It took a step forward, its gaze blazing as it stared directly at the hesitation in Hagoromo (Good)'s eyes.
"Hagoromo, don't you understand yet?"
"The Evil Corpse is inherently obsessed with power and worships absolute strength and domination."
"There is no way he would pass up a power like the Ten-Tails—something that can practically be called a force at the very origin of this world. He may even have been coveting it all along!"
"Once he gets there first and merges with the Ten-Tails, the balance of power between you—which was originally even, with you merely inferior in the means of combat—will instantly be shattered, leaving a gulf you can never cross!"
Its words grew increasingly urgent, carrying a powerful warning.
"At that point, he will utterly crush you."
"You will never again have any chance of stopping him or protecting this world!"
"All your goodwill and ideals will be reduced to dust beneath his absolute power!"
Gamamaru paused. Seeing Hagoromo (Good)'s face grow increasingly pale, its tone suddenly grew heavier, carrying an unquestionable resolve.
"So there is no choice, Hagoromo!"
"We must—must seize the power of the Ten-Tails before he realizes what's happening and takes action!"
"Only then will you have the power to keep him in check!"
"Only then can you truly inherit the original body's will—not merely inherit an empty title, but genuinely protect every living being in this world that you care about!"
"Power itself is neither good nor evil. What matters is the person who wields it, and the purpose for which it is used! To prevent a greater evil, temporarily 'borrowing' and controlling that power is a necessary price and a necessary means!"
These words were like enlightenment—and like a final judgment—completely shattering the moral shackles and idealistic illusions in Hagoromo (Good)'s heart about "not betraying the original body" and "not touching forbidden power."
He suddenly raised his head. The last traces of hesitation and uncertainty in his eyes vanished completely like dust scattered by a violent wind.
In their place was a sharp light born of being driven into a corner, filled with both tragic determination and resolve.
"Gamamaru," his voice returned to its calmness, yet it was heavier and firmer than ever before, "you're right! I can't hesitate any longer! I'll go claim the Ten-Tails' power right now!"
Without another moment's delay, he extended a hand, and a gentle yet irresistible force lifted Gamamaru.
"Let's go!"
A pale, azure streak of light shot into the sky from beneath the cliff, tearing through the heavens at astonishing speed as it raced toward the Ten-Tails' resting place, hidden beneath layer upon layer of seals beyond the distant horizon!
Their objective was clear. They pressed forward without hesitation.
However...
What they could never have imagined was that Black Zetsu had sought out the Evil Corpse even before their discussion.
With Black Zetsu's advance warning, how could the Evil Corpse, who was determined to become the one and only "Sage of Six Paths," possibly overlook a power capable of completely crushing his opponent like the Ten-Tails?
Across the Shinobi World, after the deathly shock came waves of sighs and helplessness.
Watching the two streaks of light tear across the sky toward the same destination, every observer understood that the collision that would determine the world's future was now unavoidable.
"Our Shinobi World... truly is cursed with endless disasters!" an elderly ninja sighed toward the heavens, his voice filled with the weariness and exhaustion of a lifetime, as though a thousand years of war had burned his very soul across time.
"We'd only just survived the tyranny and destruction Kaguya brought. The world was left shattered and in ruins, with everything still needing to be rebuilt... and then the original Sage of Six Paths gets inexplicably hooked and dragged away by that damned thing..."
A middle-aged ninja beside him took over, clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white.
"And now, even the 'copies' he left behind are going to fight each other to the death over who gets to take his place! When is this fighting ever going to end?!"
Despair spread like a plague.
When even the founder himself had fallen into division and infighting, what were their descendants supposed to believe in? Whom were they supposed to follow?
"Sigh..." More people let out heavy sighs, their eyes fixed upon the heavenly screen.
"Who knows who'll win in the end... If the Evil Corpse wins, this world will probably turn into a living hell."
"If the Good Corpse wins... with that kind of temperament, can he really suppress evil and lead the world toward a better future?"
The scene abruptly shifted.
Hagoromo (Good), with Gamamaru in tow, pushed his speed to the limit. Driven by the urgent mission of stopping evil and acquiring the power needed to counterbalance his enemy, they finally arrived at the hidden valley where the Ten-Tails was sealed—a place locked away beneath multiple layers of natural energy and Yin-Yang Release barriers.
Yet the sight before them made both figures slam to a halt as though they had struck an invisible wall of ice, freezing in midair!
At the center of the valley, the core area where a massive sealing monument should have stood, radiating silent yet terrifying energy, was now a complete mess.
The sealing monument had been shattered. The remaining runes were dim and lifeless, while lingering embers of the Ten-Tails' violent chakra still drifted through the air.
And at the center of that devastation stood a lone figure with his back to them, perfectly still.
Dark crimson chakra writhed and coiled around his body like a living creature. Both its quality and quantity had undergone a fundamental, terrifying transformation!
It was no longer merely violent and ferocious. It now carried something older and more primordial—a sense of chaos and brutality that seemed capable of devouring all light.
An incomparably terrifying pressure, far greater than before and nearly tangible, spread outward from him and weighed down the entire valley. Even space itself seemed to twist slightly beneath its presence.
The Evil Corpse!
He had actually arrived ahead of them, and... had clearly already completed the process of devouring and initially merging with the Ten-Tails!
"What are you doing?!"
Hagoromo (Good)'s cry escaped him before he could stop it, shattering the valley's deathly silence.
The color instantly drained from his face. His eyes were filled with disbelief and fury, along with a deeply buried sense of panic at the collapse of his plans.
He had never imagined that the Evil Corpse would act so swiftly, so decisively—or that he would succeed so completely!
Gamamaru's expression changed drastically as well. For the first time, unmistakable horror appeared in those wise frog eyes.
Almost involuntarily, it slipped back two steps, as subtly as possible. The natural energy around its body instantly tightened to the utmost degree as it entered its highest state of alert.
The worst possibility it had feared—and the very outcome that had prompted this entire course of action—the Evil Corpse obtaining the power of the Ten-Tails first had already become reality!
Hearing the movement behind him, the figure standing with his back turned slowly rotated around, carrying the leisurely composure of a cat toying with a mouse.
It was the Evil Corpse.
His appearance remained identical to that of the Good Corpse, but their temperaments were now worlds apart.
After devouring the Ten-Tails, the two horns on his forehead seemed even more savage, while faint markings belonging to the Ten-Tails could be seen emerging across his skin.
Most chilling of all were his Rinnegan. The violence within them had not diminished after obtaining such immense power. Instead, it had settled into something deeper, blending with the Ten-Tails' chaos and brutality to forge a cold, pure, and utterly cruel gleam.
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