Everything in front of Zixu shattered like glass. But the illusion didn't end—it only evolved. Space twisted and broke apart before rearranging itself into a new scene.
"So stop playing these little games..." Zixu muttered coldly.
Illusions were dangerous because they blurred the line between reality and fantasy. But from the moment he was trapped, Zixu knew exactly where he was—inside the world of Tsukuyomi. He never once mistook the illusion for reality.
He glanced down at himself, noticing his body had reverted to that of a child. This was an illusion from his past.
But this time, Zixu wasn't living it—he was watching it unfold from the outside. A younger version of himself stood ahead, oblivious to his presence.
Everything played out exactly as he remembered. Except in this vision, young Zixu never received the system. He never questioned the beliefs of Konoha. He was just another loyal villager who wholeheartedly embraced the Will of Fire.
With that kind of unwavering loyalty, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo didn't hesitate to take full advantage. As soon as he entered his teens, the two old foxes started sending him on mission after mission—dangerous, near-suicidal operations. Just like what they did to Uchiha Itachi.
In the end, he died during a mission investigating the Akatsuki in the Rain Village. He served Konoha until his final breath.
"The Will of Fire… it's nothing but a damn pyramid scheme." Zixu scoffed, shaking his head. "Good thing I've changed. I'll crush that fake ideal once and for all."
The illusion cracked and shattered again.
This time, the world that emerged was harsh—cold and real.
The illusion was over.
All around him, everyone—Naruto and the others—were suspended in mid-air, wrapped tightly in something that looked like insect silk. Threads spun from their dreams bound them in place, each cocoon drawing chakra from their bodies.
The sacred tree greedily absorbed it all. And once their chakra ran dry, they'd be assimilated into unconscious White Zetsu.
The few revived through Impure World Reincarnation were less affected, but they couldn't move either. Orochimaru stepped out from the shadows, sealing the movements of the various Kage like it was nothing.
For the first time, Madara Uchiha looked genuinely surprised.
He had manipulated everyone like pawns. He'd been so cautious, so calculated, he believed himself untouchable. But the bloody hand now piercing his chest told him loud and clear—he was wrong.
Orochimaru and Obito stood behind him.
Obito slowly withdrew his arm from Madara's chest as the power of the Six Paths faded from Madara's body. Through some twisted method, Orochimaru helped transfer the power into Obito instead.
"Obito…" Madara said weakly, turning his head. He always knew Obito was ambitious. He knew Obito had coveted the Six Paths power from the beginning. Now that Infinite Tsukuyomi had been cast, it was only natural that Obito would try to seize control.
But Obito said nothing.
Orochimaru stood beside him, cold and expressionless.
"I underestimated him," Madara muttered. His chakra leaked from him like water through a torn bag. He summoned his last strength and fired a Truth-Seeking Ball—not at Obito, but at Orochimaru.
In the end, Madara didn't see Obito as the real threat. It was Orochimaru.
Meanwhile, Rossinanti helped wake Zixu from the illusion and gestured upward. Chinano and the others were descending slowly, wrapped in their cocoons. The moon had shattered. Flaming meteorites rained down from the sky. Something buried deep within the moon had awakened.
Zixu hadn't even had time to react when Black Zetsu made his move.
Two blobs of black sludge detached from a body resembling Zixu. One rushed at Madara. The other soared into the sky.
Obito tried to activate Kamui, but suddenly, the left side of his body stopped responding. That half—originally reconstructed from White Zetsu—was now rebelling under Black Zetsu's control. The left side of his body turned pitch black as the power of the Six Paths was siphoned into it.
Obito winced in agony.
Orochimaru didn't even blink. From the start, Obito had never truly been his partner.
The Truth-Seeking Ball Madara fired vanished into Orochimaru's shadows. Black Zetsu fully took over Obito's body and launched toward the other mass of sludge in the sky.
From the broken moon, something began falling.
The single eye at the center of the sacred tree trembled violently. It looked ready to bleed. Two clusters of black energy met at the tree's core.
"Finally… it's done…" Black Zetsu whispered.
Thousands of years of planning, betrayal, and scheming—it all paid off.
Kaguya had returned.
A pressure heavier than anything before swept across the battlefield. Madara and Obito were gone, erased. In their place floated a towering woman with long hair, emanating an overwhelming presence.
Her skin was pale, her blue-white hair flowing like silk. Her face was beautiful but cold. Two small horns protruded from her head. Her nails were unnaturally long, and she wore a pristine white robe adorned with black magatama patterns. Her eyes were the Byakugan, and on her forehead was a blood-red Rinnegan with nine tomoe.
The cocooned Mei Terumi had seemingly merged with this woman, as if they were made for each other.
"…Kaguya Otsutsuki," Orochimaru murmured. His voice was low, but it carried.
The name sent a chill through everyone present. The mythical ancestor of all ninja. The mother of the Sage of Six Paths. The origin of chakra.
Zixu didn't waste time panicking. Instead, he assessed the condition of his allies.
Naruto and Sasuke were still trapped in Tsukuyomi.
Hatsuizumi had taken heavy damage from Madara earlier—her left arm was destroyed, and she was covered in blood. But Karin and Chinano had returned. With them here, there was still hope for healing.
Zixu himself was in bad shape. To lighten Hatsuizumi burden, he had opened the Eight Gates multiple times. His body was giving out—the damage piling up faster than it could heal. The Tsukuyomi had given him a moment's rest, but that wasn't nearly enough.
And now… Kaguya was here.
The pressure she exerted in the sky was suffocating. Zixu could feel it pressing down on his chest.
He had wanted time—to finish off the reanimated corpses, to deal with the White Zetsu army methodically. But Orochimaru had thrown all his plans into chaos. It was clear now—everything that had happened was orchestrated by him.
Kaguya hovered silently above the battlefield.
Then, from the shattered moon, the Outer Path Demon Statue appeared at last. It dove into the sacred tree without hesitation. All around, everyone could feel their chakra slowly draining away.
Kaguya… had begun to act.
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