In the Underworld, Black Zetsu, utilizing his natural talent for concealment, pretended to be a wandering spirit just to keep a low profile and survive.
At this moment, he still didn't know that his beloved Mother had been sealed away again.
Just as he carefully waited, Aizen's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Begin the operation!"
"So it's finally starting, huh?" Black Zetsu said enthusiastically. He called forth the twenty-six Shinigami—A, B, C... Z. "Shinigami A, B, C... Z, let's get him!"
In the real world, Hagoromo, who was about to slip away quietly, suddenly grunted in pain. His body, composed of chakra, faded significantly—it was obvious he had been injured!
The other Bijuu, like Kurama, could hardly believe their eyes. This was Hagoromo they were talking about—once Isshiki had been sealed away, who could possibly wound him?
"The Pure Land..." Hagoromo paid no attention to his wound, frowning instead as he prepared to retreat into the Underworld.
Yet the moment he tried to enter, the Truth-Seeking Balls sealing Isshiki suddenly exploded, unleashing an overwhelming power. This force made even him tremble, giving him an unsettling sense of impending doom.
With no time to think further, Hagoromo instantly summoned his Truth-Seeking Balls for defense. Unfortunately, the attack came too violently, too suddenly, and from far too close. Despite his best efforts, he was blown apart—literally split in half!
This sudden twist left everyone stunned—just moments ago they had been celebrating. How could the Sage of Six Paths just split apart like that?
Madara, Isshiki, and Kaguya had all been defeated—was there really another enemy still out there?
Souls halfway through ascending to the afterlife halted in confusion. What exactly was going on?
The Pure Land had been sealed off—could they never return?
Though his body had been torn in two, Hagoromo wasn't overly concerned. Instead, he stared in disbelief at the now-released Isshiki. "Have you gone mad?! You actually burned your own core essence?!"
Although the sealing strength of the Truth-Seeking Balls couldn't match the Planetary Devastation, it was still no easy feat to break. Isshiki must have burned his own core essence to forcibly break free from the seal!
But in doing so, he had signed his own death sentence!
This was what Hagoromo simply couldn't understand.
For an Otsutsuki, whose lifespan was practically infinite, temporary defeat or victory meant little—so long as they lived, there was always hope.
Besides, Hagoromo had never believed Isshiki to be so recklessly courageous. If Isshiki were truly that hot-headed and impulsive, he wouldn't have survived this long by keeping a low profile.
Facing his accusation, Isshiki's eyes burned with madness. "Haha! All of this is for the rebirth of the Otsutsuki Clan!"
"No... something's wrong. He's being controlled!" The moment Hagoromo saw the insanity in Isshiki's eyes, it was the first time since Mother had been sealed away that he felt true horror.
Isshiki had been manipulated—without anyone noticing!
He was a Higher-ranking Warrior among the Otsutsuki, an apex predator among the stars. Who could possibly control him?
And whoever did it had even forced him to self-destruct?
This world was going completely insane!
In truth, Aizen himself felt somewhat regretful.
If it hadn't been absolutely necessary, he wouldn't have wanted to discard such a powerful Puppet who had obeyed him completely.
But Shisui's Kotoamatsukami technique was simply too weak in power level. Even with Urashiki's golden Rinnegan enhancing the eye's strength, and even with the premise of Isshiki himself consuming his own eye and being at his weakest state, this mind rewriting could still only last for a limited time!
Therefore, he had no choice but to take advantage of this moment and make the most of Isshiki's "remaining usefulness"!
Right now, Hagoromo had been temporarily sealed within the gap between the real world and the Underworld, while the real world itself had descended into chaos.
"What's going on exactly? Where is the enemy?"
"Grandpa Hagoromo, what's wrong with you?"
In this situation filled with panic and commotion, Aizen calmly descended from the sky.
With a slight flick of his sleeve, all those souls flying through the air suddenly froze mid-flight and uncontrollably flew toward him.
"What's happening now?"
"Who's tugging at my soul?"
Although Aizen hadn't openly declared his stance or intentions, at a time like this, his actions alone spoke volumes!
Therefore, the Allied Forces once again became active.
"This guy seems pretty ordinary, not like someone especially powerful!"
"Doesn't matter who he is. We've already defeated Madara and Kaguya. One more or one fewer enemy makes no difference!"
However, Mizuki shouted loudly, "Wait! Everyone, hold your attacks!"
Instinctively, everyone turned their gaze toward him. They saw that usually calm and composed Mizuki was now already covered in sweat, nervously staring toward the sky.
Of course he was nervous. Aside from the opponent's unfathomable abilities, there was also Obito's hypothesis.
"Just that single phrase about the suspected parallel world connection to Seiki was enough to prove how terrifying this opponent was!
Seeing Mizuki in such a nervous and fearful state, Tsunade asked, "He's really that strong?"
Recalling how the opponent had manipulated the entire shinobi world, Mizuki spoke with a heavy expression, "He's an existence even more evil and terrifying than Madara! I suspect that the Sage of Six Paths' current predicament was entirely his doing!"
Everyone felt somewhat disbelieving. In the past, Madara had been the ceiling of the shinobi world. And even more so after becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, yet now this new villain appearing today—how could practically anyone be stronger than Madara?
Was this too exaggerated?
Besides, unlike Madara, Kaguya, and Isshiki, whose appearances featured horn-like protrusions, this opponent clearly looked like an ordinary human. He probably didn't possess the strength of some extraterrestrial being, right?
While they exchanged information, Madara, now in soul form, roared with fury, "How dare you, insignificant speck of dust, manipulate my soul?"
Among the flying souls, Madara was definitely in the most powerful category.
Although he had only been the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki for three short days, his soul had already undergone fundamental changes!
Under his leadership, Hashirama, Nagato, Jiraiya, and a series of other powerful souls broke free from the unknown suction force.
"Don't even think about controlling us!"
"We've already broken free from the shackles of Impure World Reincarnation. No one is freer than us now!"
The combined power of these powerful souls gathered together, unleashing an unparalleled terrifying might, even causing space itself in the real world to subtly warp and fold.
Seeing this, the Allied Forces became excited as well.
"No wonder these great masters made their mark in the history of the shinobi world!"
"Ha! Let him underestimate the power of shinobi!"
"Looks like we won't need to get involved after all!"
Mizuki, however, looked serious. "There's no way he can succeed. Aizen possesses terrifying power capable of controlling the world!"
From the sky, Aizen commented with interest, "Remarkable willpower, but ultimately, a pure soul form is like a drifting leaf. It might work against ordinary people, yet it holds absolutely no threat to me!"
Immediately afterward, an extremely powerful soul force radiated outward from him like shockwaves.
The powerful souls, who had charged forward with unstoppable momentum just moments ago, suddenly stiffened as if struck by lightning. Then, one by one, they collapsed, unconscious, drawn helplessly toward Aizen.
Even a soul as mighty as Madara's only lasted a few seconds longer before losing consciousness.
Treating this as nothing more than a trivial task, Aizen ignored the shocked Allied Forces and calmly summoned Isshiki over. "Now, hand over your full power!"
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