Yesterday, in front of all the Inner members, Jigen publicly exposed Kashin Koji's betrayal and sentenced him to death on the spot.
Koji refused to accept his fate and fought back with everything he had.
A brutal battle erupted.
Jigen hadn't expected Koji to possess a series of techniques specifically designed to counter his abilities—each one carrying terrifying lethality.
Fortunately, this time, he wasn't fighting alone.
With the support of his loyal subordinates, Code and Delta, Koji failed to kill Jigen as he had in the original timeline and trigger Isshiki's forced reincarnation.
In the end, heavily wounded, he escaped using a reverse summoning through the toads.
Jigen didn't come out unscathed either. Although he avoided forced resurrection, his vessel had reached the brink of collapse.
Even after emergency replenishment, he had recovered less than twenty percent of his strength.
Inside Kara's base, in the medical chamber.
Amado held a cigarette between his fingers, staring at the diagnostic report in his hand, his brows tightly furrowed.
"This vessel… it can't withstand any more strain."
"Even with the most advanced medical support, it'll last ten days at most."
"If you use Karma's power in battle again… you'll probably collapse before your opponent does."
He crushed the cigarette into the ashtray and turned his gaze, hidden behind orange lenses, toward the calm figure beside him.
"So what exactly are you waiting for, Jigen? Bringing Kawaki back is your only way out."
Jigen lay in a rocking chair, eyes closed, expression serene.
"I'm waiting."
Amado's hand twitched slightly as he reached for another cigarette. A flicker of unease passed through him.
"Waiting for what?"
He feared Jigen might casually say he was waiting for Konoha to follow the Ten-Tails dimension coordinates he had hidden in the airship's black box.
After yesterday's chaos, Jigen had done something Amado found deeply unsettling.
He sent Code to monitor the Ten-Tails dimension—even though no intrusion had occurred there.
Could it be… Jigen already knew I passed the coordinates to Konoha?
If that were true, his situation would become extremely dangerous.
Fortunately, Jigen didn't say that.
His fingers interlocked, slowly rubbing together as he spoke after a brief pause.
"I'm waiting for the two sides out there to start fighting."
Amado took a long drag from his cigarette, steadying himself.
"The two sides… you mean Konoha and Uchiha Akira?"
Jigen smiled. "Sharp as ever, Amado. You hit the point immediately."
Amado frowned deeply. "I don't understand… Naruto and Sasuke were practically crippled by you, weren't they? What strength do they have left to fight Akira?"
Jigen suddenly said, "Do you really not know, Amado?"
Amado's heart jumped to his throat again. "Know what? What are you talking about? I don't follow."
"Nothing." Jigen brushed it off lightly. "When I attacked Konoha's Yang Mountain outpost and was about to leave, I vaguely sensed the presence of Kaguya's son within both the Hokage and Uchiha."
Amado's expression changed instantly. "Kaguya's son!? Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo—the Sage of Six Paths!?"
"That's right," Jigen said. "I suspect that when they were on the brink of death, he granted them power, just like during the war."
Amado hesitated. "Then…"
The rocking chair creaked softly as Jigen opened his single eye, his distant gaze fixed on the dark ceiling, as if seeing stars and a moon beyond it.
"For a thousand years, I've watched the rise and fall of this world… and the evolution of the so-called Six Paths Ninja creed."
"Kaguya's son… from what I've observed, he's nothing more than a sheltered noble trapped in this world's ivory tower."
"He has talent, power, ability—but no vision. No scope."
"In his eyes, his mother Kaguya is the absolute ceiling."
"I doubt he even considers me a threat. After all, in a sense, I did lose to her."
He let out a low chuckle.
"If the Ōtsutsuki beyond the stars were truly extinct, his way might indeed be sufficient."
"But after sealing Kaguya, he shut himself away and played house."
"While alive, his unequal distribution of power drove his two sons into conflict."
"After death, he let his spirit wander, allowing them to reincarnate endlessly and fight each other."
"And a single Black Zetsu managed to throw the entire world into chaos."
Jigen smirked, amused. "Honestly, it's been quite entertaining. Even I've enjoyed this thousand-year family drama."
Amado took another drag, steering the conversation back. "You didn't spare Naruto and Sasuke just for entertainment, did you? This concerns your survival."
"Of course not," Jigen replied. "I have my own considerations."
"Did Kaguya's son reappear just to save them? To help them eliminate me?"
"No. That noble has always been obsessed with his mother."
"That makes me wonder… has Kaguya revived somewhere without my knowledge?"
"To revive her, you need the Ten-Tails and the Rinnegan."
"And among all known parties, only one person has both the means and the motive—Uchiha Akira."
He leaned forward slightly, resting his hands on the armrests.
"What if… Akira and Kaguya share a deeper connection than we realize?"
"Assume that, and many of my questions answer themselves."
Jigen slowly sat upright.
"Yes… Akira deliberately sent Kawaki back to Konoha to deepen the conflict between me and them."
"He likely learned through his intelligence network that Naruto and Sasuke regained Six Paths power."
"So he intends to use them to eliminate me—or use me to eliminate them."
"Either outcome benefits him."
"After all, Naruto and Sasuke possess the means to seal Kaguya… while I, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, have an irreconcilable hatred toward her."
"Whether one side falls… or both destroy each other… it's all to his advantage."
A cold smile spread across Jigen's face.
"I won't fall into his trap."
"Instead, I'll let Naruto and Sasuke, empowered by the Six Paths, clash with Uchiha Akira and Kaguya."
"And I'll be the one who reaps the benefits."
"When the time comes, I'll strike like lightning—retrieve Kawaki, seize Momoshiki's vessel, and secure both a resurrection vessel and a Ten-Tails sacrifice."
Amado held his breath. "Impressive… truly impressive."
Then he asked cautiously, "But what if… just hypothetically… they don't fight? And your body reaches its limit before that happens—what will you do?"
"I'm not implying anything," he added quickly. "But with someone like Kaguya involved… even if you fully revive, you might not hold absolute dominance."
Jigen's voice turned low. "That's not something you need to worry about."
"I have my own contingency."
Unless absolutely necessary… I don't want to take that step.
He had already calculated it.
If he activated that ultimate fallback, his power would increase to at least three times what it once was.
But the cost would be immense.
He would lose the potential to evolve further.
So…
Uchiha Akira. Naruto. Uchiha Sasuke.
Don't push me into a corner.
Because if you do…
I won't hesitate to drag this entire world down with me.
Inside the Ten-Tails dimension—
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
Enjoyed these chapters? Access 60+ ahead avanced chapters and exclusive content by visiting my Patreon. https://patreon.com/WillOFD129?