Hearing the extreme coldness in Byakuya's tone, Kakashi suddenly realized he had spoken out of turn.
Byakuya was a powerhouse on the same level as Madara Uchiha. Whether he joined the Allied Shinobi Forces or faked his death to retreat, everything was by his own will.
How could a mere jōnin like him dare to question Byakuya?
As that thought crossed his mind, cold sweat formed on Kakashi's back. His tone softened significantly, "Since Byakuya-sama has already made his decision, I won't presume to give any more suggestions. But…the allied forces outside are suffering heavy casualties. May I bring more people into the Kamui dimension?"
Byakuya gave a slight nod, "Bring them if you want. But once Infinite Tsukuyomi is cast, every living being in the shinobi world will fall into illusion. No matter how many you bring now, it won't change the result."
Kakashi sighed, "Saving even one more person counts for something… but in the end, the future of the shinobi world lies with you, Naruto, and Sasuke."
Byakuya gave no response to that.
In the original timeline, Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and the others had indeed defeated Madara and eventually sealed the final boss, Kaguya, into the Root Space.
If Byakuya's only goal was survival, he could stop right now. But his ambitions were far greater.
He didn't just want to seal Kaguya Ōtsutsuki; he wanted power that would make him stand out even among the Ōtsutsuki. Only then could he lower his guard slightly. To achieve that, the usual script for sealing Kaguya had to be rewritten.
Shaking off those drifting thoughts, Byakuya left Kamui space with Obito, using his phasing ability to hide in the shadows and observe the battle between Naruto, Sasuke, and Madara. Madara, having used his Limbo clones to distract Naruto and Sasuke, successfully planted the Divine Tree.
As its massive vines spread across the shinobi world, the moon transformed into a Rinnegan, casting Infinite Tsukuyomi.
In an instant, night turned to day.
All shinobi caught in the white light fell into a deep sleep, wrapped in the tree's embrace. The light pierced even through solid rock, entrapping every living being. Only a handful managed to avoid it, Naruto and Sasuke under Susanoo, and Kakashi and others hidden in Kamui.
As for Byakuya and Obito, they faced the full brilliance of Infinite Tsukuyomi directly.
Obito, still retaining some Six Paths chakra from being the Ten Tails' jinchūriki, resisted it effortlessly. Byakuya had only been testing it, but as expected, it had no effect on him.
Maybe it was due to his mastery of Yin-Yang Release, or perhaps his chakra volume alone, already comparable to another Ten Tails, was too great for the illusion to control.
Once Infinite Tsukuyomi ended, Naruto and Sasuke once again engaged Madara.
Their strength was overwhelming.
Madara opened a third eye on his forehead and used the Chibaku Tensei: Heavenly Obstruction Meteor, summoning dozens of massive meteors from the sky.
Each one carried destructive power equal to a Tailed Beast Bomb. But Naruto and Sasuke remained calm.
They fused their powers to create a battle-ready form of Susanoo cloaked in Kurama's chakra. The armored Susanoo soared into the sky, sword drawn, every meteor was sliced in half midair. Madara frowned at the sight, glaring at the duo.
He couldn't understand how they had grown so strong so quickly?
He had spent decades acquiring the Rinnegan and the Gedo Statue. He had planned and plotted his entire life to reach this point. So what gave them the right to match his strength?
His gaze turned to the Divine Tree.
Now, even with his current power, he was barely holding out. If things dragged on, defeat was inevitable.
There was only one choice left: he had to absorb the Divine Tree.
Without further hesitation, Madara flew to the tree and placed his hand on it.
The Divine Tree immediately turned into a torrent of chakra and flowed into him, Madara became the complete Ten Tails jinchūriki. The power that surged through him made Madara chuckle to himself. But he wasn't the only one who was pleased.
Byakuya also received a system reward at that moment:
[Madara Uchiha has become the complete Ten Tails Jinchūriki. You have received the Ten Tails' Origin.]
Startled for a moment, Byakuya clicked to claim the reward.
A mysterious energy immediately surged through him, along with information about the Ten Tails itself.
