Ōtsutsuki Inoshiki had finally arrived.
"Captain! You're finally here!"
Ōtsutsuki Watanabe rushed forward the moment he saw him, his expression filled with panic and urgency.
"Our team was ambushed," Watanabe said anxiously. "I'm afraid… Nishino and Yukawa have already met with an accident!"
"What?!"
Ōtsutsuki Inoshiki's pupils shrank violently.
Although he had already harbored some suspicions before arriving, he still found it difficult to accept this outcome. Three Ōtsutsuki fighting together—if they couldn't win, they should at least have been able to retreat safely. For them to be wiped out entirely meant only one thing.
The enemy's strength far exceeded their expectations.
No—something was wrong.
Inoshiki's gaze sharpened. He grabbed Watanabe by the sleeve and asked coldly,
"Did you disobey my orders and attack without authorization, leading to the destruction of the team?"
Watanabe's face turned pale. He hurriedly shook his head.
"No, Captain! We encountered the enemy's shadow clone first and had no choice but to fight. We had just finished dealing with it when the real enemy appeared!"
Inoshiki stared at him for several seconds before slowly letting go.
"You… encountered them as well?"
Watanabe nodded repeatedly.
At this moment, Ōtsutsuki Yamamoto stepped forward and spoke in a low voice.
"Captain, we also discovered one of the enemy's shadow clones. However, we did not engage. After waiting for a period of time, another clone appeared again."
Ōtsutsuki Inoshiki took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.
At this point, the situation was already obvious.
Unlike the previous encounters, this time the enemy had created a massive number of shadow clones and scattered them in all directions. This wasn't random harassment.
It was reconnaissance.
Inoshiki frowned deeply, his mind racing. A few seconds later, his eyes widened as realization struck.
"The enemy is probing us from all directions… They're analyzing our movements and formation so they can break through!"
Inoshiki clenched his teeth.
Ōtsutsuki Yamamoto nodded heavily.
"That's exactly what we think, Captain. The enemy must have sensed that we split up to search. They used shadow clones to explore every angle and identify our weaknesses!"
Inoshiki's expression darkened further.
In his heart, he was already certain that Urashiki Ōtsutsuki had methods they did not understand—methods that allowed him to grasp their movements almost perfectly.
"What should we do now, Captain?"
"Yes, Captain."
Ōtsutsuki Ono looked toward Ōtsutsuki Kashiwazaki, while Yamamoto added gravely,
"There's still one team that hasn't arrived yet. Let the captain decide."
Hearing this, Inoshiki instinctively looked around.
But no matter how he searched, there was still no trace of the missing team.
"They're still not here?"
Inoshiki asked Yamamoto directly.
Yamamoto shook his head.
Seeing this, Watanabe immediately spoke up, his tone filled with urgency and resentment.
"Captain, earlier, the location where we were attacked kept sending out assembly signals. I suggested to Yamamoto that we go check it—maybe another team had been attacked as well—but he refused!"
"And when I escaped, I begged Yamamoto to go back and save Nishino and the others immediately… but he still didn't go!"
The moment Watanabe finished speaking, Ōtsutsuki Ono could no longer hold back.
"Watanabe," Ono said angrily, "if Yamamoto hadn't given you a chakra pill, do you think you'd have recovered so quickly?"
Ōtsutsuki Kashiwazaki also frowned.
"That's right. We're all members of the same clan. Do you really think we'd stand by and watch someone die? The situation was unclear—what if it was another ambush?"
Watanabe snorted coldly.
"You're just afraid."
Ono snapped back immediately.
"If you're not afraid, then go now! Go by yourself!"
"You…!"
Watanabe was furious, but before he could continue, Yamamoto shouted coldly,
"Enough! Stop arguing!"
The atmosphere instantly fell silent.
Yamamoto turned toward Inoshiki and said solemnly,
"Captain, it was my order not to let them act. I take full responsibility."
