Isshiki's threat level was far more terrifying than Ryouma's.
Back then, Kaguya had only been able to defeat Isshiki by relying on her understanding of him and an advantage in intelligence, launching a covert surprise attack, and even then it was a close call.
Now, no one knew how many backup plans he had prepared in secret.
"The previous plan can't be used anymore. If Isshiki really isn't dead, then unsealing Mother and bringing her back would only end up harming her."
Countless thoughts flashed through Black Zetsu's mind. Following routes remembered from long ago, he sped toward the palace where Kaguya had once lived.
---
Within the ruined palace of broken walls and shattered columns, several massive stone statues stood silently, each radiating an air of mystery.
Black Zetsu stopped before a statue of an Ōtsutsuki with two horns sprouting from its head and injected chakra into the base.
In an instant, accompanied by a deep rumbling sound, a concealed entrance to an underground chamber slowly emerged.
The underground room was extremely cramped. The only furnishings were recessed shelves formed from the four walls, all of them filled with Kaguya's relics.
These were items he had gathered after seeing Kaguya off, taking advantage of the time when Hagoromo and Hamura were recuperating. He had traveled all across the shinobi world, collecting them from the various Rabbit Goddess Palaces he had established.
Some of the items possessed special abilities. Others recorded brilliant ideas Kaguya had come up with on a whim, ingenious plans meant to deal with the Ōtsutsuki main family.
He moved back and forth between the shelves, flipping through more than a dozen scrolls in succession.
As the special script on the scrolls came into view one by one, he became certain. That so-called Jigen had probably already "died" long ago.
The one now walking the shinobi world under the name Jigen was either a vessel controlled by Isshiki, or Isshiki himself. Either way, it was bad news.
As for how to determine which of the two it was, that was actually quite simple. Just keep an eye on what was happening over in Konoha.
If Ryouma wasn't dead, then the one fighting him was most likely a vessel under Isshiki's control. On the other hand, if Konoha made any major moves, then it would be Isshiki's true body, without a doubt.
As for the possibility that Ryouma might suddenly awaken some hidden power and kill Isshiki's true body...
He shook his head, casually dismissing the idea. Though he very much wanted Isshiki to drop dead on the spot, he could still clearly distinguish between fantasy and reality.
Back then, Hagoromo had relied on senjutsu to launch his rebellion. Ryouma doesn't know senjutsu. What could he possibly use to face Isshiki?
Still, that thought did remind him of something.
Given his own embarrassingly low combat strength, facing Isshiki alone would be nothing but a pipe dream. But if he were to find help, Ryouma seemed like a pretty good choice.
His combat power far exceeded that of Indra's reincarnation, he wouldn't inexplicably go insane, and as long as he wasn't made an enemy, he was a great teammate in the shinobi world.
If he could be guided to learn senjutsu, and with the Rinnegan he held in his own hands, it might not be impossible to take down Isshiki. There might even be a chance to conveniently bring about Kaguya's unsealing along the way.
Of course, all of this hinged on one prerequisite. Ryouma had to survive his encounter with Isshiki.
Thinking it over, he acted immediately. He erased all traces of the underground chamber, took the items he would need later, and rushed toward Konoha at full speed.
The strategy of waiting for Ryouma to slowly die of attrition was outdated. This time, he wanted first-hand intelligence.
---
Within the courtyard of the Chiko Sword Shop.
Ever since listening yesterday to the stories Ryouma told, stories that felt more like legends than history, Shiori had become increasingly aware of just how weak she truly was.
Although she didn't fully understand things like those aliens' divine techniques, the Ten-Tails, or the Kokugan, she clearly grasped the hostility Ryouma unintentionally revealed between the lines.
If he regarded the Ōtsutsuki as his hypothetical enemies, then those aliens were her enemies as well.
She sat quietly on the wooden veranda, staring absently at the camellias in the courtyard. Just then, softened footsteps sounded from behind her.
She turned around and saw Kirin, who stammered as she spoke, "Um, may I ask... why you asked me to come here?"
She hunched her shoulders.
Shiori tried to force a friendly smile, but the corners of her mouth stiffened almost as soon as they moved, unused to the expression.
Giving up, she raised a hand and patted the empty space beside her, saying, "I asked you here for something personal. It's inconvenient to talk while standing. Sit next to me and let's talk."
"Um... th-thank you."
Thank what, exactly? Kirin suddenly had the urge to punch herself awake. This was her own home. Why was she saying thank you?
Hearing that odd response, Shiori felt the gloom weighing on her heart over the Ōtsutsuki clan lighten a little.
"You don't need to be nervous."
Kirin tiptoed over and sat down beside Shiori.
But since the veranda wasn't very wide, the two girls were almost shoulder to shoulder.
"I plan to discuss a deal with you."
As always, Shiori went straight to the point.
"A deal?"
"That's right. According to the information I have, there's a spiritual artifact inside your body, isn't there?"
The moment Shiori finished speaking, Kirin instinctively covered her mouth. Her flustered reaction all but confirmed Shiori's words.
To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, Shiori gave a brief explanation. "Sorry. My source of information is rather special. I only learned about this by chance. I didn't investigate you."
"Please, don't say that."
Kirin hurriedly waved her hands, meeting Shiori's gaze directly for the first time as she spoke seriously. "I'm not blaming you. I'm just... a little surprised. After all, there are really, really very few people who know about the Totsuka Sword."
