Outside the valley, the onlookers, each harboring their own thoughts, were completely speechless as they watched the flashes of light erupting inside again and again.
The battle between these two colossal beings had completely destroyed the valley. Mountains had turned into valleys, valleys into plains, plains into chasms. Stones rained from the sky, something that should only happen in the Land of Earth.
Spies stationed nearby had tried every possible method to uncover details of the fight, but none had returned. The survivors could only watch from a distance as the two massive monsters clashed, as if their stamina was limitless.
"They're true monsters…" someone muttered bitterly.
Everyone had witnessed Konoha's development over the years. It was no longer just a standout village; it had left the others in the dust.
The five great ninja villages had maintained a fragile balance, each wary of war. A major reason for this was the belief that power shifts over time.
Was Hashirama strong? Was Madara terrifying?
Even after they turned against each other, the world remained at peace.
It wasn't Wood Release or the Mangekyō Sharingan that people feared, no ninjutsu was completely unstoppable. No matter how powerful a technique, it couldn't prevent the era of villages and nations from needing war.
What truly terrified them was Hashirama and Madara themselves. As long as even one of them was alive, the world would rather bide its time and focus on farming. Yet, just a few decades later, a figure of similar stature had emerged once again in Konoha.
Masashi might not surpass his ancestor Madara, but that comparison was meaningless. The fact that Konoha once again had such a ninja meant this generation of ninjas had no hope of rising.
As for Nagato, who was battling Masashi on equal footing, the others found that more acceptable.
After all, he was from Ame.
To the five great villages, only the other four mattered. Outside of direct conflicts, any so-called "strongest among the secondary villages" was irrelevant. Of course, that was merely the opinion of the spies. What their superiors thought was not up to them.
When people have nothing to do, they look for trouble. Since everyone was already gathered here, the various factions began picking fights over old grievances, until Ame's forces arrived as well.
Leading them was a visibly anxious Konan.
Nagato still hadn't returned, and with nightfall approaching, she was growing increasingly uneasy. She decided to take a hundred elite Ame-nin out to search for him. Given the gathering of spies, it wasn't hard for her to locate the battlefield. Along the way, she realized this was the same route they had taken back when Yahiko had died.
As she got closer, she began to doubt her own eyes.
When she finally reached the "spectator area," all doubt vanished. Because she too could see the two gigantic figures in the distance.
"Tailed beast… and the Gedo Statue…"
Konan didn't dare approach.
She had considered using the upcoming events as an opportunity for Ame to obtain a tailed beast, but the target wasn't the Two-Tails, it was the One-Tail.
If they allied with Konoha, they might even be able to leverage Jiraiya's connections to accomplish this.
Taki had already demonstrated the advantages of a small village possessing a tailed beast.
The first step was always the hardest. But once taken, they could use Ame as a platform to further their plans. Acting as the leader of Ame would yield completely different results compared to acting as the leader of Akatsuki, the former would be seen as operating within the system's rules.
After ordering her men to stand down and avoid any unnecessary fights with the foreign spies, Konan waited quietly. Because she believed, Nagato would not lose.
---
"I won't lose…" Nagato murmured to himself as he stared at the two colossal monsters in the distance, trying to boost his own morale.
After being swatted away by Masashi's tailed beast cloak, he had temporarily exited the battlefield.
Masashi was far more interested in the Gedo Statue and had completely ignored him.
Does he… know the true abilities of the Gedo Statue? Nagato began contemplating this question.
The Uchiha clan was an ancient ninja lineage that possessed many hidden secrets. Was the Gedo Statue really what he had always believed it to be?
Moreover, judging by how the statue had rampaged out of control, he wasn't certain if he could fully command it with the Rinnegan.
I… am still not strong enough…
As Nagato reflected on the battle so far, he had to admit it, while he had become much more adept at using the Rinnegan, it still wasn't enough.
Against ordinary ninjas, he was overwhelming. But against Masashi, he couldn't claim victory. If they fought to the death, who would survive? It was impossible to say.
Meanwhile, Masashi was making full use of the Two-Tails' power…
BOOM!