After reading it all, Byakuya couldn't help but smile. He had finally uncovered the secret behind the Ten Tails and the Ōtsutsuki.
The Ten Tails was a rare and powerful being across the galaxy, capable of absorbing planetary chakra to create Divine Tree fruits. But it lacked intelligence and the ability to traverse the stars.
The Ōtsutsuki had exactly those skills.
So the two races formed a pact: the Ōtsutsuki would guide the Ten Tails to new planets, in exchange for power and longevity. This led to the Ōtsutsuki gaining virtual immortality, not only through extending life with chakra, but also by backing up their souls.
By consuming chakra fruits, they could digitize their essence and embed it within the chakra. Even if their bodies died, they could be resurrected using the Karma seal left behind.
That was how the Ōtsutsuki could travel across the stars. And the reason Byakuya hadn't reached their level was simple: he hadn't backed himself up.
His body couldn't yet be discarded or destroyed. The method to do so was clear now: consume a chakra fruit. But as soon as he learned this, Byakuya instinctively felt something was wrong.
If he ate the fruit, would he still be Byakuya? Or would he become the Ten-Tails?
Would the "him" that came back through the Karma seal still be him? His mind filled with countless questions. But for now, there was no chakra fruit in his grasp, so the issue could be put aside.
Better to focus on Kaguya's arrival.
---
At that moment, the battle between Madara, Naruto, and Sasuke had reached its climax. Even as the Six Paths Madara with the third eye, he still couldn't defeat them.
Just as Madara was contemplating a strategic retreat, Black Zetsu silently appeared behind him.
With the sound of a blade slicing through flesh, Black Zetsu's hand pierced Madara's chest and grasped his heart.
Madara turned around in disbelief.
"Black Zetsu… even you betrayed me?"
Black Zetsu looked at him coldly. "Madara, when you ambushed Obito and succeeded… did you ever consider that I was watching you the whole time?"
Madara was silent for a few seconds. Then he asked, "Aren't you… my will?"
Black Zetsu sneered. "Your will? I am the child of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. When did you ever get the illusion that you created me? Was it because of your barely-qualified Rinnegan?"
As Black Zetsu and Madara exchanged words, Naruto and Sasuke were completely speechless.
Counting the earlier betrayal of Byakuya, they had now witnessed two backstabbings in a single day. Were all these world-ending villains just a bunch of backstabbing, infighting maniacs?
Not far away, Obito's lips twitched slightly. He honestly hadn't expected even Madara to be betrayed.
Byakuya noticed Obito's expression and said coolly, "I told you long ago that Black Zetsu was suspicious. You all just didn't want to believe me."
Obito glanced at him and said, "So that's why you deliberately let Black Zetsu ambush you?"
Byakuya nodded seriously. "I've always felt there was something wrong with your Moon's Eye Plan. Someone among you was definitely being manipulated. I was trying to find the real mastermind all along."
Byakuya then chuckled, looking at Obito, "You? You were just a puppet dancing in Madara's palm, so it couldn't have been you.
And Madara himself didn't seem like the one either. The way he used you was so crude. If it had been me, Rin wouldn't have died. She would've been by your side, executing the Moon's Eye Plan with you. Once I eliminated all the wrong answers, only the seemingly impossible one remained, Black Zetsu.
Though he was supposedly your subordinate, he was constantly acting on his own. Whether it was contacting me or giving you orders in Madara's name, it was all him."
Obito fell silent. He had lost completely this time. Withdrawn as he was, he retreated into the world of the Infinite Tsukuyomi and didn't even react to the illusory tear Byakuya had created.
Madara extended his hand, intending to destroy this traitorous Black Zetsu.
But it was already too late. His body began to twist rapidly and was soon enveloped by a mass of white flesh. In no time, he transformed into the Ten-Tails' beastly form, which then began shifting into the form of a woman.
That woman was none other than the progenitor of chakra, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
Kaguya looked beautiful, but she was deadly. The moment Naruto and Sasuke laid eyes on her, their chakra began to tremble.
That was the overwhelming power of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. Byakuya was momentarily stunned, not just because of her beauty, but because he noticed something off about her condition.
