Chapter 318: Why Is He So Strong?
Hashirama and Madara were fighting with everything they had.
Tobirama and Minato were also pushing themselves to the limit.
All four were desperately creating an opening for Kitagawa Gen.
Gen's God Tree avatar realized he also needed to accelerate.
Looking at the three "Otsutsuki-ified" hosts before him, he felt no hesitation about striking decisively.
The battle had reached a point of no return, and these three truly were no longer just human.
Helping them now—by force if needed—was only natural.
"But… what are Naruto and Sasuke doing?
Why haven't either of them moved yet?"
Gen frowned.
In the original Fourth War, those two should have been lighting up the battlefield.
Yet both remained strangely inactive.
Even more baffling—Hagoromo and Hamura had been watching all this time… and STILL didn't intervene?
"You two can really hold back this much? Or…"
Gen's expression grew strange.
"Could Tobirama have been right?"
Whether he was right or not, Gen no longer cared to dwell on it.
The immediate priority was clear:
Force out the three Otsutsuki consciousnesses.
And ideally—
give Obito's group a chance to cast Infinite Tsukuyomi.
With Gen present, Kaguya's return no longer required Madara's body…
but Infinite Tsukuyomi was still needed as the trigger.
"We're already this far in.
It's time we bring this to a conclusion."
His gaze settled on the tense trio—Obito, Kimimaro, and the struggling Nagato.
Gen smiled lightly.
"Are you ready?"
"You're not afraid that killing us will let the Otsutsuki revive immediately?!"
Obito growled through clenched teeth.
Even Kimimaro's gaze sharpened nervously.
But Gen simply shook his head with a chuckle.
"No. This is the Second Hokage's idea.
Killing you will make things easier."
"Killing us… makes it better?"
Obito and Kimimaro froze.
Then realization hit—
"You want to use the three Otsutsuki—to fight Otsutsuki Genshiki?!"
"And," Gen continued calmly,
"I also intend to test the secrets recorded in the Hyūga Bookmark."
His eyes shifted to Black Zetsu on Nagato's shoulder.
"Who knows? There might be more surprises."
"…"
Black Zetsu's scalp went numb.
Three Otsutsuki weren't enough—
this lunatic wanted to throw Mother into the meat grinder too?!
Was he even human anymore?!
"Damn it…"
Obito and Kimimaro understood the plan.
It was actually a brilliant strategy.
But—
"Why should WE die?! You think we can't resist the Otsutsuki consciousness?!"
No one willingly accepts death.
Especially not when both still had unfinished goals.
"Looks like you're not too eager," Gen said softly.
"But that's expected."
He raised his hand.
Natural energy swelled violently around him.
The Truth-Seeking Orbs behind him drifted forward, reshaping into a short blade.
The azure chakra cloaking his body intensified—
His aura was now comparable to the Ten-Tails itself.
"No one wants to die.
But fate has already pushed us to this point.
Besides…"
VWOOM—
Gen vanished—appearing instantly before the three.
The pressure alone nearly knocked Obito and Kimimaro off their feet.
Nagato—controlled by Momoshiki—stared in horror.
"This power… what IS this monster?!"
They had no time to think.
Gen's blade descended—
accompanied by his calm yet chilling words:
"Let's see it for ourselves—
does power consume will?
Or can will devour power?"
BOOOOM!!!
Raw annihilating force washed over them—
but the three reacted almost instantly.
Obito warped into Kamui space.
Nagato—under Momoshiki's control—thrust out his hand:
"Shinra Tensei!!"
A violent repulsive wave detonated outward.
But Momoshiki cursed bitterly:
"Damn it! These eyes aren't mine—
they're not even this vessel's!
They can't handle my power!"
The Rinnegan, precious to humans, were nothing exotic to him.
In fact—they were worse than Byakugan.
These eyes limited him.
Repulsion and Gen's force collided—
a blinding flash swallowed the battlefield.
The earth roared like a storm-torn sea.
Every ninja felt the ground tremble beneath them.
ROOOOAR—
Even the towering Ten-Tails howled—
absorbing most of the shock.
But the Ten-Tails didn't dare move.
Something unseen—overwhelming—was suppressing it.
CRASH—
Nagato was blasted away like a ragdoll—
skidding across the earth for hundreds of meters
before finally stopping, coughing blood.
"This power…
It's almost on par with the Ten-Tails?!"
Momoshiki spat internally.
Obito stared wide-eyed.
Was this still a human?
But Gen didn't pause.
His gaze shifted—
toward Kimimaro, sheltered behind a forest of bone spines.
"Smart.
Using Shikotsumyaku this way…
And it's changed too?"
Even though this was Gen's God Tree avatar,
he could clearly sense how different Kimimaro's kekkei genkai had become.
Kimimaro's bones…
They now carried faint traces of Yin–Yang Release.
