Both of them unleashed even greater power, and the intensity of the battle continued to rise, causing every Konoha shinobi present to wear a solemn expression.
The power Ryota was displaying at that moment was no weaker than that of the Madara who had once invaded Konoha.
The Uchiha Clan's Sharingan truly possessed extraordinary potential.
As long as someone awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan or the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, their strength would increase significantly.
That was how Ryota could possess such terrifying power at his age. In fact, no one else in Konoha possessed this level of combat power.
However, the Konoha shinobi were not worried.
Seiryū was even stronger.
As the battle erupted once again, Ryota remained at a disadvantage and was firmly suppressed by Seiryū.
'Boom!'
The force of Seiryū's punch shook space itself. It tore through the distorted space and slammed directly into the Armored Susanoo, shattering its outer shell and sending it flying.
"I am still a little stronger."
Seiryū did not stop attacking.
The tips of the golden chains drew back like bows, and Heilig Pfeil more than ten meters long descended from above.
They pinned all eight tails of the Armored Eight-Tails to the ground.
At the same time, dense black sealing patterns spread outward from the Heilig Pfeil.
It was Fūinjutsu.
Then, amid a sharp hissing sound, the golden chains extended and pierced through the area where the Susanoo's armor had shattered.
Pinned and sealed.
No matter how violently the Armored Eight-Tails roared and struggled, it could not break free from the restraints.
'Swish!'
Seiryū flashed forward and appeared near Ryota, who was still standing atop the Armored Eight-Tails.
He pressed a Rasengan into Ryota's body.
'Boom!'
Ryota was blasted away in a straight line before crashing into the ground once again and creating an enormous crater.
"Cough, cough."
A spiral-shaped wound appeared on Ryota's chest, blood continuously seeping from it as he coughed up more blood.
However, his expression was filled with shock, disbelief, and doubt.
He had already recovered his ocular power and Chakra. He was stronger than before, so why had he lost even faster?
"Lightning Style: Kirin!"
During their previous battle, Seiryū had deliberately prepared the necessary conditions, and the sky was now covered by dark clouds.
Thunder rumbled within them as lightning flashed.
Seiryū held lightning in his hand, resonating with the thunder rolling through the clouds and creating a connection with it.
The thunder within the clouds became even more violent, as though some enormous creature were being born inside them.
'Crack!'
Seiryū fiercely swung down the hand holding the lightning.
Amid an explosion of thunder, the clouds churned, and a massive beast formed entirely from lightning revealed itself.
Then it plunged downward.
How fast was lightning?
It took no more than a fraction of a second.
A blinding white light flashed, followed immediately by a deafening roar.
'Rumble!'
Everyone closed their eyes at that moment.
The lightning made their eyes ache, and then the thunderous roar shook their eardrums.
The surrounding air surged violently as shockwaves spread outward, leaving the area struck by Lightning Style: Kirin in ruins.
The earth had been scorched black and blasted into an enormous crater.
However, a single stone pillar remained standing at the center of the crater.
Ryota stood atop it, looking somewhat dazed.
He stared at his own hands and muttered, "What is this power?"
A moment earlier, he had been lying on his back inside the crater, facing the sky.
He had watched the beast formed from lightning reveal itself within the clouds. His Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan had allowed him to look directly at the blinding light.
He had watched helplessly as the lightning beast descended toward him.
The threat of death had filled his heart.
If he did not resist, only death awaited him.
Unwillingness, confusion, fear, helplessness, and even deeper despair had overwhelmed him.
In such a brief moment, especially while injured, he had been unable to organize any effective defense.
Even hastily activating Susanoo would not have been enough to block such a Ninjutsu.
Death?
The thought had appeared in Ryota's mind in an instant.
Was he going to die?
Then came overwhelming anger.
Death?
No, he would not die.
He could not die.
He still had to take revenge on Seiryū.
If he died, who would avenge his brother and grandfather?
There was no one else left.
That sudden shift in emotion and momentary fluctuation of his soul caused some kind of change within Ryota's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
A new power surged forth.
It was stronger than the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Far stronger.
