In the Distance
Obito watched the battle between the two Hagoromo Gensou with a grim expression.
"Gensou's strength exceeds expectations," he muttered without turning, addressing Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu's face remained impassive. "For someone who killed the Great Toad Sage, it's no surprise his strength surpasses even the highest estimates."
Having long harbored hatred for the Great Toad Sage, who had once meddled with familial bonds, Black Zetsu had planned to report this grudge to his mother upon her return. Unexpectedly, Gensou had done the job for him.
Knowing the Great Toad Sage's formidable reputation, Black Zetsu's evaluation of Gensou rose even further.
Hearing this, Obito finally turned to look at him. "That's not what you told me before."
'Well, that was to keep you stable, make you the public face, and allow me to study Gensou in depth,' Black Zetsu thought to himself.
Still, with Obito's diminishing usefulness, Black Zetsu decided to placate him. "Relax. No one understands themselves better than their counterpart. You've already taught the other Gensou everything he needs. He'll have his own plans."
"If all else fails, we can escape this world anytime. While that would bring Gensou back to reality, staying alive is what matters most."
Obito felt a bit reassured. He still had his trump cards, especially Kamui—a near-perfect escape tool.
With a sigh of relief, he continued watching the battle.
On the Battlefield
Though no one knew Gensou better than himself, the differences in their life experiences, combined with a gap in raw power, were evident.
Fully aware that even a lion uses its full strength against a rabbit, the real Gensou had deployed every technique at his disposal except for Truth-Seeking Balls.
After a prolonged clash...
Thud!
The black staff in Gensou's hand pierced through his counterpart's chest.
Looking into the other's close, unyielding gaze, he said calmly:
"It's over."
"Indeed, it's the end stage now," the other replied with eerie composure, as if the wound meant nothing.
Before Gensou could react—
Boom!
A massive cloud of white smoke erupted behind the injured "Hagoromo Gensou."
The towering form of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, its six eyes wide open, stood imposingly.
In that instant, the wounded "Hagoromo Gensou" ignored his injuries and grabbed hold of the real Gensou with both hands.
At the same time, the Demonic Statue opened its massive mouth, unleashing three chains that shot toward the three jars containing sealed tailed beasts at Gensou's waist.
Mindful of the earlier incident where Hashirama handed over a tailed beast, Gensou had been carrying the jars himself this time.
His counterpart had counted on this. From the start, his goal had been these three tailed beasts.
Even gravely injured, he was willing to gamble his life, knowing it would be enough.
Roar!!!
The moment the jars shattered, the massive forms of the Six-Tails, Seven-Tails, and Eight-Tails emerged, roaring with rage over their confinement.
But before they could fully vent their fury, the chains from the Demonic Statue tightened around them, pulling them into its gaping maw.
"The Demon Statue's chains... So Obito taught you this as well," Gensou remarked, still calm.
He had access to the Demonic Statue in the real world but had never had the time to master its chain technique. Obito's mastery, likely taught by Madara, was evident.
"It's more than that," the weakened "Hagoromo Gensou" said with a grin.
Suddenly, his hands turned to mud, slipping free from Gensou's grip, as new arms emerged from his sleeves.
His fingers flashed through a series of seals.
Six Paths Ten-Tails Coffin Seal!
Whoosh!
The colossal body of the Demonic Statue twisted violently, its form collapsing as it surged into the back of "Hagoromo Gensou."
The ritual to become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki had begun.
Not everyone could survive becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki. Even Nagato, with his Rinnegan and Uzumaki lineage, had been emaciated by the Demonic Statue.
To contain the nine tailed beasts and the Demonic Statue's fusion under one's control required unparalleled mental strength and compatibility.
Only a select few could succeed.
"Hagoromo Gensou" was one of them.
And the real Gensou knew it.
When he saw the signs of Six Paths Sage Mode emerging on his counterpart's body, the real Gensou formed a seal of his own.
In an instant, the three tailed beasts recently absorbed by the Demonic Statue opened their eyes within its belly—eyes now transformed into Rinnegan.
This had been his contingency plan all along.
The three tailed beasts had been under his Rinnegan's control, ready to revolt within his counterpart's body.
The form of "Hagoromo Gensou" began to mutate—slug tails, butterfly wings, and octopus tentacles burst forth, along with parts of other tailed beasts.
With a roar of defiance, he suppressed the chaos through sheer willpower, stabilizing the transformation.
The Ten-Tails Jinchuriki was now complete.
But Gensou had anticipated this. As his counterpart stabilized, he moved swiftly, gripping the other's shoulders and activating Chakra Devour.
The immense Ten-Tails chakra flowing within his counterpart began pouring into the real Gensou's body.
By the time his counterpart broke free, nearly half of the Ten-Tails' chakra had been siphoned away.
The two faced each other silently.
Boom!!!
An oppressive, otherworldly aura filled the air.
In the stillness that followed, their appearances began to shift.
White robes adorned with black tomoe formed on their bodies.
Their black hair turned white, lengthening to their waists.
Truth-Seeking Balls floated ominously around them.
Hovering in the air, Gensou and his counterpart locked eyes, their clash far from over.
(End of Chapter)
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