Toneri frowned when Jie's sword light tore through Almighty Push and kept coming.
He shifted aside and let the slash pass by him. The sword light flew into the puppet army behind him, cutting through everything in its path. In an instant, rows of puppets vanished.
Toneri did not even look back.
They were only puppets. As long as he had the giant Tenseigan, he could make more.
After that short clash, Toneri no longer looked down on Jie.
Now he understood why Grandmother had warned him again and again. Jie was already close to the Six Paths level, and what he had shown just now was far from his full strength.
According to Grandmother, Jie's Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and Wood Release were his real trump cards. Neither of them had been fully used yet.
Thinking of that, Toneri raised his hand and touched his left eye.
He had already obtained part of Hamura's power. Once this Byakugan completed its transformation and awakened as the Tenseigan, he would gain true strength. At that time, defeating Jie would no longer be difficult.
After removing this outsider, he would guide the ninja world back to the right path.
But not yet.
He still needed a little more time.
Just then, a black shadow rose from the ground and climbed along Toneri's body before hiding inside his sleeve.
"Toneri," Black Zetsu said softly, using Kaguya's voice, "the new passage to the ninja world is ready."
"For now, retreat first. Once you gather enough power, no one will be able to stop you from changing the ninja world. When that time comes, this world will move toward the future you desire."
Jie also heard Black Zetsu's voice, and his first reaction was disgust.
Black Zetsu had always appeared with a male voice and called itself Kaguya's third son. Now it was suddenly speaking in Kaguya's voice, and that alone made Jie feel uncomfortable.
Was this thing really willing to become anything as long as it could revive Kaguya?
But the voice was not the real problem. What mattered was the new passage Black Zetsu had mentioned.
Jie had thought that coming to the moon meant trapping Black Zetsu here. He had not expected it to prepare another escape route in advance.
This thing really was hard to kill.
Black Zetsu was not strong, but its ability to cause trouble was terrifying. After escaping from Kumogakure, it had disappeared for only two years, yet it had already managed to twist Toneri into this.
If it escaped back to the ninja world, there was no telling what kind of trouble it would cause next.
And Jie had not forgotten why he had come here. Hanabi had been taken, and her Byakugan had been stolen.
No matter what Toneri believed, he had attacked someone protected by Konoha. Since he had done that, he had to face the consequences.
Toneri could not be allowed to leave.
Black Zetsu could not be allowed to leave either.
"Since Grandmother has spoken, I'll spare your life for now," Toneri said, looking at Jie from above.
"The next time we meet, you and your forces will disappear from the ninja world."
After saying that, Toneri turned and flew away.
At the same time, the puppet army moved. Countless puppets rushed toward Jie and Hinata, their joints clicking as they surged forward in a wave.
Jie glanced at them and quickly understood what they were.
These were rough creations made through the giant Tenseigan. Their numbers were huge, but individually they were weak. To Jie, they were not a real threat.
Their only purpose was to slow him down.
Toneri only needed a few seconds. As long as he entered the new passage and escaped back to the ninja world, he could wait until Hanabi's Byakugan finished changing.
Once the Tenseigan awakened, he would come back and fight Jie again.
Jie saw through the plan at once, but he had no intention of letting Toneri leave. As the puppets closed in, red-gold chakra erupted from his body and wrapped around him in an instant.
A huge chakra giant rose on the moon's surface.
Red-gold chakra poured out of Jie's body, and the giant around him quickly took shape.
In the blink of an eye, the Susanoo had already reached its third form. But Jie did not stop there. More chakra flowed into it, and red-gold armor spread across its body.
The Susanoo grew even larger. A pair of wings formed behind it, and Jie and Hinata appeared inside the crystal on its forehead.
Perfect Susanoo.
Jie felt the power flowing through it and quickly understood why this was called the final form of Susanoo. Its strength, defense, and range were all on a completely different level from the earlier forms.
Still, Jie did not let himself get distracted by the sudden increase in power.
Toneri was escaping.
The puppets below rushed forward in waves, but against the Perfect Susanoo, their numbers no longer mattered. They could not even break through its outer chakra.
Jie looked past them and locked onto Toneri's back. The puppets were only trying to buy time, but he would not give Toneri that chance.
Toneri did not dare think about it for long and only pushed himself faster.
He had already made an enemy of Jie. From everything he had been told, Jie was not the kind of person who would let his enemies go. If Toneri could not escape now, he would die here.
Black Zetsu was even more shocked than Toneri. Hidden in Toneri's sleeve, it stared at the Perfect Susanoo chasing them, and its confidence began to waver.
Jie's strength had grown far beyond what it expected.
No.
They had to escape first. As long as they returned to the ninja world, there would still be a chance. Once Kaguya was revived, everything could be settled.
Black Zetsu quickly steadied itself and whispered, "Toneri, hurry."
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