Chapter 115 The God and the Rebel! Bonus Chapter

In the boundless expanse of Sabaku no Kōya, Kaito trudged forward, each step sinking into the scorching sands. The wind howled across the dunes, carrying the whispers of an ancient past long buried beneath the desert.

If one were to ask which part of the ninja world was the most undisturbed, the vast desert in the Land of Wind would undoubtedly top the list. Especially in the depths near the Land of Death, even the Hidden Sand Village avoided venturing there. It was a place where life had been swallowed by the Divine Tree, leaving behind a wasteland inhospitable to all but the most resilient creatures. After extracting the Four-Tails from Roshi, Kaito had chosen this forsaken land as his next destination.

"A year of rest... and now the Ten-Tails' chakra has fully merged. My real plan begins."

Kaito exhaled, feeling the immense power coursing through him. "This is happening sooner than I expected... but I can't complain."

As he walked, the desert stretched endlessly ahead, shimmering under the heat. Then, without warning, something disrupted the steady rhythm of his thoughts.

"Hmm?"

He halted, sharp eyes narrowing as a powerful surge of energy rippled through the air. A disturbance—strong enough to shake the very fabric of reality. This wasn't normal.

The next moment, he vanished in an instant.

Kaito reappeared atop a crumbling ruin, the scent of ancient stone and sunbaked dust filling the air. This place...

His gaze swept across the ruins before locking onto something unmistakable—a sealing formation, pulsing faintly with dormant power.

"So this is... the Ancient Kingdom of Roran."

Just moments ago, he had sensed an immense energy surge, leading him here. Now, he stood atop the remnants of Roran, the lost kingdom that had been destroyed during the Third Great Ninja War—home to the legendary Dragon Vein.

"Tch, this chakra... it's comparable to a dozen Nine-Tails combined."

Kaito studied the seal, the raw pressure of its chakra pressing against his senses. Unlike the limitless regeneration of a Tailed Beast, the Dragon Vein held finite energy. Once it was drained, it would never recover.

"The original series never explained this in detail, but I know enough."

He turned to the system embedded in his consciousness. "System, what's the true origin of the Dragon Vein?"

[The Dragon Vein is a remnant of the Divine Tree, one of the branches that devoured the planet's life force thousands of years ago. After Kaguya Otsutsuki was sealed and the Divine Tree disappeared, these branches were abandoned. Due to this location's unique terrain, a fraction of that power remained, forming what the ancestors of Roran named the 'Dragon Vein.']

Kaito exhaled. "So that's how it is..."

But before he could act, a sudden shift in the atmosphere sent a shiver down his spine.

The desert wind stilled.

A presence—imposing, overwhelming, ancient—descended upon the ruins like an unshakable force of nature.

Kaito turned, his golden eyes locking onto a distant silhouette moving toward him. Not fast. Not slow. Deliberate.

His fingers instinctively tightened around the hilt of his blade. What terrifying power...

"Two surprises in a row... looks like today's my lucky day."

The figure came into full view. Tall, with flowing white robes and an aura that made the air itself feel heavier. And then there were the horns—curving ominously from his head, unmistakable in their significance.

The realization struck Kaito like a bolt of lightning.

"Otsutsuki Isshiki."

But this didn't make sense. Isshiki shouldn't be awake at this point in time.

"Did my presence alter the timeline...?"

The weight of the encounter pressed on him. If Isshiki was already moving, then things had escalated far beyond his calculations.

Isshiki stopped twenty meters away, his expression unreadable as his piercing gaze studied Kaito. Then, he spoke—his voice calm, but laced with undeniable authority.

"I sense traces of Otsutsuki blood within you."

"And... the pure essence of the Divine Tree."

Kaito smirked. "I didn't expect you to wake up so soon. But it doesn't matter. You were always on my list."

Isshiki's expression darkened at those words, but his next statement was far more telling.

"Kaguya's foolishness lingers even now."

A pause. Then, a sigh filled with disdain.

"Granting chakra to these... inferior beings. What a disgrace."

Kaito's smirk widened. "You really think you're in any position to talk? You're not even in your prime."

Isshiki's gaze sharpened. "And yet, I stand before you, while your existence is a mere consequence of her failure."

That was enough talking.

Kaito lifted his right hand. A Rasenshuriken materialized, but this was no ordinary technique. Infused with Sage Energy, it radiated a golden glow, the sheer pressure distorting the air around them.

"I may not be at my peak yet, but this is more than enough for you."

Without hesitation, he hurled it at Isshiki.

With a flick of his wrist, Isshiki conjured a concentrated energy sphere, effortlessly firing it to meet Kaito's attack. The two forces collided mid-air, triggering a cataclysmic explosion that sent shockwaves across the desert.

As the dust settled, both stood unscathed.

The real battle was just beginning.

Kaito's mind worked fast. Isshiki wasn't someone who fought with traditional techniques. He overwhelmed opponents with sheer superiority.

"His right eye... it's different from the Byakugan. It can shrink objects—including himself—by hundreds of times."

"And he controls a full Ten-Tails in a separate dimension. That alone means he's leagues above most of the Otsutsuki we've encountered."

"Did he have the Rinnegan as well...? No, I need more data."

But there was no time to analyze further. Isshiki's aura surged, the air vibrating under his presence.

Kaito's grin returned. It had been too long since he had a real challenge.

With a flicker of golden chakra, he vanished—only to reappear behind Isshiki, blade humming with power.

"Let's see how a god bleeds."