[I've Already Confronted the Five Kage, and the System Just Arrived!] Chapter 284 (Patreon)

Roar!!!
A deafening roar shook the skies as ominous and immense chakra surged upward, piercing through the clouds.

In a desolate forest, violent explosions echoed repeatedly.

"Damn you!"

The enormous figure of the Nine-Tails trembled slightly as it glared at the man before it—a silver-armored shinobi with the clan crest of three crescent arcs on his shoulders. The man's black hair and dark eyes carried an unyielding calmness.

Though reluctant to show fear, the Nine-Tails, a calamity feared across the world, couldn't suppress a shudder as the man continued his silent advance.

But terror gave way to rage and cruelty.

Opening its massive maw, the beast gathered a pulsating orb of purple-black energy—its most devastating Tailed Beast Ball.

Boom!
The world seemed to darken as the Tailed Beast Ball shot forward with earth-shattering force, obliterating everything in its path. Entire rows of ancient trees disintegrated to ash, and the earth split into a deep trench as the attack surged toward its target.

Just as it was about to strike, the man lifted his head, revealing a sharp and composed face.

With a calm demeanor, he raised his right hand, palm facing the oncoming attack.

Sizzle…
White smoke rose as the massive sphere of energy began shrinking rapidly, compressed by an unseen force until it disappeared completely into his palm.

"Hagoromo Gensou!!"

The Nine-Tails bellowed, finally speaking the man's name with a mix of fury and frustration.

"I have no quarrel with you! Why are you targeting me?!"

Gensou raised his gaze to meet the beast's and said coldly:
"How pitiful."

"What did you say?!"

For centuries, the Nine-Tails had heard humans call it many things—terrifying, ruthless, powerful—but never pitiful.

For someone to pity it was both incomprehensible and infuriating.

But Gensou shook his head.

"I thought you might have a chance at a different future, but you're not just pitiful—this entire world is. Even I…"

He glanced at his hands, inspecting them as though searching for something hidden beneath their surface.

"Even I am nothing but a pitiful existence."

The Nine-Tails growled in confusion, unable to grasp the meaning behind Gensou's cryptic words.

Lowering his hands, Gensou's gaze returned to the Nine-Tails, calm and resolute.

"Enough. Words are meaningless. Accept the fate that awaits you."

With that, he began weaving hand signs.

Cornered, the Nine-Tails' pupils contracted in desperation. It roared furiously:
"Let's see who dies first!!"

Fifteen minutes later, the battlefield lay in ruins. Smoke and debris hung in the air as the once-mighty Nine-Tails collapsed, defeated and motionless.

Perched atop the beast's head, Gensou stared silently into the distance, lost in thought.

After a moment, he turned his head and addressed the empty air nearby:
"You've seen enough. Show yourselves."

A low, deliberate voice responded as two figures emerged from the ground—Uchiha Obito in his Akatsuki cloak and the shadowy form of Black Zetsu.

"Impressive as always, Hagoromo Gensou," Obito said, his tone measured.

Gensou's gaze swept over them. The sight of the two figures stirred a long-forgotten memory. His expression remained indifferent, though a flicker of understanding passed through his eyes.

"If you can't justify your presence, you'll remain here forever," Gensou declared flatly.

Obito studied Gensou closely. The man's aura, demeanor, and overwhelming strength matched the Hagoromo Gensou he had encountered before.

It was unsettling to hear such familiar words directed at him, especially from someone who wasn't the real Gensou—or so he thought.

But Obito had no choice. He needed this man's cooperation.

"Hagoromo Gensou-dono," Obito began carefully, "being replaced is an unbearable feeling, isn't it? From what I hear, another Hagoromo Gensou has appeared in your clan, and everyone has already accepted him."

Gensou's expression didn't waver as he glanced at Obito.

"You have one minute."

Taking the hint, Obito pressed on.

"This other Gensou is formidable. We're willing to help you reclaim your rightful place."

"Thirty seconds."

"I know how to defeat the other Gensou!"

"Ten seconds."

Obito clenched his jaw. This man clearly wasn't following the usual script.

"Everything I've said is true! Don't you want to reclaim what's yours? Don't you want to become even stronger?"

"Five seconds… three… two…"

"The other Hagoromo Gensou isn't from this world!" Obito blurted out desperately.

The final count never came.

Gensou's sharp gaze fixed on Obito and Zetsu. His tone softened, but his words carried an edge.

"At last, some sincerity. And you two—you're not from this world either, are you?"

Obito hesitated, then nodded reluctantly. "That's correct."

He had planned to withhold certain details but found himself quickly exposed.

The pressure of facing this "Gensou" was almost as suffocating as the original.

"We're not of this world, and neither is the other Gensou. He's our enemy, and only by eliminating him can we return to our world," Obito explained.

"Hagoromo Gensou-dono, let's work together."

Gensou didn't respond immediately. He studied them carefully while his thoughts wandered elsewhere.

The Limited Tsukuyomi created a world that even the caster couldn't fully comprehend or control.

Unbeknownst to Obito and Zetsu, the moment the real Hagoromo Gensou entered this world, the "Gensou" native to the Limited Tsukuyomi sensed an overwhelming and repulsive aura—a presence so similar to his own that it filled him with an inexplicable urge to destroy it.

But Gensou wasn't one to be controlled by such feelings.

Instead, he chose to observe.

When news reached him of another Gensou appearing and being accepted without question, he finally understood.

Looking up at the sky, Gensou let out a bitter laugh.

"So, it's all just an illusion after all…"

(End of Chapter)

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