Chapter 119: I Am Shinkurō Ōtsutsuki of the Moon

Chapter 119: I Am Shinkurō Ōtsutsuki of the Moon

“He’s finally appeared?”

White Zetsu, who had withdrawn from the battlefield to merge with the earth and vegetation using the Mayfly Technique—his upper body protruding from a rocky mountaintop—gazed skyward at Izayoi. “That chakra… This time, it’s his physical body.”

“White hair and chakra of this caliber,” Black Zetsu muttered. “It’s definitely one of that bloodline. Record his chakra signature now. After the war, we’ll deploy a full-scale search. Even if we can’t find him, we’ll locate the spatial gate he used to return to the Moon.”

“Understood.” White Zetsu immediately extended his perception, locking Izayoi’s chakra signature into memory.

Obito Uchiha ceased toying with his opponents, allowing the Cloud ninja and Human Puppets to pass harmlessly through his intangible form.

He tilted his head upward, eyes shadowed with unease. Without a single clash, Izayoi’s mere presence had suffocated him with oppressive chakra.

This level of pressure—excluding Madara Uchiha—was a sensation he’d only felt thrice before: from Pain’s Deva Path, the current Itachi Uchiha, and the late Minato Namikaze.

Now, Izayoi made four.

“He’s stayed hidden all this time… Why reveal himself now?” Obito wondered. “Could his entire scheme be to eliminate Akatsuki in one fell swoop?”

“Samehada, you feel this chakra too, don’t you?” Kisame grinned as his sword writhed violently in his grip, desperate to flee.

Itachi remained silent, his gaze fixed on Izayoi, thoughts unreadable.

“Hey, Sasori-no-danna! Look—it’s that kid from last year!”

Deidara’s voice rang out from the “Artistic Duo.”

Sasori’s lips curled faintly. “The one who controlled the Human Puppet Legion… It’s him.”

“Ten billion ryō…” Kakuzu murmured, staring at Izayoi. “The real deal.”

While Akatsuki reacted with intrigue, the Cloud ninja seethed with hatred. This was the man who’d razed their village, slaughtered their comrades, and turned their fallen into Human Puppets.

Suddenly, a figure soared from the distance, leveling with Izayoi.

The masked Pain (Deva Path), his porcelain mask featureless save for eye holes, voiced the question burning in everyone’s mind: “Who are you?”

Below, Akatsuki and Cloud ninja momentarily ceased their battle against the Human Puppet Legion, straining to hear. Even seasoned fighters tilted their heads skyward, sensing a clash of titans.

“Who am I?”

Izayoi’s voice echoed, theatrical and cold. “Haven’t you been searching for me all this time? Surely you’ve gathered some information by now?”

Pain’s expression remained impassive. “Remove your mask. As fate’s chosen adversary, the bearer of the second Sage’s Eye should not hide like a coward.”

“The second Sage’s Eye?” Izayoi feigned surprise, chuckling. “So that’s what you’ve learned?”

Pain’s brow twitched. “Explain yourself.”

“Hmph. For monkeys like you, even knowing of the Sage’s Eye is impressive,” Izayoi sneered. “But my eyes… are nothing like that failed relic of the Six Paths Sage.”

A chill swept through the battlefield. Gasps erupted.

“Failed relic? The Six Paths Sage… was a failure?!”

“Does that mean the Six Paths Sage… is real? That the myth of the Shinobi Sect is true? That the Moon itself was created by him? Impossible!”

“Is this the secret of the ninja world?”

The Cloud ninja faltered, their hesitation costing them lives as Human Puppets struck. Even Akatsuki stood stunned.

Kakuzu, the eldest, whispered, “Could there have been an era before the Warring States? Why no records?”

Itachi and Obito narrowed their eyes.

Izayoi’s disdain was unmistakable. He scorned the Sage’s Eye. Feared it not at all.

Could there exist a dōjutsu rivaling the Sage’s?

“Yo yo… Yo, Eight!” Killer B rapped, rejoining the fray. “The Six Paths Sage legend’s real! A showdown between Sage’s Eye and unknown dojutsu—history’s about to drop a bomb, yo!”

“The Six Paths Sage is real,” Gyūki rumbled. “We Tailed Beasts were created by him.”

Killer B froze, his usual swagger gone. Even his mind—a fortress of muscle—reeled.

Above, Izayoi’s hand rose to his mask. “Consider yourselves privileged. You monkeys may be the first to witness these eyes.”

With a snap, the mask shattered.

A youthful, pale face emerged—flawless, ageless, his eyebrows as white as his hair. Nineteen-year-old Shinkurō Ōtsutsuki.

But no one noticed his beauty. All were transfixed by his eyes.

At a distance, they gleamed—a swirling halo of blue-white light around his pupils. Up close, the truth emerged: not a pattern, but a radiant corona encircling his black irises, like a solar flare of raw dōjutsu power.

Nagato’s body tensed instinctively. His Rinnegan screamed a warning—this was an equal.

Pain’s Deva Path spoke again: “Who are you? What is that eye?”

Izayoi unleashed a silent repulsive force, reducing his shattered mask to dust. He brushed back his white hair, his tone now cold, imperious—a god addressing mortals.

