As the endless rumbling finally faded, the Valley of the End slowly fell quiet once more.
Standing in the distance and staring at the battlefield that now looked like a vision straight out of hell, Minato could only feel his mind buzzing.
The battle was over.
It had not lasted very long. No matter how powerful Edo Tensei was, it was completely countered by Yin-Yang Release. Even Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju had no real answer to that.
And besides, while Edo Tensei might be a buff for ordinary shinobi, for monsters like Madara and Hashirama, it was actually an endless nerf!
Even so, the fight had still gone far beyond what normal people could imagine. At the very least, Minato still felt his scalp tingling just from watching it.
Those colossal forms that far surpassed even the Nine-Tails, that power that could collapse mountains and split the earth with casual attacks—no matter how talented Minato was, it still felt unbelievable.
And the most unbelievable part was that the people watching did not seem to think any of it was strange.
The calm expressions on their faces made it clear they were already used to scenes like this. That alone made Minato realize one thing—
This era really had changed.
"It's over. Ren's back."
Just then, Hikari glanced into the distance and suddenly spoke in a low voice.
The moment her words fell, Ren appeared before them in an instant!
"Are you alright?"
Yugao immediately stepped forward and asked quietly. Tsunade raised a brow but said nothing, though her eyes stayed fixed on Ren as she looked him over from head to toe.
"Relax. I'm fine. They were only Edo Tensei."
Ren smiled and shook his head.
If the current him somehow managed to lose against an Edo Tensei Madara and Hashirama, then the only explanation would be that he had become so weak there was no saving him!
"And I've more or less figured out why they showed up here. If I'm not mistaken, one reason is the Land of Rain, and the other is the Senju clan's roots."
Everyone present had at least some idea of what was happening in the Land of Rain, after all Ren had personally gone there to hunt Akatsuki members.
As for the Senju roots, the Root and ANBU members present might understand, but Minato was completely lost.
Still, he knew this was not the time to ask. He decided he would question Jiraiya later when there was time.
"The Land of Rain…"
Tsunade nodded, but soon frowned.
"Why would he want information about the Senju roots? Did he realize he's been deceived?"
"Probably not. More likely, he wants to understand where my strength comes from."
Ren shrugged. In truth, he did not know what Madara was thinking, but that did not stop him from planting a few thorns in Madara's mind.
Or rather, he could slowly start drawing Black Zetsu out now!
"I don't think he's realized he was tricked. If I hadn't cultivated Yin-Yang Release and been able to sense the difference between the two chakra signatures, I probably wouldn't have noticed either.
"But that also means I can stir things up from the shadows. If an opportunity is delivered to my doorstep, it'd be a waste not to use it."
"I see."
Tsunade tilted her head. She could not say much about Ren's methods, but this really was an opportunity.
And when something good came knocking on your door, there was no reason to turn it away!
"Besides that, we need to speed things up."
Ren rolled his shoulder and lifted his head to look at the moonlit sky. After a moment's thought, he spoke again.
"Their attack on us wasn't as troublesome as expected, but their methods are getting more and more aggressive. More and more extreme.
"I think they've already made up their minds to do something big, which means…"
He paused before finishing softly,
"We need to accelerate too."
Deep within an ancient forest in the Land of Fire, Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju were racing through the woods at full speed.
Neither of them was in especially good condition.
That battle with Ren had put enormous pressure on them, especially because they were both Edo Tensei. In that state, there was simply no way for them to bring out their full power.
And more than that, the fight with Ren had truly shaken them.
Leaving aside the fact that Madara's plan to exploit Edo Tensei's infinite chakra and exhaust Ren with large-scale, high-consumption techniques had failed, there was another problem.
His once invincible Susanoo—and even Hashirama's Wood Golem, which could normally battle a Susanoo head-on—had been nearly useless against Ren in that strange chakra mode!
Their massive size meant they could barely hit him at all.
Meanwhile, Ren, with his overwhelming mobility, could harass them at will.
He could even shatter the Susanoo's defenses directly and attack the person inside!
"This kind of situation…"
Madara pressed his lips together.
That battle style made him deeply uncomfortable.
He was already wondering—if he revived and faced Ren in the flesh, would he have any way to solve that problem?
"Hashirama. If you were alive and had to deal with him, what would you do?"
After thinking for a long time, Madara finally frowned and glanced toward Hashirama.