Gen couldn't tell if the cause was the Byakugan influence,
or simply the effect of Otsutsuki transformation.
"But in the end…
it doesn't matter."
VWOOM—
The Truth-Seeking Blade in Gen's hand swept out without an ounce of hesitation.
The strike, saturated with natural energy, erased the entire bone forest in an instant.
"Hmph!"
Kimimaro let out a sharp snort as his power erupted violently.
Seeing Gen's blade closing in, he roared inwardly with burning desperation:
"I can't die here!
I haven't become Lord Orochimaru's vessel yet!"
At that cry of defiance, the shattered bone fragments around him violently surged back together—
coalescing into a roaring bone dragon lunging at Gen's blade.
"Oh?
You even innovated?"
Gen raised an eyebrow.
Its power wasn't inferior to Hashirama's Wood Dragon—
no surprise, given this was an Otsutsuki-enhanced ability.
But—
"You're still a bit short."
The azure blade flashed.
SLASH—
The bone dragon shattered from head to tail in a single blow.
In the scattering bone dust, Gen was already at Kimimaro's throat—
his blade descending without hesitation.
"How… how is he THIS strong…?"
Kimimaro's eyes trembled.
Behind the resolve in them, fear quietly took root.
Every fight he'd ever had with Gen—
he lost.
Not just him—his entire side always lost.
Orochimaru lost.
Akatsuki lost.
No one had ever defeated this man.
"So this is a true 'Evolver'…
The successor of the Sage's brother…
The real 'Child of Prophecy'…?"
Kimimaro grit his teeth, ripping his own spine free as a weapon.
He refused to die here.
He refused to let his body become someone else's vessel.
VWOOM—
But at that moment—
A towering azure Susanoo burst out from space, blocking Gen's blade and counterattacking fiercely.
"DIE!"
Obito's roar echoed as his Susanoo swung down a massive blade.
CLANGG—CRACK!!
A piercing noise split the battlefield—
Gen's single strike shattered Susanoo's arm, blade, and even Obito's hand all at once!
Even so—
the reinforced Otsutsuki-version Susanoo was sturdy enough to shield Kimimaro long enough for him to leap away.
"I… I WILL NEVER SUBMIT!"
Kimimaro roared, thrusting his massive bone lance toward Gen.
Obito immediately followed, controlling what remained of Susanoo to launch another attack.
"You bastard!
JUST DIE!!"
And from afar, Momoshiki—controlling Nagato's body—charged back in as well.
Death would have been a relief for him, but Gen's mockery had burned into his pride.
He wanted nothing more than to crush him.
"These eyes are useless…
And that damned shadow is gone…
Fine. I'll just use the basics."
Banshō Ten'in! (Universal Pull!)
The overwhelming gravitational pull seized Gen's body—
Gen blinked, almost amused.
"This is almost identical to what happened on the other side."
But even as he thought so, his movements didn't slow.
Chakra surged from his core.
Two Truth-Seeking Orbs floated up behind him—
BOOOOOM—
The collision of forces birthed a deafening blast.
The earth quaked violently beneath their feet.
The shockwave became a chakra storm, sweeping across the entire battlefield.
ROOOOOOOAR—
Even the Ten-Tails wailed louder, its massive frame trembling.
Far away, countless shinobi staggered under the crushing pressure.
"This kind of battle…"
They felt like fragile boats in a stormy sea.
Everything happening before them was far beyond the scale of ninja battles—
beyond anything the world had ever conceived.
"So this… is what it looks like when gods fight?"
The chakra storm raged.
The earth shook.
The Ten-Tails loomed like a living mountain.
For the average shinobi, this was nothing but a waking nightmare.
What could they possibly do?
Just… watch?
"Hmm?"
At that moment, messages suddenly echoed through everyone's minds.
"What is this…?!"
On Sasuke's side, he froze—but quickly lowered his gaze toward Naruto.
VWOOM—
Golden light erupted from Naruto's body.
He opened his eyes—
wearing a confident grin.
"Looks like that idiot finally got things sorted out.
Good. Because now…"
He glanced toward the raging battle—
toward the colossal Buddha wrapped in Susanoo armor.
His fists clenched.
He had been waiting for this moment for a very long time.
"Kh…! Cough! Cough!!"
Back at the storm's eye, Obito lay collapsed on the ground.
Kimimaro was also down, writhing in pain.
Nagato had been flung aside, hardly faring any better.
All three had Truth-Seeking Rods embedded in their bodies—
rapidly draining their chakra.
"It's almost over," Gen said softly.
"You really were easier to deal with than I expected."
He raised his hand.
"Well then—
goodbye.
The rest is up to you."
VWOOM—
Chakra roared.
The three Otsutsuki-vessels screamed in agony.
Even Momoshiki was overwhelmed.
But amid this devastation—
Black Zetsu suddenly realized…
He could move again.