Chapter 191 – Kaguya's Chakra
Cough… cough… cough!
Inside the Kamui space, Uchiha Obito coughed violently, blood seeping out beneath his mask.
Fortunately, if there was one thing Obito excelled at, it was surviving. His ability to cling to life was just as formidable as his body.
After all, he was known as the "Shinobi World's Greatest Patchwork Monster"—stitched together in so many ways that on the road of survival, he feared no one.
"Obito, are you alright?"
Black Zetsu's tone betrayed unease, but seeing Obito in this wretched state, he couldn't help but ask. White Zetsu, standing nearby, chimed in.
"You look like you're about to die, you know?"
"I won't die."
Obito forced himself to stand, and for once he wasn't bluffing. By relying on Izanagi, he could still survive.
But this wasn't the time to debate it. His gaze shifted to the mangled body of Orochimaru lying nearby.
Orochimaru's body had completely collapsed, a pool of blood making the sight nauseating. Yet within that blood, a weak white snake slithered, flicking its tongue—the faint trace of Orochimaru's chakra still lingering within it.
"That's… Orochimaru? He's still alive?"
"If my senses aren't mistaken, yes…"
Black Zetsu nodded slightly. But Obito suddenly turned toward him, his gaze sharp.
"Then what about you? What are you?!"
Damn it—
Black Zetsu's body trembled. A despair from the depths of his being washed over him.
Obito might be a fool at times, but even he wasn't oblivious forever. Especially after Ōtsutsuki Genshiki had been relentlessly striking at him—it didn't take a genius to realize something was wrong.
"You're scary when you're like this, Obito," White Zetsu muttered innocently, tilting his head. He didn't understand—because he truly had no brain.
"Shut up. I want answers. Now!"
Obito's Sharingan locked onto Black Zetsu's half-body like a vice.
"The truth that man spoke of—what is it? And what did he mean by 'Kaguya's chakra'? What exactly are you?!"
"I…"
Black Zetsu hesitated, then clenched his teeth before speaking.
"Kaguya… she is likely the so-called Goddess of Chakra. Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. That was her name, I believe."
"…Huh?"
Obito froze, taken aback by the unexpected answer. Black Zetsu, however, pressed on, as though his thoughts were becoming clearer.
"According to legend, all chakra originally came from her. Even though the Sage of Six Paths sealed her away, it was through her chakra that ninjutsu spread across the world."
"You mean to say… the chakra we use all originates from this goddess?"
Obito frowned deeply, scoffing.
"But I've always heard it was thanks to the Sage of Six Paths that chakra was shared. How does she come into the picture?!"
—Because the Sage was her son.
Black Zetsu nearly bit through his own tongue. He couldn't say that—not yet.
"This is exactly why I've been researching ancient texts, remember? You're the one who asked me to."
With no other choice, he spun a half-truth.
"I found fragments of records—claims that she bestowed chakra upon humanity, that she spread its power across the shinobi world. But what happened afterward, no one knows. No one understands why she became the Goddess of Chakra, nor why the Sage sealed her away."
"Obito, think carefully. Even if you doubt me—what would I gain from lying to you?"
"…Gain?"
Obito frowned. For a moment, he couldn't think of a rebuttal. Black Zetsu quickly pressed on.
"You saw my birth with your own eyes. And all these years, I've done nothing but work toward our dream."
"Would you still suspect me after that?!"
"…"
Obito fell silent.
It was true—he had relied on Black Zetsu every step of the way. That was an undeniable fact.
But still…
He didn't believe someone like Ōtsutsuki Genshiki would lie. At that level of power, what purpose would deception serve?
"Then why did he say those things? Why did he single you out? And what did he mean by the truth?"
Obito's mind was a storm of confusion. He couldn't find an answer.
Finally, after a long silence, he sighed.
"…I understand. I saw you come into being with my own eyes. I'll trust you."
"No. You're not trusting me. You're trusting him."
Black Zetsu shook his head, cutting him off.
"I'll continue searching for the truth you seek. I'll give you the answers you want. But right now, we have more pressing matters."
"…Kumogakure?"
"Yes."
Obito nodded slowly. "I understand. But let's wait. Until he leaves."
"…Agreed."
Black Zetsu gave a small nod—but inside, dread gnawed at him.
If Ōtsutsuki Genshiki was truly targeting Kumogakure for chakra, how many would die? Could Kumogakure even remain a viable ally after this?
And worse—Obito's trust in him had already been shaken.
If Uchiha Madara were to be revived and learn the truth… what then?
This is bad… I'll need to act, and soon.
Black Zetsu's mind turned to one desperate option—the Uchiha stone tablet. Of course, Obito and Madara had both already read it, so he couldn't alter that.