"Me? Why would I be fighting him?"
Hashirama still had a smile on his face, but hearing Madara's question, he looked utterly baffled.
"He's Konoha's Hokage's aide. The next Hokage. Stop joking around."
"Idiot. I'm asking what you would do if you ran into someone else like him!"
Madara glared at Hashirama in irritation. This guy really knew how to get on his nerves.
"And besides, he's a descendant of the Senju, just like you. Could you do what he does? Could you respond the same way? And if someone else like him ever appeared, could you handle it?"
"Tch. You're beating around the bush because you want my battle analysis, aren't you?"
Hashirama glanced sideways at Madara. He knew well enough what Madara was actually asking.
Still, he lowered his head and thought for a while. A moment later, he shook his head.
"I can't do it the way he does, because everyone's development path is different.
"He's clearly focused more on Sage Mode, and what he excels at most is Yin-Yang Release. That probably has something to do with the kind of enemies he expects to fight."
"You mean you focused on large-scale attacks mainly because you were fighting me?"
Madara shot Hashirama another glare.
Still, the logic did make sense. After all, Madara himself excelled at wide-area ninjutsu.
And with Susanoo, large-scale techniques really were the best way to match it head-on.
Under normal circumstances, bigger really was better!
Especially against swarms of enemies. Large-scale attacks and huge forms could instantly seize control of the battlefield.
But Ren's appearance seemed to have changed that.
Instead of relying on giant forms, he relied on compact movement, absurd mobility, and overwhelming destructive power. Against him, large-scale techniques suddenly became awkward.
All their former advantages had turned into weaknesses.
Everything looked clumsy. Every attack felt like trying to swat a mosquito with a cannon.
"Could this… be the future direction of battle?"
Madara suddenly felt like he had grasped onto something, and could not help muttering inwardly.
Beside him, Hashirama chuckled.
"Ren really is absurdly well-rounded. With Wood Release, he has no fear of large-scale enemies.
"And with that Sage Mode from earlier combined with Yin-Yang Release, he can deal with people like us much more effectively.
"At this point, he's probably already surpassed the two of us from back then!"
"Hmph!"
Madara snorted coldly.
He truly could not bring himself to like Ren.
Especially that mouth of his—it was vicious to the extreme!
And the more he looked back on it, the more he felt that Ren had been deliberately imitating him.
Was he really that irritating back then?
"But compared to that, what interests me more are those roots… and the Uchiha stone tablet."
Hashirama's tone dropped as he fixed a sharp gaze on Madara.
"What exactly is the Eye of the Moon? And what is this shadow Ren mentioned? What is it that you've been pursuing all this time?"
Hashirama's questions made Madara fall silent.
Some of those questions were the very ones troubling him the most right now.
After a long pause, Madara looked deeply at Hashirama before finally speaking.
"What I've been pursuing is peace. True peace for the shinobi world. Not the half-finished mess you abandoned, leaving all your descendants to suffer for it!"
"…"
Could you not take a shot at me for once?
Hashirama felt both ashamed and annoyed, but he did not interrupt.
"The Eye of the Moon is the answer given on the Uchiha stone tablet. I only saw it after obtaining your power and awakening the power of creation from all things."
Madara's expression darkened.
He had no way of knowing whether Ren's words were true.
But a man who had already reached that level of strength would not need to lie.
And if it was true…
Then had he really been played like a fool all this time?
"But right now, there are too many doubts surrounding this. We must find the Senju roots. We must read the information on them.
"Only then can I confirm certain things. Only then can I understand the situation I'm really in!"
"Uh…"
Hashirama still did not really understand what Madara was thinking. He could only tilt his head and stare at him in confusion.
After all, Madara still had not explained what the Eye of the Moon actually was.
"Let's go back. There's still more we need to do."
Madara shook his head and clearly had no intention of saying more.
Inwardly, however, he had already started thinking hard about that so-called shadow.
A shadow the Sage of Six Paths had noticed. A shadow he had specifically identified as the one that pushed the Senju and Uchiha ancestors into conflict.
No matter how Madara looked at it, that could not be something simple.
But then came the real problem.
If it had been discovered, why had it not been stopped?
And what exactly was that shadow trying to accomplish?
And the Eye of the Moon—the path he had pursued all this time as the means to bring peace—was it even real?
Madara did not know anymore.
