Far out at sea beyond the Land of Water, a black fish jumped out of the water and landed on a lonely island.
"Toneri, I brought you food."
"Eat first. Grandmother will help you get better soon."
A woman's voice came from the fish.
After a moment, a pale boy covered in wounds slowly came out from a simple shelter made of branches and leaves.
It was Otsutsuki Toneri.
When he came closer, the black layer on the fish peeled off. It moved like liquid across the ground and went into Toneri's sleeve.
"Thank you, Grandmother."
Toneri picked up the fish and walked to the small fire he had made nearby.
When Black Zetsu opened the space passage on the moon, he had planned for it to lead to an old underground base in the Land of Water.
The base once belonged to Madara. It had been empty for many years, but it was still hidden well. Toneri could have stayed there and healed without anyone finding him.
But Jie was much stronger than Black Zetsu expected.
Even after getting Hanabi's Byakugan and the stolen Rinnegan, Toneri was still defeated easily. To save him and keep the Rinnegan safe, Black Zetsu had to use the giant Tenseigan to destroy the path behind them.
This stopped Jie from chasing them.
But it almost killed Toneri.
When the space path broke, Toneri was still inside it. The broken space cut his body and left him badly hurt. Some of his organs were damaged, and his chakra paths were also torn.
If he were a normal person, he would have died before reaching the island.
Only the strong life force of the Otsutsuki bloodline kept him alive.
The collapse also changed where they ended up. Instead of reaching Madara's old base, Toneri was thrown onto a deserted island in the sea outside the Land of Water.
In some ways, this saved him.
Konoha ninja were already searching towns, forests, ports, and hidden bases across the ninja world. If Toneri had reached the original place, they might have found him.
On this remote island, there was no one to notice him.
Toneri cleaned the fish, put it over the fire, and sat down to wait. Even this simple action made him breathe hard.
Black Zetsu could not help much.
Without a White Zetsu body, he was only a mass of will. He could control living creatures and move through the ground, but he could not do most physical tasks.
For now, he could only control fish in the sea and bring them to Toneri so he would not starve.
Everything else had to wait until Toneri got better and could summon the Gedo Statue.
If Black Zetsu wanted to make more White Zetsu or start collecting the nine Tailed Beasts, he needed the Gedo Statue.
Hidden inside Toneri's sleeve, Black Zetsu watched him sit quietly by the fire.
For the first time, he wondered if choosing Toneri had been a mistake.
Toneri had more potential than Madara, but he was stubborn, had little experience, and was hard to control.
Madara had been guided for many years. His thoughts, plans, and even his idea of the Eye of the Moon Plan were shaped by Black Zetsu.
He had been the perfect sacrifice for Kaguya's return.
Once Toneri got better and summoned the Gedo Statue, Black Zetsu would make him use the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique.
But first, they needed to go to Madara's old base and get his body.
Black Zetsu moved deeper into Toneri's sleeve.
Mother would return.
No matter what happened, this world would belong to Kaguya again.
Two months passed.
During that time, Konoha ninja searched almost all of the Land of Fire. They also searched other great countries as they kept looking for Toneri.
They found some spies and hidden bases from other villages.
But they found no sign of Toneri.
After hearing the report, even Jie had to admit that Black Zetsu was very good at hiding.
The creature had lived in the shadows for a thousand years. It was very good at hiding and waiting for the right time.
Jie could do nothing without any clues.
He could only keep the wanted notice and wait.
Toneri could hide for months or even years, but Jie did not think he would stay hidden forever. When Toneri showed up again, Jie would finish what he started on the moon.
The search was not the only thing Jie did during those two months.
He also studied the rewards he got after destroying the giant Tenseigan.
The evolution potion still needed more testing, so he did not use it yet. But the quick Six Paths chakra seed was easier to understand.
This seed was different from the one Jie had before. It did not need a huge amount of chakra or natural energy. It was weaker, but it was safer and faster.
After the seed fully merged with a person, it would slowly change their body and chakra toward the Six Paths level.
Their strength would not suddenly become as strong as Kaguya or a true Six Paths expert. But their body would become much stronger. They would age very slowly, and normal injuries would not be a big problem. It would also be very hard to kill them with normal methods.
After making sure it was safe, Jie brought the seed home.
"Izumi, take this."
Izumi looked at the small seed in his hand but did not take it right away.
"What is it?"
"It's a reward I got after destroying the giant Tenseigan," Jie said. "It will slowly change your body and chakra. It should take about five years."
Izumi became serious. "What happens after five years?"
"You should reach the Six Paths level, or close to it."
She looked at him quietly.
Something like this was very rare.
"And you?" she asked. "Don't you need it?"
"My body is already changing," Jie said. "This one won't help me."
Only then did Izumi take the seed.
She trusted Jie, but he still watched carefully as she swallowed it.
The seed melted as soon as it entered her body. Its power spread through her chakra paths, then slowly moved into her body.
Izumi closed her eyes as she felt the new power.
Her chakra started to grow, but slowly and safely. The seed was not forcing her to become stronger all at once. It was changing her body step by step.
Jie used his Tenseigan to watch closely.
This seed was clearly different from his own.
His own Six Paths seed needed a huge amount of chakra and natural energy. It rebuilt his whole body and pushed him to a higher level.
Izumi's seed was simpler.
The final result would not be as strong, but it needed much less energy. If nothing went wrong, it would finish in about five years.
After a while, Izumi opened her eyes.
"I can feel it," she said. "My chakra is changing."
"That will continue for a few years," Jie said. "It will stay slow so your body can handle it."
Izumi looked at her hands, feeling the new power.
"You really don't need this?"
Jie nodded.
Only then did she relax.
Jie kept watching her for a while. After he was sure everything was fine, he stopped using his Tenseigan.
Giving it to Izumi was the best choice.
Jie could protect Konoha when he was there, but he could not always stay by everyone's side. The stronger Izumi became, the less he had to worry.
More importantly, the danger was not over.
Black Zetsu was still alive, and Kaguya could still come back. There might also be other Otsutsuki who could come to this world.
Jie had already reached the Six Paths level, but he was not fully complete yet.
The chakra from the giant Tenseigan helped him grow, and the system reward helped too. But part of his body and chakra was still not at the Six Paths level.
Against Toneri, he was strong enough.
But against Kaguya, he did not want to take any risks.
He needed to finish his transformation as soon as possible.
Only when his body, chakra, and eyes were fully at the Six Paths level would he be ready for what comes next.
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