Chapter 253 – Isshiki Belongs to Me!
The battle between Kitagawa Gen and "Ōtsutsuki Genshiki" grew more and more ferocious.
No longer limited to taijutsu, torrents of chakra raged across the sky, ninjutsu and ocular techniques detonating in every direction. It felt as if the whole Land of Earth was trembling under their clash.
To outsiders, it was a savage duel.
But in truth, the exchange between Gen and his divine tree clone had never stopped.
"Hey—go easier! You're about to shatter me to pieces!"
"No worries. If you break, I'll just make another."
"Damn it, aren't you the one who's going to feel the pain? And what about the ending—do you even have a plan?"
"Don't rush me. Not yet. We haven't provoked Isshiki enough."
Chakra roared like thunder as "Gen" pulled back a step, forming a single hand seal.
"Yin-Yang Release: Majestic Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
Golden flames erupted, blazing so brightly that they painted the night sky with daylight. The inferno condensed into a colossal dragon, roaring as it surged straight toward "Ōtsutsuki Genshiki."
"Your use of Yin–Yang Release isn't bad."
Genshiki chuckled faintly, and behind him, his Truth-Seeking Orbs warped into a titanic shield.
Boom!
The blazing dragon smashed apart in an instant. But at that very moment, Gen appeared at his opponent's back, a black-and-white chakra sphere forming in his palm—several miniature spheres revolving within it.
"Planetary Rasengan!"
He struck, but before it could land, "Ōtsutsuki Genshiki" vanished into nothingness.
And from above—golden radiance once again split the heavens.
A thousand-meter-long blade descended, cleaving the world.
"Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!"
With a single swing, the sky tilted, the earth heaved—two overwhelming forces collided, detonating with a roar that shattered eardrums even in distant Iwagakure. Some shinobi clutched their bleeding ears, others collapsed under the shockwave.
A blinding light blossomed, expanding until it seemed the world itself quaked.
And then—Gen and his clone slipped away, reappearing miles off, moving toward Obito's position.
"…Isn't this a bit risky?"
Though far apart, their minds were one.
"Will Isshiki really take the bait?"
"Who knows. But this battle was forced into motion—we might as well maximize the profit."
"True enough. Secure the Four-Tails' chakra, finish the mission, restore confidence so no one suspects us. Isshiki's the only wild card."
"Doesn't matter if he's troublesome. Even the Great Toad Sage tested me once—why not test Isshiki too?"
Their plan was simple: maximize gains.
Wielding the mask of "Ōtsutsuki Genshiki" terrified the shinobi world. Even Black Zetsu was proof—three years of delivering secrets, luring Gen into "truths," all because of the fear of that name.
Mount Myōboku had also showered him with gifts—again, all to "test."
The timing, the tension—it was too perfect not to act.
Still, an unforeseen bonus had appeared: Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, dormant within Obito.
Gen had already resolved to hunt down the Ōtsutsuki. He wasn't about to pass on this chance.
The problem was Obito's Kāma wasn't fully matured. Gen had tried siphoning its chakra before, only to find it unusable.
So, patience was required.
But patience didn't mean idleness.
"If Black Zetsu has delivered me offerings… shouldn't Isshiki do the same?"
Everything Isshiki possessed was already fated to become his—Gen had "reserved" it long ago. But that didn't mean he couldn't take a down payment now.
Besides, he was careful. The guise of "Ōtsutsuki Genshiki" was cloaked in Tenseigan chakra; Kitagawa Gen's true body was forever veiled in Sage Mode.
Unless someone like Karin, who could sense his chakra essence, revealed it—no one could see through him.
The clash continued to ravage the Land of Earth.
Though both combatants were "acting," their blows were real, their chakra devastating. Entire mountain ranges crumbled; peaks shattered into rubble, the earth ripped into fissures and craters.
Wildfires spread through the valleys, smoke boiling into the night sky—hell itself painted onto the land.
---
Meanwhile, Jiraiya had summoned Fukasaku and Shima, preparing Sage Mode.
The two elder toads watched the battle in horror.
"Little Jiraiya… that's Ōtsutsuki Genshiki?"