For the first time in ages, he felt as though he were treading on thin ice, uncertain whether he could even reach the other shore.
Everything had become far too murky.
"There's one more thing…"
Taking a deep breath, Madara forced those thoughts aside and set a goal for himself.
He had to find the roots!
And there was something else he needed to do as well.
His gaze shifted toward Hashirama.
Those deep eyes seemed to look right through Hashirama and beyond him, as though seeing the hidden figure behind him.
"No matter what you saw or heard today, I suggest you keep your mouth shut. Otherwise…"
"Otherwise what? You won't even need to do anything. Someone else will come after you naturally, won't they?"
"So sensitive, are we?"
In the underground laboratory in the Land of Rice Fields, Orochimaru lifted a brow.
He had been watching Madara and Hashirama the entire time.
Naturally, he had seen the whole battle—Ren using that bizarre combat style to completely crush both Madara and Hashirama.
Even Orochimaru found it unbelievable.
Could something like that really be done by a human being?
"That chakra mode really is enviable…"
He licked his lips, clearly still unable to forget what he had seen.
Through Hashirama's vision, he had been able to understand just what kind of speed and power Ren had reached.
That terrifying ability could not simply be summarized as Sage Mode. Even when paired with Yin-Yang Release, that still did not seem enough to explain it!
"What kind of power is it exactly? Could it really be something recorded in those so-called Senju roots?"
Orochimaru could not help wondering.
Ren had mentioned the power of creation from all things, and Orochimaru already knew that Madara possessed Hashirama's power.
But the problem was that Ren did not seem to possess the Uchiha side at all—so what exactly was going on?
"Orochimaru!"
Just as he was lost in thought, the ground suddenly trembled.
Two figures emerged from below.
One looked like a strange Venus flytrap-like creature, while the other was wrapped entirely in White Zetsu.
Once they fully rose from the ground, the White Zetsu peeled away from the body like a layer of clothing, revealing the person inside.
It was Nagato.
"Oh? So you're the real body of the leader?"
Orochimaru stared at Nagato, his gaze lingering on the skeletal frame and those soul-stirring Rinnegan eyes.
He could not help licking his lips.
"So this counts as our first real meeting."
"Enough talk. Don't waste time."
Black Zetsu knew Orochimaru's greed very well, and the moment he saw that look, he immediately interrupted.
"We have more important matters to deal with. By the way, how did things go on Madara and Hashirama's side?"
"They lost. But they made it back."
Orochimaru smiled, choosing not to say too much.
Naturally, he had no intention of revealing something like the roots.
"This time, though, they were lucky. Maybe the materials used this round were decent enough. Their bodies weren't damaged.
"That saves us quite a bit of trouble. No need to reconstruct their vessels."
"That's acceptable, then…"
Seeing Orochimaru's attention shift away, Black Zetsu immediately nodded.
"We don't lack materials, but avoiding accidents is always best.
"And judging from their performance, they've recovered fairly well. Even if they lost, it still shows improvement.
"You could call it… the most successful failed case."
Orochimaru shot Black Zetsu a strange glance.
He really wanted to ask whether Black Zetsu had any idea what he was actually saying.
But Orochimaru understood well enough that Black Zetsu had completely misunderstood the situation.
It was not that Ren could not destroy Madara and Hashirama.
He simply had not gone that far.
Against Ren, those two Edo Tensei truly had very little room to resist.
"Believe whatever you want. What do you plan to do next?"
Orochimaru could not be bothered to explain. He merely chuckled and asked lazily.
"Ren has already proven just how terrifying he is. If we don't prepare properly, things may turn out even worse than expected."
"From this point on, we begin absorbing the Tailed Beast chakra."
Black Zetsu answered naturally.
Nagato was here. The Rinnegan was here. And the chakra from the Tailed Beasts was basically prepared already.
Which meant the next step was obvious.
Absorb everything.
Prepare the Ten-Tails.
"Once we possess the power of the Ten-Tails, we'll be able to face Ren head-on. We'll be able to deal with his threat.
"The Ten-Tails is not something ordinary people can imagine. Nor is it something ordinary people can match…"
Black Zetsu still had plenty of confidence in the Ten-Tails.
Of course, what he truly had confidence in was what came after the Ten-Tails' jinchuriki was formed—using the Rinnegan to bring his mother back.
As long as his mother could break free of her seal, then as the progenitor of chakra, she would be able to handle any enemy with ease.
