Faced with the threat of death, Black Zetsu finally held nothing back, mobilizing a trace of power hidden within his body.
Fugaku's body suddenly stiffened, and his left hand, which had been gripping Black Zetsu, involuntarily loosened.
But now, Black Zetsu had no time to detach from Fugaku's body.
Instead, he regained control of Fugaku and abruptly lunged to the left.
The long blade of Susanoo grazed past Fugaku's body, stabbing straight into empty air.
Black Zetsu narrowly avoided the fatal blow, but the blue-white lightning wrapped around the blade scattered, and a significant amount of electricity still surged into Fugaku's body.
Fugaku felt his entire body go numb, a faint smell of scorched flesh emanating from his skin. Unable to hold on any longer, he completely lost consciousness.
Black Zetsu, controlling Fugaku's body, stumbled and fell to the ground, then slammed a fist fiercely into the earth.
"Damn it!"
He cursed in frustration, never expecting Fugaku to awaken at such a critical moment, nearly dragging him into death alongside him.
And to reclaim control of the body, he had even used a trace of the original power his mother, Kaguya, had left him.
Not only had this battle yielded nothing, but he had also wasted his power for nothing.
Yet Shinji had no intention of stopping here.
As long as Black Zetsu disappeared, Kaguya Otsutsuki's resurrection plan could be completely thwarted.
He had no qualms about nipping this immense hidden danger in the bud.
Gazing at the disheveled Black Zetsu, a cold glint flashed in Shinji's eyes as his killing intent surged once more. Slowly raising his left hand, he pointed it directly at his opponent.
In his left eye, Bottom Spring Fate erupted.
Several streams of Black Water materialized out of thin air, transforming into ferocious giant serpents that roared as they coiled toward the immobilized Black Zetsu.
Shinji's attention was entirely focused on Black Zetsu, giving Obito a momentary chance to catch his breath.
Seeing Shinji completely lock his attacks on Black Zetsu, a cold glint flashed in Obito's eyes, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
In his view, Shinji had now exposed a fatal opening.
He didn't care about Black Zetsu's life or death.
He knew full well that this creature was merely a pawn sent by Madara Uchiha to monitor him.
As long as he could complete the Infinite Tsukuyomi, he could use anyone who was useful and discard anyone or anything that stood in his way, including this Black Zetsu.
Thus, he planned to use Black Zetsu as a sacrificial pawn, trading his life for a single decisive strike of his own.
It was a bargain too good to pass up.
Obito charged forward abruptly, his right eye's Kamui spinning wildly as he maintained his Intangibility.
His figure darted through the rubble and ruins, and in the blink of an eye, he closed in on Shinji's Susanoo.
Without the slightest hesitation, he crashed directly into the Susanoo armor. Relying on his Intangibility, he easily pierced through that seemingly impenetrable defense.
From the palm of his right hand, a sharp Wooden Spike slowly extended, carrying a frenzied killing intent as it thrust fiercely toward Shinji's body.
"Die!!"
Shinji's figure reflected in Obito's eyes, devoid of any warmth.
Seeing this, Black Zetsu's heart instantly boiled with rage.
With the ability of Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan, he could have easily absorbed Shinji's Black Water into an Alternate Dimension, yet he deliberately chose not to act.
Black Zetsu instantly understood the other's scheme—Obito was using him as bait!
"Damn you, Obito!"
As the Black Water serpents closed in, Black Zetsu was filled with terror.
If he weren't already a shadow-like existence, his face would likely have paled considerably by now.
At that moment, the ground began to slowly writhe, and several White Zetsu emerged from the soil.
Seeing this, Black Zetsu was overjoyed.
White Zetsu were subordinates he had secretly guided Madara Uchiha to cultivate using the Gedo Statue. They would never abandon him as easily as Obito had.
Though individually weak, White Zetsu had the advantage of numbers. If a clone died, it could simply be remade.
Sure enough, several White Zetsu rushed forward with eerie laughter, using their bodies to block Shinji's Bottom Spring Fate attack head-on.
The Black Water serpents instantly tore them apart, devoured them, and decomposed them completely.
But Black Zetsu's crisis was not yet over.
Gritting his teeth, Shinji once again wildly channeled the Ocular Power of his left eye.
Several streams of Black Water transformed into giant serpents, two of which nimbly bypassed the White Zetsu rushing to intercept them.
The serpents abruptly changed direction mid-air, leaping over the heads of the White Zetsu and continuing their frenzied charge toward Black Zetsu.
Shinji had already glimpsed Obito penetrating the Susanoo's armor and entering its interior, but he couldn't afford to worry about that now.
Clenching his jaw, he decided to trade injury for injury, determined to eliminate Black Zetsu completely first.
The two Black Water serpents opened their massive maws, hissing as they bit down hard on Black Zetsu—one seizing his right arm, the other his right leg.
"Ah!"
Two agonized roars erupted simultaneously—one from Black Zetsu, the other from the possessed Fugaku.
Black Zetsu's body convulsed violently as he felt the strange, viscous Black Water continuously devouring and decomposing his very existence. Sizzling corrosion sounds rang out one after another, with plumes of black smoke rising.
An unprecedented wave of excruciating pain washed over him.
"No!"
If this continued, he would be utterly annihilated.
He could not die here—not before completing his great mission of reviving his mother, Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Black Zetsu struggled frantically, his body twisting and writhing. The right arm and leg bitten by the Black Water directly severed and detached.
He actively discarded part of his body, forcibly cutting off the devouring effect of Bottom Spring Fate. The tearing agony from the severed limbs left Black Zetsu instantly weakened to his limit.
He detached from the unconscious Fugaku, his cold, sinister gaze fixed intently on Shinji, committing this figure to memory. Without hesitation, he then burrowed into the ground.
A White Zetsu was already waiting underground. Black Zetsu immediately attached himself to the White Zetsu's body.
"Get us out of here!"
"Yes, sir."
The White Zetsu grinned with an eerie smile, activated the Floating Technique, and plunged deeper into the earth, escaping without a trace.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Obito's Wooden Spike was already within reach, his lethal strike about to succeed.
At the critical moment, Konan suddenly rushed forward, resolutely placing herself between Shinji and the attack.
"Konan!" Yahiko's pupils contracted sharply, a cry of alarm escaping him.
The Wooden Spike instantly pierced Konan's abdomen. Blood immediately stained her clothing, and she couldn't suppress a cough, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Seeing Black Zetsu escape, Shinji's heart sank. Just as he regained his focus, he saw Konan taking the fatal blow meant for him.
Konan slowly grasped the Wooden Spike protruding from her abdomen, another mouthful of blood welling up.
"This at least repays part of the debt."
She turned her head and spoke to Shinji.
The three of them disliked owing favors. Seeing him in mortal danger, she had rushed forward without regard for herself.
Her vision gradually blurred. Konan's body went limp as she slowly collapsed to the ground.
"Foolish woman," Obito muttered under his breath.
The perfect assassination opportunity had been lost.
Shinji stared at Konan lying on the ground, his eyes darkening abruptly. In the next instant, lightning surged violently around his right hand, a blinding blue light coalescing in his palm as he thrust it directly toward Obito.
"Chidori!"
The two were mere inches apart, and Obito was confident that with his Intangibility, this strike couldn't possibly harm him.
But when he clearly saw the Chidori Shinji unleashed, for a fleeting moment, he seemed to glimpse Kakashi's figure, his mind momentarily stunned.
By the time he snapped back to reality and tried to activate Kamui Intangibility, it was already too late.
Obito frantically twisted his body to dodge, the Chidori grazing past his cheek with a roar, the violent lightning instantly shattering his mask.
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