bookbashuk Chapter 414 The Body of the Otsutsuki God
Chapter 414 The Body of the Otsutsuki God
Chapter 414 The Body of the Otsutsuki God (6k chapter combined)
The underground of Amegakure was deathly silent, with only the glow of lamplight casting a halo.
Inside the spacious circular conference room were Nagato, Konan, Muwei, Shennong, Kakuzu, Hanzo, Sasori, Hiruko, and Hyuga Neji.
The nine core members of the Akatsuki organization, as well as Kohinata Mukai, an outer member, all gathered here.
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki sat casually in the main seat, his gaze calmly fixed on Nagato.
In his eyes, the five great ninja villages, whether they had tens of thousands of ninjas, hundreds of thousands of ninjas, or even the entire ninja world united, were all insignificant.
What he needs to figure out now is whether Otsutsuki Kumoshiki is dead or alive. If he's not completely dead, then he wants him to be completely dead.
"Based on the intelligence gathered so far—"
Nagato's face remained calm, long accustomed to Isshiki's demeanor. He said calmly, "A 'Hollow' is a soul formed under specific conditions from the mutated form of a deceased person whose life was filled with intense emotions."
"Characteristics include the growth of a bony mask on the face, loss of reason or severe distortion, and hollowing out of the body."
"Low-level Hollows" are intellectually deficient and can only follow their instincts to devour souls. After consuming a sufficient number and quality of souls, they may evolve into higher-level Hollows.
"Most Hollows seem to inhabit an alternate dimension known as the Hollow Realm, and the Hollows currently appearing in the Ninja World are only a very small fraction of those born on the Ninja World's mainland."
"Only the Great Hollows can tear through space and travel between the Hollow World and the Shinobi World—"
At this point, Nagato paused, met Isshiki's indifferent gaze, and continued, "Hanzo attempted to follow a Hollow into the Hollow Realm."
"Although I can sense the existence of the void realm, I cannot enter it using space-time ninjutsu. It seems that only spiritual energy structures like the 'Void' can enter."
Upon hearing this, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki lowered his eyelids slightly, his fingertips tapping lightly on the armrest of his chair, producing a crisp sound, as if he were deep in thought.
Da-da-da
After a moment's thought, he looked up at Nagato and said indifferently, "Continue."
In this regard, Otsutsuki Isshiki had anticipated it. Ever since he learned of the existence of the Hollow Realm and the Pure Land, he had tried to find them and had indeed sensed the location of the Pure Land.
However, as Nagato said, the Pure Land, like the Void Realm, has a natural barrier against non-soul entities, and it is not a pure Yin Release structure like the Kage.
Unless he abandons his strongest physical body and enters it in the form of a soul, which would be tantamount to exposing his most vulnerable side to an unknown and hostile environment.
He certainly wouldn't take that risk.
Nagato paid no attention to Isshiki's thoughts and continued, "At the pinnacle of the Hollows are the ten most powerful Hollows, known as the Espada."
"And the one who commands these Ten Blades, or rather, the one who commands all the known forces in the entire Void Realm, is that 'Shadow'."
"The 'Shadow' has a unique ability: it can shield one's senses, making it impossible to detect its presence, and it can forcibly transform one's soul into 'illusion.'"
The combat style primarily involves manipulating one's own or the environment's shadow, which can be freely transformed into physical weapons for attack and defense, making it highly versatile and difficult to defend against.
"The 'Shadow' doesn't seem to be a flesh-and-blood being in the traditional sense. It can merge into the shadows to achieve high-speed stealth and movement, and can also use space-time ninjutsu mastered by other Hollows."
"But he never used any conventional escape techniques, fighting only with shadow-related abilities or by summoning shadow legions of various forms."
"The known forms of the Shadow Legion include the normal humanoid form, the samurai form wearing armor and wielding weapons, the claw form, and the gigantic, burly humanoid form."
"But—" Nagato paused, then continued, "during the conflict on the second level of the dungeon, the 'Kage' first demonstrated the ability to use 'Kido'."
"Combined with the Ghost Path scroll obtained in the second level of the dungeon, we have reason to speculate that he acquired this ability at that time, and did not possess it before."