"Is that so?"
Orochimaru's tone was noncommittal, but the way he looked at Black Zetsu became increasingly strange.
He suddenly remembered what he had heard earlier—the matter of that hidden shadow lurking beside the Uchiha.
No one had explicitly said who it was, and without seeing the roots himself, Orochimaru could not make any final judgment.
But the thing in front of him…
This Black Zetsu…
There was definitely something off about him.
He seemed to possess an abnormal level of confidence in the Ten-Tails.
Of course, the Tailed Beasts were powerful. That much was beyond question.
But strength always depended on the person using it.
If Madara or Hashirama went against the Tailed Beasts, the ones in trouble would obviously be the beasts themselves!
As for what the Ten-Tails was capable of, Orochimaru truly had no clear concept.
But even if it combined the power of all nine Tailed Beasts, would it really be that hard for Madara and Hashirama to beat down all nine together?
"This thing is so certain… does that mean it knows something no one else does?"
A strange smile crept across Orochimaru's lips as his curiosity deepened.
This creature's secrets were becoming more and more interesting.
After all, it was far too mysterious.
Even its very composition fascinated him.
A lifeform made purely of chakra was already unbelievable enough—but one that possessed independent consciousness and a wealth of knowledge?
This thing was far too mysterious.
"What is it?"
Black Zetsu noticed Orochimaru's gaze and could not help asking.
"Nothing."
Orochimaru came back to himself and shook his head, then said with a light laugh, "Ren doesn't fear the Tailed Beasts in the slightest. Can the Ten-Tails really handle him?"
"That's only because you don't know where the Ten-Tails' true limits lie."
Black Zetsu let out a cold laugh and did not bother explaining further.
"Let's move quickly. The more thoroughly we prepare, the better our chances when facing him."
"Understood."
Orochimaru nodded, but his gaze turned even stranger.
He truly did not know the limits of the Ten-Tails.
But very few in the shinobi world should know that.
Yet this thing had spoken with absolute certainty.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Orochimaru was beginning to think Black Zetsu really did have a problem.
Which meant he was very much worth watching closely from now on.
Inside the moon, fine rain drifted gently from the sky, nourishing all things.
A faint fragrance of flowers mixed with birdsong and spread across the open fields.
Before the towering temple at the center of the floating islands circling the sky, Minato's family stood in a daze.
This place looked like a paradise beyond the mortal world.
"There's really a place like this?"
When Ren first told them they were going to the moon, Minato and Kushina had both thought he was being absurd.
The moon was so far away.
How were they supposed to get there?
But when their whole family was truly carried up by a pillar of light, they finally realized that reaching the moon was apparently not impossible at all.
And the breathtaking beauty within the moon, along with the calm atmosphere of the place, truly captivated them.
"What's impossible about it? Honestly, once you're dealing with that brat Ren, there's nothing that's impossible anymore."
Jiraiya had caught Minato's mutter and could not help chiming in from the side.
"Back when he wasn't even fully developed yet, he still dared drag Kakashi and the others with him to Iwagakure and burn down the Tsuchikage's office building in my name.
"In Kirigakure, he helped Genji and the others carry out a coup. Sure, it turned out the Fourth Mizukage was being controlled by Obito, but what Ren did was still walking a knife's edge.
"And this moon? He followed the trail of the Hyuga all the way here and wiped out everyone on it. At this point, none of this should surprise you."
"Uh… right…"
Jiraiya's words made Minato smile awkwardly.
For a moment, he genuinely could not tell whether Jiraiya was praising Ren or cursing him.
"Jiraiya-sensei, if the Hokage's aide hears you saying things like that, it probably won't end well for you."
Kushina raised a brow and reminded him, which instantly made Jiraiya's face stiffen.
There was no way he had forgotten how dangerous Ren was.
He immediately turned to Kushina with an ingratiating look.
"You heard wrong. I didn't say anything. And don't go spreading nonsense!"
"…"
Minato and Kushina exchanged a glance.
It was obvious that their teacher was genuinely a little afraid of Ren.
"Hey, Sasuke, have you been here before?"
Naruto was not paying attention to what the adults were saying at all. He was currently grabbing Sasuke and looking around excitedly.
Sasuke nearly rolled his eyes.
Even though he was also excited, there was no way he would act like Naruto.
