Kaguya. The protected one. Sealed by her own sons?
The monk's voice carried a cold detachment that couldn't fully hide the fury beneath it. Natsuhiko raised an eyebrow.
From the start, he had been wondering whether this man had any connection to Otsutsuki Kaguya. The answer was now obvious.
Their relationship was far worse than he had imagined. The monk looked at him with what could only be called deep, personal hatred. This confirmed every suspicion Natsuhiko had held.
He had long suspected that Kaguya had done something severe enough to make the other Otsutsuki fear her and want to hunt her down in the shinobi world. Hagoromo had vaguely confirmed parts of it, but the man had spoken in riddles—fragments without context. Natsuhiko had been forced to guess the rest on his own.
Now the very Otsutsuki who held that grudge stood right in front of him.
"What exactly happened back then?" Natsuhiko thought.
He knew the monk had already mistaken him for Kaguya. There was no point correcting him. The man's frenzied state showed he had fully convinced himself. Arguing would achieve nothing.
Natsuhiko was genuinely curious what had reduced this Otsutsuki to such a miserable state.
After a brief moment, he decided to probe further. Even though the monk looked ready to strike, there was still time.
Natsuhiko tilted his head back slightly, adopting an arrogant posture. Years of playing the role of Makura had made such expressions effortless.
He looked down at the monk with cold indifference and spoke in a calm, detached tone.
"I was wondering who had wandered into my territory. Turns out it's an old acquaintance. Your 'Karma' seems to be performing rather poorly."
Natsuhiko was deliberately mimicking Kaguya's manner from his memories. He knew the imitation wasn't perfect, but it didn't matter. Since this man hated Kaguya so deeply, Natsuhiko could use that hatred to annoy him while extracting information.
As expected, the monk's expression grew even uglier.
Natsuhiko knew he had guessed right. When the monk opened his mouth, confirmation became absolute.
"Hmph! If it weren't for you, that damned traitor, I wouldn't have been reduced to this wretched state!"
The monk glared, eyes burning with rage.
"But thanks to that fellow passing by back then, I at least had the chance to capture him and plant the Karma. Even if this ant's body is hopelessly inadequate, at least I'm free now. While you were enjoying your sealed little vacation!"
"That's none of your concern," Natsuhiko replied coolly, showing no reaction whatsoever.
He was mildly surprised to discover that Otsutsuki could be so petty and sarcastic, but it changed nothing. He had already obtained the information he needed. Whatever else this man said was meaningless.
Karma worked exactly as he had suspected. The monk's condition wasn't caused by a flaw in the technique itself, but because the host he had chosen was completely unsuitable.
Kaguya must have done something terrible—perhaps even an act of open rebellion—that forced this Otsutsuki to hastily implant Karma into the first available body before dying.
That body possessed abysmal talent and quality. Even Karma couldn't properly remodel it. The infant Otsutsuki could only exist in this half-dead, ghostly state, drifting through the world like a specter.
He was probably waiting for a better vessel to appear so he could attempt a proper revival.
Natsuhiko now had a clear picture, yet he remained cautious.
This Otsutsuki would not be as arrogant and overconfident as Urashiki. In his eyes, Natsuhiko was Kaguya's vessel—an enemy of equal standing. Combined with their blood feud, the monk would fight with everything he had. No mercy. No false courtesy.
That suited Natsuhiko just fine. His raw power still couldn't match a true Otsutsuki, but the monk's deteriorating condition gave him an opening.
Of course, he wouldn't rely on that alone. Otsutsuki were unpredictable. There might be hidden trump cards. If pushed to the brink, the monk might pay an irreversible price to fully revive, making the outcome uncertain.
But so what?
Natsuhiko had long accepted that these beings would be his future enemies. Meeting one now or later made little difference.
Five years ago, he had already gained the ability to injure an Otsutsuki. Now his Jōgan had reached the second stage, and he possessed six Truth-Seeking Orbs. The one damaged in previous battles had fully recovered. His resources were immense.
These gave him the means to challenge—and even actively hunt—Otsutsuki.
He also needed this fight. High-intensity combat was necessary for further growth, especially after five years of relative inactivity.
With that thought, Natsuhiko's gaze turned sharp. Chakra began boiling through his entire body, and a predatory aura spread across the forest.
"Oh? Ready to fight?"
The monk smirked, though wariness remained in his eyes.
"Perfect. I've been wanting to see what you're capable of now—compared to the pathetic sneak attacker you were a thousand years ago."