"Furthermore, it's worth noting that when the first level of the dungeon opened, the 'Shadow' obtained a ninja tool called the 'Ghost Shadow Mask'."
"It is not yet possible to fully determine how much of its ability originates from itself and how much is achieved through the mask."
After the report was finished, a heavy silence once again enveloped the conference room.
"Heh." A light laugh, tinged with mockery and pleasure, came from the person in the main seat.
A thoughtful smile appeared on Otsutsuki Isshiki's face, his eyes flashing with an all-knowing indifference.
"It seems that Yun's condition is worse than I expected."
He said slowly, "Although a 'shadow' was left behind as a backup plan, it was clearly done in a very rushed manner. Even decent equipment and a complete Ghost Path inheritance weren't given to him in time."
"Even the mausoleum he prepared for himself," the Shadow cannot come and go freely, and must wait for the seal to be broken before entering, just like an outsider."
At this point, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki leaned forward slightly and laughed, "In that case, that guy must be dead."
"It's just not completely dead yet. What remains now is merely a shadow created by Yin Release," a "vessel" that may still exist.
Otsutsuki Isshiki's tone was very cheerful, but the Akatsuki members had different expressions.
Hyuga Neji turned to look at Kohinata Mukai; the former remained expressionless, while the latter had a mocking smile in his eyes.
Even the two newcomers now know more or less about the existence of "Karma" and the secret of the Otsutsuki clan's reincarnation through "vessels".
They were well aware that the high and mighty Otsutsuki Isshiki before them had already died once.
Now it is merely a parasite on the body of the vessel through the "wedge," slowly recovering and reborn.
A guy who "died once" is mocking another member of his race for "not dying cleanly" —
They're clearly evenly matched, I have no idea what this guy is so smug about.
Even if both are equally down on their luck, should we still seek a pitiful sense of superiority through comparison?
Is this what they call God?
Or is he afraid?
Neji Hyuga's eyes were deep, concealing his emotions even more profoundly.
Nagato, however, kept his eyes downcast, looking calmly at the intelligence report in his hand, as if everything was none of his concern.
Only Xiao Nan, standing to the side, saw the indifference in his lowered eyes, and her fingers, hidden in her sleeves, unconsciously curled up.
"Continue." Otsutsuki Isshiki, clearly more relaxed, spoke up, "What about the Espada?"
"Based on the information gathered so far, the Espada members are as follows—"
Nagato continued, "One of the Espada, codename 'Uzumaki'."
"Her identity before death was confirmed as a female descendant of the Uzumaki clan, who died after being bitten and drained of her life force by Kusagakure ninjas. After death, she was transformed into a phantom by an unknown means by a Kage."
"The ability is mainly manifested in the manipulation of a jet-black chain, which has extremely strong sealing, binding and physical strangulation capabilities. The temperament is relatively mild and the aggression is lower than that of other individuals."
"But she has great physical strength. She once easily tore apart a Jonin of the Akimichi clan who was using the Expansion Technique, and severely injured the Fourth Mizukage in his fully transformed Tailed Beast state with a single punch."
"Currently, her combat power ceiling is unknown. As far as we know, she is the first known 'Hollow' to be born."
"laugh."
At this point, Otsutsuki Isshiki suddenly let out a cold laugh, interrupting Nagato.
"The first one is empty?"
"The Espada, are they the ten strongest Hollows?"
He looked up at Nagato, his tone cold, and said, "Is this the conclusion you've reached?"
"madness!"
How could the "illusion" have been created by that shadow? And the illusory realm couldn't possibly have been created by him!
"That vortex" was merely the first creation he made himself after inheriting some of the knowledge from Ōtsutsuki Kumoshiki.
"The 'Hollow' and the 'Hollow Realm' already existed hundreds of years ago, or even longer. Their true creator must have been Ōtsutsuki Kumoshiki."
"Perhaps, deep within the void, there lies a being even more ancient and powerful than the so-called Ten Espada, but the entire ninja world is not yet worthy of its intervention."
Upon hearing this, everyone present couldn't help but glance at the scroll they had obtained on the second floor of the underground palace, and the few words about "emptiness" on the scroll.
The profound mystery of spiritual power is evident; it is not entirely bound by innate talent, but can break through the shackles of life.