"No. I knew this place existed before, but I never had the chance to come up. We've been on missions the whole time, haven't we? Karin's probably been here before, though."
As he spoke, both boys turned toward Karin at the same time.
Karin only shrugged.
"I have. Not many times, though. Back then this place was still being rebuilt. I mostly came up to help search for any remaining enemies.
"It definitely didn't look this nice back then."
"That's so unfair…"
Naruto looked at her with envy.
He wanted to come to a place like this too. Everything here felt so magical and unbelievable.
Sasuke also pressed his lips together.
Why was it that they were all on the same team, yet Karin had gotten to come here first?
He had also heard that the other Uchiha had all already come up earlier. He was the only one who had never gotten the chance, and it left him more than a little bitter.
"Envious of what? You're jealous of coming up here to move bricks?"
Karin rolled her eyes. She genuinely could not understand what went on in these two idiots' heads. Back then, there had been practically nothing here. What was the point of rushing up?
"At least we could've come to help."
"Still better than being the last one to arrive."
Naruto and Sasuke each tossed in their own complaint, leaving Karin utterly speechless.
Fortunately, Ren walked over at that moment.
"The conditions on the moon are still a bit rough. Naturally, it can't compare to Konoha, so you'll have to put up with it for now."
Ren wore a gentle smile as he spoke at an unhurried pace.
"But everyone's tasks are important this time. Sasuke—even though your eyes have only just awakened, I'd prefer for you to possess even stronger ones.
"So during this period, you need to fully adapt to your current eyes. Once you can control them naturally, Lord Hokage will perform the transplant for you."
"Yes, Lord Aide."
Sasuke immediately dropped his earlier attitude with Naruto and answered with a serious expression.
And honestly, he agreed with the arrangement.
He needed to adapt to his current eyes first before taking Itachi Uchiha's.
Even if a part of him still felt uncomfortable about it, he also acknowledged that power itself was not wrong.
Only the one who wielded it could be.
The Sharingan had always been the treasure of the Uchiha.
Itachi Uchiha had not deserved to keep it.
Now that it would be reclaimed and placed in the hands of someone more suitable, that was the proper outcome.
"Naruto, during this time, you absolutely must master the power of your Nine-Tails."
Ren smiled and then turned toward Naruto's family.
"The future battlefield won't be optimistic. Just like Sasuke, you are one of Konoha's hopes, so I want both of you to work hard.
"And Fourth Hokage, Kushina—thank you for your efforts. Especially you, Kushina.
"It's not just Naruto. Karin also needs your guidance. She's a descendant of the Uzumaki clan too, so there are things only you can properly teach her."
"Leave it to me!"
Kushina nodded immediately.
There was no way she would refuse.
Even while she had been alive, surviving descendants of the Uzumaki clan had been rare.
If she could meet one and help, of course she would.
And the fact that Karin belonged to Konoha only made Kushina more determined.
"Then I'll leave it to all of you."
Ren nodded.
But Jiraiya suddenly looked puzzled.
"What about me? What am I supposed to do? And where's Tsunade? Why haven't I seen her or the others?"
"Jiraiya-sama naturally has more important things to do. After some time, I'll need you to accompany me to receive a few guests."
Ren did not hide anything. He smiled and answered directly.
"As for Lady Hokage and the others, they currently have even more important matters to handle. I doubt it'll be long before you see them."
This trip to the moon had always been for the sake of Tsunade and the others transforming further.
Not necessarily to reach the level of Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha—but at the very least, they still had considerable room left to grow, and Ren wanted to push them toward their limits.
Tsunade might already be close to hers.
Hikari, however, was another matter entirely!
With the nature of her dōjutsu alone, she still had enormous untapped potential.
And Ren fully intended to force that potential out into the open.
At the same time, he also wanted to see whether a brand-new pair of Rinnegan might appear in his hands!
Hikari possessed both the qualifications and the ability to awaken the Rinnegan. Ren had no intention of letting that go to waste.
Besides, his understanding of bloodlines and power far surpassed what ordinary people could even imagine now.
"Alright. Everyone, get ready. We don't have much time.
"The shinobi world is changing by the minute. We need to seize every moment we can.
"For all we know, the next time we get news… the great war may have already begun."
Across the shinobi world, Akatsuki's work of absorbing Tailed Beast chakra continued in an orderly manner.
After all, they had been preparing for this for a long time, and this was not even their first time doing it. For them, it was nothing difficult.