Perhaps he was drawn by that power, or perhaps he acted subconsciously.
In the final fraction of a second before the attack struck him, Ryota raised his right hand and released a Dōjutsu.
Then he survived.
What exactly was that power?
Standing atop the sealed Eight-Tails, whose Susanoo armor had already been shattered, Seiryū looked at Ryota.
His gaze stopped on Ryota's eyes, and he narrowed his own.
"The Rinnegan."
The eyes in Ryota's sockets were no longer the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
They had become a pair of pale-purple Rinnegan marked by concentric rings.
In that instant, the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan had transformed into the Rinnegan.
Was it truly that simple?
Had the Rinnegan really been born just like that?
Nearby, Jiraiya had naturally seen what happened.
When he saw those familiar eyes, he could not help drawing in a sharp breath.
"The final evolution of the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan is actually the Rinnegan."
Tsunade frowned as well.
"This is too much of a coincidence."
Minato's expression also became solemn.
"The Rinnegan. Another pair has truly been born. The most troublesome possibility has come to pass."
Sakumo looked somewhat dazed.
"He already possessed this level of strength. If he can also use the Rinnegan's Dōjutsu..."
Fugaku was shocked.
"The final form of the Sharingan is actually the Sage's Eye, the Rinnegan?"
Nagato said nothing.
Another pair of Rinnegan had been born.
Although some of them had long known Madara's goal, they were still shocked when it happened before their eyes.
At the same time, they also felt that the timing was too coincidental.
Everything seemed to have happened naturally, as though it had simply reached its inevitable conclusion.
But could something like this truly be a coincidence?
"Haha. Hahaha! This power. This power!"
Ryota immersed himself in the newly awakened power and could not help laughing aloud, his expression becoming excited and fanatical.
He did not fully understand what had happened.
However, he discovered that his vision had changed.
Everything in the world appeared clearer than before, and he could perceive even the finest details.
He also felt as though he possessed an entirely new power.
He was stronger than he had been only moments earlier.
Just as when he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, a stream of information entered his mind.
It was a new Dōjutsu.
Ryota composed himself, looked at Seiryū, and revealed a vicious smile.
"I will not lose again."
'Hum.'
Before he could finish speaking, a strange Chakra fluctuation spread through his body.
Ryota suddenly froze and became completely unable to move.
"Your mission is complete."
A calm yet sinister voice sounded.
Black liquid suddenly emerged from Ryota's body and spread across half of him.
The black substance formed a face wearing an evil smile.
Black Zetsu.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Black Zetsu controlled Ryota's body, formed hand seals, and performed a Summoning Jutsu.
White smoke rose.
Madara appeared on the battlefield wearing a black, long-sleeved shinobi outfit with a high collar. His long hair hung down to his waist, and a pair of Three-Tomoe Sharingan rested in his eye sockets.
Madara scanned the battlefield.
His gaze paused briefly on Seiryū, and his eyebrows rose slightly.
Ignoring the rest of the Konoha shinobi, he finally looked at Ryota.
Seeing those unusual eyes, Madara chuckled softly.
"Faster than I expected. It seems your emotions truly needed to be stimulated. Otherwise, who knows how long this final step would have taken?"
Madara had already experienced this process once before.
In addition, with special Yin Release Chakra such as that of Satori and the Zero-Tails, the process of nurturing the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan toward the Rinnegan had not been slow.
After invading Konoha and retreating with severe injuries, Madara had combined the ocular power of two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan to create the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
He had then begun using the Power of All Creation to nurture those eyes.
That was also why his injuries had recovered so slowly.
After more than a year of being nurtured by the Power of All Creation, the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan had been only one step away from transforming into the Rinnegan.
However, crossing that final step had been difficult.
It had lacked a catalyst.
Just as the Three-Tomoe Sharingan required intense emotional stimulation to transform into the Mangekyō Sharingan, the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan also required emotional stimulation to transform into the Rinnegan.
There was another reason as well.
This pair of Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan had originally been created by combining the Mangekyō Sharingan of Ryota and Setsuna.
