"Orochimaru, you lied to me." Black Zetsu stared coldly at Orochimaru in front of him, his eyes full of hatred.
"I should've expected this." Orochimaru shrugged without caring, smiling as he answered, "When you agreed to my plan, you already thought something like this might happen. You just believed you could keep control."
Black Zetsu didn't reply, only clenched his fists tight.
He knew Orochimaru's talk about reviving Kaguya was just a way to use him, and that Orochimaru was scheming something else in secret. But the truth was, he too thought he could still control things, relying on his own immortality and his mother's overwhelming power.
Black Zetsu took a deep breath, forcing down his anger. "Don't think you've already won.
"Mother's consciousness may still be asleep, but her body has been revived. Even if you can suppress her, it won't last long. One day Mother will wake, and that will be your death."
"You're right." Orochimaru nodded, but then smiled again. "But it doesn't matter. By then I'll already have learned every jutsu in this shinobi world, uncovered all of its secrets. And I'll still have a way to come back."
Orochimaru was never afraid of death. What he feared was dying before gaining more knowledge.
With that, Orochimaru's figure vanished before Black Zetsu, leaving him alone, staring coldly into the distance.
Deep within the inner world, a shadowy figure listened to the two of them speak. The corners of his mouth curled into a smile, as if his mood was unusually good at this moment.
…
The scorching air made the view ahead blur and twist. After another clash of jutsu, Naruto and Sasuke both stepped back, watching the explosion in front of them.
As the smoke cleared, Orochimaru's figure was nowhere to be seen.
The two instantly grew alert. Sasuke's Rinnegan gave off a faint glow, scanning the area, while the blue light in Naruto's eyes flared even brighter, green chakra rising steadily from his body.
Suddenly, Naruto's gaze fixed on the empty space behind them. A hidden space portal opened.
Naruto froze for a moment, then instantly grabbed Sasuke and pulled him aside. In the next second, a black passage burst open at impossible speed. Two All-Killing Ash Bones shot out, almost striking Naruto and Sasuke.
Dodging them, Naruto and Sasuke both unleashed jutsu toward the black portal, but it closed immediately—
—leaving them no chance to counterattack.
The jutsu crashed into the burning rock walls, sending up a storm of smoke and molten debris. Sasuke raised Susano'o to block the falling rocks, his eyes sharp with caution.
"I think… I can see it." Naruto frowned. Before Sasuke could ask, Naruto grabbed his arm again, abandoning even Susano'o. A giant phantom fist burst from another hidden black portal, smashing into the rocky cliff opposite them.
Orochimaru stepped out of the dark portal, surprise flashing across his face as he looked at Naruto. "At first I thought it was just luck. But now it seems you really can sense the landing point of Yomotsu Hirasaka."
"Yomotsu Hirasaka…" Sasuke repeated softly, his Rinnegan shifting slightly.
Naruto rubbed his eyes, hesitating as he spoke to Sasuke: "Sasuke, I think my eyes can track the traces of space being used. This should be one of the powers of the Tenseigan."
Sasuke thought for a moment and looked at him. "Can you track my Amenotejikara?"
Naruto shook his head. "It only works for space portals. Instant space-time moves like yours—I can't catch those."
"I see." Sasuke nodded in understanding. "Anything else?"
"I don't know." Naruto sighed. "Grandpa Hamura never told me what powers the Tenseigan has. I only know it has detection abilities like the Byakugan, and now this ability to track space portals. The rest, I have no clue."
Sasuke touched the tomoe in his Rinnegan, looking distracted. "Yomotsu Hirasaka… that name feels familiar."
"What's wrong, you can use it too?" Naruto asked, looking at Sasuke in confusion.
Sasuke wasn't too sure. "I don't know. But whenever Orochimaru uses that jutsu, my Rinnegan with tomoe and this blue eye both start to tremble strangely, like a heartbeat. Every time it happens, it distracts me."
Orochimaru was getting more and more skilled at controlling Kaguya's body. Now he had even used another space-time ninjutsu. In this lava dimension, there wasn't much room to dodge. If not for Naruto, Sasuke might have already been hit.
"You should try getting used to that tremble. I don't think I've ever really seen you use the power of that blue eye." Naruto replied.
To be honest, it wasn't "not really seen"—he had never seen it at all.
That eye wasn't weak either.
Those blue Rinnegan held some strange powers. The most famous one was time reversal, but Sasuke had never used it once.
According to Kurama, since Sasuke had received Momoshiki's Karma power, in theory he should be able to use all of Momoshiki's abilities, including that eye. But in reality, aside from a few Otsutsuki techniques, he had never used the blue Rinnegan—
Except for boosting his eye power.
Sasuke lowered his hand from his eye and explained, "I met Momoshiki again."
"Huh?" Naruto was shocked. "Didn't your brother seal him? And right in front of me too."
"I don't know why either," Sasuke shook his head. "But Momoshiki still exists inside the Karma. According to him, though, his soul really was sealed, so he can't take over my body anymore… Wait. A soul seal?"
Sasuke suddenly turned to Naruto.
Naruto froze, then his face changed as he realized what Sasuke meant. "You mean…"
Sasuke gave a firm nod, his gaze burning as he stared at the red gourd in Susano'o's hand. "You know the Totsuka Blade's power. I think the chances of success… aren't low."
"True," Naruto laughed as well. "But the problem now is, we need a real plan… To be honest, I just thought of something new."
Sasuke smirked. "We'll go with your idea."
Naruto's battle sense might not be as refined as the legendary ninjas, but his instincts were unmatched. Even Kakashi might not be better. After all, Naruto was the number one unpredictable ninja.
"Hehehe~" Naruto let out a slightly mischievous laugh. "Sasuke, lean in, let me tell you something."
For some reason Sasuke felt a chill, but he still leaned his ear closer.
About ten seconds later, Sasuke's eyes went wide in shock. He stared at Naruto in disbelief. "You're not joking, are you?"
Naruto gave him a goofy smile. "Nope… Just say yes or no."
Sasuke looked torn. After a long pause, his face twisted in frustration as he nodded. "Fine."
Even though he looked upset… Naruto thought he saw something else on Sasuke's face—
Excitement?
Sasuke coughed lightly. "I only have one question… Orochimaru counts as a man or a woman?"
Naruto's goofy grin froze, and he stood there dumbfounded.
Uh…
"Uh… a man?" Naruto wasn't very sure.
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