..." A long, drawn-out sigh escaped the Sage's lips.
This sigh held none of the anxiety or prayerful uncertainty regarding the outcome that the Senju brothers felt; rather, it carried a note of understanding—a lament born of seeing through to the truth.
"Collector..." the Sage whispered calmly. "So, this is the extent of your 'greed'."
Not content with having obtained the power he had amassed over a millennium, the Collector had actually set his sights on his mother as well.
He shook his head slightly, his white hair swaying gently in the invisible currents of chakra.
"Sigh..."
"Originally, with the power I had accumulated over a thousand years, combined with Takuno's transcendent might, defeating Mother and sealing her away once more... while no easy task, would not have been beyond our reach."
Hagoromo's gaze pierced through Kaguya's cracked and fissured form, as if witnessing the heart-stopping battle of wills raging within the realm of consciousness. "And yet... I never imagined he harbored such a mad ambition!" Hagoromo's voice held a trace of incredulous bitterness.
"He wasn't seeking a chance for victory; he was staking everything on a colossal gamble—a gamble where he wagered his very existence to seize the power of a god!"
A complex look flashed in Hagoromo's eyes—a mixture of awe at Takuno's audacity and power, and deep anxiety over his reckless actions.
"This has plunged the entire situation into chaos, fraught with unpredictable variables."
Cracks were spreading across Kaguya's body; every tremor was accompanied by an outpouring of energy and the warping of space itself.
Black Zetsu shrieked in a frenzy of despair; he tried to lunge forward but was driven back by the terrifying energy radiating outward.
"Takuno himself... is in unprecedented danger." Hagoromo's voice deepened.
The clash within the realm of consciousness was perilous; the sheer force of Kaguya's will was enough to instantly obliterate any mortal soul.
Though powerful, Takuno had voluntarily placed himself at the eye of the storm, enduring the full brunt of the impact while simultaneously attempting that perilous act of usurpation.
His mind was like a tightrope walker over an abyss; the slightest misstep meant total ruin—his consciousness either completely assimilated or utterly crushed by Kaguya.
Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths, slowly closed his eyes, as if unable to bear the sight of a future so shrouded in uncertainty.
Finally, he breathed out a soft sigh:
"Takuno... your madness is truly unprecedented in all of history!"
Even one as knowledgeable and experienced as the Sage of Six Paths could not help but marvel at the situation.
"You... you are..."
Hashirama, having sensed the commotion, looked toward the Sage; his eyes—hollow sockets from the Impure World Reincarnation—were wide with shock.
"I am Hagoromo, the founder of Ninshu—known to the world as... the Sage of Six Paths."
The Sage floated there, speaking in a calm, steady voice.
"You are the Sage of Six Paths?" Tobirama asked, his tone laced with disbelief.
"Precisely."
The Sage of Six Paths did not speak in riddles; he recounted the thousand-year saga of conflict and entanglement between Asura and Indra.
However, he ultimately chose not to mention that the power he had gathered—originally intended for the current reincarnations of Asura and Indra to seal away Kaguya—had been taken by Takuno.
Upon hearing the Sage Hagoromo's account, Hashirama and Tobirama were struck with utter astonishment.
Takuno's plan was truly insane: he had voluntarily merged with Kaguya, engaging in a battle of wills against the Progenitor of chakra within the realm of consciousness, solely to plunder her power.
It was a feat that defied the limits of their imagination as shinobi.
Such a course of action was unprecedented in history!
"So... that is how it is!" Hashirama's thick brows furrowed, his face etched with shock.
Beneath his silver hair, Tobirama's red eyes were sharp as blades; he immediately grasped the crux of the matter.
"Then, Sage of Six Paths! What can possibly be done to save the ninja world now? Are we to simply watch helplessly as Kaguya resurrects, or... pin our hopes on that 'Collector' whose motives remain unknown?"
His voice held a note of urgency; even when facing the legendary Progenitor, he could not suppress the decisive instinct inherent to a shinobi.
As a former Hokage, he was accustomed to seeking solutions rather than waiting passively.
The Sage Hagoromo cast his gaze toward the heavens and let out a heavy sigh.
He slowly shook his head, a trace of weariness upon his face.
"At this moment, Kaguya's resurrection process has been forcibly interrupted by Takuno, and her will has been dragged into an arena within the realm of consciousness.
Neither external interference nor my own residual power can reach that core battlefield on the plane of consciousness."
He paused, his gaze grave. "The fate of the ninja world now rests solely in the hands of Takuno. All we can do... is 'hope'."
"We hope he can best Mother in the clash within the realm of consciousness and seize that power—or at the very least, completely destroy any possibility of her resurrection."
Tobirama's brows furrowed deeper; he had caught the underlying concern in the Sage of Six Paths' words.
"And then? Even if he succeeds, who can guarantee he won't become the next Kaguya—or something even more terrifying?" His words were heavy with distrust and deep anxiety.
The Sage of Six Paths fell silent and shook his head slightly once more, betraying a profound uncertainty about the future.