"You're nervous," Natsuhiko observed flatly, shaking his head.
"Nervousness is fatal. Perhaps you already sense your end. But I'm curious—what should I call you for now?"
"You may call me Jigen. But later…"
Jigen's chakra erupted violently. The surrounding forest whipped into a frenzy of wind and flying debris. He clenched his fists, expression turning resolute.
"…you may have the chance to address me by my true name—Isshiki!"
Both "Jigen" and "Otsutsuki Isshiki" were unfamiliar names to Natsuhiko. It didn't matter. His fighting spirit remained unshaken.
Without hesitation, Natsuhiko struck first.
At their level, moving first wasn't necessarily wise, but Natsuhiko always kept himself in a conservative position. He believed he could handle these beings, yet he never forgot the fundamental gap between them—it was practically a different dimension.
His deep blue eyes blazed. In an instant, the space around him and Jigen twisted violently.
Jigen's face changed slightly. His chakra surged, and the strange tattoos covering his body began emitting even greater power. A black rod materialized in his hand as black lines spread across his face.
"His chakra has grown significantly stronger. Is this 'Karma' similar to Orochimaru's Cursed Seals, with multiple stages?"
Natsuhiko noted the change immediately. As a shinobi, gathering and analyzing intelligence during battle was essential. Without it, no one could reliably defeat stronger opponents.
At that moment, Jigen roared. Dense azure chakra burst from his body. The space around him warped. The chakra gathered in his hand, and with a swing of the black rod, a massive wave of energy hurtled toward Natsuhiko.
"Oh? He actually broke free of the spatial pressure."
Natsuhiko tilted his head slightly, mildly surprised, but showed no tension.
He raised his right hand, index and middle fingers extended and pressed together. Towering chakra erupted skyward.
Red eye shadow appeared across his face—he had entered Sage Mode.
"Buzz!"
With the suffocating surge of chakra, a wall of dark wooden barriers materialized in front of Natsuhiko, completely blocking the incoming attack.
"Hmph. You think simple spatial manipulation can trap me? You've really regressed. Did your sons' seal dull your mind after all this time?"
Jigen snorted dismissively, though he grew more alert after sensing Natsuhiko's chakra.
"Natural energy… I didn't expect you to gain something useful over the years. The Ten-Tails must have provided plenty of benefits. Even after being split apart, the remnants left in your body were minimal, yet it still influenced you enough for others to obtain its power."
"How do you know this natural energy came from the Ten-Tails rather than something I obtained on my own?" Natsuhiko chuckled.
His chakra aura, already beyond normal limits, exploded outward. He had no intention of holding back.
"Yin-Yang Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
Azure chakra infused with Yin-Yang Release transformed into raging flames that swept forward. The entire forest heated up instantly under the terrifying thermal wave. Lush greenery turned fiery red within moments.
Jigen's expression shifted. The flames contained both Yin-Yang Release and senjutsu—nothing he could withstand.
Even if the real Otsutsuki Isshiki stood here, he would have to dodge such an attack.
Yet Jigen remained calm. His chakra surged, and several black holes appeared around him. The spatial distortion caused by these holes prevented any of Natsuhiko's flames from touching him.
His application of space was impressive—Natsuhiko had to admit the speed and precision were remarkable. The barriers were nearly absolute. Breaking through would be difficult, because Jigen would be fully prepared against any surprise attack.
"Still, I'm not the same person I was before. Manipulating space brings its own troubles… but it also creates opportunities."
With that thought, Natsuhiko extended a finger. Brilliant azure light gathered at the tip, matching the glow in his eyes.
Space around them grew chaotic and distorted, as though severed from the world itself. An instinctive sense of dread filled the air.
The light intensified. The disordered space began to solidify.
After several breaths, the glow condensed into a single point at Natsuhiko's fingertip. The surrounding space returned to calm, with only faint ripples visible around his finger.
Jigen sensed the anomaly but stayed composed.
The eyes were strange, but as someone with Otsutsuki memories, he knew how adaptable and evolutionary the Byakugan lineage could be. He suspected Natsuhiko's eyes were a mutation or evolution of Kaguya's.
Whatever their ability, Jigen remained confident. After all, Otsutsuki Isshiki still had more extreme measures available. If used, true liberation would follow.
Natsuhiko had no idea what Jigen was planning. When the power reached its peak, he struck.
When facing spatial abilities, the best counter was spatial force of your own. That was exactly what Natsuhiko did now.
"Jōgan: Piercing Slash!"
