Chapter 370: Divine Technique—One Wants to Stay, the Other Wants Them Gone… So It Just Splits Them Apart
Kaguya had originally been interested in hearing Black Zetsu recount his glorious achievements, but when he suddenly stopped talking, she decided not to wait any longer. Retrieving the Ten-Tails took priority.
Whatever tricks Black Zetsu had used to deceive the shinobi world—she could hear about them later.
"Almighty!"
Activating the divine technique once more, Kaguya's deepest desire—to reclaim the Ten-Tails—resonated with the power of the jutsu. An invisible ripple spread outward, reaching Nagato.
Nagato, who had been on high alert, suddenly felt his heart pound violently—the Ten-Tails inside him was rebelling!
His pupils shrunk, his jaw clenched, and he let out a furious roar:
"I am your master now!"
Pouring all his strength into resisting, Nagato rapidly formed hand seals, his Rinnegan blazing as he desperately tried to suppress the beast inside him.
Fortunately, Kaguya had not fully mastered this divine ability. Moreover, having already used it once, her remaining energy was limited. As a result, the Ten-Tails did not immediately burst from Nagato's body, though it raged wildly within him.
At that moment—Kaguya struck.
"All-Killing Ash Bones!"
Gray bone blades shot toward him. Having seen their terrifying effect once before, Nagato did not dare to take the attack lightly and immediately dodged.
But in the brief moment it took him to evade—Kaguya had already closed in!
She launched a relentless assault, forcing Nagato onto the defensive.
At the same time, the Ten-Tails inside him continued to struggle, desperate to return to its original master.
Under attack from both inside and out, Nagato quickly exposed a weakness—and Kaguya struck him down!
"Now… return to me, Ten-Tails!"
A rare expression of joy flickered across Kaguya's face as she placed her hand on Nagato's chest, preparing to extract the beast's chakra.
Once she reclaimed the Ten-Tails, she would finally be whole again.
There would be no need to fear Isshiki any longer.
In the past, even before consuming the Chakra Fruit, she had managed to ambush and defeat Isshiki.
Now, as a Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, was there any reason she couldn't do it again?
But just as Kaguya was thinking this—
Something went wrong.
A familiar voice echoed inside her mind.
"Give me back my body!"
…Huh?
That voice—it was her own?
Kaguya froze.
No—it wasn't hers.
It was the voice of this body—or more accurately, Hyuga Shizuka.
Not only could she hear the voice, but she could feel Shizuka's soul deep inside her body.
What was going on?
Wasn't she supposed to be dead?
How was she still inside this body?
No. Now wasn't the time to question it.
Kaguya's expression darkened—she needed to purge her immediately!
Concentrating all her power, she attempted to forcibly expel Hyuga Shizuka's soul from within her.
She mobilized all her chakra, launching an intense battle of wills to drive out the invading consciousness.
But things weren't that simple.
Shizuka's soul had already fused deeply with the body. Each time Kaguya tried to push her out, she felt an overwhelming resistance.
And she wasn't alone.
A second, powerful chakra was supporting her.
That chakra was… Isshiki Otsutsuki's.
Kaguya's expression hardened.
So that's how it is…
This had been Isshiki's plan all along.
He had been waiting for her.
If this continued, she wouldn't just fail to reclaim the Ten-Tails—she might even lose this body entirely.
What should she do?
Black Zetsu immediately sensed Kaguya's distress and, through their connection, quickly grasped the situation.
"Mother! Reclaiming your power is more important!"
The Almighty divine technique was powerful, but it had limits.
After all, his mother was not some mythical Otsutsuki God—she still had restrictions.
Relying solely on the divine technique, without the strength to back it up, she would never be able to fight Hyuga Fuji.
So if she had to abandon something—it should be this body!
The Ten-Tails was the priority!
Kaguya hesitated.
But someone else made the decision for her.
"This is my body! If you can use that divine technique… so can I!"
With Hyuga Fuji's chakra supporting her, Hyuga Shizuka roared from within—
"ALMIGHTY!"
The Almighty divine technique received two opposing commands at once—
Kaguya wanted to stay.
Shizuka wanted her gone.
The jutsu froze.
One body with two souls, each commanding a different outcome.
What should it do?
A mindless divine ability had no prior experience handling such a paradox.
So, it did the only thing it could—
It granted both wishes.
Before everyone's eyes—
Hyuga Shizuka's body… split apart.
"Sp—Split Technique?!"
Tsunade was stunned.
Wait.
What?
Had she missed something?
Kaguya had descended like an unstoppable force, crushed the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki in minutes, and had been just about to reclaim her full power.
So… why had she suddenly stopped to use the Split Technique?
Tsunade had been preparing to intervene, but now Kaguya had self-destructed instead.
She was baffled.
On the other hand—
Kaguya, now realizing what had just happened, was mentally collapsing.
She could feel it—
Not only had her strength been divided, but even the divine technique had been split.
Now, both she and Shizuka each had a portion of the Almighty ability, but neither had the full version.
They could still use it, but only at the level of high-tier Mangekyō abilities, far weaker than its Rinnegan-level power.
"Damn it! Black Zetsu!"
Seeing Nagato beginning to recover, Kaguya made a ruthless decision—
She would use Black Zetsu's final trump card!
Black Zetsu contained enough Ten-Tails chakra to revive her as a pure Otsutsuki.
She had thought she wouldn't need it, but now—because of a soul interference—she had no choice.
And she had no time.
Isshiki's chakra was approaching—she could feel it.
There was no time to reclaim the power inside Shizuka.
She had to retrieve the Ten-Tails—immediately!
Hearing her command, Black Zetsu acted instantly, leaping onto Nagato and engulfing him in black fluid.
Kaguya thrust her hand into Nagato's chest, pouring all her remaining chakra into him.
Black patterns rapidly spread across his body, consuming him completely.
"Was I wrong…? Yahiko, can you answer me?"
Nagato watched helplessly as he lost control of his own body.
His vision darkened—until he saw nothing at all.
From an outsider's perspective—
Nagato's body had transformed into a pitch-black sphere.
Beside it, Kaguya collapsed, her chakra and consciousness completely transferring into the sphere.
Then, the sphere shrank—
Revealing a new figure.
A horned woman now stood where Nagato had once been.
"…Is this Kaguya's true form?"
As the shinobi watched in shock, Kaguya slowly opened her eyes—one Byakugan, one Tenseigan.
Just as she was about to act—
A spatial portal opened in the northwest.
From within—
Her greatest enemy stepped through.
Hyuga Fuji… had arrived.
(End of Chapter)