Although Madara was also a member of the Uchiha Clan and could transplant the Sharingan without rejection, Ryota was still more closely related to the eyes by blood.
At the same time, Madara had already experienced too much in his life.
His emotions could no longer be stirred so violently.
Therefore, after completely recovering from his injuries, he had transplanted the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan into Ryota.
Ryota would complete the final step and awaken the Rinnegan.
The result matched Madara's expectations.
It had simply happened faster than he anticipated.
He had also not expected Uzumaki Seiryū, who had disappeared for more than two years, to suddenly return.
Seiryū had provided enough emotional stimulation for the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan to successfully transform into the Rinnegan.
It was an unexpected benefit.
Seeing Madara appear, Ryota's pupils contracted violently, and his expression became dark and ugly.
However, because his body was restrained, he could not say a word.
Madara paid no attention to Ryota's gaze and merely smiled.
"Your mission is over. Obtaining greater power always requires a price. I told you that before, and now it is time for you to pay."
Ryota's expression became ferocious.
"It was not a waste for me to spend so much effort training you. You did not disappoint me."
After speaking, Madara removed the Three-Tomoe Sharingan from his own eye sockets.
He then took the Rinnegan from Ryota's eyes and pressed them into his own.
'Boom!'
The next moment, powerful Chakra erupted from Madara's body.
When he opened his eyes again, the Rinnegan in his eye sockets emitted an eerie light.
"The same Dōjutsu? These should be the Rinnegan's basic abilities. As for more advanced Dōjutsu, I will need time to familiarize myself with these eyes."
In this world, transplanted eyes could be used immediately.
Once transplanted, the wielder would instinctively understand the Dōjutsu contained within them. That knowledge was engraved into the bloodline itself.
Madara already understood many of the Rinnegan's abilities.
They were almost identical to those of his previous pair. These were likely the Rinnegan's basic Dōjutsu.
As for more advanced abilities, such as his former Limbo: Border Jail, he would need time to familiarize himself with the eyes and fully master them before he could use them.
'Rip!'
While Madara was thinking, he suddenly heard the sound of a sharp blade tearing through flesh.
When he looked over, his expression instantly darkened.
Seiryū had used Hadō #78: Zangerin to finish off the defenseless Eight-Tails.
He looked at Madara and revealed a brilliant smile.
"Hey, you seem to have forgotten that I am still here."
"Try to stay focused. Otherwise, the next one to die will not be the Eight-Tails. It will be one of you."
The birth of the Rinnegan and Madara's appearance had indeed surprised Seiryū.
However, he had not forgotten his main objective.
Whatever the enemy wanted, Seiryū would destroy it.
The Eight-Tails had already been sealed by him, so he had killed it while he had the opportunity.
He had no intention of indulging their habit of ignoring him.
The joy Madara felt after obtaining the Rinnegan vanished with the death of the Eight-Tails.
He stared coldly at Seiryū.
"You always manage to do things I cannot predict, Uzumaki Seiryū."
Was Madara angry?
Of course he was.
Seiryū always acted beyond his expectations and never gave him enough time to react.
Once again, Seiryū had killed the Eight-Tails right in front of him.
"You flatter me."
Seiryū laughed happily.
"You did not expect me to simply wait for you, did you? I hate watching other people show off in front of me."
"That is why I interrupted you first. Are you angry now?"
"You remain the greatest obstacle to my plan, Uzumaki Seiryū."
Madara spoke coldly.
"You will die here today. I will not give you another chance."
The Eight-Tails had taken more than two years to resurrect.
Now that it had been killed again, Madara's plan had been delayed once more.
Only Madara understood the frustration and anger he felt.
Seiryū acted too decisively and had interfered with his plans more than once, filling Madara with suppressed fury.
Today, no matter what it took, Madara had to eliminate him.
Sensing Madara's killing intent, Seiryū's smile only grew brighter.
"Those words sound familiar. I do not think this is the first time you have said them."
"And every time, you were the one who fled in defeat."
"This time will be no different."
"Eighth Gate: Gate of Death, open!"
(To be continued.)