Inside a hidden and spacious underground chamber, several phantom figures stood atop the fingers of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, each maintaining hand seals.
They were the members of the Akatsuki.
Kakuzu swept his gaze over everyone present, then suddenly laughed.
"What a pity. Itachi Uchiha is dead. That takes some of the fun out of things."
"Good riddance. I never liked looking at that bastard anyway."
Sasori shook his head indifferently. He did not care in the slightest.
Orochimaru licked his lips but said nothing.
The other Akatsuki members did not seem to care much either.
To them, Itachi had never been close.
Especially a man who could slaughter his entire clan without hesitation. Who was to say he would not turn on his allies one day too?
And honestly, it was not just Itachi.
If any one of the people standing here died, the others would not feel much of anything at all.
"Who did it?"
Hiruko asked quietly, sounding mildly regretful.
He did not care whether Itachi lived or died, but he had definitely been interested in those Sharingan eyes.
"Sasuke Uchiha."
Nagato answered flatly.
Now that Yahiko had revived, Nagato obviously could not continue using Yahiko's body, so his Deva Path had to be replaced.
Black Zetsu, for his part, was not stingy about that.
It would not inject White Zetsu cells into Nagato's true body, but it had no problem doing so for the Deva Path.
And once Nagato began using this new Deva Path, he quickly discovered something interesting—
He seemed able to focus the full power of the Rinnegan through it.
That was a direct boost to his combat strength.
Still, he had grown accustomed to Yahiko's image.
So in the end, he simply had White Zetsu reshape the body into Yahiko's appearance.
"Interesting. The older brother kills the whole family, and in the end gets killed by the younger brother."
Kakuzu nodded with faint amusement.
"Guess that's karma. Though come to think of it, where's Obito Uchiha? Why isn't he here?"
Obito was also an Uchiha. Back then, he had appeared at the Uchiha compound itself.
If Itachi had been dealt with, could Obito really stay out of it?
And more than that, Obito seemed to be an important figure within the Akatsuki.
His absence definitely felt strange to Kakuzu.
"This time, he isn't needed. Just focus on your work."
Nagato tilted his head and did not explain much, answering only briefly.
Still, he could not help thinking about Obito internally.
Ever since Black Zetsu had "rescued" him, more details about what happened in the Land of Rain had come to light, and Obito's situation had started to feel… off.
Nagato had also noticed that Black Zetsu and Orochimaru had grown much closer.
There were many things they no longer informed Obito of.
Some matters were simply kept from him entirely.
"Has he been pushed out?"
Nagato immediately sensed something.
Especially this Tailed Beast sealing operation—Obito had not been allowed to participate at all.
Even when he offered himself, he had still been refused on the grounds that he had "other tasks to handle."
But in reality, he was doing absolutely nothing right now.
"So even the Akatsuki's internal situation has gotten more complicated… though in a way, that may actually be better…"
Nagato murmured to himself and chose not to dwell on it any longer.
Right now, he only had one thought in mind.
Finish all this troublesome nonsense as quickly as possible… and then go reunite with Konan and Yahiko.
For the first time in a very long time, he truly felt full of hope for the future.
"Damn it!"
If Nagato was secretly happy, then Obito Uchiha was the exact opposite.
Sitting atop a mountain in the Land of Rice Fields and staring into the distance, he crushed a stone in his hand.
"How much have you all hidden from me?!"
He had known nothing of Madara's revival.
He had known nothing about Black Zetsu and Orochimaru working together behind his back.
He had no idea what they were preparing.
All of it had been done without him.
All of it had been kept from him.
At this point, he was beginning to feel as if he had already been abandoned.
And Madara's return filled him with a profound sense of unease.
Obito was not stupid.
He knew very well that Madara had never truly trusted him.
In fact, he had already uncovered quite a few clues about what happened to Rin back then.
"And there's still that thing on my heart…"
Obito murmured inwardly.
He was deeply dissatisfied with the current situation.
Staring into the distance, he slowly rose to his feet after a long silence.
He had to do something.
He could not remain this passive.
And besides, he had never fully trusted Madara either.
His dream was to control the Eye of the Moon Plan himself.
He wanted to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi himself.
The new world had to be his.
This world had to belong to him!
"I can't stay this passive any longer. I have to do something."
Obito stared into the distance, and gradually a plan took shape in his mind.
Chaos was the ladder of ascent.