"To think that Gen boy can push him this far…"
"Gen fused Yin–Yang Release by his own power. He's also mastered Sage Mode," Jiraiya said, eyes fixed on the golden blades tearing mountains apart. "But don't underestimate Ōtsutsuki Genshiki. His strength feels… endless. We must be ready to intervene at any moment."
Ōnoki grimaced, then corrected himself.
"No—we'll only get in the way of the Fifth Hokage."
He said it plainly: in his eyes, Gen was already the Fifth.
"And besides—didn't you hear him? Ōtsutsuki Genshiki doesn't seem intent on killing him."
"Evolution?"
Deidara raised a brow. Sasuke and Naruto exchanged tense looks.
"What did he mean by that word?"
"Who knows." Deidara snorted. "Godlike freaks always spout nonsense."
Jiraiya shook his head, then glanced sideways at the two toad sages perched on his shoulders—Fukasaku and Shima.
The others also couldn't help but look at them, leaving the two elder toads a little exasperated.
"Don't ask us. This is something you'd have to consult the Great Toad Sage about," Fukasaku muttered, shaking his head.
Shima, however, paused in thought before speaking.
"This isn't simple at all. That boy was born a 'child of nature,' able to enter Sage Mode at will. And now he wields Yin–Yang Release too… it's far from ordinary."
"Enough about that. They're coming this way."
Jiraiya cut off their speculation with a stern shake of his head.
"Two sages, let's get ready. If it really comes to that, no matter what, we must create an opening for Gen to escape!"
---
While Jiraiya and the others prepared themselves, Obito, Black Zetsu, and the decapitated head of Uchiha Madara all fell into silence.
Madara's gaze still burned with his thirst for battle, but behind it lay something far more complicated.
"This power…"
That Ōtsutsuki Genshiki was terrifying, yes—that was expected of someone sharing the surname of the "Goddess of Calamity."
But Kitagawa Gen… what kind of "evolution" had allowed him to reach such heights?
"Enough to make even that Ōtsutsuki acknowledge him?"
Madara clenched his teeth. He could try to excuse his defeat with claims that he hadn't been fully revived, that he wasn't in his prime… but he wasn't the type to hide behind excuses.
"I have to uncover what this so-called 'evolution' truly means… And I must revive soon. I can't remain like this."
---
Black Zetsu, cradling Madara's head, was just as shaken. His feelings were a tangle of exhilaration and despair.
Exhilaration—because Gen might truly be capable of standing against Ōtsutsuki Genshiki, even if the latter seemed to be "testing" him.
At last, there was hope.
But despair—because Gen was destined to be Konoha's Hokage, a man who would never walk the same path as him.
Even more unsettling, Black Zetsu couldn't comprehend Gen's so-called "evolution." He hadn't sensed anything—he felt more ignorant of the world now than ever before.
"Why… why is it like this?"
Compared to them, Obito's fists clenched tighter and tighter.
The defeat, the humiliation—it was unbearable. He truly felt worthless.
He had grown stronger, yes. But Gen was already being hailed as "evolved."
At this rate, did he even have a chance left?
"Pathetic creature. With that kind of mentality, you'll never accomplish anything."
Isshiki's voice sneered inside Obito's mind, but beneath the disdain was deep curiosity.
"That boy just stirred planetary energy…? Could it be my suspicion was correct?"
His face grew grim. How he hated Kamui. It shielded Obito, but it also cut him off, leaving Isshiki unable to confirm what he was sensing.
Still, an idea had taken root in his mind. A wild, dangerous idea.
---
As Isshiki's thoughts churned, he suddenly snapped back to awareness.
He wasn't the only one—everyone's attention shifted forward at once.
The tide of roaring energy had finally calmed.
And in that silence, the clash between "Kitagawa Gen" and "Ōtsutsuki Genshiki" came to a halt.
The two figures stood, facing one another.
"How extraordinary…"
Ōtsutsuki Genshiki's voice echoed, carrying across heaven and earth, smooth and unhurried.
"At last, I can say with certainty… this world isn't as boring as I thought."