But… the Senju clan had never left anything behind, had they?
Perhaps it's time to fill in that gap myself.
He didn't notice that on White Zetsu's other half, a faint mark was slowly fading away.
"Almost at the Land of Fire," Deidara muttered, glancing down at the gathering troops below before looking toward the familiar terrain ahead. He nodded to himself—then turned curiously toward Kitagawa Gen.
"Say, what really happened that night? That surge of chakra—why was it so overwhelming?"
"And the epicenter… it was in Kumogakure, wasn't it?" Mei Terumī asked, unable to hold back her curiosity. Even from afar, she was certain she hadn't misread it.
"Strange… could someone else be targeting the Cloud?"
"Who knows? It's just a bandit's den anyway. Whatever happens to them doesn't surprise me."
Kitagawa Gen shrugged, feigning ignorance.
But in truth, he knew exactly what had happened there. After all—it was his doing.
"If only the Hyūga clan knew what I'd done, heh…"
The thought crossed his mind, and he shook his head.
The hatred between the Hyūga and the Cloud… who could really say? After all, the Cloud had so readily sacrificed Hizashi Hyūga. Perhaps it had been to reinforce the clan's control over the branch family, or maybe Hizashi's quiet resentment toward the main family had already drawn their notice.
"Either way… even without Genshiki's interference, what I've done is more than enough."
For Kitagawa Gen had successfully stolen the chakra of the Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails—both already weakened after suffering the wrath of his True Several Thousand Hands.
The surviving shinobi of Kumogakure had all but lost the will to fight.
Of course, it was hard to blame them—any village would be shattered after taking a hit like that.
"In the end, not everyone can be an Uchiha Madara. Otherwise, who else could possibly stand against Senju Hashirama?"
Even Uchiha Madara himself had been mercilessly beaten down by the True Thousand Hands.
"Doesn't matter what happens to Kumogakure. The more they lose, the more it works in our favor."
Kitagawa Gen reclined against the giant bird in flight, smiling faintly as he gazed at the sky.
"We should hurry back. I imagine the old men in the village have long been impatiently waiting for us."
"That's true. I'd love to see the old man's face again when he pulls that same shocked expression."
Deidara grinned mischievously, deliberately imitating Ōnoki's dumbfounded look, pointing a trembling finger at Gen.
"Y-you—you dare…!? Hahahaha!"
"You're such a child. Be careful or Lord Tsuchikage won't let you off."
Mei Terumi chuckled softly, though her gaze lingered on Kitagawa Gen a little longer than usual.
"Speaking of which, Gen—before long, shouldn't I be calling you Hokage?"
Gen nearly choked on his own breath. He tilted his head toward Mei, forcing a wry smile.
"Please, not now. This is supposed to be rest time, not politics. Besides, I'm still young, you know."
"True enough. The old man's nagged me about the whole 'Kage' business too… such a pain, hm!"
Deidara pouted in agreement, but quickly burst out laughing again.
"Anyway, that old man's still got plenty of life left in him. Shouldn't be a problem!"
"You two…"
Mei sighed helplessly, but she wisely let the topic drop. Still, she couldn't help rubbing her chin as she gave Gen another lingering look.
"He really is a little young. What a troublesome thing…"
Whatever she was thinking, only she knew. Gen, meanwhile, let out a sigh of his own as Deidara launched into yet another round of chatter.
"Damn it… the real me probably dumped me here just to avoid all this noise."
Indeed, the one flying here was merely a divine tree clone. The true Kitagawa Gen had already slipped away to a secluded valley in the Land of Fire.
---
"Hm? The Kāma mark… it's reacting?"
Inside the valley, Gen ignored the endless chatter of his clone, raising an eyebrow in thought.
He understood the theory of Kāma's operation, but the practical workings were still unknown to him. Leaving the mark on Black Zetsu had been a deliberate experiment.
"So far, it seems the Kāma is dormant, hiding itself… maybe it needs to 'collect' more data on me before it activates fully?"
Rubbing his chin, Gen's eyes gleamed with interest. This alien technology was endlessly fascinating.
"Well, I'll observe for now. My spoils of war take priority."
With that, the Totsuka Blade materialized before him—this time separating from the black rods, reshaping itself into a gourd-like vessel.
Chakra surged, and three orbs of energy floated free:
Two were unmistakably the chakra of tailed beasts.
The third was pitch-black.
"Let's begin."
At once, the God Tree's Source within him stirred. The two tailed beast chakras roared as they were drawn into his body.
Simultaneously, that familiar throbbing ache returned behind his eyes.
He knew—his power was about to rise once more.
Yet his gaze never left that last, ominous chakra.
"So… not Black Zetsu's chakra. No—"
"More accurately… it's Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's chakra."