266-270

Chapter 266: Crushing the Flame Emperor 

“Oh? And why is that?” 

Seeing how confident Black Zetsu was, Kazama decided it was time to slap that smug look off his face again. 

“Have you forgotten? I am the dark will of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. I’m a manifestation of her shadow—how could someone like you possibly destroy me?” 

“Teien (Emperor Flame)!” 

Before Black Zetsu could finish boasting, Kazama unleashed his most powerful iyoku (different flame)—Teien, and charged straight at him. 

“I already told you, Kazama! Your Teien can’t hurt me at a— What?! How is this possible?!” 

Just as Black Zetsu was in the middle of showing off, he suddenly realized that the Teien was separating him from Kaguya’s body—completely cutting him off. In an instant, the flames had surrounded him, leaving no room for escape. 

To his horror, Black Zetsu saw his form rapidly disintegrating before his very eyes. 

“Kuro Zetsu, you really are slow-witted, aren’t you? Have you forgotten? Back when I used the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame on you, I had you on the brink of death. I spared your life on purpose back then. Did you seriously think I wasn’t strong enough to finish you off?” 

“What?! You let me live on purpose? That’s impossible!” 

Hearing this, Black Zetsu’s memory jolted back to when he was recovering the Eight-Tails’ jinchūriki. Kazama’s Purifying Lotus Demon Flame had left him beaten black and blue. 

At the time, Black Zetsu genuinely thought he was about to die—but then, miraculously, he survived. He assumed it meant Kazama’s flame hadn’t been powerful enough. 

But now he realized the truth. It wasn’t that Kazama couldn’t kill him—it was that he chose not to. 

Now that Teien was even stronger than the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, it wasn’t even a contest. Kazama could easily wipe Black Zetsu out completely. 

Sensing his defeat, Black Zetsu tried to flee. But before he could get far, the relentless Teien caught up and burned him into nothingness. 

At that moment, Kazama stepped before Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. 

Though she’d been under Black Zetsu’s control, Kaguya had regained her memories. Realizing all the terrible things she’d done while being manipulated, she was filled with grief and regret. 

Upon being rescued, she repeatedly bowed in thanks to Kazama. 

Kazama simply laughed and waved her off. 

“Come on, Kaguya. You’re the legit goddess of the Shinobi World—you don’t need to thank me. If it weren’t for you, none of us would even have ninjutsu.” 

“Please don’t say that…” 

Embarrassed by the praise, Kaguya shook her head with a faint smile. 

“All of this was my fault. I only wanted to help humanity, but I never imagined I’d be taken over by… well, by my own dark side. That’s what led to all this destruction.” 

“Heh. You two disgusting lovebirds, still flirting even at death’s door?” 

Just as Kazama and Kaguya were having their heartfelt exchange, a terrifying force burst forth—it was Teien! 

The very same Teien that had been sealed away by the Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei had broken free. 

Kazama was shocked. Kaguya was even more so—she knew how powerful that sealing jutsu had been when she and Kazama cast it together. 

“How could Teien break free so easily?” 

Kazama was just as confused. “That’s impossible… I clearly extracted his source energy. How can he be alive again?” 

Before he could ask further, Teien sneered coldly and answered for him. 

“You fool, Kazama. You think draining my power makes you some big shot? Have you forgotten that everything has two sides? The power you extracted was merely my light side. Now, my dark side has returned—and not only that, I’ve absorbed the power of twenty-two other dark iyoku flames! And you? You only have one! What makes you think you can stop me now?” 

“I’m going to tear you to pieces, scatter your ashes to the wind, and avenge the humiliation you caused me!” 

With that, Teien launched himself toward Kazama and Kaguya in a blaze of vengeance. 

Chapter 267 – Rescuing Ōtsutsuki Kaguya 

“Perfect Susanoo!” 

At the very last moment, Kazama hurriedly activated his Perfect Susanoo, shielding both himself and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya from the incoming assault of the Dark Emperor Flame. 

But to his surprise, in the very next instant, even his indestructible Perfect Susanoo was pierced right through by the Emperor Flame’s attack. 