Inoshiki raised his hand.
"Yamamoto, no need to say more. Your decision was correct. My original order was not to act rashly. You followed it perfectly."
Then, Inoshiki turned his gaze toward Watanabe, his eyes icy.
"Watanabe, return with us. I will report your actions to the elders."
"I can already guess what happened—you were the one who took the initiative to draw the enemy clone's attention, which directly led to the team's casualties."
Watanabe staggered.
His face drained of all color.
He knew exactly what that meant.
Once this was reported… punishment was inevitable.
And punishment, for a main-family Ōtsutsuki who failed, meant only one thing.
To become nourishment for the God Tree.
Inoshiki took out the locator and sent another signal.
They waited.
No response.
Inoshiki's expression grew heavier.
"Enough waiting," he said decisively. "Let's go take a look ourselves."
As Watanabe had said, it was entirely possible that the missing team had already been attacked.
"Everyone, follow me!"
Ōtsutsuki Inoshiki flew forward, with Yamamoto, Ono, and Kashiwazaki following closely behind.
They glanced back at Watanabe, who hesitated for a moment before reluctantly following.
His heart was filled with resentment and fear.
When Inoshiki's group finally arrived at the coordinates, they were met with a horrifying sight.
The surrounding stars were shattered.
Some celestial bodies had even been cleanly cut in half.
This was unmistakably the aftermath of a catastrophic battle.
"It seems… the enemy really is terrifyingly strong," Yamamoto said gravely.
Even he could not imagine such destruction.
"Captain, look!"
Ōtsutsuki Ono's perception was sharper than the others. He pointed toward the distance.
Everyone rushed over.
Yamamoto picked up a torn piece of fabric drifting in space.
His face stiffened.
"It's Yamagami's clothing."
The moment those words were spoken, everyone's heart sank.
Ōtsutsuki Inoshiki could no longer maintain his composure.
This operation had been his decision.
Yet now, before even encountering the enemy directly, half of the team was already dead.
What meaning did this battle even have anymore?
Yamamoto looked at Inoshiki and spoke firmly.
"Captain, I believe we must report this to the clan immediately. With our current strength, we are likely no match for the enemy. I suggest we retreat at once."
Ono and Kashiwazaki both looked toward Inoshiki.
Inoshiki frowned deeply, clearly struggling.
At this moment, Watanabe panicked.
If they returned now, once the elders investigated the matter, all responsibility would fall on him.
Then his fate would be sealed.
He would be sacrificed to the God Tree.
Watanabe couldn't accept that.
"No, Captain!"
Everyone turned toward him.
Watanabe spoke forcefully.
"If we return now, there's only one outcome—feeding the God Tree! You haven't forgotten what the elders told us before we set out!"
Inoshiki fell silent.
Because Watanabe was right.
Yamamoto frowned.
"But if we don't return, we could all be killed. What then?"
Watanabe snorted coldly.
"Yamamoto, I respect that you saved me—but as an Ōtsutsuki, I laugh at your fear of death!"
"You're always thinking about consequences. Now that things have reached this point, what choice do we have left except to challenge the enemy?"
"And the enemy may be strong—but with five of us together, we might still win!"
After Watanabe's words, no one could respond.
The pride of the Ōtsutsuki clan weighed heavily in the air.
Retreat… felt like disgrace.
Seeing their hesitation, Watanabe felt a surge of relief.
Then—
Whoosh.
A red fishing line emerged from distorted space-time like a ghost.
The hook pierced straight through Watanabe's back.
"Uh—!"
Watanabe stared in disbelief at his chest, horror flooding his face.
"H-help…"
The line snapped back violently, ripping his chakra away in an instant.
"Enemy attack!!!"
Ōtsutsuki Yamamoto roared.
Without hesitation, he pulled out a chakra pill, swallowed it whole, and instantly entered his strongest combat form.
The true battle—
Had finally begun.
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