Chapter 254 – The Endgame! Isshiki: If You Can Do It, Why Can't I?
Ōtsutsuki Genshiki's words carried clearly across the battlefield.
For him, this much fighting was already enough.
The Tailed Beast chakra had been collected. All that remained was to absorb it.
And before leaving, he only needed to provoke Isshiki a little more, then both sides could exit with their dignity intact.
"Tch."
"Kitagawa Gen" gave a cold snort, natural energy boiling around him. To everyone watching, he looked ready to pounce again.
"I don't see what's so interesting about you. What is it you're really after?"
"There's no need to posture. Your spatial ability is formidable—and you yourself are… unique."
But Ōtsutsuki Genshiki only shook his head faintly.
"I've already confirmed what I needed to. Beyond that, continuing this battle is meaningless. After all…"
His gaze shifted into the distance.
Those starry-blue eyes locked directly onto Jiraiya and the others.
At that instant, chakra rippled through the sky, scattering the smoke and dust. A shaft of pale light broke through, falling straight onto a distant spot.
"Damn it!"
Ōnoki's face blanched. Ōtsutsuki Genshiki's gaze already chilled him to the bone—but when he followed the line of light, his heart nearly stopped.
That place… was Iwagakure!
And he suddenly remembered—Ōtsutsuki Genshiki had the power to summon meteors.
If one were to fall on Iwagakure…
"A terrifying monster…"
Jiraiya swallowed hard, recalling the nightmare he'd witnessed outside Konoha.
The others, too, had lived through similar horrors. Breath caught in their throats.
Gen furrowed his brow, his stance taut as if he might strike at any moment.
"Relax. I've no interest in harming them."
Ōtsutsuki Genshiki's faint smile glimmered under the moonlight, his white robes drifting with the breeze.
"Crushing a few ants underfoot and feeling proud? That lacks elegance. I dislike such things."
"…Is that so?"
Gen raised a brow, unconvinced, but didn't press the issue.
"To fight without calm—there's no point. Hesitation, worry, restraint… Even ants demand you tread carefully, and that makes it dull."
His words made Jiraiya and the others clench their fists.
They hadn't expected to be treated as a liability—yet they couldn't deny it. The scale of the battle just now… even joining in would've meant dying for nothing.
---
Inside Kamui's dimension, Obito's voice cut through the silence.
"What if we strike Konoha with everything we have? Wouldn't that bind Gen's hands?"
Black Zetsu's face twisted in horror. Even Madara, reduced to only a head, looked stunned.
And in Obito's inner world, Isshiki buried his face in his palm. Is this fool serious?
"Are you insane?!"
Black Zetsu snapped back quickly, fear etched on his face.
"Never do that! Ōtsutsuki Genshiki can afford to—because he has the power. You don't. You'd only doom everyone!"
Even with two Perfect Susano'o, Nagato, and Akatsuki's elite, an assault on Konoha might succeed…
But the cost?
Black Zetsu glanced toward Gen, whose duel with Ōtsutsuki Genshiki had reshaped the very landscape of the Land of Earth. The thought of what a vengeful Gen might unleash froze his blood.
"And besides—right now, he's the only one who can oppose Ōtsutsuki Genshiki."
"…Tch."
Obito fell silent, though bitterness clouded his face. He'd been killed by Gen too many times already—Kamui and Izanagi could only save him so long.
For his dream of a peaceful world, he couldn't afford reckless gambles.
---
"Enough. I should be going."
As everyone's thoughts churned, Ōtsutsuki Genshiki's voice rolled out again, serene as moonlight.
A luminous beam fell from the moon, enveloping him. His body grew translucent, lifted gently skyward.
"But before I leave, a word of advice: Without serenity, you'll never move forward."
His gaze shifted, almost knowingly, toward Obito's hidden presence.
"We hesitate at the foot of a cliff, not because we cannot climb it, but because we doubt the climb itself.
Yet when our hearts embrace everything—when our vessel expands beyond all measure—we surpass the cliff entirely.
Evolution is never simple. This world is cruel."
And with that, his form flared into brilliance—then vanished into the night.
Only shattered earth and burning mountains bore witness to what had transpired.
The silence was suffocating, broken only by the crackle of flames.
---
"Tch."
Finally, Kitagawa Gen's voice broke the stillness.
"What a ridiculous man."
"Gen!"
His words snapped everyone awake. In a flash of Flying Thunder God, Naruto and Sasuke appeared at his side, Jiraiya and the rest following.
"You're not hurt, are you?"
Concern lined their faces. Even Deidara and Ōnoki hovered anxiously nearby. Only the toad sages on Jiraiya's shoulders stared with wide-eyed curiosity.
"Don't worry. I'm fine."
Gen shook his head, a grin spreading across his face.
"He's terrifying, sure. But with Yin–Yang Release and Flying Thunder God, I can handle it."