“I am Shinkurō Ōtsutsuki of the Moon, this era’s Rinnegan bearer. My mission to Earth… is to reclaim the Ten-Tails’ Statue.”

The revelation struck like a thunderclap out of a clear sky, leaving the battlefield stunned once more.

"Moon? Can someone actually live on the Moon?!"

"Rinnegan—that's the name of his eye technique?"

"What exactly is the Ten-Tails' Statue?"

No one except White Zetsu understood the true significance of the Otsutsuki surname. Everyone else fixated on the words "Moon" and "Rinnegan."

"It's definitely a descendant of Hagoromo!" Black Zetsu rasped. "So that rebellious brat's eye technique was called Rinnegan all along? Their bloodline must have realized long ago that the Ten-Tails' Statue had been summoned back to the Ninja World. No wonder they've been targeting Akatsuki all along—they were sent here on a mission."

"This is terrible!" White Zetsu, rarely showing such clarity, interjected. "He started this war specifically to force Akatsuki and the Six Paths of Pain into action, using the chaos to gather intelligence on us all. Now that he's finally revealed himself, doesn't that mean he's already analyzed our forces and the Six Paths of Pain's capabilities—and still feels confident of victory?"

Black Zetsu's expression shifted. "Quickly send a White Zetsu to inform Obito!"

"Understood." White Zetsu immediately issued orders.

"Recover the Ten-Tails' Statue?" Pain (Deva Path) noticed this phrasing. Could it mean he had originally summoned the Ten-Tails' Statue from the Moon? Though puzzled, Pain (Deva Path) didn't dwell on it. Fixing Izayoi with a gaze, he asked, "Is the Rinnegan also one of the Sage's Eyes?"

"That's knowledge beyond someone like you, you simian wretch." Izayoi, adopting his new persona, wasted no more words. He raised his hand and unleashed Gravity Release toward Pain (Deva Path), an invisible divine hand yanking his opponent forward.

"So this eye truly possesses Shinra Tensei as well", Pain (Deva Path) remarked without surprise, raising his hand to release a storm of invisible Repulsive Force. "Shinra Tensei!"

"Your repulsive force is far too weak", Izayoi scoffed, transforming his Gravity Release into Repulsive Force.

Though no explosion sounded, all present seemed to witness the sky flash green for an instant. Those with sensory abilities felt as if a colossal tidal wave had momentarily appeared overhead. Pain (Deva Path) was like a helpless child, instantly swallowed by the wave and transformed into a blur as he flew away from the battlefield.

As Izayoi vanished, a thunderous boom suddenly drew everyone's attention. When sensory ninja activated their perception techniques to locate him, Izayoi had already reappeared before Preta Path, who was returning to the battlefield. Before the visually linked Six Paths of Pain could react, Izayoi's fist smashed into Preta Path's face.

Slowed a hundredfold, the punch barely touched Preta Path's face before sinking deep into his skull. The chakra explosion's air current twisted and distorted Preta Path's remaining facial features.

Though one of the Six Paths of Pain, Preta Path was still formidable—though not enough to prevent his head from being sent flying like a kicked soccer ball, his body trailing a black blur as it recoiled.

Before the others could react, Izayoi vanished and reappeared before Hell Path, grabbing his face and slamming his head into the ground. An invisible Repulsive Force roared outward.

The ground collapsed into a massive depression, dust expanding in a visible circle that hurled surrounding Pain bodies and enemies outward. When the dust settled, a giant basin scarred the battlefield.

At the crater's bottom lay Hell Path's corpse—grotesquely deformed, black rods ejected and severed from Nagato.

In an instant, Izayoi had eliminated Preta Path, a major threat, and Hell Path, who could revive the others.

"Is that Flying Thunder God Technique? No… this goes beyond that. He also possesses Lightning Release and Wind Release nature transformations", the scattered Pain bodies observed, sharing Izayoi's status with Nagato through Rinnegan's chakra perception.

Nagato quickly analyzed Izayoi's movement style, his face darkening. "His Repulsive Force conversion speed is too fast. One-on-one, Deva Path stands no chance. Plus, Flying Thunder God Technique counters Chibaku Tensei, making sealing him impossible. He hasn't even used Meteor Rain yet or demonstrated Six Paths Technique…"

Izayoi was essentially an uncrippled, disease-free version of the Outer Path Nagato. To confront him, Nagato would need to restore himself to full power or summon the Ten-Tails' Statue to unleash chakra dragons and strike accurately. Alternatively, gather all Akatsuki members, reveal Shinra Tensei's weakness, and launch a coordinated attack to drive him back. But doing so would prove his leadership inadequate, making it difficult to maintain his divine authority.

As Nagato hesitated, Human Path and Animal Path fell to Izayoi's Mighty Ultimate Fist. Only Deva Path and Asura Path remained.

As Nagato refocused, space suddenly warped before him, revealing a fist-sized black hole. A distorted figure flew out.

Seeing Obito Uchiha retreating from the battlefield, Nagato's eyes flashed with wariness. "Madara, what brings you here?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end