Kaguya didn't seem like she had merely returned; she had fused completely with the Ten-Tails. She was the Ten-Tails now.
This state made Byakuya more certain than ever that the Ten-Tails' power carried enormous hidden risks.
Once freed from her seal, Black Zetsu climbed onto Kaguya's sleeve and pointed at Naruto and Sasuke.
"Mother, these two carry the chakra of Indra and Asura. Defeat them, and this world will belong solely to you."
Kaguya glanced at her surroundings and frowned at the devastated landscape.
The Shinobi World was her nursery. She had only been asleep for a thousand years, yet it had been destroyed to this degree? If there was going to be a battle, it absolutely could not happen here.
With that thought, Kaguya prepared to activate Amenominaka and transport everyone to the Expansive Truth-Seeking Orb dimension.
But just as she began the process, she suddenly sensed something unusual. Her gaze snapped toward the spot where Byakuya and Obito had been, and in the blink of an eye, she vanished and reappeared at their location.
However, when she and Black Zetsu arrived, Byakuya and Obito were already gone.
Black Zetsu frowned in confusion and asked, "Mother, what are you looking for here? Indra and Asura's vessels are over there, not here."
Kaguya shook her head, as if recalling something. "I sensed a kin's presence here, and also detected traces of space-time displacement."
Black Zetsu blinked, then seemed to recall something. "That must be the Kamui dimension. While you were asleep, one of Indra's descendants awakened the Kamui ability and can perform space-time jumps."
"Kamui, is it…" Kaguya accepted the explanation and let out a sigh of relief.
If there were other Ōtsutsuki still in the Shinobi World, that would be a real problem. Though she had killed Isshiki of the main family and possessed the strength to slay her kin, if she had to face several of them at once, she wouldn't stand a chance.
Unless she could use the Divine Tree to cultivate some talented White Zetsu to counter them, she would be at a disadvantage.
But just as Kaguya let down her guard, a ripple of space-time surged around them. A longsword forged of Yin-Yang Release tore through the void, heading straight for her.
The sword moved so fast that even Kaguya barely sensed it in time.
She instinctively dodged several hundred meters backward, but her sleeve was still sliced through, and the sword wind left a visible mark on her wrist.
"Who are you?" Kaguya stared warily around and soon locked onto a shadow emerging from the darkness.
When she saw who it was, Black Zetsu couldn't help crying out, "Byakuya?! It's actually you!"
In Black Zetsu's memory, Byakuya had already been killed by his Yin-Yang Release.
Anyone killed by that technique couldn't even be resurrected by Edo Tensei. So how was Byakuya still alive? Did he never show up in person to begin with?
Byakuya smiled and cheerfully greeted him, "Black Zetsu-senpai, long time no see. Last time, you stabbed me in the heart. Don't you think it's my turn now?"
Cold sweat poured down Black Zetsu's face. He instinctively looked to his mother for help.
Kaguya squinted and examined Byakuya carefully, then asked Black Zetsu, "Black Zetsu, do you know who he is? He doesn't seem easy to deal with."
Black Zetsu stammered, "I-I wouldn't dare hide it from you, Mother. Byakuya was once my subordinate. After I used him, I killed him. I didn't expect him to still be alive…"
"Do you… know him? Is he from the main family?"
Kaguya shook her head and replied, "Judging by the amount of chakra in him, he should be one of my kin. But I don't know him, and he doesn't have the scent of a chakra fruit. He's probably a native who's become extremely powerful. And it seems he's known about me for a long time."
Black Zetsu was struck by a sudden chill.
Even his mother, Kaguya, was wary of Byakuya's power. That meant at any moment, Byakuya could've crushed him like an ant. And yet, he had actually dared to attack him?
After a moment of silence, Black Zetsu asked cautiously, "Then, Mother… what do you plan to do?"
Kaguya stared intently at Byakuya and answered, "Of course we fight. The Shinobi World is my nursery; I won't allow any outsider to interfere. And if I obtain his chakra, I might finally have the power to deal with the main family's shinobi."