With another thunderous explosion, a brilliant light engulfed everything in its path, reducing it to ash, except for the Gedo Statue.
As the shockwave spread, the sky rained down blue streaks of fire, as if they had eyes, all homing in on the statue. A massive, lightning-clad feline appeared, slamming into the Gedo Statue and knocking it over. It pounced, unleashing a flurry of savage attacks before leaping away just as the statue attempted to counter.
Nagato watched closely from nearby, still unable to fully grasp Masashi's intentions.
Masashi had been fighting the Gedo Statue for a long time now, channeling the chakra of the Two-Tails, even partially transforming into a tailed beast.
The Gedo Statue wasn't completely unscathed, but in truth, it hadn't lost a single piece of its body.
That said, its reactions were noticeably slowing down.
The statue had always been mindless, and after rampaging for so long, it was starting to grow sluggish. Its body remained intact, but numerous cracks had formed across its surface, with the worst injuries being the deep sword wounds on its arms.
If the statue was in this state, then Masashi must also be struggling.
Nagato's assumption was correct.
Masashi's entire body ached.
Whether it was Susanoo or partial tailed beast transformation, any technique that required continuously releasing chakra through every tenketsu put an immense strain on the body. The burden could be minimized, but not eliminated.
And more importantly, this was the chakra of Matatabi.
Even for a jinchūriki, prolonged use of a tailed beast's chakra had negative effects on the body. There was no escaping it. Because of this, Masashi had already performed medical ninjutsu on himself several times.
But more than the physical toll, the mental exhaustion was even worse.
Fortunately, his efforts were paying off, the Gedo Statue's agility had significantly declined.
Without reclaiming the chakra of all nine tailed beasts, this empty husk had limited, not unlimited, power.
"Finally, I can make my move..."
Masashi felt the time was right. He hadn't forgotten about Nagato.
"Matatabi, that's enough. You can withdraw now."
Huh? Are you sure? Like, really sure? You're not gonna get yourself killed, right?
"The people who can kill me do exist, but they'll have to wait a few more years." Masashi replied irritably. "But you, what's with this nonsense? You're a tailed beast, and you're running low on chakra?"
Do you even realize how many times you've made me fire off attacks? Just because I'm a tailed beast doesn't mean I don't need rest! My chakra isn't infinite, you know!
Matatabi was clearly unimpressed, but beneath its protest, there was genuine concern.
Don't push yourself too hard! If things go south, just run, alright? I'm really pulling back now!
"Yeah, yeah, just do it already."
If you don't, I'll have to heal myself again, which would just waste more chakra.
Seeing how firm Masashi's stance was, Matatabi finally severed their chakra link.
As the continuous flow of chakra disappeared, Masashi's full tailed beast transformation began to fade. The flame-like chakra dimmed.
The Gedo Statue seemed to realize what was happening. Though it had just been knocked down, it struggled to rise again, regaining some of its lost agility.
But not fast enough.
By the time it managed to get back up, all traces of Matatabi's chakra had completely vanished.
Masashi landed lightly on the ground.
ROOOOAAARRRR!!!
The Gedo Statue let out a furious howl, only for its roar to gradually weaken.
Not gonna lie, Masashi could actually hear the disappointment in its voice. Maybe even a bit of… grievance.
Honestly, he almost felt sorry for it.
It had been resting underground just fine when people ripped out its core for their own use. Then, when it tried to take it back, it got beaten down. Finally, it got locked away in a dark prison.
To make things worse, they had even reduced its intelligence.
Yeah… pretty tragic.
But in his opinion, the Gedo Statue needed to stay miserable. Because if it wasn't, everyone else would be.
With a light step, he shot toward the Gedo Statue. Its head moved ever so slightly, but the reaction was so faint that it was clear, Masashi's chakra alone did nothing to interest it.
It was still sulking over the massive amount of chakra it had just lost.
Which made it easy for Masashi to leap onto its arm.
There was a long crack running down its arm. Compared to its massive frame, it was insignificant, but to Masashi, it was large enough to serve as a trench.
