He paused, gazing at that Ten-Tails.
"I had been preparing for this moment ever since I first began gathering Tailed Beast chakra across the ninja world.
Yet, all of you were foolishly fixated on the complete Tailed Beasts before you and the Ten-Tails they formed, completely failing to consider the possibility that I might create another Ten-Tails."
Takuno's words struck the hearts of those present like a thunderclap.
This went far beyond their understanding of ninjutsu.
Kaguya's gaze turned incredibly grave; she finally realized that the opponent before her was far more dangerous than she had imagined.
"So that's how it is..."
The Sage of Six Paths murmured, instantly grasping Takuno's inconceivable plan.
The moment he decided to use the "Reverse Chimera Technique" to merge with Kaguya and siphon her power, Takuno had made a clean break.
He had not only stripped away his own core of power but had even forcibly separated the Ten-Tails hidden within his body, using that black Susanoo as both a vessel and a barrier to safely "store" it away.
Even his eyes had been moved to a place of absolute safety before he activated the technique, completely eliminating any possibility of Kaguya absorbing or utilizing his full power within the mental realm!
"Cunning! Despicable!!" Black Zetsu's consciousness roared furiously. "He was guarding against Mother all along! He had a contingency plan from the very start!"
No wonder the Collector had been so indifferent to the appearance of that Ten-Tails earlier; the true source lay elsewhere.
With his strength, the Collector could easily have claimed that Ten-Tails for himself, yet he hadn't; instead, he had let them scramble over it like clowns.
Because he already possessed a Ten-Tails of his own.
Everything that had transpired was part of his calculations—even that Ten-Tails was merely a toy he had released to sow chaos!
The depth of the Collector's schemes and foresight filled Black Zetsu with profound dread.
The icy expression on Kaguya's face gave way to a trace of indescribable wariness.
This mortal—no, this thief who had stolen the essence of the God Tree—had far exceeded her expectations. He had not only seized her power but had also, from the very beginning, eliminated any possibility of her turning his core power against him!
And now, having absorbed the Ten-Tails before him, his power was ascending to an even higher level.
Yet, she was utterly powerless to stop it; the moment that Ten-Tails appeared, it had already established a complete connection—and fusion—with him.
The Ten-Tails began to dissolve at a terrifying speed, transforming into a pool of liquid surging with immense, dreadful energy.
This liquid rushed eagerly toward Takuno's body.
Takuno felt a torrent of power, surpassing anything he had ever known, washing over every single cell in his body.
A smile slowly spread across his lips.
This time, everything was different.
He thought of Nagato, Obito, Madara, and even his own past attempts.
Whether through the forced suppression of the Rinnegan or the sealing power of the Six Paths Ten-Tails Coffin Seal, they had merely been "vessels"—Jinchūriki imprisoning the rampaging beast known as the Ten-Tails within their bodies.
Though the power was immense, it remained separated by the barrier of a seal, always accompanied by the risk of losing control or suffering a backlash.
It was like taming a wild beast; constant vigilance was required.
But now, things had changed.
There were no flickering seal symbols, no agonized roars or struggles, and no tug-of-war at the level of the soul.
The Ten-Tails was undergoing a profound, absolute fusion with his very being.
This was not mere containment, but assimilation.
Not taming, but unification.
His flesh, blood, and bones were being reshaped, and the nature of his chakra was undergoing a fundamental metamorphosis.
He could clearly sense that he was transcending the very definition of a Jinchūriki.
He was the Divine Tree itself, rooted in the planet and drawing life energy from all things! He was the embodiment of the Divine Tree's will!
Naturally, that immense power—originally derived from the fruit of the Divine Tree, stolen by Kaguya and then forcibly seized by him—was now becoming an integral part of him! This... was precisely why he had been willing to take such an extreme risk—deliberately merging into Kaguya's body using the "Reverse Chimera Technique."
It was the fundamental reason he had engaged in a life-or-death battle of wills within that perilous realm of consciousness, seeking to seize the primal power of the God Tree's fruit!
The danger involved was immense; every step was like walking on thin ice, where a single misstep meant total annihilation.
Failure would mean his consciousness being crushed and devoured by Kaguya; the power he had amassed would serve only to facilitate her perfect resurrection, and the Shinobi World would plunge into eternal despair.
Yet now, feeling the ceaseless surge of brand-new power within him, that sense of absolute control swept away all lingering shadows.