“Haha! Let me be honest with you—sure, you drained my original power, but I’ve already given in to the darkness. My strength now far surpasses what it once was. And with the 22 different Divergent Flames I took from your body, my power is now beyond divine. Killing you? That’s child’s play!” 

Kazama gritted his teeth as he listened to the Dark Emperor Flame’s taunts, his eyes drifting to the side—Kaguya, who had just broken free from Black Zetsu’s control, now looked incredibly weak and vulnerable. 

He knew that if he wanted to defeat the Dark Emperor Flame once and for all, the first thing he had to do was get Kaguya out of there. 

If he had to fight while also protecting her, forget saving her—even he might end up dead. 

After all, he no longer had any Divergent Flames left that could heal his injuries or revive him. 

He had to be careful—one wrong move could cost him everything. 

“Kaguya, fall back and recover your strength. Leave this guy to me!” 

“Hahaha! What a joke!” 

Before Kaguya could even respond, the Dark Emperor Flame burst into manic laughter from across the battlefield. 

“Kazama, you little punk! You really think you’re still that guy who wielded 23 different Divergent Flames? You think you can take me on alone? I’m telling you—today, both you and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya are going to die by my hands! This is the price you pay for sealing me away!” 

As the Dark Emperor Flame roared with madness, confident that Kazama and Kaguya were doomed, something unexpected happened—Kazama suddenly pulled Kaguya into a separate dimension. 

“You bastard!” 

Just moments ago, he’d arrogantly declared Kaguya wouldn’t be able to escape—but now, completely blindsided, the Dark Emperor Flame was livid. 

“You damn brat! What kind of sorcery is this?!” 

Since the Dark Emperor Flame didn’t possess any space-time ninjutsu, he had no way to track her down. 

“This is the ultimate space-time technique—Yomotsu Hirasaka. It allows me to move freely between dimensions anytime, anywhere. Not so fun getting slapped in the face by reality, huh?” 

This was one of the abilities Kazama had unlocked after awakening the Rinnegan with Nine Tomoe. 

“Cut the crap! You might’ve gotten Kaguya out of here, but there’s no way you’re escaping today!” 

The Dark Emperor Flame snarled as he unleashed a sea of blazing fire, waves of scorching chakra rushing straight toward Kazama. 

In truth, Kazama could’ve escaped easily if he wanted to. 

But he knew—if he ran, the Dark Emperor Flame would go on a rampage, hunting him down and spreading destruction. 

That’s why Kazama had to finish this now—defeat him, and reclaim the 22 Divergent Flames he had stolen. 

“You’re dead meat, brat!” 

As his firestorm surged closer, the Dark Emperor Flame smirked, confident he had Kazama cornered. 

But in the blink of an eye, his surroundings shifted—suddenly, he was standing in Kazama’s original position, while Kazama now stood where he had been just moments ago. 

“What?! How is this possible?!” 

While he stood there stunned, the Dark Emperor Flame’s own massive attack came crashing down— —straight onto himself. 

It turned out Kazama had just used Amenotejikara, swapping their positions at the perfect moment. 

Chapter 268: Toying with the Dark Flame Emperor 

Even though Kazama no longer possessed the incredible power of the twenty-two different iyoku (异火; spiritual flames), he was still more than capable of beating Dark Teien using his Rinnegan-Sharingan. 

“Tch… So I still couldn’t bring him down.” 

Watching as Dark Teien absorbed all the fire-style attacks aimed at him, Kazama couldn’t help but sigh to himself. 

He knew full well that as the origin of all spiritual flames, Teien was basically immune to katon (Fire Release) techniques. But what really surprised him was that not even Teien’s own flames could hurt him. 

“Heh. Not bad, brat. You actually managed to swap our positions mid-attack, making me hit myself with my own fire-style jutsu.” 

“Not just ‘not bad’. I’ve got way more up my sleeve—All-Killing Ash Bones!” 

Kazama’s palm began to glow as several gray bone spikes shot out toward Teien. 

This technique was one Kazama had obtained after absorbing power from Ōtsutsuki Kaguya—it belonged to the bloodline limit known as Kekkei Mōra. Anyone touched by it would be disintegrated on the spot. 

“Hah! You think some trash jutsu like that can touch me?” 