His Sharingan gleamed scarlet once more, the three tomoe spinning.
As he activated them again, he felt an unprecedented surge of power, his ocular strength was nearly on par with the full extent of his previous Sage Mode.
The chakra of the Ten-Tails… truly incredible.
At the same time, he could tell, his own unique dojutsu, the mirror of his soul, was finally complete.
His earlier suspicions had been right. His ocular technique hadn't fully matured before, which was why it had seemed so underwhelming.
But now… Did this count as a Mangekyō Sharingan?
Eh, whatever. He'd just use it first and figure it out later.
"What exactly are you planning?" Nagato's voice came from behind him.
Masashi turned his head and smirked.
"You only just now got the courage to come out? Maybe drop the act, yeah?"
Nagato was also standing on the Gedo Statue's arm, wearing his usual stone-cold expression. But when he got a proper look at Masashi's face, his expression changed.
Into one that practically screamed: Are you freaking kidding me?
"You… when did you get those eyes?"
The chaotic canyon had settled into a strangely static scene. The Gedo Statue was in a state of self-isolation, completely motionless.
Nagato and Masashi stood on the statue's arm, locked in a silent stare-off.
Masashi was the first to break the silence.
"Factory original, triple compensation for fakes. What, you want to verify it?"
Seeing Nagato's expression, he couldn't help but think, What's so shocking about this? Does he think all these years I've been doing nothing but sleep?
"..." That familiar feeling of not understanding but somehow still understanding.
"Are you mocking me?"
"No shit. It's just you and me here. If I don't mock you, should I mock myself instead?"
"These eyes… can see through life and death."
"Cut the crap. What life and death? I don't even need eye techniques to see that you're still alive."
Nagato clenched his fists. How the hell had this guy survived until now? Was he always this annoying, even when he was weaker?
"What? Can't accept it?" Masashi immediately saw through Nagato's thoughts.
The Rinnegan had always been the foundation of Nagato's confidence. Because of the Rinnegan, he had been willing to fight alongside Yahiko and Konan to help them, even though he hated conflict.
Because of the Rinnegan, after Yahiko's death, he believed he could fulfill Yahiko's dream.
Because of the Rinnegan, he had confidence in enforcing peace through pain while protecting Konan in the process.
He had never enjoyed battle. What supported him was a single belief, the Rinnegan is the strongest.
But now, that belief was shaken.
"How did you do it?"
"Nagato, you've been using the Gedo Statue for so long, do you know where it comes from?"
Masashi tapped his foot.
The statue reacted slightly, tilting its head just a bit. It had limited... no, zero intelligence. It just felt that the two little humans standing on its hand were being noisy and disturbing its self-isolation.
Annoying.
However, both of them gave off a familiar feeling, so instinctively, it judged them to be harmless and continued its sulking. Its massive, overflowing chakra, gone! Vanished! It was heartbroken. It didn't want to move.
"And where does it come from?" Nagato's tone was cold.
But inside, he was far from calm, he was on edge! Masashi knew! He knew the Gedo Statue was the source of the tailed beasts! Gathering all the tailed beasts meant becoming an enemy of the entire shinobi world!
Right now, Akatsuki's high-level combat power was still limited. Even with Ame included, they couldn't stand against such enemies.
The peace of the Land of Rain depended on a balance of forces, but once Konoha moved, Iwa and Suna would follow. At that point, he'd have no choice but to escape with Konan.
Yahiko's dream… would become a distant fantasy.
Masashi ignored Nagato's shifting expressions and continued his explanation.
"The tailed beasts come from the Gedo Statue. But where does the Gedo Statue come from? Everything has an origin. It is an external entity, the original source of chakra in this world. From it came the Rabbit Goddess, and through the blessings of the people, she bore two sons. The eldest became the Sage of Six Paths, born with chakra, and from this chakra, the Rinnegan was formed. Meaning..."
Masashi locked eyes with Nagato. At this moment, the eyes in his sockets were identical to Nagato's as he spoke, "By absorbing the chakra of the Gedo Statue, as an Uchiha, it's only natural that I awakened the Rinnegan, right?"
