Chapter 400: A Disagreement Arises
Seeing Uchiha Dali's sheer arrogance, the ten Ōtsutsuki enforcers exchanged startled looks.
They could tell now—this guy wasn't just "unusual." He was absurdly strong.
Someone this powerful—how had they never heard of him before? How had they never even noticed him?
"So who exactly are you?"
One of the Ōtsutsuki enforcers glared at Uchiha Dali and demanded.
"This question again? You people never get tired of asking, huh?"
"Doesn't matter. I'm not interested in answering. Now then—share your power with me."
As soon as he finished speaking, he attacked.
The Ōtsutsuki enforcer who had just questioned him suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure crash toward him, locking directly onto his body.
His face instantly changed. He tried to fight back—
—but no matter how hard he pushed his power, it was useless. That terrifying pressure was unstoppable.
Moments later, it felt as if an invisible giant hand had seized him, squeezing until his bones creaked and popped.
Seeing this, the remaining nine Ōtsutsuki enforcers all turned pale and launched a joint assault on Uchiha Dali.
"Take him down!"
"Use sealing techniques!"
They all attacked at once, surrounding him and activating a combined sealing formation.
But of course, Uchiha Dali wasn't about to give them that chance.
With a short laugh, he retreated while dragging the captured Ōtsutsuki with him.
In an instant, he and his prisoner vanished.
The nine remaining Ōtsutsuki enforcers were stunned.
"Damn it! He escaped!"
"His speed is insane—we can't even follow it!"
"It's fine. Even if he moves fast, he can't have gone far. He's still within our sensing range!"
"Chase him!"
"…"
They activated their sensory powers immediately, locking onto Uchiha Dali's position—and that of their captured comrade.
But although they said they'd give chase, none of them actually moved right away.
They exchanged uneasy glances, each seeing the same apprehension reflected in the others' eyes.
"That guy's power is ridiculous. Even if we catch up, what good will it do?" one of them muttered hesitantly.
The truth was, all ten of them were roughly equal in strength—no one had a decisive advantage.
And the comrade who'd been captured hadn't underestimated Uchiha Dali or let his guard down; he had fought with everything he had.
And still—he'd been defeated just like that.
That meant that in one-on-one combat, none of them stood a chance.
Even nine of them together might not be enough to take him down.
They all knew this. Which meant chasing him now was basically walking into their own deaths.
Hesitation set in.
After another long silence, one of the enforcers spoke up. "We can't just let this slide. That guy has to be punished—those are our orders!"
"If we can't beat him individually, then it looks like we'll have to use that technique…"
At those words, the others' eyes sharpened instantly.
They all knew exactly what "that technique" meant.
It was the secret art known only to the elite of the Ōtsutsuki Clan—the Divine Demon Fusion Technique.
As the name implied, this secret technique allowed multiple Ōtsutsuki to merge their powers into one, with one among them serving as the "leader" or "unifier."
That chosen one would command all the fused energy, becoming an immensely powerful super-being.
The strength of such a fused entity was far greater than the simple sum of its parts.
It sounded invincible—but immediately, someone voiced concern.
"But if we use that technique… we'll never be able to return to our original forms."
"So who's going to be the unifier?"
Ordinarily, that question might not have been controversial.
After all, their goal was to defeat the enemy and complete the mission.
But now there was a catch.
Once they fused, those who sacrificed themselves would never regain their individuality. Their consciousnesses would be erased, absorbed into the new being.
Who would willingly accept that?
The price was far too high.
All nine enforcers fell silent.
None of them wanted to be the sacrifice.
They weren't the low-ranking Ōtsutsuki—they were elite.
And what noble elite would willingly destroy their own existence?
"We don't have time to argue about this," one of them said coldly. "I propose we decide based on clan ranking—whoever ranks highest becomes the unifier, and the rest sacrifice themselves."
"You all understand why we're doing this—to ensure the eternal survival of the Ōtsutsuki Clan!"
"That brat has become a threat to our entire race. We must eliminate him, no matter the cost!"
His speech was lofty—but the others were far from convinced.
"That's not fair!" one snapped back. "Of course you'd say that—you're the highest ranked among us. Why should the rest of us have to lose our identities?"
"Exactly. We've done nothing wrong. Why should we be erased for your sake?"
"I don't agree with that method. Unless there's a fairer way, I refuse to merge."
"Same here!"
"Count me out!"
One after another, eight of the nine enforcers rejected the proposal. Only the original speaker stood firm.
Once again, the standoff resumed.
Meanwhile, elsewhere—Uchiha Dali had reappeared, dragging his prisoner along.
They were now on a barren planet, its life force long since drained away.
"What do you plan to do to me?"
The captured Ōtsutsuki glared at him warily.
Right now, his body was completely immobile.
No matter how he struggled, it was useless.
And it wasn't brute strength holding him down—every bit of energy within him had been sealed away.
He was as helpless as an ordinary human.
That was the real reason he couldn't break free from Uchiha Dali's control.
"Don't worry," Uchiha Dali said with a playful smile, stepping closer. "This'll be quick."