Sorry, Shikamaru,
could you put my glasses on the edge of that table
and aim them towards that wall?
You tasked me with the mission to bring Kawaki back.
However...
You hid the fact that you were capable of
doing that yourself at any point.
I'd like to hear from you... the reason why.
Is it that odd?
To send someone else to retrieve a parcel
that I could claim anytime?
In the first place,
the timing of my action to transport Kawaki was intentional,
in order to find the traitor.
And as a result, Victor fell into your trap.
He was just being used.
As a cover by fools who had a plan to steal the Vessel.
That's news to me.
Don't play dumb,
Koji Kashin...
You would never make a move unless Amado wanted you to.
Which means you conspired with him to crash that airship.
In order to let Kawaki escape...
What is this?
They let me escape?
Koji Kashin and Amado?!
What's going on?
Koji...
I have no intention of blaming you for Kawaki's escape itself.
I want to know your motives.
Both yours and Amado's.
What do you gain by revolting against me?
I'm very curious about that.
I thought all the Inners collectively agreed
on obtaining the Chakra Fruit.
So, what do you gain from trying to destroy that plan?
Chakra Fruit?!
You pretend to act composed,
but you can't hide your ragged breathing.
What?
I won't kill you right away.
I'm going to make you spill everything first.
How impudent!
A Shadow Clone, huh?
My motive? It's quite simple.
I have no interest in the Chakra Fruit.
Right from the very beginning...
I was created to kill you.
What's going on?!
Jigen was severely drained in that battle against you.
This is the only opportunity we'll get to take him down.
It's now or never.
True Identity
To kill me?
Indeed.
That is my supreme objective.
And my reason for existing.
Wasn't he supposed to be your leader?
Koji and I merely pretended to be one of them.
All for our true motive... to take Jigen down.
Reason for existing, eh?
You're a pathetic man.
No matter which way you put it,
in the end, you're just Amado's creation.
A conveniently moveable pawn.
You're nothing more than a tool being used by Amado.
I'm fine with being a tool.
For that's what shinobi are!
Fire Style: Flame Bombs!
Rubbish!
What an extremely unpleasant jutsu!
Koji Kashin's fighting style...
It's like—!
Hey, what's going on?!
It's probably a transmission failure.
It will resume shortly.
There's so much more that I need to explain to you.
Let's continue this discussion.
No more stupid tricks!
It's best if you don't take us lightly.
You're sure that Jigen is an Otsutsuki?
It's more like he became an Otsutsuki.
He was originally an ordinary human just like us.
What do you mean by that?
A little curious now?
However, let me start by explaining
exactly who and what the Otsutsuki are.
They are invaders from another planet.
Put simply, they are troublesome aliens.
Troublesome aliens...
They have only one goal.
To devour the life of a planet.
And they achieve that via extremely annoying gardening.
Yes...
The Divine Tree.
Its roots grow deeply, reaching every corner of the planet.
Just like the mold in your bathroom.
And then, it sucks the chakra from all life living on that planet.
Hey, so you're saying...
You must surely all remember.
Sixteen years ago, when the world was almost destroyed
by the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
It's the same plan.
The Infinite Tsukuyomi.
What's critical is what happens after that.
Once the Divine Tree finishes absorbing everything,
it bears a large fruit.
The Chakra Fruit?
That's right.
The Chakra Fruit is a cluster of tremendous energy and genetic data.
By devouring it,
the Otsutsuki are able to continuously update themselves...
That is how their species evolves.
This is totally fascinating!
Why are you excited about this?
Konohamaru wrote about it in his report too.
The incident where Victor was planning to regrow the Divine Tree.
That was something Victor did on his own.
Although it's certainly true that Kara's aim was the Chakra Fruit.
And it means that you belonged to them too, right?
However, the actions that Koji and I took
were in order to stop Jigen.
I believe that deserves some consideration.
What's wrong?
Surely, you wouldn't succumb to this level of attack?
I've been thinking of the reason why you tried to take Kawaki away.
Away from my gaze,
you investigated the Karma in order to find its weaknesses.
Is that what it was?
