"Mm."
Looking at Samui's bare back, Shinho thought for a moment, then said, "Let's wait another half hour."
"Y-Yes…"
Mabui held back her anxiety and asked, "Should I go inform them now?"
"No need."
Shinho bent down, lifted Samui in his arms, and sat down on the sofa again.
"…"
Mabui suddenly found herself locking eyes with Samui.
She took in Samui's voluptuous yet straining figure, and her face quickly flushed red.
Samui sensed Mabui's gaze, but there was nothing she could do.
Shinho was pressed for time, pushing her into a rapid sprint, so to speak.
"Mabui, get me a glass of water."
Shinho shot her a look.
"Yes."
Mabui promptly shifted her gaze away, picked up a cup, and approached them. The closer she got, the clearer the scene became.
She could see Samui's expression, a mix of bliss and embarrassment, and marveled at her tolerance.
Realizing Shinho probably wouldn't be able to drink without spilling in his current state, and not wanting to risk punishment, Mabui hesitated for a few seconds before coming up with a solution.
Given how hard Samui was working, Mabui didn't want to be left behind.
Mabui took a sip of water but did not swallow. Instead, she leaned toward Shinho's mouth.
Samui inadvertently looked up and saw the two of them kissing. A tremor ran through her body, making her feel even more self-conscious.
This scene was simply too surreal. They were both kissing him, just in different ways.
Half an hour later, Shinho instinctively wrapped his arms around Samui's waist, pressing her body firmly against his. His gaze went unfocused for a few seconds before turning serious.
"Take care of her," Shinho said, handing an exhausted Samui over to Mabui. Then, he put his clothes back on and left the Hokage's office.
With a single leap, he headed north of City of Fire, toward a vast, unbroken expanse of wilderness with no inhabitants, ideal for battle.
Before long, he spotted the nine colossal Tailed Beasts. Landing on the ground, he was greeted by Sasuke coming toward him.
Apart from Sasuke, there was no one else present.
"Where's Black Zetsu?" Shinho asked casually.
"It doesn't trust you. It'll only show up after I become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki," Sasuke explained.
With a thought, Shinho spread out his senses. A few seconds later, his eyebrows went up.
Not only Black Zetsu, but also the Great Toad Sage and the Sage of Six Paths were lurking around.
Since Shinho was now a Sixth Rank Gu Immortal, his strength surpassed theirs by a tier, enabling him to detect their presence.
"Let's begin then," Shinho said with a nod.
They were all here, which actually saved him some time.
"Right!"
Sasuke, clearly excited, turned his attention to the nine Tailed Beasts. He took a deep breath and began weaving hand signs for Summoning Jutsu.
In an instant, the earth shook violently.
The outer shell of the God Tree, what everyone called the Gedo Statue, appeared.
Formed of countless deadwood-like structures, it had a hideous face at its center.
For now, it contained no chakra, merely being a body.
As the Gedo Statue rose higher, its humanoid form came into view, with nine eyes and ten spine-like protrusions on its back.
Originally, Nagato was the one bound to it, but now Sasuke had taken control.
Under his Rinnegan's power, the statue opened its maw and swallowed Shukaku, the One-Tail.
In the original story, reviving the Ten-Tails didn't require the complete set of nine Tailed Beasts.
When Obito awakened the Ten-Tails, he only had a piece of the Eight-Tails (a severed tentacle) and chakra from Kinkaku and Ginkaku in place of the Nine-Tails.
Now, the Nine-Tails here was the Yin half.
The Yang half remained inside Naruto.
Though Shinho was confident, having a slightly weakened Ten-Tails was fine by him.
As the Tailed Beasts were devoured, the Gedo Statue started to come alive.
It no longer seemed drained of vitality. Thick chakra poured out, almost tangible in the air around it. Its enormous body began to wriggle, and with a whooshing sound, one tail after another appeared until there were ten in total.
What had been a vaguely humanoid Gedo Statue suddenly dropped to all fours, fully transformed into a beastlike form.
Shinho took it in, mentally comparing it to its known form from the original story.
This looked like a complete version, but still not the "final form." The final stage would be becoming the God Tree, which required the power of the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Sasuke continued weaving signs.
To become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, an ordinary sealing technique wouldn't be enough. One needed a technique called the Six Paths Ten-Tails Coffin Seal.
Black Zetsu knew it, and after negotiating, had taught it to Sasuke.
A virtually endless torrent of chakra burst forth, and the enormous Gedo Statue vanished inside Sasuke under the effect of the seal.
After some time, the world around them fell silent.
Sasuke had undergone an astonishing transformation. His black hair had turned white, and his clothes shifted to a style reminiscent of the Sage of Six Paths, white robes emblazoned with unique patterns.
Eight Truth-Seeking Orbs floated behind him, and he held the Six Paths staff in his hand.
"Hahahahaha!"
