"Although I'm very surprised that you were actually able to find me, I think I won't be as easy to deal with as those two. Also, I truly only wish to live in seclusion here.
I didn't come with any malice like they did. You can see proof of that from the fact that I have never once appeared in the ninja world in the past. I've grown tired of conflict."
"Are you saying you want to make peace?"
Looking at Isshiki, who seemed to harbor no hostility and truly appeared to have retired as he claimed, Furina felt some doubt in her heart. After all, even Momoshiki and Urashiki seemed quite surprised to see Isshiki here.
Clearly, they hadn't expected him to appear in this place. Could he really have washed his hands of his old ways and turned over a new leaf, just as he said?
Though she felt some suspicion, Furina didn't show it. From Kaguya to Momoshiki to Urashiki, these Ōtsutsuki clearly didn't think much of the people of the ninja world.
That much was evident from their terms like "natives" and "inferior creatures." She didn't believe that Isshiki, as another Ōtsutsuki, would be any different.
Moreover, the reason why Isshiki was even in the ninja world remained a mystery. Until she figured that out, she could not possibly place any trust in him.
However, she didn't have to guess for long. Before Isshiki could speak, Momoshiki had already opened his mouth first, his tone filled with completely undisguised disdain.
"Isshiki, I never thought I'd see you here. We thought you had died long ago. But what did you mean by what you just said? What exactly happened to you?
You, who once would stop at nothing—including any cost—to reach a higher level of existence, have now become like this, only wanting to live in seclusion? Are you trying to make me laugh?"
"It seems the two of you know each other after all. But that doesn't quite match what you just told me."
After being sold out by Momoshiki, Isshiki could no longer maintain his original smile. In his heart, he cursed the other countless times. Then, seeing Furina's expression, he knew he couldn't keep up the pretense anymore and simply dropped the fake smile.
"Momoshiki, you're as unpleasant as ever."
As he spoke, a horn symbolizing the Ōtsutsuki clan grew from Isshiki's forehead, and an aura similar to Momoshiki's and Urashiki's rose from his body.
"You don't like wasting words? That's actually something I quite like."
After a brief exchange of blows, while it was hard to say who was stronger overall, Furina could clearly feel that in terms of combat experience, Isshiki had an absolute overwhelming advantage over Momoshiki and Urashiki.
Those two gave her the impression that they relied purely on brute force and overwhelming power, while Isshiki could make excellent use of every ounce of his strength. What Momoshiki said earlier about him sparing no cost to become stronger was clearly not wrong.
After all, power could be increased by swallowing pills like the ones Momoshiki used, but skill was something that had to be honed through real effort—and Isshiki had achieved that.
"I can sense that you're still holding something back. If you don't bring it out soon, I'm afraid you won't be able to hold on much longer."
Looking at Isshiki below, who was constantly panting, Furina softly reminded him.
Was he strong? Absolutely—he was without a doubt the strongest opponent Furina had encountered so far. It was hard to imagine that such a powerful being would hide away quietly in a corner of the ninja world without making any moves. She had no idea what he was really plotting.
But no matter what grand plan he had, it was meaningless now. Because of his old companions Momoshiki and Urashiki, now that he had been discovered, there was no way he could quietly carry out anything big anymore.