But you discovered that Boruto also has the Karma,
so you changed plans and decided to hand him over to the Leaf.
And that was because...
We surmised that it was more advantageous
in unraveling the mystery of the Karma.
Although in handing over Kawaki, our secret weapon,
we did take a gamble.
Do you have proof that what you say is true?
You're free to suspect me.
However... Sasuke over there may have a different opinion.
What are you trying to say?
There should have been coordinates from the airship's data...
to that place that can only be reached
using Transportation Ninjutsu.
Don't tell me you—!
Yeah.
I planted it there, in a way that would be easy for you all to find.
We assumed that we would eventually need the Leaf's cooperation.
And so, we wanted you to be aware in advance...
of the Ten Tails' existence.
The Ten Tails.
He did talk about something like that in the past...
Just what is it?
They say the Ten Tails is a monster
that wreaked havoc during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
I've heard that it had power that was even greater than
all nine Tailed Beasts put together.
That's a different specimen
from the Ten Tails you fought back in the past.
Unfortunately, I don't know where this one came from.
But the Otsutsuki always utilize a Ten Tails
when they assault a planet.
That's because Ten Tails itself becomes the Divine Tree.
It's a seedling.
First, they plant Ten Tails into the ground.
It grows into the Divine Tree,
consumes the planet and eventually bears the Chakra Fruit.
Once the fruit is harvested,
they have no further use for the planet.
They move to another planet and repeat the same process.
That's the Otsutsuki for you.
So, the one who's attempting to do just that on this planet is Jigen?
No, probably not.
Jigen's not the one trying to do that.
It's whoever put the Karma on Jigen.
That's my guess.
What?
The Karma?
They said if we insisted on staying with him...
that we had to wear protective gear.
Huh? Why do I have to wear that tacky thing?
Right?
There's no need to wear something like that.
There's no way it will go off, right?
You're right...
Lord Seventh will settle this smoothly.
I'm sure of it!
You said before, Jigen used to be an ordinary human.
He became an Otsutsuki because of the Karma, right?
You're on the right track, Sasuke Uchiha.
What does that mean?
Talk.
What exactly is the Karma?
Yes...
All this talk up to now was merely a preface.
The important part starts now.
It seems you're really serious about turning on me, Koji Kashin.
I hope you're prepared to die.
And I should say the same to you, Lord Jigen.
Or rather, Isshiki Otsutsuki.
Isshiki Otsutsuki?
Yes. That is Jigen's true identity.
Or rather, it would be more correct to say his real form.
Isshiki Otsutsuki.
He came to this planet long ago.
Together with Kaguya Otsutsuki.
What?!
I mentioned their objective earlier
was to plant the Divine Tree and harvest its Chakra Fruit.
But then, a problem arose...
Kaguya suddenly turned against Isshiki.
I don't know her motives.
Whether it was personal enmity,
or wanting the fruit all to herself...
There's no way to find out now after all this time,
but what's important is that something happened.
Caught off guard, Isshiki sustained
life-threatening injuries and was on the verge of death.
But he managed to take over the body of a novice monk
who happened to be nearby and survived.
The unfortunate man... was Jigen
One question.
Is that when Isshiki marked Jigen with a Karma?
The Otsutsuki use the Karma to take over others' bodies.
Isn't that right?
Is that true, Amado?!
Before we get into that,
I think I'd like to hear your response soon, Lord Hokage.
Will the Hidden Leaf grant me asylum or not?
And I must make it clear...
that I am formally requesting official asylum
as outlined in the laws of the Land of Fire.
And I would like it in writing.
Fine.
But the paperwork will have to wait.
We're both short on time right now.
A verbal agreement is enough for now.
However, the bomb on Shikadai stays put
until I have the paperwork in my hands.
After all, it's the only form of insurance I have.
Sorry, Shikamaru.
Don't worry about it.
Just continue!
Sasuke's inference isn't far off the mark.
Except, it's not quite that simple either.
Let me explain using Boruto's case as an example.
His Karma was embedded by Momoshiki Otsutsuki.
So, then what exactly happened to Boruto?
