Chapter 636: The Increasingly Divine Kaguya Otsutsuki

Chapter 636: Chapter 636: The Increasingly Divine Kaguya Otsutsuki

Chapter 636: The Increasingly Divine Kaguya Otsutsuki

"It is merely a fragment of memory preserved inside a genjutsu. To be honest, even if you had not come here, this remnant of mine would not have lasted much longer."

Isshiki spoke calmly.

His expression remained as composed as ever, revealing nothing unusual.

Kenichi studied him.

Isshiki’s eyes looked perfectly normal, as though he truly had no hidden agenda.

But that only made Kenichi trust him even less.

Isshiki had spent so many years hiding in the shadows that patience was probably the one thing he would never lack.

If Black Zetsu had not accidentally discovered traces of him in the first place, Kenichi doubted he would even have learned that Isshiki existed.

He had no intention of finally dealing with Black Zetsu and Madara, only to relax and later be stabbed in the back by Isshiki.

So Kenichi had already made up his mind.

Isshiki needed to die.

The only question was when.

Kenichi still wanted to squeeze as much information and value out of him as possible.

Isshiki obviously knew many things about the Otsutsuki Clan.

Killing him before extracting everything useful would feel like a waste.

Still, one always had to be careful when playing with a dangerous predator.

Kenichi never lowered his guard around Isshiki.

At the same time, he was genuinely interested in the technique Isshiki was currently using.

A ninjutsu capable of preserving a fragment of someone’s memories after death was extremely useful.

Of course, that explanation came entirely from Isshiki himself.

Kenichi still suspected that he was concealing something.

As for what exactly...

Kenichi could not yet say.

But he had a theory.

Isshiki had probably used some hidden method to preserve more than simple memories.

Perhaps he had created a contingency that would eventually allow him to resurrect.

Isshiki had never mentioned anything like that before.

Nor had he explained any similar technique.

That was why Kenichi still lacked enough information to confirm it.

"So, if this memory fragment is about to disappear, is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Kenichi asked with a smile.

Isshiki gave him another look.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Then he smiled.

"There is not much left to say."

"However, there is one secret technique unique to the Otsutsuki Clan."

Isshiki’s smile deepened slightly.

"But learning it requires a special method."

"Ordinary people cannot master it."

Kenichi chuckled.

For a moment, the laboratory almost seemed harmonious.

Then Isshiki continued, as if anticipating Kenichi’s suspicion.

"It is not that I am deliberately hiding the technique from you."

"Nor am I unwilling to teach you."

"The problem is that it is genuinely extremely difficult to learn."

"When I first learned it, one of the gods within the clan personally imparted it to me."

"Furthermore, only those chosen to travel to other planets and plant Divine Trees are allowed to obtain this technique."

Isshiki paused.

"I know how to use it."

"But if you ask me to explain exactly how it works or how to teach it..."

"I cannot describe it clearly."

Kenichi immediately became interested.

He studied Isshiki again.

Isshiki’s expression looked completely sincere.

Almost too sincere.

Whether the explanation was true was another matter entirely.

"Then show it to me."

Kenichi smiled.

Isshiki fell silent.

A moment later, he shook his head with a bitter expression.

"This technique requires an enormous amount of chakra."

"In my current state, I am merely a fragment of memory."

"I do not possess the conditions necessary to perform it."

Isshiki sighed.

He even looked genuinely regretful.

Kenichi nearly laughed.

But he suppressed the urge.

Fine.

If Isshiki wanted to keep acting, Kenichi could act with him.

Regardless of the deception involved, Kenichi wanted this technique.

Anything powerful enough to be treated as a special Otsutsuki secret art might prove useful for his research in other fields.

His expression became even friendlier.

Originally, Kenichi had intended to destroy Isshiki as soon as possible.

The man was simply too dangerous.

But now...

Perhaps squeezing every last useful secret out of him first would be more profitable.

The difficulty was that Isshiki clearly did not intend to casually reveal everything.

If things continued like this, Isshiki would probably...

"Although I cannot demonstrate it directly, there is another way."

Isshiki suddenly spoke again.

Kenichi paused.

"I researched this technique myself because I was curious why the learning conditions were so strict."

Isshiki’s expression became serious.

"Eventually, I understood."

"At its core, this technique involves creating Karma."

"Karma serves as the foundation for our resurrection."

Kenichi’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Isshiki continued.

"When Karma is created, our memories and chakra are all compressed and stored within it."

"Then, once Karma is implanted into another person’s body, it gradually rewrites that person."

"Eventually, the vessel becomes a new Otsutsuki."

Kenichi was genuinely surprised.

He had expected Isshiki to attempt something related to resurrection.

In fact, Kenichi had deliberately allowed Isshiki to learn, directly or indirectly, that he possessed methods capable of bringing people back to life.

Jiraiya was the clearest example.

After sacrificing himself to restrain Isshiki during the decisive battle, Jiraiya had already been resurrected by Kenichi.

At the moment, Jiraiya was back in Konoha, enjoying a late-life romance with Tsunade.

The thought still left Kenichi somewhat speechless.

So he had assumed Isshiki would eventually try to convince him to resurrect his original body.

Instead...

Isshiki was talking about Karma.

"Karma..."

Kenichi murmured.

He had heard Kaguya mention it before.

She had explained something similar.

And Kenichi himself already knew a little about the concept.

Karma was relatively easy to detect.

But once someone was successfully implanted with it, if their will was not strong enough, their consciousness could eventually be overwhelmed and replaced by the Otsutsuki encoded within the mark.

Kenichi had not expected Isshiki to voluntarily explain the technique.

Still, his interest was limited.

Karma certainly had value.

But it was troublesome.

