Three-Eyed Bai Cangshu

As the pitch-black barrier shattered, Bai Cangshu emerged from within, gripping the lifeless Uchiha Obito by the neck with one hand.

The corner of Bai Cangshu’s mouth curled up as he gazed freely at the illusory figure of Otsutsuki Hagoromo.

"The Sage’s judgment isn’t much, is it~?"

The Sage of Six Paths was equally stunned. Everything had happened too quickly. Uchiha Obito, who should have held an overwhelming advantage, had been defeated in an instant by Mercenary Tao, who was controlled by Uchiha Madara.

But in the next moment, the other side had reversed the situation with Izanagi. Yet before the tide could fully turn, the real Mercenary Tao appeared once more and directly took control of the power of the two souls within his body.

He fused that peculiar spatial power and Soul Power with the power of Uchiha Madara’s Sharingan, then used Izanagi together with that special Barrier Technique to instantly kill Uchiha Obito.

And he had not left himself any chance to turn the situation around.

Bai Cangshu tucked the radiant purple card before him into his Backpack with his right hand.

You have obtained Drop Card (Extremely Rare) *1

Upon the Throne of the Heart, Bai Cangshu forcibly suppressed the two unruly souls, preventing either of them from leaving.

Only in this state was he truly unmatched. Even the strongest Genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, could not truly control his actions. He could evade Kotoamatsukami’s influence at any time by switching the soul in control, then achieve his goal by another means.

In Bai Cangshu’s view, the Sage of Six Paths did not have many targets to choose from. He had deliberately left behind Senju Hashirama’s Impure World Reincarnation body, tainted by Scarlet Rot, precisely so the Sage of Six Paths would remain in that body.

Of course, in this era, the Senju Clan had already vanished. Of the Uchiha Clan’s most outstanding members, two were by his side, while another’s soul had been taken into his body.

There had never been many targets left for the Sage of Six Paths to choose from.

As expected, he had chosen Uchiha Obito, the best option on the surface.

Uchiha Obito possessed the Uchiha Clan’s bloodline and could be considered a direct descendant of the Sage of Six Paths. Obito’s talent for awakening his eyes was also exceptionally outstanding, and Dual Kamui was one of the most troublesome powers below Six Paths-level.

Without taking Bai Cangshu into account, Uchiha Obito with Dual Kamui could have dominated the current ninja world without issue. Even Six Paths Pain would have struggled to deal with Obito’s Dual Kamui.

But things were different with Satoru Gojo’s Unlimited Void. It was an ability that could almost instantly defeat most people whose strength was insufficient to resist Bai Cangshu’s attacks.

This absolute control strengthened Bai Cangshu far more than most abilities could.

Splat!

The ground split apart, and the intense life energy flowing from Uchiha Obito’s corpse began to be devoured by the Erdtree.

If one were to compare it to the wars of the Golden Order in the Lands Between, then Uchiha Obito’s defeat and death could almost be regarded as the death of a Dragonlord.

This world’s forces of resistance were growing weaker and weaker.

The Erdtree grew ever taller, and the blessings spread by the Golden Order reached ever farther.

So long as there was enough time, the entire world would eventually be claimed by the Golden Order. By then, God-Human Hiranaka Minoru would likely seal this world’s Yellow Springs and Pure Land with the Greater Will’s blessing, making death vanish completely.

All life would only be able to return to the golden tree, ushering in a new era.

But…

"Sage of Six Paths, aren’t you going to try making a deal with me again?"

Otsutsuki Hagoromo had already begun to despair. The ninja world had happened to decline to a dangerous point. These outsiders were powerful enough that, for a time, he could not create a force capable of defeating them.

He neither wanted his mother, Kaguya, to be released, nor did he want this world to fall into the hands of foreign gods.

Amid his turmoil, he unexpectedly heard that mad Mercenary Tao—standing tall and turned sideways toward him—make a seemingly nonsensical proposal.

What exactly does this guy want…?

As Otsutsuki Hagoromo wondered, his gaze suddenly met Mercenary Tao’s eyes. One eye was like a sky of blue and white clouds in motion. The blind Three-Tomoe Sharingan in the other had already been discarded, replaced by a human’s dark black eye.

There was not the slightest trace of gold in his eyes.

Mercenary Tao… did not belong to the Golden Order!

Though he did not understand why, Otsutsuki Hagoromo realized that the world still had a chance to turn things around.

This powerful human, who had slain tailed beasts and sages and vigorously driven the Erdtree’s growth, was not part of the Golden Order’s faction.

He was a pure human…

"What… do you want…?"

Otsutsuki Hagoromo looked at Mercenary Tao’s cruel smile and asked. The smile on the other man’s face grew even more pronounced, filled with utter Greed.

Yet Otsutsuki Hagoromo had little choice. One of his descendants’ reincarnations had been taken by that woman, while the other still remained within the Golden Order.

The world had also been obscured by that golden tree. Everything had already changed.

If he wanted to reverse all of this now, the best option was none other than to place the benefits in this man’s hands.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Golden flames continually rained down from the sky. The Eight-Tails Gyuki began to retreat. Both it and Killer B had realized that this monster could draw an endless supply of power from the Erdtree.

Moreover, its power was strange, and its abilities were becoming increasingly comprehensive. Their attacks had very little effect on it.

And as the Erdtree covered the sky, the "scent" of the world had begun to change.

A kind of power completely different from that of this world had begun to flow through it.

The Fourth Raikage fought while awaiting the Third Tsuchikage’s support. Against an enemy like this, Ōnoki’s Dust Release was far more effective than his Nintaijutsu.

But after that attack, when Ōnoki had led his team away to evade and Mercenary Tao had pursued them, Ōnoki had never appeared again, nor had any information returned.

A had begun to harbor a grim suspicion.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, a fierce wind swept out from the forest, carrying a terrifying aura from deep within the trees.

"Mercenary Tao, are you finally going to accept… the Greater Will’s coronation…?"

Within the ever-growing body of the Elden Beast, Hiranaka Minoru’s voice had completely lost all human emotion.

He was calling for the king he acknowledged to descend.

Step, step, step…

Steady footsteps approached as scarlet Conqueror’s Haki began to sway and erupt from within the forest.

A tall figure staggered out from the trees.

A turned around and, sure enough, saw that terrifying figure. Purple Satsui no Hado coiled around his body, burning like a torch.

Scarlet aura spread endlessly in every direction. Even he felt as though he were being suppressed by that overwhelming aura.

But when he saw Mercenary Tao’s face, his expression froze.

The cruelly smiling man had a blue-white right eye, while his left eye was pure white. Veins bulged around his brow and eyes, clearly resembling the Hyuga Clan’s Byakugan. And in the center of his forehead, a purple eye covered in spiral patterns grew vertically.