During the battle, Momoshiki converted himself into data,
replicated himself and implanted that into Boruto's body.
In short, Karma...
is a highly compressed Otsutsuki back-up file.
The compressed file slowly decompresses over time.
It's even going on this very minute.
And when all the data is fully decompressed...
Boruto's body will be overwritten by Momoshiki's data.
And Boruto himself will completely cease to exist.
That's how the Otsutsuki accomplish rebirth.
What the hell?!
Is there a way to save him?
How do we block the process?
To my knowledge, there is no method.
However, Momoshiki's revival...
can be stopped if you kill Boruto right now.
No way!
I'm gonna become... Momoshiki?
If Momoshiki does revive himself through Boruto's body,
what happens to the Karma?
Good question!
Once decompressed,
Momoshiki's data will dissipate throughout the entire body.
In the same way a sugar cube dissolves when dropped into coffee,
the Karma will disappear.
That's odd.
Isshiki Otsutsuki took over Jigen's body.
However, the Karma remains on his chin.
That's right!
In the same vein as Boruto,
the fact that Jigen's body still displays the Karma
means Isshiki hasn't been revived yet, right?
There are inconsistencies in your explanation.
What's so funny, you bastard?!
Stop, Shikamaru!
I've been granted asylum.
Should the Hokage's aide be raising a hand against a civilian?
I'm not messing with you here.
Sasuke made a very astute observation.
However, there's a huge misunderstanding.
Shikamaru.
Continue.
Isshiki did take over Jigen's body.
However, he didn't do it through the method I explained,
by using the Karma.
What do you mean?
The reason is simple.
He was so weakened,
he didn't have the strength to embed a Karma.
So, Isshiki came up with a desperate plan.
Using his Secret Jutsu, Sukunahikona,
he shrank himself down
and entered Jigen's body through the ear.
He lives within Jigen's body, absorbing nutrients from it.
Yes, just like a parasite.
In time, he took control of Jigen's brain
and was able to speak using Jigen's voice,
move his arms and legs...
and take over Jigen's body for good.
Even now, Isshiki still physically exists inside Jigen's body.
What a bastard!
Isshiki embedded a Karma into Jigen's body afterward.
In order to be reborn in his true form.
Earth Style: Dark Swamp!
I've got you now, Isshiki!
I don't get it...
If Jigen has a Karma,
why doesn't Isshiki just hurry up and revive himself?
That's a valid question.
It's because the most important factor in embedding a Karma
is selecting the right target.
In other words, the selection of the Vessel.
For unlucky Jigen, who just happened to be nearby...
Isshiki's chakra was too powerful for him.
Jigen's body is inadequate to be Isshiki's Vessel.
It wouldn't be able to bear his chakra
if Isshiki were to reincarnate in Jigen's body.
He would probably die within a few days.
Thus, Isshiki decided to pass on being reborn through Jigen,
and began preparing a new Vessel.
Isshiki's new Vessel...
is Kawaki, isn't it?
Hey, look.
Oh. Seems the connection is back.
Such a stupid trick.
Do you think you can hold me with this?
Oh, of course not.
A Ritual Circle?
Damn Koji! He used his Earth Style to set a Sealing Mark.
Summoning Jutsu!
I was wondering what you'd come up with...
But flames this late in the game?
What? I can't absorb them!
Don't tell me these flames are—!
How dare you—!
We cannot let him be reborn in Kawaki's body.
If he is able to revive in his full form completely,
we won't be able to stop him.
Meaning, it will be the end of this world.
As long as the Karma is intact, the Otsutsuki will revive.
They are beings who have managed to transcend death.
But it's not like it's impossible.
I'll teach all of you...
how to kill an Otsutsuki.
Do you have conclusive proof that you can take him down?
Jigen was severely drained in that battle against you,
and he hasn't fully recovered.
That's exactly why this is the perfect moment.
Jigen's body has reached its limit. It won't last much longer.
I'm reaching the dregs of his chakra too!
Next time on Boruto: Naruto Next Generations:
PREDESTINED FATE
"Predestined Fate"
This... is the way to kill an Otsutsuki?