"…Good."
Jiraiya checked him over carefully, then finally let out a breath of relief.
And it was true—Gen's Flying Thunder God was no longer bound by seals or limitations. With a mere thought, he could slip anywhere. It wasn't teleportation anymore—it was something greater.
Ōnoki finally spoke, his voice heavy.
"This is the best outcome. A draw… no matter how you look at it."
He swallowed, then asked the question everyone else was afraid to.
"…But tell me, Hokage—what did he mean by 'evolution'? Do you know?"
"…"
Gen froze for a moment.
Hokage?
Last he checked, the Third was still alive. His expression twitched—but he shook his head.
"I don't know. He talks in riddles. I've no idea what he really meant."
The crowd fell into awkward silence. In truth, the man had sounded like a raving prophet.
"And honestly, I don't agree with him."
Gen's gaze lifted briefly to the night sky before settling back on his companions, his grin returning.
"If a wall blocks my path, I'll just find another way around. Why waste time climbing it—or trying to swallow the world whole with my 'vessel'?"
"Mm-hmm!"
Naruto—always the first to back Gen despite being bullied by him constantly—crossed his arms and nodded furiously.
"Exactly! That guy just talks nonsense."
"You didn't understand a word of it, did you?"
Sasuke shot him a deadpan look.
Gen only laughed, slinging an arm around Naruto's neck.
"Neither did I. But he basically told me to learn a thing or two from your brother, Sasuke. Right, Naruto?"
"…"
Naruto blinked, speechless, while Sasuke's expression darkened immediately.
Naruto stiffened at the mention of Itachi, shivers running down his spine.
"H-Hey, hey! What are you even talking about?!"
"I'm saying…"
Kitagawa Gen lifted his gaze to the heavens, his eyes steady and unwavering.
"Konoha is my territory. I won't allow anyone to trample it. My path has never wavered—and it never will."
"That… is my ninja way."
The moonlight spilled softly across the battlefield, bathing the scorched wasteland in a faint serenity.
Deidara chuckled to himself. Ōnoki sighed deeply, then gave Deidara a withering glare, as if disappointed with his pupil's careless levity.
Sasuke's eyes burned with determination and admiration. Naruto muttered under his breath—"Konoha's your territory, my ass"—only to catch Jiraiya's fist against his head.
But Jiraiya's own face was wreathed with a relieved smile. After this battle, his doubts had vanished.
Looking at Gen now, he knew where Konoha's future truly lay.
---
"But that being said… you guys are pathetic."
Gen's expression suddenly shifted, his voice sharp as steel.
"When we return, if you don't train until you're half-dead—then train harder until you're almost fully dead—don't bother showing your faces to me!"
"…"
Naruto and Sasuke both sucked in a cold breath. How did this guy flip moods so fast?!
But Gen ignored them, turning instead to Jiraiya.
"Pervy Sage, you'd better start burning incense before you leave the house. Every time you step outside, trouble finds you. You're almost as bad as Kakashi-sensei."
"…"
"And what's with that curse of 'always landing in misfortune'? I'm surprised you're not already in the hospital."
"…"
"Want me to help you along?"
"Hiss—!"
Jiraiya froze, suddenly realizing he might've spoken too soon when he praised Gen earlier.
---
While Gen radiated confidence and good humor, the atmosphere on Obito's side had sunk into utter silence.
Black Zetsu cast a sidelong glance at him—and even the severed head of Uchiha Madara, cradled in his arms, stole glances his way.
Obito's skull throbbed. Both of them clearly suspected something. After all, Ōtsutsuki Genshiki had shown an unusual interest in him.
"…Let's go."
Obito's voice was strained. He'd had enough. His mood was foul, especially after seeing Gen fight Ōtsutsuki Genshiki to a draw.
Whatever the reason—draw or not, the fact remained.
And worse yet, Gen wasn't ordinary. He was special—special enough to catch the eye of a man like that.
"There's still much we need to do."
"…Mm."
Black Zetsu nodded, his mind already racing with the weight of upcoming schemes.
---
Within Obito's consciousness, Isshiki's face was clouded with grim thought.
"Those words… weren't just for Kitagawa Gen. They were for me as well!"
His teeth clenched. Gen's attention on Obito wasn't random—it was because of him.
Isshiki had no doubt: Ōtsutsuki Genshiki would never let him go.
"Seems this foolish vessel of mine, Uchiha Obito, is about to be in trouble."
Isshiki sighed bitterly… but then, his gaze sharpened.
"Kitagawa Gen wields Yin–Yang Release, commands natural energy, bears the aura of the God Tree, and even manipulates what feels like planetary power…"
"I think I see it now. His true aim isn't as simple as it looks."
A shadow of a smile tugged at Isshiki's lips.
"But that only means one thing. If he can do it… then why can't I?"
"Especially since… you are my enemy."