Facing the threat of an enraged Six Paths Naruto, Kaguya and Black Zetsu both retreated to the Primal Dimension.
"That kid, it seems he got a Rinnegan. And it feels… very unsettling…" Kaguya muttered, inexplicably uneasy.
"That damned Uchiha Sasuke, daring to give his Rinnegan to Uzumaki Naruto? This is going to be a bit troublesome…" Black Zetsu grumbled bitterly.
A Six Paths-powered Naruto was already annoying; adding a Rinnegan made him far more problematic.
Almost more abnormal than Naruto and Sasuke combined during the Fourth Ninja World War.
Fortunately, Sasuke was dead, and Naruto alone couldn't use Six Paths sealing techniques, so the threat to Mother should be limited.
"Then, what should we do?"
"Wait! Isshiki killed Sasuke, and Naruto won't let him go. After they fight to the death, Mother, we'll deal with the last threat!"
"But that kid gives me a more dangerous feeling…"
"Mother! What else can we do? It's impossible to ally with anyone now."
They'd just attacked Isshiki, who had consumed the Ten-Tails, betraying the alliance; neither side could join forces against Six Paths Naruto.
Better to let Naruto and Isshiki fight to the death, then let Mother harvest the winner.
"Besides, Mother, your current condition isn't suited for a major battle."
Black Zetsu knew Kaguya's state well.
Using Six Paths: All Creation Things, the Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball, and multiple Amenominakas had drained much of her energy.
Despite absorbing eight Tailed Beasts and the chakra of tens of thousands of ninjas, she couldn't sustain such expenditure.
Her remaining chakra was now less than twenty percent; another major fight would be highly disadvantageous.
She urgently needed time to recover chakra and condition.
"Alright."
Kaguya followed Black Zetsu's plan. Her intelligence and strategy weren't enough for deeper calculations.
"By the way, Mother, consume that guy first!"
"He has plenty of Hamura's chakra, perfect for recovery."
Black Zetsu pointed at Toneri, still in the Primal Dimension.
The reason Mother brought Toneri here and didn't let him save Sasuke was to avoid him being caught in the Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball's blast.
He wanted to keep a 'temporary snack' for Mother to replenish after using the Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball.
Who told Toneri to lack space-time abilities? Trapped in the Primal Dimension, he was like a rat in a jar, with no way out.
Kaguya nodded. She was indeed very hungry. Toneri, a descendant of Hamura, could repay his father's debt as a temporary meal!
*WHOOSH!*
Kaguya floated, shooting toward Toneri.
Toneri didn't know what happened outside, but seeing Kaguya take away that massive Expanded Truth-Seeking Ball wasn't a good sign.
Unable to escape the dimension, he couldn't think much, focusing on finding a way to fight Kaguya!
Kaguya's battle with Toneri took over an hour, an unexpected delay.
No choice.
Toneri knew he was no match for Kaguya, so he didn't dare confront her directly, constantly dodging to stall for time.
Hoping Naruto and others would come to his aid.
Of course, Toneri didn't know Naruto was half-mad, torturing Isshiki in another dimension.
Kaguya was also reluctant to expend too much chakra to catch Toneri.
Otherwise, one Amenominaka, forcibly moving Toneri to a super-gravity or ice dimension, could've captured him.
But Amenominaka consumed too much chakra each time!
Kaguya was very unwilling…
If the loss outweighed the gain, even consuming Toneri wouldn't matter much.
But this cat-and-mouse game couldn't last forever. Trapped in the Primal Dimension, Toneri was finally defeated and captured by Kaguya.
Kaguya extended her slender arm, restraining the defeated Toneri.
Black Zetsu seized the chance to turn into black slime, enveloping half of Toneri's body, absorbing chakra while taunting.
"Yare yare! No wonder my useless brother Hamura's descendant lasted this long—he really gave Mother a bit of trouble!"
"Black Zetsu, your ambitions won't succeed!"
"My ambitions? I just want to save Mother and live happily with her; is that ambition?"
"But your actions—you destroy the world, strip others' right to live, trample human dignity!"
"Tch, tch, sorry! But everything in this world was created by Mother. Without her, chakra wouldn't exist, your ancestors wouldn't have appeared… Mother now wants to take it all back—is that a problem?"