The world was not chaotic enough yet.
And Akatsuki's current pace was far too slow.
So he decided he would force it forward himself.
"Only when all of you fall into chaos, only when all your attention is fixed on the enemy… will I have my chance."
He murmured softly as his body began to twist and blur.
He had made his decision.
He would personally ignite the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Inside the moon, Ren stood before the gigantic Tenseigan.
As he looked at the eye radiating overwhelming chakra, he slowly closed his own eyes.
[Mission Complete: Surprise Assault by the Two Heroes of the Shinobi World]
[Mission Rating: SSS]
[Free Points Obtained: 20]
[Special Reward for Defeating an Uchiha: Free Points Doubled]
[Special Reward for Defeating Hashirama Senju: Free Points Doubled]
[Special Reward for Demonstrating Understanding of a "New Meta": Free Points Doubled]
Looking at the system notification, Ren could not help smiling.
He suddenly felt his system was pretty amusing.
Understanding of a "new meta"?
Was that not his own favorite phrase?
And now even the system was borrowing it?
Still, it was not wrong.
This time, he really had not used the old "giant-mecha meta" to deal with them.
Instead, he had intentionally switched into the "tattoo-era new meta" and beaten the older generation senseless!
Getting a reward for that really was not surprising at all.
"So then…"
Ren took a deep breath and looked at the final line on the panel.
[Current Free Points: 100]
"One hundred free points… that should finally be enough for another upgrade."
To the old him, one hundred free points would have been an absurd fortune.
But now, it did not feel like much at all.
Because if he wanted to increase his Bloodline Expansion, the cost would be a ridiculous ninety-one free points!
That price was enough to make even Ren feel despair.
Still, with the rewards from this fight and his previous missions combined, he finally had enough for another upgrade.
His physical abilities had already reached Level 16.
And he had no intention of letting his bloodline-derived power lag too far behind forever.
"System. Upgrade Bloodline Expansion."
[Current Bloodline Expansion Level: 13]
[Upgrading Bloodline Expansion]
The moment those words appeared, Ren instantly felt the chakra within him surge violently.
And as it surged, he realized the chakra of the Tenseigan was being drawn into him once again.
This time, however, something was clearly different.
Because the Tenseigan's chakra went directly into his forehead!
"This—?!"
There was a horn on Ren's forehead.
No matter how much he had examined it before, he had never managed to learn much about it.
And beneath that horn lay a tremendous amount of chakra, though Ren still could not fully understand what kind of chakra it was.
His own guess had always been that it was some kind of eye.
But what sort of eye?
What ability did it hold?
When would it finally be complete?
He had never been sure.
Its growth had been painfully slow, and far too mysterious. Even when Ren deliberately poured chakra into it, nothing had really happened.
"Could it really be a third eye?"
Ren could not help murmuring.
But in the next instant, the chakra in his body suddenly trembled.
A pillar of white light roared upward, piercing straight through the heavens!
That light was overwhelming.
Sacred.
It erupted not only throughout the interior of the moon, but pierced the moon itself and spread out into the distant starry sky.
At that moment, Ren could clearly feel his body being driven forward by it.
His chakra surged through him without end.
And in the same instant, it felt as though he was no longer bound by the limits of flesh and soul.
He had long since stopped worrying about lifespan.
But now, he seemed to gain an even deeper understanding of life itself.
"So it can work like this?"
Ren slowly raised a hand.
A tiny flame lit itself at his fingertip.
That flame was even more terrifying than the flame of life he had formed before. The life force pouring from it was so dense it felt almost overwhelming.
The upgrade to Bloodline Expansion had brought him a truly unbelievable transformation!
"Still… that's not the real key. The real key is…"
As he thought, Ren suddenly felt a heartbeat.
And that heartbeat was coming from the horn on his forehead!
Thump—
With each beat of that pulse, Ren closed his eyes again.
At the same time, he removed his forehead protector.
Beneath it, the faint horn was still there.
It did not seem to have grown any larger.
But as Ren poured chakra into it, the horn abruptly began to blur… and then vanished entirely.
In its place, a narrow slit slowly appeared.
And under Ren's control, that slit snapped open!
Buzz—
Violent chakra spread wildly in every direction.
And revealed within it—
Was a crimson Rinne Sharingan with nine tomoe.
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon → [email protected]/lucarioTL (replace @ with a)