He had succeeded!
By this time, the Ten-Tails had fully merged with Takuno—a process that took but an instant, leaving no room for anyone to intervene.
Upon completing the fusion, Takuno's presence grew vastly more profound; it was as if the very space of the battlefield had become heavy under the weight of his existence.
It was not merely the pressure of chakra, but an overwhelming force akin to the physical manifestation of the God Tree's will—a presence that even the airborne Kaguya instinctively feared.
Takuno clenched his fist, sensing the unprecedented torrent of power coursing through his body.
The Ten-Tails was no longer a Tailed Beast merely residing within him; it had completely assimilated and unified with him. He had become the embodiment of the God Tree's will, with every cell brimming with boundless energy.
Yet, amidst this world-shaking might, he keenly sensed a subtle "imperfection."
This sensation did not stem from his physical body or his chakra, but from his deep, six-tomoe Rinnegan.
Deep within those eyes, a pulse seemed to beat; a higher level of ocular power—rooted in the very essence of his bloodline—was stirring, striving to break through the final shackle.
He could clearly "see" it: the thin barrier separating him from his ultimate form lay right before him. With just a tiny push—a mere spark of opportunity—that pair of supreme eyes would complete their final evolution.
Black Zetsu felt the overwhelming pressure radiating from Takuno; the vast power, stemming from the very essence of the Divine Tree, made its soul tremble to its core.
Yet, suppressing its fear, it clung to the cuff of Kaguya's sleeve and screeched, putting on a brave front despite its inner terror:
"Even so, your power still falls short of Mother's! That chasm is one you cannot cross!"
Black Zetsu was right; even though Takuno had successfully merged with the Ten-Tails and become the embodiment of the Divine Tree's will,
his current level of power was only about eighty percent of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's.
However, a playful curve played upon the corners of Takuno's mouth as his Rinnegan and Tenseigan—eyes holding infinite mysteries—calmly regarded Black Zetsu and the raging, volatile Kaguya standing behind it.
He replied with a hint of mockery in his voice: "Who said I was finished?"
That casual remark caused Black Zetsu's single yellow eye to widen instantly; a chill, far deeper than the dread inspired by Takuno's raw power, swept through its being.
It sensed instinctively that this terrifying human—this "Collector" who had shattered every rule—held far more cards up his sleeve than he had yet revealed.
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki hovered above the shattered battlefield, her pale face set in a mask of icy frost.
Black Zetsu's anxious voice rang out once more from beside her feet:
"Mother! Stay calm! He's merely bluffing! His Rinnegan hasn't finished its final evolution yet—this is our chance! Use your supreme power to utterly..."
"Shut up!"
The icy rebuke did not come from Takuno, but from Kaguya herself.
Her voice was quiet, yet it instantly silenced the incessant Black Zetsu, rendering it mute with terror.
Kaguya felt a surge of unprecedented, almost absurd irritation.
She was well aware that Black Zetsu had poured a thousand years of effort into her resurrection—orchestrating schemes across the ninja world and manipulating pawns like chess pieces. That very persistence had even moved her slightly when she first returned to life. Yet now, witnessing Takuno's seemingly bottomless reserves of power and his endless array of hidden trump cards—while listening to Black Zetsu's "assists" that landed with uncanny precision—Kaguya felt an overwhelming urge to personally tear apart that incessantly flapping black mouth.
Every single time! Every instance of Black Zetsu's self-important "analysis" or "reminder" acted like a key, unlocking the floodgates for Takuno to unleash yet another display of new power!
Mocking Takuno for lacking sufficient strength? He would immediately reclaim his eyes, fuse with the Ten-Tails, and embody the will of the Divine Tree—causing his power to skyrocket to a terrifying level, reaching eighty percent of her own!
Questioning whether his Rinnegan had fully evolved? The glow of his six-tomoe Rinnegan would only intensify, hinting that the final breakthrough could occur at any moment!
Reminding her to stay calm and look for a weakness? And the result?
Far from offering any substantive help, every word Black Zetsu uttered seemed merely to provide a stepping stone for Takuno to showcase his might!
It reached the point where the power Takuno had amassed commanded deep wariness—even from her, the Progenitor of chakra.
Although she knew rationally that this wasn't something Black Zetsu could control, she still vented her fury upon him.