Like fleeting glimpses of light cast on a high wall, even the smallest figure can project a towering shadow.
Therefore, I exhausted my remaining strength and, with my understanding of the spirit, created the void, transcending the constraints of flesh and blood, constructed from pure spiritual power.
The deeper the love, the more intense the hate; the more extreme the emotions, the more likely they are to trigger a transformation of the "empty," freeing it from its innate constraints and granting it power far beyond imagination.
Only this method can truly give even an ant the possibility of shaking a giant tree.
The Akatsuki organization did not have the scroll in Orochimaru's possession, and therefore did not know more detailed information about the Hollows and the Hollow Realm. They only knew that Otsutsuki Kumoshiki created the Hollows.
From the Akatsuki's perspective, Isshiki's speculation is indeed more likely.
The "Hollow" may have existed for a long time, but the connection between the Hollow World and the Ninja World was severed until the "Kage" appeared and reopened it, at which point the "Hollow" reappeared in the world.
The Espada may simply be powerful entities created by the "Shadows" —
How powerful would the hidden power of that entire virtual realm be?
Having now strengthened themselves through various forbidden techniques and modifications, they might still have a fighting chance against the known Espada.
But if there truly exist monsters that are even older, or even surpass the Espada—
"What are you afraid of?"
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki took in everyone's expressions and said disdainfully, "Even if there are truly more ancient Hollows in the Hollow Realm, so what?"
"The Otsutsuki Kumoshiki who created them is already dead at my hands."
"As long as I am here, they cannot truly threaten you, so put away your unnecessary fears and focus on what you should be doing."
Isshiki looked at Nagato and said coldly, "Continue."
"The second of the Ten Espada, codenamed White Fang." Nagato said slowly, "His identity before his death has been basically confirmed as Sakumo Hatake, a Konoha ninja who died more than twenty years ago."
"The reason and time of its transformation into a Hollow are unknown. It uses bone blades extending from its hands as weapons and its fighting style is mainly based on slashing, and it can condense Cero to perform long-range slashes."
"The upper limit of its strength is also unknown."
"The Third of the Ten Espada, codenamed Puppet Master," was most likely Chiyo, a ninja from Sunagakure, who died during the Fourth Shinobi World War from Hanzo's poison.
"The exact time when he was transformed into a Hollow after death is unknown. He first appeared on the night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre, alongside the Kage, Uzumaki, and Sakumo."
"Their fighting style is similar to puppetry, using physical threads formed from spiritual energy to directly control living people or corpses in battle."
"At the same time, the silk threads she uses are extremely tough and sharp, and can also be used directly for cutting and attacking, making them impossible to defend against."
"The Fourth Espada, codenamed 'The Fiendish Eye,' was confirmed to be Fugaku Uchiha, a Konoha ninja, who was killed by his own son and transformed into a Menos Grande after death."
"He can use Susanoo, which has two faces and four arms. Unlike other Susanoo, his Susanoo has a physical body of flesh and blood, and is not just a pure chakra structure."
"At the same time, he can release the other souls he has devoured, and possesses a strange ability that seems to be 'guaranteed to hit.'"
"The Fifth Espada, codenamed Shikotsu," has been confirmed to be a member of the Kaguya clan of Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village) in life. He died during the Blood Mist Village created by Obito Uchiha and was transformed into a Menreiki after death.
"His ability is to manipulate his entire skeletal structure to form various weapons such as knives, whips, and shields. He can also transform terrain into his skeleton. He has strong offensive and defensive capabilities and a violent and warlike personality."
"The sixth of the Ten Espada, codename unknown, was confirmed to be Gaara, the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast from Sunagakure. He died due to the Tailed Beast plundering plan and was transformed into a Menos Grande after death."
"Possesses an incredibly terrifying ability to manipulate sand in desert environments; other abilities are unknown."
"Espada No. 7, codename 'Caged Bird' —"
Nagato paused, glanced at the expressionless Hyuga Neji, and continued, "His identity before death was suspected to be Hyuga Hiashi, and he died because of Hyuga Neji's massacre of the main family."
"His abilities are soft-style martial arts and gravity manipulation, and the upper limit of his strength is unknown."
