Chapter 357: Bayakushi: I Was So Foolish
As soon as Nagato finished speaking, the atmosphere in the conference room plummeted to freezing temperatures.
All around the Land of Snow, personnel cast icy stares at him, their gazes as sharp as blades, as if they could pierce straight through him.
Nagato remained calm, his eyes fixed on the screen where Hyuga Fuji appeared, waiting for his response.
"As you wish." Hyuga Fuji's blue Tenseigan locked onto him, his tone indifferent.
The moment those words were spoken, the ninjas in the room exchanged glances. They withdrew their wary stances, now looking at Nagato with cold indifference.
Nagato's gaze flickered for a moment, and he gave a slight nod. "Then let's settle this on the battlefield."
With that, he turned and walked away. The pitch-black, zipper-like portal slowly reopened.
Just as he was about to step through, Hyuga Fuji's voice rang out again.
"Prepare for war."
"Yes!"
The synchronized response echoed in Nagato's ears as he stepped into the portal. He nodded slightly at Bayakushi, who was standing before him.
Bayakushi let out a silent sigh of relief, closing the portal while glancing at Kaguya beside him.
At this moment, Hakushiki's eyes gleamed a bright crimson—both of them had been replaced with Kotoamatsukami.
Shisui had been in his hands for a long time. Cloning a pair of eyes wasn't difficult. Even after giving one to Nagato, he could still restore his own.
However, he hadn't cloned too many. The power of Kotoamatsukami wasn't something that should be given to just anyone. He planned to personally select a few shinobi under its influence and grant them strength.
And as part of his motivation for acquiring Kotoamatsukami, Kaguya had, of course, already fallen under his genjutsu.
Bayakushi spoke calmly, "Adjust yourself quickly. In two days, I'll transfer the divine technique to you."
"Yes," Kaguya responded, but inwardly, she shook her head.
A foolish artificial being. Did he really think a mere Mangekyō-level genjutsu could rewrite her will?
As Bayakushi walked away, a trace of disdain flickered through Kaguya's mind.
She wasn't particularly skilled at acting, but this body had once belonged to her host. By slightly loosening her chakra control, she could maintain a perfect blank expression—a typical Hyuga poker face.
And since most members of the Hyuga clan always wore such expressionless masks, Bayakushi never suspected a thing.
To Kaguya, now was not the time to reveal herself. She needed to wait for the right moment—the perfect opportunity to overturn the situation and seize the power of the Ōtsutsuki God!
As she envisioned her future, Kaguya left the space.
Nagato watched her departing figure, lost in thought.
'That fleeting chakra fluctuation when Bayakushi used Kotoamatsukami… what was it?'
He had witnessed Bayakushi cast Kotoamatsukami on the Hyuga, but since it was only altering will and modifying memories, there weren't any visible changes.
Yet, there was one thing Nagato remembered clearly—when Bayakushi used the dojutsu, his expression had been slightly off, and an unusual chakra wave had rippled through the air.
Later, Bayakushi explained that controlling a Tenseigan wielder required immense chakra, but Nagato still felt something was amiss.
Was it because of this Hyuga?
Or was it, as Bayakushi claimed, just a quirk of Kotoamatsukami itself?
Nagato couldn't discern the truth. He withdrew his gaze, frowning slightly.
Perhaps he was overthinking things. Not every Hyuga was Hyuga Fuji. What trouble could a mere ordinary Hyuga pose?
While Kaguya and Nagato pondered in silence, Bayakushi had already returned to his lab. He sat there alone, his expression shifting erratically between fury and eerie calmness, as if he were a man split in two.
A moment later, the anger within him surged forward, only to be forcefully suppressed again.
"Damn it… why is it always just a little out of reach? Get out of my body! I am the true inheritor of Lord Isshiki's will…"
Bayakushi growled under his breath, clenching his fists so tightly that his nails nearly dug into his palms. His eyes burned with resentment and frustration—yet a moment later, cold logic reclaimed control.
He ignored the rage within him and quietly continued his work.
Walking to the center of the lab, he stood before a complex device. Suspended at its core was a faintly glowing chakra crystal and a lifeless corpse.
"Bayakushi" ran his fingers over the chakra crystal before swiftly forming hand seals, intending to send it into an unknown dimension.
At that very moment, his suppressed fury seized control again. He forcibly reactivated his kama-mark space-time jutsu, changing the destination.
"You think you can take the Divine Technique Chakra Crystal? Dream on! Even if I have to destroy it myself, you'll never get your hands on it!"
"…You're quite the fighter."
A whisper echoed within Bayakushi's mind.
"The trace of chakra left from my rewritten seal isn't enough to wrest full control of your body… but my goal has already been achieved. As for the Omnipotent Divine Technique… I'll claim it when the time is right."
The other consciousness receded.
Bayakushi's expression froze. His pupils shrank as he snapped his gaze toward the center of the lab—
Lord Isshiki's corpse… was gone!
A wave of dizziness struck him, nearly causing him to collapse.
Struggling to steady himself, his vision blurred.
Only when his fingers instinctively reached out and touched the cold stone wall beside him did he regain a slight sense of reality.
How had he known that the Ōtsutsuki God's corpse was here? How?!
His mind was a tangled mess, wracked with self-doubt, confusion, and fear—like a nest of venomous snakes gnawing away at his sanity.
Lord Isshiki was dead. The most precious legacy left to him had been stolen due to his own incompetence. His chances of revenge had dwindled further. He had failed Lord Isshiki…
The teachings and expectations Isshiki had once instilled in him now felt like chains, weighing him down with unbearable pressure.
"No… I can't give up yet!"
Bayakushi leaned against the wall, clutching his forehead, forcing himself to think rationally. Then his gaze landed on the divine technique crystal still in his possession.
Omnipotence.
Yes—Omnipotence! He still had the Divine Technique Crystal!
With this, and after seizing Shizuka's power, he could suppress Hyuga Fuji!
And the spy… if not for Black Zetsu feeding him intel about Shisui, he wouldn't have exposed himself during the Sharingan transplant.
Bayakushi took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. But the crimson glow in his Sharingan and the throbbing veins on his forehead betrayed his seething rage.
"I'll kill Black Zetsu first… and this base is compromised. If I don't destroy it, Hyuga Fuji will find me."
The chain-like portal reopened. Bayakushi stepped inside and vanished. When he reappeared, he was already at the Akatsuki's base.
Shinichi frowned at the sight of him. "What are you doing here?"
Bayakushi ignored him, scanning the underground chamber before finally turning his gaze toward Shinichi.
"Where is Black Zetsu?"
"He's not here. He left this morning to gather intelligence."
Shinichi eyed Bayakushi's blood-red Sharingan warily.
"Gone… gone… hahaha! I was so foolish! So foolish! Why would he ever wait for me?"
Bayakushi let out a bitter, hollow laugh as he stumbled away, leaving Shinichi utterly baffled.
That guy… had he lost his mind?
(End of Chapter)