It took a long time to fully rewrite a vessel and complete resurrection.

As an emergency survival method, it was impressive.

As something Kenichi himself would want to depend on, it felt inefficient.

And learning it seemed equally troublesome.

More importantly...

Kenichi strongly suspected that Isshiki had brought up Karma because he wanted an opportunity to get close enough to implant it into him.

Before Kenichi could say anything, Isshiki’s expression suddenly changed.

A figure appeared beside him without warning.

A hand seized Isshiki by the neck and lifted him from the ground.

The long white hair made the newcomer’s identity obvious.

Kaguya.

Kenichi was genuinely surprised.

He had not expected her to appear here.

Kaguya had disappeared for quite some time.

Kenichi had no idea where she had gone.

Even Hagoromo had vanished somewhere recently, behaving mysteriously.

Still, since Kenichi was currently allied with both Kaguya and Hagoromo, he had not bothered investigating them.

He had simply continued with his own experiments.

Yet now Kaguya had suddenly appeared.

And she had gone straight for Isshiki.

"What are you doing?"

Kaguya turned toward Kenichi.

Her pale eyes carried a trace of coldness.

Kenichi frowned slightly.

Something about her felt different.

Compared with before, Kaguya’s humanity seemed even fainter.

Had she done something during the time she had been away?

Had she deliberately separated more of her humanity?

It was possible.

Kaguya had been gone for a long time.

Kenichi could not rule out the possibility that she had decided to discard more of her emotions in exchange for greater strength.

According to Kaguya’s own history, combined with what Isshiki had said, consuming the chakra fruit could gradually reduce one’s humanity while increasing something closer to divinity.

"I’m trying to extract more information from Isshiki."

Kenichi answered without hesitation.

"He claims he is only a memory fragment."

"But I have always suspected that he is hiding something."

Kenichi sold Isshiki out immediately.

Since Kaguya had already appeared, there was no question about whose side he was taking.

He would choose Kaguya over Isshiki without hesitation.

Isshiki showed no obvious reaction to the betrayal.

He simply looked at Kaguya.

Mockery and disdain filled his eyes.

That expression instantly provoked her.

Kaguya tightened her grip.

Crack.

She twisted Isshiki’s neck.

His head slumped sideways at an unnatural angle.

Yet strangely...

Isshiki did not disappear.

He did not even die.

"Kaguya Otsutsuki."

His voice emerged strangely from his ruined throat, wet and distorted.

"You really have not changed."

"Still so short-tempered."

Isshiki sneered.

"Did you truly consume the chakra fruit?"

"Why do I still see so little divinity in you?"

Kaguya frowned.

Then, with obvious disgust, she threw Isshiki onto the floor.

"He was trying to use Karma to control you."

Kaguya glanced toward Kenichi.

Kenichi shrugged.

He had already guessed as much.

There was no reason for Isshiki to suddenly become so helpful unless he wanted something in return.

And given Isshiki’s current state, the most obvious possibility was resurrection.

Kenichi had already suspected it.

He simply had not expected Kaguya to recognize Isshiki’s intention so quickly.

As expected, nobody understood Isshiki better than she did.

Isshiki laughed coldly after hearing his scheme exposed.

"So what?"

He looked toward Kenichi.

"This man is far smarter than you, Kaguya."

"He probably realized what I wanted long ago."

Then Isshiki’s gaze returned to her.

"But you?"

"A lowly creature like you consumed the chakra fruit and still never truly touched the real power of the Otsutsuki Clan."

Isshiki’s smile turned vicious.

"And now?"

"How does it feel to spend every day living in fear?"

Kaguya stared at him.

She said nothing.

Instead, she stretched out one hand.

Her fingers closed around empty air.

Then she twisted her wrist.

Isshiki vanished instantly.

Kenichi raised an eyebrow.

But he did not ask anything.

There were only two likely possibilities.

Either Kaguya had killed Isshiki outright...

Or she had moved him somewhere else.

Given Kaguya’s mastery over space, sending Isshiki into another dimension for isolated interrogation would have been easy.

Either possibility fit her.

Still...

Kenichi could not stop studying her.

Had Kaguya truly discarded the last fragments of her humanity?

Just before Isshiki vanished, Kenichi had briefly glimpsed the dimension Kaguya opened.

It was an absurdly strange world.

High above, the sky was a brilliant blue.

Yet within that sky, a massive river hung upside down as though some invisible force had pulled it into the heavens.

Its shimmering surface reflected the sunlight, scattering countless silver streaks that looked like arrows ready to fall toward the world below.

The earth itself was equally strange.

There was no ordinary ground.

Instead, a vast sea of clouds stretched endlessly through the world like a soft white carpet floating in midair.

Occasionally, larks skimmed across the edges of the clouds.

Their clear calls echoed through the otherwise abnormal landscape.

Inside the cloud sea floated countless stones of different shapes.

They moved as though alive.

The rocks drifted through the clouds in strange swimming motions.

A thin layer of mist covered their surfaces.

Some sank.

Others rose.

A few even seemed to chase one another like children playing in water.

From time to time, one of the stones would poke a small portion of itself above the cloud layer, only to sink back down again.

Behind it would remain a trail resembling bubbles.

In that dimension, the normal laws of nature seemed to have been rewritten.

The entire world felt both mystical and absurd.

There were no obvious living creatures besides the occasional birds.

Yet the dimension still seemed strangely full of vitality.

The upside-down river, the moving stones, and the endless sea of clouds created a world where tranquility and chaos existed at the same time.

Even in complete silence, everything seemed to be constantly moving.

Kenichi stared at the disappearing dimensional rift.

For a moment, he genuinely wondered whether Kaguya had consumed some kind of hallucinogenic substance before creating a place like that.

.....

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