Everyone returned to the southern hideout soon after, unconcerned with the devastation their battle had left behind.
The clash hadn't just shaken this small country; it had probably already sent ripples across the entire world in Ryusei's basic estimates.
Anyone with senses sharp enough and reach deep enough would already be led to believe that something monumental had just occurred there, and then they would see the entire portions of this land obliterated because of that massive clash if they investigated further.
Ryusei then split from the group next, slipping away with his usual ease.
As they departed, he appeared beside each of the women in turn, tossing a few of his trademark teasing remarks, low, amused, and calculated to irritate just enough, while assuring them they were "doing fine," in more ways than one, before vanishing again just as casually.
His tone was dry and needling as always, sharp enough to make them glare, yet just suggestive enough to leave them flustered, accompanied by a few swift, covert, and entirely despicable gestures only he could get away with.
Then, without another word, he told them not to disturb him for a while and walked off like a real scumbag would.
He needed time to process everything he'd taken from Indra's, no, Black Zetsu's mind, every memory, every secret, every fragment of godlike knowledge now swirling inside of his own.
It was fascinating once Ryusei pieced everything together, tracing it all the way back to Black Zetsu's creation time, essentially around the dawn of shinobi itself by extension.
Still, he didn't come across any direct "code" for reviving Kaguya there in that strange, one-of-a-kind mindscape, for example, and truthfully, he didn't care.
That so-called "goddess" and ultimate ancestor meant nothing to him truly.
He only skimmed the fragments about her in those memories before sealing the body away, intending to somehow destroy it for good once it had served its purpose.
After all, despite Kaguya's almost comical delusions, like, for example, thinking that she could "prepare" for the full Ōtsutsuki gods, arriving for her in the future, by leading an army of God Tree–trapped NPC humans and flailing through battle with the grace of a tantrum-throwing child, she still carried terrifying blood in her.
Even someone that foolish could be dangerous and a powerful variable with that kind of powerful genetics.
So, even remembering how she fell for Naruto's idiotic antics and managed to lose to Team Kakashi, including Sakura, of all people, Ryusei still wouldn't take chances.
If he could erase that possibility entirely, he absolutely would.
Some threats weren't worth leaving to any chance, no matter how ridiculous their downfall once looked.
After all, Ryusei still suspected that Kaguya might not have been as entirely foolish as that author from his past world had made her out to be, reduced to some cartoonish villain and even a caricature, when in truth, her story might have been far more tragic and relatable.
Maybe, over time, fear and isolation had simply hollowed her out.
Because, first, the very people she had once wanted to protect, those she hoped to live among, to love, even to build a life beside, had turned from worship to fear.
The goddess they once adored became the demon they whispered about in ignorance, and sometimes even envied, as Ryusei deduced, understanding all too well the primitive nature of most ordinary humans.
And as she then further watched their endless greed, their never-stopping wars, their blood-soaked ambitions, something inside her broke.
Perhaps she had once idealized humanity when she turned against Isshiki, but now she saw the truth. Her faith in them had withered to dust.
What began as a wish to protect the world twisted into a need to control it.
Linking everyone to the God Tree might not have been madness at all; it was desperation.
She wasn't trying to pit fragile mortals against the gods beyond her reach; maybe she was trying to save those mortals from themselves, to lock them in a dream where they could no longer destroy each other.
That same wretched toad, Gamamaru, the one who was likely scheming against him now, had wanted her to fall in that.
So, he had whispered to her sons, Hamura and Hagoromo, sowing doubt where devotion once was. In Hamura's case, it had completely taken root.
As for Hagoromo, Ryusei was certain that one had been a bit 'tainted' from the very start.
Perhaps, Gamamaru hadn't outright corrupted or manipulated him; he'd simply nudged him, handing him the courage, the tools, and the justification he needed to betray his own mother.
In a sense, all he did was awaken what was already there, the buried ambition in Hagoromo to play god himself.
However, when Kaguya was revived during the Fourth War, it became painfully clear that she had never stopped loving them.
That her weakness was never power.
It might have been the attachment all along.
The same fragile attachment she showed even toward Naruto and Sasuke, who were technically barely even her 'grandsons', that lingering softness beneath the divinity, it was that hesitation, that heartbreak of betrayal, that probably let her traitorous sons seal her away so easily, too, Ryusei speculated.
However, what interested Ryusei even more was what the other memories revealed about Black Zetsu's actions over the centuries and the clearest possible truth behind history.
The picture was again confirmed to be different from the one in the story he remembered from his past life.
Black Zetsu wasn't that ultimate master schemer pulling all strings; he was almost certainly just being used, most likely by Hagoromo himself, working from an even deeper shadow.
