Chapter 261 – The Ōtsutsuki Stir
"Uchiha Obito went to see Yakushi Kabuto?"
Inside the Akatsuki base laboratory, Orochimaru's expression twisted slightly as he read the report Kabuto had passed along.
His first thought: that fool's gone mad.
Beaten half to death, and he dares to walk straight into Konoha again?
"Acting on his own?" Orochimaru muttered under his breath. The truth was, even he couldn't quite figure out what Obito was really thinking—nor could he explain the sudden leaps in Obito's strength. There was something about that man that felt… off.
"What's wrong, Orochimaru-sama?"
The voice came from behind him. Orochimaru turned to see Kimimaro approaching.
Years had passed, and Kimimaro had grown. His face was still pale, his frame thin, but his white eyes gleamed with sharp clarity. The restrained force simmering within his body spoke of his newfound power.
"So it's you, Kimimaro."
Orochimaru's smile curved lazily, brushing aside his earlier thoughts.
"Just news from Kabuto. It seems things are about to get interesting again."
At the mention of that name, Kimimaro's expression softened faintly. Kabuto had once cared for him when his illness had worsened. After Kabuto went undercover in Konoha, the two could no longer meet. Years had slipped by since.
"…Orochimaru-sama, how is he now?"
Though Kimimaro had changed, his respect for Orochimaru remained absolute.
"He hasn't been exposed. He's doing well enough. Konoha doesn't mistreat its own people."
Orochimaru chuckled, then rubbed his chin.
"But enough about him. What about you? You came for a reason, didn't you?"
"…I feel I've recovered. More than that—I've grown stronger."
Kimimaro bowed his head, voice earnest.
"These years, I've lived only because of your protection. But I wish to serve you in return. To do something."
"Tired of sitting idle? Want to stretch those limbs?"
Orochimaru's tongue flicked out as he studied him. Kimimaro's condition had been stabilized—shockingly, by the graft of Byakugan. The transplanted eyes hadn't just healed him; they'd fused with his Shikotsumyaku, pushing it to terrifying new extremes. Even Orochimaru was startled by the results.
"Yin Release and Yang Release… so much like the Senju and Uchiha," Orochimaru mused, excitement rising. Does this mean the Hyūga and Kaguya clans share the same root? Could Kimimaro himself give rise to a 'Truth-Seeking Power' akin to Rikudo's?
To unlock such potential, battle might be the key.
"…Very well. Go to Kirigakure."
Kimimaro's pale eyes gleamed, a rare ripple of excitement crossing his face.
"Yes, Orochimaru-sama!"
"Not alone. You'll go with Suigetsu and Jūgo. And bring the Sound Four as well."
"The Sound Four… understood."
Kimimaro nodded. He welcomed Jūgo's company. Suigetsu was unreliable, but at least familiar with the Mist. The Sound Four, he had little respect for—but Orochimaru's word was law.
"Go prepare."
Orochimaru's lips curled into a faint smile.
"The Akatsuki want me to let my subordinates stir things up? Then so be it. You'll get your chance to move—and even if trouble finds you, you won't be alone."
---
Meanwhile, in the Land of Water, Obito was scouring for traces of a hidden space.
Thanks to "Rin's" guidance, he had a rough idea of the location. But opening the portal itself was another matter.
His eyes had grown stronger, yes—but tearing through space wasn't easy. Tracking the faint distortions took time, precision, and more chakra than he liked to admit.
Still, after several days of preparation, he was ready.
"…Let's begin."
Obito's Sharingan began to whirl.
"I'll release him, then leave immediately. That way the risk of being targeted stays low…"
The truth was, Obito was shaken. Every time, somehow, he ran into Ōtsutsuki Genshiki. The shadow of that dread lingered, and he could no longer dismiss it as coincidence.
But maybe—if there were more "evolution candidates" active, Genshiki's focus would be diverted.
"If I can draw him here, I'll finally be free to fight Gen without interference!"
For once, a flash of "brilliance" crossed Obito's mind.
"And if Genshiki doesn't come? Then I'll just drag Gen here myself—maybe even lure Genshiki in as well. Two 'evolved' beings clashing in front of me… safer, and easier to observe."
"Idiot…"
Isshiki nearly choked with fury inside his vessel.
Obito's reasoning was half-sensible at best. Observation meant nothing—what Isshiki needed was for Obito to fight, to clash again and again with Gen, pushing the Kāma toward full release.
Instead, this fool wanted to hand off the bait to someone else.
"Hopeless creature…" Isshiki pinched the bridge of his nose. Still, at least Obito hadn't abandoned combat entirely. There was hope yet.
What galled him most wasn't even the plan—but that this man truly believed Isshiki was Rin, whispering in his ear.
Which part of me resembles your petty human girl, wretch?
The thought burned like acid.
"Lower beings… even when blessed with fragments of divine fruit, you're still pathetic."
Fury simmered within Isshiki, but for now, all he could do was watch Obito stumble ahead.
To tighten his hold over Obito, Isshiki needed one thing: the Kāma seal to continue "unpacking."
Now!
Obito's low growl snapped through the mist. His Sharingan spun violently, space itself warping under its pull.
In an instant, a black vortex tore open before him. From its depths slithered countless dark, ribbon-like tendrils, each pulsating faintly with spatial energy.
"…What is this?"
Obito froze. Memories of being crushed time and time again by overwhelming "Energy" flashed through his mind. Instinct screamed. Without hesitation, he slipped into Kamui, unwilling to touch such alien power directly.
Vrrmm—!
The next heartbeat, a tidal wave of energy erupted from the rift. It surged outward like a flood, shattering the mist, rending the ground, leveling trees and stone alike in a blink.
The blast roared skyward, rippling across the heavens.
"This is… an 'evolutionary being'?"
Even Obito felt a chill run down his spine.
"…Finally," Isshiki murmured within, nodding in satisfaction. This was the outcome he wanted—an eruption so vast it could not be ignored.
"This should draw in Gen… and others as well."
His eerie gaze lifted to the night sky. His vision stretched farther than mortal eyes, into the void beyond.
And there—two lights streaked across the cosmos. At first glance they resembled falling stars. But the truth was unmistakable: two figures wrapped in surging chakra, cutting through the firmament.
Their forms were humanoid yet distinctly alien—their foreheads adorned with horns, their robes woven from pure energy, their presence regal and terrifying.
The two "meteors" suddenly halted mid-flight, turning sharply toward the source.
"…You felt that, Kinshiki?"
The smaller one spoke coldly. Beside him, the towering brute bowed low with reverence.
"Yes, Lord Momoshiki. It resembles Lord Isshiki's aura… yet it feels different."
Momoshiki's lips curled into a thin smile. Years ago, he had sensed a strange fluctuation, and so he and Kinshiki had set course here. When that signal vanished, he had doubted. But now—there was no mistake.
"Then this is the place. Let's see what awaits."
In a flash, the pair vanished once more, streaking like comets toward the world below.
Elsewhere, closer still to the shinobi world, another horned figure paused in the void.
"Yes… this direction. Different from before, but unmistakable."
A chuckle escaped his lips.
"So, it really is Isshiki's aura this time. How… amusing."
His silhouette blurred, then vanished into the stars.
---
Not only had the distant Ōtsutsuki stirred. On Earth, Gen—who had spent days pondering how best to meet Kaguya herself—snapped to sudden awareness.
"That arrogant?"
He tilted his head, sensing the surge in the heavens, before a sly smile crept onto his face.
"Brave of you to come flaunting like this. But that's fine by me…"
His eyes narrowed, gleaming with hunger.
"…Because I've memorized your chakra now, my 'White Kāma.'"