Teien sneered as he effortlessly dodged all of Kazama’s ash bones. 

“Listen here, brat. I may not have space-time jutsu, but my speed is more than enough. You think you can hit me? Keep dreaming.” 

“*Yomotsu Hirasaka!*” 

As Dark Teien was still laughing, the space around him suddenly twisted—black voids forming all around. 

Before he could react, hundreds of gray bone spikes burst from the darkness in every direction. 

Dark Teien tried to dodge, but he was already surrounded on all sides. The spikes pierced right through his body. 

“Forgot to mention—Yomotsu Hirasaka doesn’t just let me slip through space. I can also shorten the distance of my attacks for surprise strikes.” 

“…Your jutsu really are something, brat. But too bad—they’re still useless against me!” 

“What?!” 

Now it was Kazama’s turn to be shocked. 

Despite being skewered by All-Killing Ash Bones—a technique that should’ve vaporized him—Dark Teien regenerated almost instantly. 

“Heh, you idiot. Did you really think you could kill me? I’ve got twenty-two spiritual flames inside me now. That includes Trinity Crimson Flame, which can heal the body, and Flame of All Life, which grants rebirth. You seriously thought this would work? What a joke!” 

“Damn it!” 

Kazama grit his teeth. Dark Teien had mastered all twenty-two types of iyoku, using them with terrifying proficiency. 

It was becoming clear: unless he could figure out a way to neutralize all twenty-two flames at once, defeating him might be impossible. But without reclaiming those flames, how could he ever hope to stand a chance? 

“Heh. My turn now, brat!” 

Having been pushed back repeatedly, Dark Teien was now furious. He knew Kazama no longer had the support of the twenty-two spiritual flames. 

All he had to do was land a single hit, and Kazama would die for sure. 

In a flash, Dark Teien summoned the power of all twenty-two iyoku at once, unleashing a massive onslaught that surged toward Kazama from all directions—cutting off every possible escape. 

“Run if you want, brat. I know you can teleport with your space-time jutsu. But every time you run, someone else in the Shinobi World will pay the price for it. If you want to keep playing hero, go ahead. Let’s see how long your conscience holds out—ha ha ha!” 

“Damn you!!” 

Chapter 269: Scattered Flames of the Otherworldly Fire 

When the Dark Flame Emperor actually dared to threaten him using the lives of everyone in the Shinobi World, Kazama was beyond furious. 

He had no choice but to give up the idea of escaping. 

But now, with twenty-two different types of iyoku (Otherworldly Flames) roaring toward him… 

Kazama knew very well that, with his current strength, there was no way he could withstand them. 

After all, he no longer had his absolute defense—Kazan Sekien (Volcano Stone Flame). 

Nor did he possess the Flame of Life, which could resurrect the dead. 

“This entire area is surrounded by the twenty-two types of iyoku. Even if I use Izanagi to come back to life, I’d still be caught in this endless inferno. As for Izanami, it won’t work on the Dark Flame Emperor... He’s not even human! Damn it... am I really going to die here?!” 

Just as Kazama was racking his brain on how to deal with the Dark Flame Emperor and his army of twenty-two iyoku, something unexpected happened. 

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, who had entered another dimension, suddenly appeared beside him once again. 

“My chakra has fully recovered. If we’re going to suppress the Dark Flame Emperor, we’ll have to combine our strength again... and use Chibaku Tensei to seal him!” 

“You're right!” 

Hearing Kaguya’s words, Kazama immediately remembered—it was by combining forces with her before and using Chibaku Tensei that they were able to seal the Emperor temporarily. 

Although he eventually broke free, that only proved how effective the jutsu was. 

To suppress him again, they just needed to crank up the power. 

With that realization, Kazama nodded firmly at Kaguya. 

Together, they began weaving hand signs and unleashed a much stronger Chibaku Tensei, preparing to seal the Dark Flame Emperor once again. 

But having already broken free from this jutsu once, the Dark Flame Emperor smirked coldly when he saw them trying the same thing. 

“You two weaklings never learn, huh? This jutsu does nothing to me!” 

“Wrong! This isn’t the old Chibaku Tensei... this is the Divine Chibaku Tensei!” 