For example, how the hell did someone as sharp and powerful as Hagoromo not notice Kaguya literally spawning some disgusting black creature at the moment of her death and letting it slip away? If anything, it looked less like negligence and more like intent.
Ryusei suspected Hagoromo hadn't just noticed; it was possible he'd even covered for it in front of his brother, because he wanted it to escape.
Many other similar inconsistencies Zetsu and even Indra both ignored, their entire lives, only confirmed Ryusei's suspicion even more now: Hagoromo wasn't that saintly sage of myth, but the true "final boss" of this world.
Even so, a few of Zetsu's hidden contingencies, which he never knew about, had impressed him, and even more reinforced one thing: he really couldn't trust anything from the original story he once knew anymore in the slightest going forward from now on.
And now, after seeing the truth behind the Chinoike clan through their eyes, everything finally made sense.
It had already given him a clear path to gather even greater power, for himself and for his team, in preparation for the inevitable, relentless challenges that would come in the times ahead.
For example, in recent months, on top of already controlling Kirigakure's two-tailed beasts, only really known to Ryusei in the world, and Shikaku, Madara had somehow managed to obtain both the Two-Tails from Kumo and the Five-Tails from Iwa as well.
And that wasn't the only thing changing in the shinobi world since Ryusei's Slug Sage acquisition a few months back. Konoha was also finally on the verge of total victory in this war.
Tobirama's relentless growth in power and strategies, combined with his brother Hashirama's might and the continued efforts of Minato, Jiraiya, and others, had tilted the war entirely in their favor.
Therefore, the disappearances of multiple jinchūriki and Konoha's overwhelming military pressure had pushed the other Great Villages to the brink of possibly signing humiliating peace treaties soon.
For Ryusei, however, that was a major problem.
If peace came now soon, Konoha would have virtually no more distractions, achieving a total dominating victory, and could turn its full attention toward him. So, he needed to accelerate his growth again, very fast, no time wasted.
The final two of the Eight Gates were his next short-term path.
His transformation in the Shikkotsu black pools had already qualitatively altered his psyche and body right away big-time, since that ordeal, making him more stable and capable of withstanding higher states of physical strain.
Now, he planned to break through to at least the Seventh Gate very soon, as he was getting there, and master its unique techniques that fit for that level, though he was cautious about the Eighth.
He didn't yet know if his current world-first body regeneration, powered by the Yin Seal, Creation Rebirth, his slug physiology, and the self-healing properties of Sage Mode, would be enough to survive the Eight's destructive backlash; he had to test it more first for a while.
Those regenerative traits complemented the Gates' violent nature perfectly, but long-term damage was still possible.
Ryusei had no intention of using it recklessly, even if he could later, unless he was really pressed very hard.
Still, if he could master the Eighth Gate without dying, even for a short time, he would reach the absolute peak of the Six Paths, in his estimate, just a step below the level of the true Ōtsutsuki alien beings, at least the weaker ones.
For Ryusei, the Chinoike heritage he had just uncovered represented that bridge, a way to move into the lowest Ōtsutsuki barrier itself and keep ascending past that bottleneck.
It offered a method to alter one's very physical essence, to evolve further, without the need for scientific understanding of genetics, which Ryusei now still lacked and would lack for decades, probably.
This was different. Cruder. Older. More primal. This path let him circumvent all that, as if the fortune itself favored him regarding encountering all of that now.
All it required were "sacrifices", in theory at least, powerful ones, of any kind.
Ryusei now theorized that through Yin–Yang's almighty exchange, energy could be transferred and rewritten into one's own essence.
That, he realized, must have been how Hidan gained his so-called immortality, at that time; his ritual was simply maxed out for eternal life.
And immortality… was also very useful to him right now, among many things that it could probably offer in the future.
"Wait," he thought, a faint grin curving his lips, "why not convert Indra's body itself through that same ritual soon enough? Use it to reinforce mine for the final gate… kill several birds with one stone."
The potential rewards he gained from those memories were definitely massive and even endless.
He could already imagine countless possibilities ahead, his scientific understanding, his old fūinjutsu mastery, now merging with these ritualistic Yin–Yang practices. For the first time, Ryusei could literally see the peak of this world in front of him.
All he had to do was endure a little longer, overcome the hardest enemies yet, clear the last obstacles, and that visible peak would finally be his to touch.
"Thankfully," Ryusei thought, "I happen to be one of the few in this world with deep proficiency in both Yin and Yang, the two sides of the same coin, and with such a foundation in fūinjutsu and jutsu-shiki strong enough to match."