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Sasuke let out a wild laugh. He could feel an unprecedented surge of power, the feeling that nothing was beyond him anymore.
"…"
Shinho pursed his lips. It was both expected and a bit surprising.
Sasuke had been overshadowed by Shinho for too long, and becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki made him feel like he'd finally regained his momentum.
Right then, two lines of text appeared before Shinho's eyes:
..
[Achievement Unlocked: Sasuke becomes the "Ten-Tails Jinchūriki." You have gained Strength Gu.]
[Strength Gu: A Rank Seven Immortal Gu of the Rule Path. It can synergize with any path, enhancing the power of all killer moves.]
..
The achievement came out of nowhere, yet it made sense on reflection.
Sasuke only managed to become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki thanks to Shinho's plan, so receiving a Seventh Rank Immortal Gu as a reward felt fitting.
The effect of this particular rule path gu was simple and direct as it enhanced all types of killer moves.
How much stronger it would make him still required testing.
Snapping back to reality, Shinho spoke softly: "You can come out now."
"He…noticed us?"
Some distance away, the Great Toad Sage was startled.
"That shouldn't be possible," the Sage of Six Paths said, frowning.
While Shinho hesitated, a strange, pitcher-plant-like humanoid emerged from the ground.
It was Zetsu, the fusion of Black Zetsu and White Zetsu, half black, half white.
The Sage of Six Paths sensed a faint familiarity.
Thinking a bit, he realized White Zetsu's origin, the thing was vaguely similar to the humans who had once been ensnared by Kaguya Otsutsuki's Infinite Tsukuyomi a thousand years ago.
But as for Black Zetsu, he wasn't entirely sure.
"Lord Hokage, nice to meet you," said Zetsu, or more precisely, Black Zetsu, speaking with a complicated tone. Shinho had thwarted its thousand-year scheme, yet in a twist of fate, they were now allies of sorts.
"I know your objective," Shinho said calmly. "It happens to be mine as well."
Black Zetsu narrowed its eyes.
What did he mean by that?
It had always considered resurrecting Kaguya its own well-guarded secret, one no one else could possibly know.
"Kaguya Otsutsuki," Shinho continued, regarding Zetsu with a slight smile.
"W-What?!"
Black Zetsu recoiled half a step, the secret in its heart suddenly laid bare.
Sasuke looked from side to side in confusion.
Who on earth was Kaguya Otsutsuki?
Shinho didn't bother lowering his voice. Some distance away, the Sage of Six Paths heard the familiar and terrifying name, his face darkening.
"So it's true!"
The Great Toad Sage wasted no time in piling on. "Shinho really is an evil ninja!"
This time, the Sage of Six Paths didn't refute him. If Shinho truly planned to free Kaguya, he would have no choice but to intervene.
The atmosphere grew heavy for a few seconds.
"How do you know about this?" Black Zetsu asked, suppressing its shock.
After all, it was a creature Kaguya had created right before she was sealed. Somewhat akin to Hagoromo and Hamura Otsutsuki, but not a full human.
Since its birth, it had lurked in the ninja world, keeping tabs on Asura's and Indra's reincarnations. Only when it encountered Madara Uchiha did it begin the plan to save its mother.
Confident that it had never been exposed in all those centuries, it now found itself unsettled.
"How I know doesn't matter," Shinho replied, shaking his head. "You just need to understand I'm the only one who can help you."
Black Zetsu furrowed its brow.
It certainly wasn't satisfied with such an answer, but Shinho's second statement was true enough. If there was anyone in the current ninja world capable of freeing Kaguya, it would be Shinho.
Of course, Black Zetsu had no idea the Sage of Six Paths was still around.
"Why?" Black Zetsu asked after a short silence. "You have no reason to help me."
"A reason?"
Shinho let out a short laugh. "It's simple. I want to see who's really stronger."
"…?"
Black Zetsu froze, finding that notion absurd.
Kaguya was unimaginably powerful.
Even the Sage of Six Paths at his peak, alongside his brother Hamura, had only managed to seal her away, not kill her.
Yet here was a mere ninja claiming he wanted to challenge Kaguya, it was downright ludicrous.
Still, for Black Zetsu, that was good news. If someone wanted to dig their own grave, it would hardly refuse.
"Very well," Black Zetsu said in a solemn voice. "I accept."
It was convinced Kaguya would never lose. If Shinho was courting disaster, Black Zetsu was more than willing to assist.
"I have one condition though." Shinho nodded. "Sasuke must not be harmed by the process of her revival."
In the original timeline, Black Zetsu had ambushed Madara and used Yin–Yang Release to fuse with him, resurrecting Kaguya in the process.
"I refuse!"
Suddenly, a voice echoed from nearby.
Black Zetsu instinctively turned, horrified by what it saw.
The…Sage of Six Paths?! How is this even possible?
Is it a ghost?!
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