Invisible force tore through the air—a compressed beam of azure chakra.
Following the movement of Natsuhiko's finger, it stabbed toward Jigen like a blade.
The attack vanished into space as though it had never existed. Everything remained eerily calm.
But when it reached Jigen's spatial defenses, it struck like a boulder dropped into a lake.
Ripples spread violently. Black spatial cracks appeared and widened at incredible speed. Mirror-like black spatial wormholes began peeling away and reverting to normal space.
The sight was surreal yet undeniably real.
As the wormholes fractured and real space "repaired" itself, Jigen's face grew increasingly grim.
When the hidden force finally pierced the defenses and struck his body, his expression twisted in agony.
A hole suddenly appeared in his chest. Black liquid poured from the wound. His chakra rushed toward it but failed to heal the space-tainted injury.
Cracks spread outward from the hole like a spiderweb, rapidly consuming his body.
Sensing the crisis, Jigen gritted his teeth. In that instant, an even more powerful surge of chakra exploded from him.
"AAAAH!"
With a furious roar, his body shot backward like a cannonball under the overwhelming chakra release.
He crashed through trees and boulders as if they were paper. Even a distant small mountain couldn't withstand the impact; half of it collapsed in a thunderous explosion.
Dust billowed. Natsuhiko stood in place, frowning as he gazed into the distance.
The chakra Jigen had just released had genuinely startled him. Moreover, the man's appearance had changed again.
"A horn grew on his head?"
Natsuhiko observed. Jigen had transformed twice already in front of him.
The first time, black markings covered his body and his chakra surged dramatically. Natsuhiko could still handle that state easily—his previous Piercing Authority Slash had nearly pierced the man's heart without going all out.
Now, however, Jigen's chakra intensity had surpassed Natsuhiko's even in Sage Mode. The increase was terrifying.
Along with the power surge, his appearance had shifted dramatically. Most noticeably, a horn had sprouted from his forehead. He now resembled a true Otsutsuki.
More importantly, through his Jōgan, Natsuhiko could see a faint silhouette looming behind Jigen.
The figure exuded arrogance and coldness. Its chakra was suffocating and terrifying.
"That silhouette must be the Otsutsuki Isshiki that Jigen mentioned… Truly chilling."
Natsuhiko noted. His eyes narrowed.
"Even with such overwhelming power flowing through him, this guy's body is deteriorating even faster. If this continues, he's finished."
Natsuhiko could clearly see Jigen's current condition. His body was already in ruins.
The reason was simple: Isshiki's power was too immense, while Jigen's talent and physical quality were far too weak.
It was like forcing an entire ocean's worth of water into a reservoir designed for far less. The outcome was obvious—the vessel would burst.
Even though Isshiki's chakra was currently trying to repair the damage, it was like trying to fill a leaking dam with a bucket. Unless the power influx stopped, Jigen's destruction was inevitable. Even without further escalation, the strain would eventually kill him.
Natsuhiko understood the terrifying nature of Otsutsuki power all too well, especially since he was walking the same path.
"If I force this vessel to die now, Otsutsuki Isshiki's situation probably won't be much better either."
Natsuhiko's gaze grew more dangerous.
He didn't know if killing the vessel would truly harm Isshiki, but it was worth testing. Understanding how "Karma" operated was valuable.
This battle was already intended to be all-out. Pushing the Otsutsuki to the brink was part of the plan.
If he could actually kill the man, it would be regrettable in some ways—but also the safest outcome.
"Still, I have to stay careful. I don't believe an enemy like this, driven to desperation, has no trump cards left."
Natsuhiko remained as cautious as ever. This individual hadn't appeared in the original story he knew, but that didn't mean he didn't exist. He had likely been active in events after the parts Natsuhiko was familiar with.
Someone from the same era as Kaguya, carrying such a massive grudge—there was a real possibility he was a major boss-level threat.
Underestimating him would be fatal. Such a person would definitely have contingencies for any situation.
Natsuhiko would prepare thoroughly. But he was certain of one thing:
Even if Otsutsuki Isshiki had a way to revive, he wouldn't survive long afterward.
Any revival would use Jigen's current body as the vessel. That body was already too damaged. True revival would likely destroy it completely.
How much time would he have left after that?
Even if the body wasn't completely annihilated, it would be like mounting a rocket engine on a lawnmower chassis. Once ignited, the result would be catastrophic.
"So, as long as I handle this carefully enough… in the end, the one who dies will definitely be you."