He knew that, given time, he could not only unravel the inner workings of that ritualistic framework the Chinoike and Black Zetsu had built, but elevate it far beyond what they ever conceived.
As for how it all began, the story went like this. The Chinoike were a clan unusually gifted in Yin–Yang Release, the rare ability to wield both forces simultaneously. Their unique dōjutsu was living proof of it.
As for the true origin of their bloodline and dōjutsu, Ryusei speculated deeply.
It didn't quite fit the pattern of another Ōtsutsuki lineage; there wasn't enough divine power still for that, but it was also far beyond the scope of ordinary mutations like those of the Sakon–Ukon twins or Jūgo's clan. It stood somewhere in between.
He theorized that the Chinoike mutation might have emerged during the era when Kaguya first bound humanity to the God Tree.
Prolonged exposure to that divine organism could have rewritten fragments of human essence, birthing anomalies like their ancestor.
After all, hadn't every Ten-Tails jinchūriki, from the original, also naturally displayed exceptional affinity for Yin–Yang Release as well?
The Uzumaki, by contrast, were primarily Yang-based in their bloodline.
Their frequent use of sealing arts gave them refined Yin control, yes, but that was a learned balance, not something innate.
It wasn't the same as the Chinoike, whose very chakra carried Yin–Yang fusion from birth. They were close, but still not there.
Ryusei now speculated that the Chinoike clan's downfall in the original timeline had likely unfolded very similarly to how he'd just witnessed, Black Zetsu manipulating and ultimately sacrificing them for one of his own hidden rituals.
The difference, he figured, was timing. In that world, Zetsu probably carried it out as part of his final preparations before the Akatsuki's Eye of the Moon Plan started in secret, perhaps to power up and prepare Indra's body as a contingency, just in case, not to inhabit it directly himself like this right away.
The Chinoike's Ketsuryūgan possessed two main abilities.
First, genjutsu through eye contact, much like the Sharingan, creating vivid, blood-red illusions that attacked the mind.
Second, control over blood itself… or rather, any liquid with a high enough iron content.
To Ryusei, that second power had been criminally underused.
No wonder the Uchiha had humiliated them like that back then.
The Chinoike were idiots, limiting themselves to manipulating trace amounts of blood inside their own bodies for minor speed boosts or against enemies to slow them down at range.
Relying only on taijutsu with such a gift was laughable.
"If they were afraid of bleeding out, by using more of their own blood, why didn't they just use Yang Release to create more blood cells out of thin air?" he thought. "Small cuts, endless supply. Simple. Then shape it, constructs, weapons, bindings. Solidified blood nets, hardened spikes, and even larger external constructs. It's just bio-ninjutsu."
In Ryusei's mind, the Ketsuryūgan was easily even one of the top five bloodlines in the world, wasted only by its own users.
Their Yin side was already proven, able to match the Sharingan's genjutsu; their Yang should've been equally strong. Therefore, with a bit of proper research, they could've achieved far more.
But in the end, Ryusei understood why they hadn't. Black Zetsu had been manipulating them from the shadows the entire time, steering their progress toward those ridiculous "divine" rituals that served his purpose instead.
The reason Ryusei's interest in the Ketsuryūgan had spiked so much just now was simple: he was holding a freshly claimed pair right now, still faintly pulsing in his hand, the blood-red eyes with that distinct slit-like line running through the middle. And they were strong ones.
During the chaotic final moments of his close clash with Indra, before all of those Chinoike all got sacrificed or annihilated, one of his smallest fragments had barely managed to snatch them from the white-haired Chinoike priest, Indra's most "sacred" puppet, the strongest of that bunch by far, radiating a chakra signature near peak Kage level.
He hadn't had the luxury of taking both eyes from the others in the frenzy, but this pair alone made the entire fight even more worth it.
"Should I give these to Renjiro?" Ryusei muttered, a sly grin forming. "Though I, or rather, my dear Kanae, would then have to fuse them into one first to fit in that remaining 'slot'. We already have the Byakugan fusion tech perfected, after all, it wouldn't be too hard to apply it for this soon."
The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.
Renjiro had come so far from the pitiful trajectory fate had planned for him that it was almost laughable now.
Once a pale shadow of Kakashi Hatake, barely even comparable, now Kakashi wouldn't be able to touch his footsteps.
What should've been just another high-tier grunt with gray hair and wasted Hatake blood had turned into a true powerhouse, his entire foundation torn down and rebuilt under Ryusei's hand.
With the Byakugan Ryusei had already given him, and now possibly the Ketsuryūgan too… the evolution would be insane and pretty interesting.
And knowing Renjiro's predictable nature, Ryusei had no doubt he'd accept without hesitation.