Kaguya took a deep breath; the fires of rage, stoked by repeated humiliation, burned once more within her pure white eyes.
She could not allow Takuno to continue seizing power unchecked!
Gathering a terrifying amount of chakra capable of shattering space itself, she transformed into a streak of white light and lunged straight at Takuno, unleashing the devastating "Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack."
Yet, this time, her assault failed to reach its target.
Just as the blow was about to land, an invisible yet immensely powerful barrier of repulsive force materialized out of thin air, forcibly halting her full-power strike!
Violent energy impacts exploded against the barrier, causing space itself to twist and shudder, yet the barrier remained unshaken.
A look of profound mockery played across the corners of Takuno's pale face. He gazed at the blocked Kaguya, his voice laced with undisguised mockery:
"Heh... did you really think I needed to act like a clown and 'draw out' that power just to merge with it?"
He tilted his head slightly, his eyes filled with disdain.
"What a joke! That power was always mine; it was imprinted within the very scheme I laid out from the start!"
In truth, he had done so merely to make a grand display before others.
As for the power that belonged to him, a single thought was all it took to recall it into his body—just like now...
A golden sun-like mark emerged upon Takuno's right hand!
This was the source of his power surging once more—the very energy the Sage of Six Paths had accumulated over a thousand years!
The spectral image of the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo, hovered over the shattered battlefield, an expression of unprecedented shock etched upon his face.
He clearly sensed the golden sun mark burning tangibly in the palm of Takuno's right hand—it was the very core of his power, embodying the essence of his Yang Release, which had been stolen from him long ago!
"So that's how it is!" Hagoromo's voice trembled with disbelief.
"The entirety of the power you took from me back then... you never actually fully absorbed it!"
In an instant, he grasped the full scope of Takuno's scheme.
When Takuno had originally received that power, he hadn't greedily swallowed it whole as Hagoromo had assumed.
Instead, he had precisely separated the energy, utilizing only the pure Yin Release component...
...using it as a catalyst to push his own Rinnegan beyond its limits, evolving it into the Six-Tomoe Rinnegan!
Meanwhile, the far more immense Yang Release essence—symbolizing the creation of life and the vitality of all things—had been forcibly stripped away by Takuno using an unimaginable sealing technique.
This seal had cleverly eluded Hagoromo's perception and deceived Kaguya as well.
"You... you kept my Yang nature chakra sealed away all this time?!"
Hagoromo's voice held a complex mix of emotions—the sting of having been fooled, and sheer astonishment at Takuno's patience and far-reaching plan. He had assumed his power had long since been consumed as fuel for Takuno's evolution, yet he never imagined the truth.
His opponent had actually treated it as a trump card held in reserve, biding his time and keeping it concealed, all for the sake of this critical moment in the final showdown!
At this instant, the golden sun-like mark on Takuno's palm was shining with unprecedented brilliance; the power of Yang Release—sealed away for who knows how long—was surging violently into his new body, a vessel fused with the essences of both Kaguya and the Ten-Tails.
Beneath his pale Ōtsutsuki skin, golden patterns resembling solar veins began to faintly emerge.
They shimmered in tandem with the crimson six-tomoe Rinnegan on his forehead, the pale-purple six-tomoe Rinnegan in his left eye, and the Tenseigan in his right.
Amidst the storm of Kaguya's furious onslaught, Takuno's aura was far from being suppressed.
Instead, it surged upward once more with a terrifying intensity!
Kaguya's "Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack" was firmly blocked by an invisible barrier of repulsive force in front of Takuno.
Her Byakugan eyes locked onto the golden mark on his palm and the solar patterns appearing on his body; for the first time, her icy murderous intent was tinged with distinct apprehension.
She had recognized it: that golden sun mark was the power of her son, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo.
Not only had he stolen her power, but he had also seized Hagoromo's power as well!
Black Zetsu let out a desperate shriek from within Kaguya's sleeve: "Mother! Watch out! He's using Hagoromo's power to complete his final transformation! He's been plotting against us all along!"
Feeling the immense, overwhelming power born from the Yin-Yang Release within him finally achieving perfect balance, Takuno's lips curled into a cold, chilling smile.
Ignoring Kaguya's rage and Black Zetsu's screaming, he fixed his gaze—deep and unfathomable—ahead.
As the shocked eyes of everyone present converged upon him, the suffocating pressure radiating from Takuno underwent a sudden, qualitative transformation.