"Espada No. 8, codename unknown, was the Four-Tails Jinchuriki of Iwagakure in life. He died due to the Tailed Beast plundering plan and was transformed into a Menos Grande after death."
"Its appearance resembles that of a giant ape, it possesses terrifying strength, and it has abilities similar to Lava Release, allowing it to alter terrain. Its upper limit of strength is unknown."
The birth of the Third, Sixth, and Eighth Espada were all directly related to the Akatsuki organization, making Isshiki Otsutsuki's expression even colder.
Those who knew they had been used, such as Sasori and Hiruko, did not look too happy.
Nagato remained unmoved and continued, "Espada No. 9, codenamed Healer, was formerly known as Nohara Rin, a Chunin of Konoha."
"He died more than twenty years ago during the Third Shinobi World War. His soul was absorbed into another dimension by Obito Uchiha's eye technique, where it was catalyzed by the Kage into a Menreiki and called the Healer Who Doesn't Kill."
"Her ability seems to be harmless, able to turn attacks against her into harmless objects, and those with malicious intent who enter her domain will fall into a deep sleep."
Hiruko, sitting with his arms crossed, seemed to have some unpleasant memories surfacing in his mind. His eyes twitched involuntarily, and a trace of annoyance and resentment flashed in his eyes.
If it weren't for that damned healer, with the speed he gained after fusing multiple bloodline limits and his ability to absorb ninjutsu through Dark Release.
He had every opportunity to break through the barriers, enter the core area of the second level first, and seize a precious inheritance scroll.
There's no need to be like this now, where you can only be assigned to the "Ghost Path".
"Is that all?" Isshiki Otsutsuki asked calmly. "The Espada... there should be ten members, right?"
"Currently, there are only nine Espada members whose identities have been definitively confirmed by intelligence."
Nagato shook his head and said, "Although other Hollows have been born in the ninja world, the Espada did not bring them into the Hollow World, so they should not be considered members of the Espada."
Upon hearing this, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze becoming deep and unfathomable.
The Tenth Blade: Identity unknown, abilities unknown, even its existence uncertain.
Is it truly not yet born, or is this a vacancy deliberately left to reserve a place for a special being?
He was obviously judging others by his own standards.
After all, there is currently one vacancy among the ten core members of the Akatsuki organization.
Zero Burial - Changmen, Azure Dragon - Wuwei, White Tiger - Xiaonan, Black Tortoise - Shennong, Big Dipper - Jiaodu, Three Platforms - Hanzang, Empty Chen - Beiluhu, Jade Maiden - Scorpion.
With the addition of Suzaku Hyuga Neji, the Akatsuki now has only nine core members.
From beginning to end, Isshiki Otsutsuki never considered himself a member of Akatsuki; in his eyes, Akatsuki was merely a useful pawn.
The reason why the position of "Southern Dipper" remained vacant was not because a suitable candidate could not be found, but because he had already given that position to someone else.
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki slightly raised his pure white eyes, as if piercing through the thick layers of earth and sky, fixing his gaze on the full moon hanging high in the night sky.
That was the opponent he had prepared for Hinata Kumokawa.
"Whatever else is hidden in the illusory realm, whatever that shadow's schemes, this time, you must unlock the remaining three levels of the underground palace."
Otsutsuki Isshiki withdrew his gaze, looked at Nagato and the others, and said in a cold tone, "You don't need to worry about Hyuga Kumokawa. Someone will take care of him for you."
"You only need to make good use of the power you've gained and the new demonic arts you've mastered."
"Whether the enemy is a ninja or a Espada, I don't want to see any mishaps in the following operations."
As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Hyuga Neji and Kohinata Mukai for a moment. His eyes were calm and expressionless, yet they sent a chill down their spines.
"Let's call it a day," Ichishi said calmly.
Each member of the Akatsuki organization, harboring their own thoughts, silently turned around and disappeared into the depths of the passages leading in different directions.
Otsutsuki Isshiki remained seated, his expression gradually turning cold.
His focus, from beginning to end, was not on the Five Great Nations, the Allied Shinobi Forces, or even the Void Realm itself.
What are the movements of the five great nations? The gathering of ninjas? The Akatsuki's response? The so-called Five Kage? The impending war that will engulf the ninja world?
In the eyes of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, he was nothing more than a noisy object not worth paying attention to.