Out of everyone, Ryusei now could 'command', Renjiro's hunger for strength burned the brightest.
By comparison, the odds of any other shinobi ever receiving that kind of external help were about as likely as winning the lottery in his past life.
Still, Renjiro wasn't just lucky; he had some right innate qualities to begin with.
And more importantly, he'd placed complete trust in Ryusei's guidance, following every word without resistance.
The two had built something close to friendship, or at least, as close as anyone could get with someone like Ryusei.
Still, Ryusei didn't expect it to raise Renjiro much beyond his current level.
The man wasn't a true Chinoike, after all, and that was the main limitation.
Just like how a non-Uchiha wielding the Sharingan could never use it to its fullest, this could be a double-edged gift; Kakashi's case made that clear enough.
Renjiro would probably have to keep the eye sealed under another eyepatch when not in use.
At best, Ryusei estimated it would push him into solid High-Kage territory, in the short term, if he practiced it a little, enough to surprise opponents with sudden bursts of unique and very powerful genjutsu or boosted speed and reflexes through internal blood control.
Ryusei also considered giving Renjiro a perfect integration of Hashirama's cells, too, just like with Pakura and Kiyomi, but quickly dismissed the idea.
It wasn't necessary, not right now.
That procedure had taken months of focused work from both him and Kanae before, and after obtaining the Chinoike insights, Ryusei had no intention of wasting that kind of time now, since they had to focus on that next, and frankly, Renjiro was not as important as his two lovers, Pakura and Kiyomi.
Maybe later, when things slowed down a little again, at least.
If Renjiro ever underwent it, his Yang-based blood manipulation would expand drastically, pushing him closer to the true peak of Kage level.
However, for now, Ryusei preferred efficiency over perfection.
Ryusei's thoughts then shifted to the two other, possibly even greater legacies the Chinoike had left behind, not directly tied to their Ketsuryugan this time, but born from their unique Yin-Yang-affinity bloodline itself, one that Black Zetsu himself had helped shape for centuries.
The first was the Rite of the Crimson Divinity, their sacrificial ritual to take, transfer, and enhance essence.
The second was a rarer, more abstract art, Rite of the Crimson Thought, a Yin–Yang technique that weaponized imagination itself, allowing the user's intent to manifest as real, tangible harm upon their target.
Of course, its effectiveness depended heavily on the user's own mastery, chakra reserves, and the target's strength.
Those twenty Chinoike surrounding Indra had been using it the entire time against Ryusei's team, but since his group was strong enough, the effect never fully manifested; it merely gnawed at their pain receptors and nerves instead of killing them outright, more so affecting their performance and being a limiter, as opposed to an instant ender.
That final red-black attack Indra launched at him, however, had been the same technique, amplified by nearly all of his remaining colossal chakra.
Even Ryusei admitted that if he hadn't evaded and countered it perfectly, it could have shredded him completely head-on, despite his previous, massive, physical durability and chakra stamina.
In the end, it was a battle of balance and circumstance as much as power.
However, that ritual was far too conceptual, deeply rooted in jutsu-shiki logic and symbolic frameworks.
Ryusei didn't expect Renjiro to ever grasp something like that, not in the near future and probably not at all, even if he had that clan's signature dojutsu. It required a completely different kind of mind.
And right now, Ryusei felt his own focus was better spent on breaking through the next two Gates soon; mastering a conceptual art like that would only slow him down. So who was best suited for it, then?
"Obviously… Ashina," Ryusei muttered.
He had both the perfect Yin–Yang affinity of the Uzumaki and nearly a century of experience with sealing formulas, probably.
If anyone could dissect and reconstruct that ritual fast enough, it was him.
And if Ashina truly mastered it on time, he could reach Mid–Six Paths level, a convenient power boost for the inevitable confrontation with his final, decisive clash with Konoha's leadership that he felt like would determine everything.
Ryusei's mind moved faster.
He could trade it to Ashina, teach him the ritual in exchange for the key to his strange natural energy techniques, which he just saw for the first time during the previous battle, or at least the method of gathering it like that externally.
Ryusei already had a plan brewing for Kanae regarding that moving part.
Another one of his 'crazy ideas', which she liked and 'hated' at the same time.
With that knowledge, she could then use it together with her new advanced "Frost Release", which froze, not created ice, and maxed-out Byakugan evolution, letting her reach true Peak-Kage level in time for the coming war.
And on top of that, Ashina could assist him in refining the Rite of the Crimson Divinity for his own purposes. Ryusei wasn't too proud to admit it. When it came to intricate, symbolic systems like that, Ashina was the ideal partner.