"Everything you created came from this planet, this world! You're just despicable plunderers!"
"Quite the debater! Sadly, Mother and I have no choice, and neither do you…"
Black Zetsu sighed sadly.
Since his creation, he was driven to save his mother. Though he was happy, wasn't this also a lack of choice?
As for Kaguya, Mother, she was just a puppet restricted by the Ōtsutsuki clan, sent to Earth for the tree-planting mission, also without choice.
"Alright, chat time's over."
"Let's talk serious business."
"As far as I know, your Tenseigan should've been destroyed, right? So where'd this one come from? And Naruto and Sasuke's sudden power?"
"If you're honest, I can ask Mother to let you live!"
Black Zetsu absorbed chakra while prying for information.
This was his main concern.
Was Toneri and Naruto backed by Brother Hagoromo? For Kaguya to win, they needed more intel.
"It's support from our ancestor, Ōtsutsuki Hamura-sama."
"He's not dead either?"
"Yes!"
"Impossible! You're lying!"
Black Zetsu insisted, certain Toneri, that white-browed liar, was deceiving him!
Even if Hamura were alive, he couldn't have such power!
Mother had said the quality and quantity of chakra she sensed from Six Paths Naruto rivaled her peak.
That was a qualitative transformation only the Chakra Fruit could provide.
Even Hamura and Hagoromo combined might not match that power—it wasn't Hamura's!
"Really? But that's the truth. You don't believe, so it's pointless."
Toneri deliberately lied.
Though pinning it on his ancestor, he wouldn't betray Tenshou Sennin who helped him, nor leak any related information.
"Toneri! You want to die that badly?!!!"
Black Zetsu was annoyed and angry. This man carried Mother's blood yet defended humans and the ninja world so fiercely.
He had no descendants, no attachments—how was he so stubborn?
Who gave him such a powerful mantra?
"Death? I should've died long ago, go ahead…"
Toneri was calm. If not for Naruto freeing him from the rogue Byakugan cluster, he'd be dead.
Living this long was lucky; he no longer feared death.
"Good, good, good!"
"Crazy bastards!"
"But Mother and I won't kill you. I'll keep you alive to witness Uzumaki Naruto's failure and the world's destruction!"
"Maybe I can use you to threaten that fool Naruto…"
Black Zetsu drained Toneri's chakra, leaving just enough to keep him alive.
He wanted Toneri alive, both to crush his spirit and as a hostage—more valuable than killing him outright.
"You won't win, Naruto won't lose!"
"Shut up! You've lost! Sasuke's dead! Only Naruto remains—he's no match for Mother!"
"Hm? Sasuke's dead?"
Toneri was shocked, mixed with slight joy.
"Of course!"
"Hahaha! Good, good! Then you're finished. How insane will Naruto be after losing Sasuke?"
Toneri knew who Naruto cared about most.
The enemy had broken Naruto's shackles—did they not know what terrifying demon they'd unleash?
Black Zetsu scoffed.
"Fool! If Naruto goes mad, he'll be easier to handle. A man who's lost his sanity can't match Mother!"
"Enough! No more wasting time with you."
"Mother, I'll take this guy's Tenseigan. Prepare to use Tsukuyomi to control him!"
"Without the Tenseigan, he shouldn't resist Tsukuyomi's genjutsu."
"Then we'll know who's backing him. Maybe we can control him to ambush Naruto!"
Black Zetsu lost patience, forming a thick arm to seize Toneri's Tenseigan.
He aimed to take it and forcibly control Toneri.
That way, a lone Naruto couldn't match Kaguya.
'This time, the advantage is mine!'
In response, Toneri, stripped of resistance, didn't panic.
Instead, he said firmly:
"If so, I won't be a burden to Naruto."
"Naruto, sorry, let me heat things up a bit more!"
As Toneri spoke, Black Zetsu's hand touched his Tenseigan.
At that moment, the Tenseigan glowed, triggering a pre-set technique!
Since being trapped in the Primal Dimension, knowing escape was impossible, Toneri had embedded a trigger-type sealing jutsu in his Tenseigan. If anyone tried to seize it, the technique would passively activate and explode.