If it weren't for his fear of the Sage of Six Paths and Otsutsuki Kumoshiki, who were still alive, he could have personally killed the so-called Five Kage.
However, after learning about the Shadow, the Void Realm, and the Ten Blades, he had already made up his mind to take action against the Underground Palace and Hyuga Kumokawa, who was suspected of being a Weapon.
Not long ago, he suddenly remembered a secret that had been almost forgotten.
The Otsutsuki clan, the Otsutsuki Shibazakura who were closest to the level of "gods," and the last place they appeared in—
It seems that it is in this galaxy.
The fact that Otsutsuki Shibai transcends life and death and crosses dimensions is not a secret within the Otsutsuki clan; both Otsutsuki Momoshiki and Otsutsuki Isshiki are aware of it.
Otherwise, Amado Sanzu, who was Isshiki's subordinate in the original work, would not have been able to find Otsutsuki Shibakai's physical body and transplant Shibakai's genes into the members of the Kara organization.
Before this, Otsutsuki Isshiki simply hadn't set his sights on Shibai.
On one hand, there was uncertainty, and on the other hand, the concept of crossing dimensions was too far removed from him and too ethereal; he didn't even know how Shibaju had managed to do it.
Until he realized the divine magical abilities that Otsutsuki Kumoshiki had "displayed".
With these eyes, even though I am confined here, I can see the changes in the world as clearly as the lines on my palm.
In Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's view, this is the effect of the divine technique, Clairvoyance, which allows one to see what is happening in the present or any time in the past, but not things that happened before birth.
Furthermore, his memories and even his understanding of Otsutsuki Kumoshiki were erased.
This is the effect of the divine spell, Omnipotence, which can forcibly rewrite people's perceptions and turn their thoughts into reality.
According to Otsutsuki Isshiki, the divine arts of "omnipotence" and "clairvoyance" were both possessed by Otsutsuki Shibaki.
"Clairvoyance" is one thing, but "omnipotence" is a power that only true gods can possess and control, according to the records of the Otsutsuki clan.
So, after that, Ichishi made a bold guess.
"Did Otsutsuki Shibai leave anything behind before crossing dimensions?"
Isshiki tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest, pondering, "For example, inheritance, or the physical body, but how did Ōtsutsuki Kumoshiki obtain a portion of his power?"
It's most likely physical, because "divine magic" is inherited through genes.
This seems to explain why Otsutsuki Kumoshiki possessed those two divine techniques.
Previously, Otsutsuki Isshiki had always thought that the divine technique of cloud-style altering cognition was a divine technique of the same path as "omnipotence", but he had never heard of a divine technique with such an effect.
Even if a divine technique had a similar effect, it couldn't be powerful enough to allow a clansman of similar strength to alter his understanding of Otsutsuki Isshiki.
However, if we look at it from another angle, it's more likely that after Yunshi obtains the power of "omnipotence," he cannot fully unleash its true power and can only use it to modify cognition.
However, judging from the fact that Otsutsuki Kumoshiki only demonstrated these two divine arts abilities and did not demonstrate abilities such as the "Ten Directions" that foresee the future, he probably has not yet transplanted all the divine arts.
So, if Otsutsuki Kumoshiki really obtained Shibai's body, where would he put it?
Without a doubt, it was the place that the other party considered the safest and most under their control.
—The underground palace, or perhaps, the void realm.
This is the main reason why he was so eager to send the Akatsuki to explore the underground palace.
Thinking of this, Otsutsuki Isshiki's eyes flickered, and he said in a low voice, "If Shibai's physical body really exists, then I should prepare in advance."
This time, unlike in the original work, he didn't research gene cloning technology or artificial human technology.
However, he did get some good inspiration from Hiruko's "Oni-Garra Technique" and Kakuzu's "Ji-Grief Technique".
If he can find Shibai's body, he will also plunder Shibai's power.
Even if Shibaju's physical body is not in the underground palace, Otsutsuki Kumoshiki's remains are most likely there, and he can still seize "omnipotence" and "clairvoyance".
"Let's take a look, Otsutsuki Kumoshiki."
Yi Shi slowly stood up and sneered, "Let's see if you can complete your reincarnation first, or if I can get everything you have!"