“What?!” 

The Emperor’s eyes widened in shock. 

But before he could react, their combined jutsu had already engulfed him, sealing him inside a colossal sphere. 

Just as he prepared to break out once more, Kazama unleashed a hidden trump card—the original source flame of the Emperor himself. He surrounded the massive Chibaku Tensei with it. 

Now, the sphere blazed like a mini-sun. 

“Dark Flame Emperor! You may have absorbed my twenty-two iyoku, but you’ve lost your source power! Now that I’m sealing you with your own origin flame—let’s see how you escape this time!” 

“Damn you!!” 

Knowing he was about to be sealed for good, the Dark Flame Emperor panicked. 

In a desperate move, he detonated his own body, scattering the twenty-two iyoku across the entire Shinobi World. 

“Kazama! Even if you seal me, don’t think you’ll ever gather all twenty-two iyoku again!” 

But to Kazama’s surprise, he wasn’t angry—he was actually smiling. 

Because had the Dark Flame Emperor not done that, there might have been no way for Kazama to reclaim the iyoku. 

But now that they were scattered… 

He could hunt them down one by one and absorb them once more. 

The Dark Flame Emperor thought he’d ruined Kazama’s plan—but in reality, he had just given him the perfect opportunity. 

Chapter 270: Recovering the Lost Elemental Flames 

What he didn’t realize was that his actions were playing right into Kazama’s hands. In fact, what he had just done perfectly aligned with Kazama’s intentions. 

At the same time, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya had no idea that Kazama was capable of reclaiming each of the scattered elemental flames one by one. 

So when she witnessed the Dark Emperor Flame dispersing all 22 of the elemental flames, she immediately flew into a rage. 

“You damn Dark Emperor Flame! You scattered all 22 of Kazama’s elemental flames across the land? This is clearly an all-out move to destroy him! What a bastard you are!” 

She rushed over to Kazama’s side. 

“So what now? That flame just scattered all of your elemental flames. Isn’t that basically a declaration of total war?” 

Kazama chuckled. “Hehe, don’t worry. What the Dark Emperor Flame just did actually works in my favor.” 

“What? Are you serious?” Kaguya was utterly confused. 

“You don’t know this, but since I’ve already obtained those 22 flames once before, I now share a connection with each of them.” 

“I see!” 

Realizing that Kazama had the confidence to reclaim the flames, Kaguya let out a sigh of relief. 

After all, Kazama had helped her break free from Black Zetsu’s control not long ago. She naturally wanted to repay him somehow. 

“Sure, the flames have now been scattered across the entire Shinobi World. And yes, other shinobi might find and control them. But that doesn’t matter. As long as I can track the flames—or those who possess them—I can use my abilities to reabsorb them.” 

“That’s wonderful news.” 

“Hehe, you filthy pair of lovebirds!” 

Just as Kaguya was celebrating Kazama’s plan— 

A sudden burst of flame shot straight through her, knocking her unconscious on the spot. 

The attack was so abrupt that even Kazama hadn’t seen it coming—especially since he was sure he had already defeated the Dark Emperor Flame. He thought no threats remained. 

So who had launched this sneak attack? 

Kazama narrowed his eyes—and immediately recognized the flicker of flame. 

It was the unmistakable presence of the Dark Emperor Flame. 

“Hehe, you little runt, Kazama... You really thought you could seal me away that easily? Sure, I’m not at full power anymore, but I can still devour the scattered elemental flames and restore myself. Just you wait—once I’m reborn, I’ll grind your bones to dust!” 

Before Kazama could even strike, the Dark Emperor Flame vanished without a trace. 

“Damn it all!” 

Seeing how persistent and dangerous the Dark Emperor Flame was enraged Kazama to no end. 

What shocked him even more was that the enemy was planning to reclaim all 22 flames first—and if that happened, Kazama knew he might not stand a chance in the next battle. 

With no time to waste, Kazama began preparing to track down the elemental flames. 

But when he saw Ōtsutsuki Kaguya lying motionless after taking a direct hit meant for him, he felt a pang of guilt. 

Unwilling to leave her behind, Kazama picked her up and brought her back to his base in the Hidden Sound Village.