"So, this 'hope'," the Sage finally spoke, "requires not only his victory but also... that he harbors no desire to destroy the ninja world."
Hashirama and Tobirama exchanged glances, seeing the same bitterness and helplessness reflected in each other's eyes.
Once titans standing at the pinnacle of the ninja world, they were now reduced to the status of ordinary shinobi, forced to pin all their hopes on prayers and the unknown.
Seeming to sense their emotions, the Sage of Six Paths spoke again.
"I once conversed with him at close quarters. From what I observed, he is a pure seeker of strength, driven by an almost obsessive pursuit of power.
He once answered a question of mine, stating that he had no interest in destroying the ninja world.
Of course, the reason was likely simply that such an act would not make him any stronger."
The Senju brothers fell silent at once; thinking of the Collector's current, insane plans, they realized that—based on what they knew of him—such a statement made perfect sense.
They felt a measure of relief, yet tension remained; after all, no one could truly guarantee that Takuno wouldn't destroy the ninja world!
The sudden appearance of Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths, caused Black Zetsu's body to shudder violently.
Unprecedented shock instantly seized the very core of its consciousness!
"Hagoromo?!"
It screamed silently in the depths of its mind; the name—etched by a thousand years of bitter hatred—threatened to burst forth and shatter the seal on its consciousness. "Impossible... Could he actually still... exist?!"
Its gaze remained locked fast upon that spirit form, which radiated a faint, flickering light.
Yes—it was indeed the Sage of Six Paths, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, the very man who had sealed away his own mother and brought the era of the Rabbit Goddess to an end!
But soon, it composed itself.
"No... wait..."
"In this state... he cannot be considered truly alive. He has no physical body, no surging waves of chakra; he cannot interfere with reality!"
This realization caused Black Zetsu to visibly relax.
Relief followed the initial shock, only to be immediately replaced by a deeper anxiety.
"A 'Collector' was already the greatest unforeseen variable in the plan... If we add a Hagoromo possessing his full power to the mix..."
Black Zetsu dared not dwell on the thought; that would represent an insurmountable chasm standing between its mother and her resurrection.
To have a millennium-long scheme utterly destroyed at the final moment by the two people least likely to appear—the mere thought of such despair made it shudder.
Fortunately... only a wisp of his consciousness remained.
He could only watch; he could no longer wield the authority of the Sage as he had a thousand years ago.
Black Zetsu turned its attention away from Hagoromo—that "ghost of the past"—and refocused entirely on the body whose radiance flickered uncertainly.
"Mother..." Black Zetsu whispered silently.
All its emotions ultimately coalesced into a prayer spanning a thousand years.
"You must win... You must crush that arrogant thief!"
"You are the great Rabbit Goddess, the Progenitor of chakra! Your power is unrivaled!
Break free from his bonds, devour his will, and complete your divine resurrection!"
"A thousand years of waiting, all for this moment! Please... you must return successfully!"
Black Zetsu's consciousness was wholly immersed in this prayer; it poured every ounce of its will into that vessel—which bore all its hopes—and waited tensely for the final outcome.
Meanwhile, within the realm of Kaguya's consciousness...
Takuno continued to wrest power away from Kaguya, even as she desperately tried to block him. Yet, he could sense that he was likely reaching his limit; after all... this was Kaguya, and the body itself originally belonged to her.
For an outsider like him to wrest even twenty percent of her power away was already an unexpected feat.
Had Kaguya's immediate reaction upon sensing the theft been to destroy him rather than simply try to stop him, he certainly wouldn't have managed to secure even that twenty percent.
"It's time to end this," Takuno murmured.
Just then, he paused; he could feel a surge of power welling up from deep within his soul.
"This is..." Takuno raised an eyebrow, then quickly realized what it was.
"Nagato?"
"It's me." Moments later, a faint, spectral figure appeared before him.
"You haven't returned to the Pure Land yet?" Takuno asked, raising an eyebrow.
Nagato looked at Takuno; he didn't have much time—unlike Takuno, he couldn't freely roam within Kaguya's consciousness.
So, he got straight to the point, explaining why he had stayed behind.
"Takuno, I'd like to ask you to help me and Yahiko look after Konan."
Takuno fell silent for a moment before saying, "I don't think she'll want to go on living alone after burying your body."
"But you have a way to change that, don't you?" Nagato asked, a hint of urgency in his voice.
"There is a way, but the price might be that she forgets all about you—and I don't think that would be a good thing for Konan," Takuno said after a brief pause.
"It doesn't matter. As long as she's alive, that's enough. Forgetting us—and all of this—might actually be a good thing, too."
A look of tenderness softened Nagato's eyes before he dissolved into a stream of pure energy, flowing toward Takuno.
He didn't ask for any guarantees; he knew he wasn't in a position to demand them.
He felt that Takuno would achieve final victory regardless of his help; his contribution was merely the icing on the cake.
Most importantly, he chose to trust the man—believing that if he gave his word, he would see it through. Yuantuoye sensed this power and shook his head slightly; Nagato's power was still too meager, but...
"Otsutsuki Kaguya—the second round that was never meant to happen—is here!"