This was to prevent enemies from capturing him alive or taking his Tenseigan after death to use against them.
*BANG!*
The jutsu activated, the Tenseigan exploding violently, along with Toneri's entire head.
The considerable force destroyed most of Black Zetsu's clinging slime.
Toneri died instantly, his half-body falling from the sky, crashing hard into the ground.
"Bastard!"
Black Zetsu retreated frantically into Kaguya's sleeve, licking his wounds and cursing angrily.
He hadn't expected Toneri to be so ruthless! He'd set a sealing jutsu in his Tenseigan from the start, with no intent to live!
And the sealing jutsu was Kaguya and Black Zetsu's weakness. Busy absorbing Toneri's chakra, they hadn't thoroughly checked his body…
"Damn it! Drives me mad!"
Black Zetsu was unsatisfied. Being humiliated before Mother, he wanted to reduce Toneri to ash.
But Toneri was dead, the lead was cut, and he could no longer be used as a hostage or puppet.
Black Zetsu's plan had clearly failed.
"Why… why aren't they afraid to die?"
Kaguya asked Black Zetsu, confused. She never understood why these people, despite lacking immortality, so willingly died.
Wasn't life beautiful?
Wasn't survival the greatest pursuit?
What were they fighting for, to so readily give up their lives?
Black Zetsu fell silent, rare for him: "…"
Many explanations flashed through his mind, but none felt quite right.
As a Yin-Yang Release creation, Black Zetsu couldn't fully grasp humans and ninjas.
So he deliberately changed the topic:
"Mother, ignore those people, hurry and keep recovering chakra!"
"Oh… how much time do we have?"
"There should be enough time. Uzumaki Naruto likely can't find Isshiki quickly. Even if he does, after their fight, he'll be heavily drained. He won't have combat ability soon. We just need—"
Black Zetsu's prediction was cut short.
A sudden spatial ripple appeared not far from the Primal Dimension.
The next second, the brutal Six Paths Naruto stormed in.
Black Zetsu: "Uzumaki Naruto!"
Kaguya: (T_T)!!!
How could it be so fast?
How much time had passed?
Could Isshiki have lost already? Didn't he consume a growing Ten-Tails? How could he lose so quickly?
Isshiki's strength made Kaguya wary—how could he fall so fast?
This shouldn't be!
Could Naruto be coming to avenge Mother first?
Six Paths Naruto, after annihilating Isshiki, relentlessly invaded Kaguya's dimension.
Upon entering, he immediately saw Toneri's corpse on the ground in the distance.
'Toneri was killed by these bastards too!'
Naruto's briefly calmed rage and hatred flared again, further eroding his sanity.
Naruto and Toneri weren't close, but Toneri was someone he'd asked to fight and a teammate.
Now he was dead by Kaguya's hands…
His hatred grew!
Especially at this final trigger, every ounce of overflowing hatred could make the bottle of sanity explode!
'Ōtsutsuki Kaguya!'
'And Black Zetsu!'
'Die!'
The depths of Naruto's eyes were consumed by darkness, his overflowing killing intent turning into a tangible tsunami, instantly locking onto and engulfing Black Zetsu and Kaguya.
Kurama's voice suddenly sounded in Naruto's mind:
'Naruto!'
'Don't lose your sanity, don't fall into the abyss!'
'And that smelly Tanuki, Gyūki, and the other Bijū siblings are still in Kaguya's body, can you…'
Since witnessing Sasuke's death, Kurama hadn't voiced opinions in Naruto's consciousness, knowing Naruto's feelings for Sasuke.
At such a time, advice was useless, so he actively cooperated, providing chakra support.
But now was different. He felt Naruto was fully consumed by hatred and rage.
If not stopped, Naruto might lose himself, becoming a killing machine!
Plus, the smelly Tanuki, Gyūki, and other Bijū siblings were in Kaguya's body—Kurama had to dare remind Naruto…
But before Kurama finished, his eyes showed the Rinnegan pattern, losing consciousness.
Clearly, Naruto muted him instantly.
At this moment, nothing could stop the frenzied Six Paths Naruto from killing!