They say a girl's face can't hide what's on her mind, and Kirin's thoughts were especially hard to conceal. Once again, she had let slip something her father had strictly forbidden her to reveal.
So it's the Totsuka Sword? A flash of surprise crossed Shiori's eyes, and she took the conversation that followed even more seriously.
"Kirin, I think you, of all people, having carried it since birth, understand better than anyone just how dangerous it is to keep a spiritual artifact inside the human body."
"Please speak plainly," Kirin said as she pressed her lips together, already harboring a few guesses about what Shiori was about to say.
"Then I won't beat around the bush."
Shiori gently closed her eyes. When she opened them again, a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan appeared unmistakably.
"I can help you remove this spiritual artifact that binds your life. But as payment, once it's removed, I will take it with me. This spiritual artifact brings you no benefit at all. Your frail body, your restricted movements, these are all like shackles, locking away the life of freedom that should have been yours. Are you really going to keep it?"
Kirin unconsciously clenched the corner of her clothes, her hands trembling slightly as she spoke in a low voice, "You... you know everything."
Shiori nodded gently. Her gaze made it impossible to meet her eyes directly.
"I don't just know that. I know about the pain you've been enduring alone, and about the relationship between your parents and your clan. I understand all of it. Don't worry. Just agree to my deal, and you'll be free immediately."
"Th-this..." Kirin hesitated.
"Hm?"
Shiori frowned, realizing that things were not unfolding as she had expected.
This shouldn't be happening. According to the information her future self had given her, this girl shouldn't be someone who wanted to keep the spiritual artifact.
It was like the relationship between a tailed beast and its jinchūriki. Aside from a very rare few perfect hosts, most people would be desperate for someone to help extract the tailed beast, so long as it didn't cost them their life.
So where had things gone wrong?
Her Mangekyō began to slowly rotate, and she felt tempted to use a subtle suggestion. But she hesitated. Using her abilities like this felt wrong, especially on someone who'd done nothing to deserve it. And if Ryouma found out she'd manipulated an innocent girl, he'd be disappointed in her.
She took a breath and decided to simply wait.
Beside her, Kirin seemed to struggle with something internally before finally speaking.
"Actually, my father has already reached an agreement with Orochimaru-sama. Once Ryouma-san's sword is finished, I'll go with them to Konoha. Orochimaru-sama said he has a way to extract the Totsuka Sword from within me."
So that's how it is.
Shiori immediately understood. Turns out there was competition after all.
Suppressing her thoughts, she listened patiently until Kirin finished speaking. Only then did she slowly respond, "I understand your concerns. But if you calm down and think about it carefully, I can prove at any time that I'm able to remove the artifact for you. But Orochimaru insists on taking you all the way to Konoha. Who's to say he can even fulfill the agreement he made with your father? Maybe he's just using you."
At her words, Kirin fell silent.
Shiori didn't rush her. She simply sat quietly where she was, waiting for Kirin's response. Yet as each second ticked by, she began to faintly sense that something wasn't quite right.
So, without revealing her thoughts, she probed, "You're not just making excuses on purpose so you can go to Konoha with Ryouma, are you?"
"Ah! No!"
The moment Kirin heard that, she panicked. Even her earlobes flushed red as she hurriedly protested again and again.
"You're overthinking it. I just, just think it's important to respect who came first, that's all. Yes, first come, first served."
Shiori's face darkened. She had imagined countless possibilities before. Perhaps it was an agreement her father had made, perhaps Orochimaru had threatened her in secret, or perhaps it was the heavy pressure coming from the Chiko clan.
She had even considered that deep down, Kirin might be someone who desperately craved power. But never in her wildest dreams had she expected the real reason to be this...
That idiot... What on earth did he do to this girl to leave her this smitten?
"Um, you're not angry, are you?"
Kirin tilted her head slightly.
"I'm not," Shiori replied curtly, forcing her emotions down.
Kirin's gaze lingered on Shiori's face. After a moment of silence, she seemed to come to a realization. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Don't be mad. I've thought it through. Go ahead and take the Totsuka Sword."
Now Shiori was the one who couldn't quite make sense of it. She asked in confusion, "You don't want to take this opportunity to go to Konoha anymore?"
The corners of Kirin's lips lifted into a smile. She sprang lightly to her feet from the steps of the veranda and hopped down into the courtyard below in a few quick strides.
With her hands playfully clasped behind her back, Kirin raised her eyes to meet Shiori's gaze and said with a smile, "I can tell. You care a lot about Ryouma-san too, don't you? Before, I was worrying too much. But now that I think about it, with the Totsuka Sword in your hands, you'll definitely be able to protect him better. For me, that's already enough."
Why does my conscience suddenly hurt a little? Shiori thought.
"What should I do now? Should I just release the Totsuka Sword directly?"
Kirin clenched her fists tightly, a glimmer of excitement flashing in her eyes as she looked eager to try.
Out of curiosity, she had once secretly released the Totsuka Sword before. She had been very young at the time. After only a brief glance, her vision had gone black and she had fainted on the spot.
All that remained in her memory was a dazzling, almost dreamlike stream of blue light.
"Mm, go ahead and release it," Shiori replied.
Her future self had only mentioned that this spiritual artifact could be taken in by the Mangekyō Sharingan. As for the exact details, due to the intermittent and unstable nature of her technique, they had never been explained clearly.
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