Yes. After fighting the Gedo Statue from day to night, constantly replenishing his chakra, somewhere along the way, his Rinnegan awakened.
And his unique ocular ability? It was his Rinnegan's ability. The reason it hadn't fully manifested before was simply because he didn't have the Rinnegan yet.
The Mangekyō Sharingan's abilities fall under Yin Release, while the Rinnegan's abilities involve Yin-Yang Release. With only Yin, of course, it couldn't activate.
"Absurd..." Nagato finally spoke.
Masashi had bombarded him with so much information that he was completely dumbfounded. If the Rinnegan was a power inherited through Uchiha blood, then… did that mean he and Masashi were relatives?
And what was this Rabbit Goddess nonsense? Seriously? He just casually dropped the mother of the Sage of Six Paths into the conversation? And from the way he said it, she even had siblings?
Nagato had always been curious about the Sage of Six Paths' family, but hearing it from Masashi like this made it feel so… casual.
This version of history was completely different from what Tobi had told him. No, they were two entirely separate stories.
According to Tobi, the Ten-Tails was the first tailed beast in this world. Its overwhelming power endangered the people, and a certain monk saved them by separating the Ten-Tails, leaving behind only its husk, the Gedo Statue. That monk was the Sage of Six Paths.
And his own Rinnegan? Like the Sage, he was born with it, bestowed by the heavens as the eyes of a chosen one.
That was a narrative he could accept.
But now, Masashi was looking at him with a pair of Rinnegan, too. And no matter how he looked at it… this guy did not seem like some noble, enlightened being.
"You're lying. I also connected to the Gedo Statue, but nothing happened."
Nothing? More like it nearly drained him dry. It was only because he had been fighting a lot recently and constantly replenishing his chakra that he hadn't withered away.
"You seriously think the Gedo Statue actually needs your chakra? What it absorbs is your life force. The only reason you're still in good shape is that, for the sake of peace, you've been fighting frequently and absorbing chakra from others. If you don't believe me, try stopping for a month."
Masashi couldn't understand Nagato's thought process.
Sure, I was replenishing chakra. But you? You were getting drained. How is that the same?
If Nagato had been bolder like Madara, and dared to directly extract chakra from the Gedo Statue, he would have been way stronger than he was now, and his life force would have recovered too.
As long as you had the Rinnegan, the Gedo Statue was actually quite obedient.
Masashi figured that Nagato must've been traumatized the first time he used the Gedo Statue in battle and got heavily drained. Since then, he had subconsciously accepted the idea that he could only be drained by it.
Not reading books, not having books to read, both could ruin people.
In his view, Nagato was a typical case of someone who had never read systematic textbooks or professional materials. Instead, he had absorbed fragmented information from biased sources, forming a patchwork understanding of things.
No wonder his entire combat style was so heavily reliant on the basic abilities of the Rinnegan.
After all, from the moment he started training as a ninja, he had built his entire fighting system around the Rinnegan.
But whether it was Madara, Obito, or now Masashi, all of them had already developed their combat systems before acquiring the Rinnegan. Unlike Nagato, they didn't rely solely on its basic abilities.
Because, in reality, many of those abilities were quite redundant, within the Sharingan system, there were other jutsu that had similar effects but consumed far less chakra.
And for Nagato, changing his approach now would be difficult.
"Why are you telling me all this?" Nagato asked.
"I was originally planning to dig out your eyes, but that would probably cost me a valuable friendship. Friendships like this don't come easily. But now that I have my own pair, taking yours doesn't matter anymore," Masashi said casually. "Live a more meaningful life. Don't waste Yahiko's will. If you keep going down this path, Konan is as good as dead."
Could Nagato be persuaded? Masashi thought it wasn't entirely impossible, but first, he had to get Nagato to calm down and actually listen to someone.
In the original timeline, before he attacked Konoha, there was no one like that around him. But if there had been, he might have changed his mind much sooner than expected.
Masashi shifted his gaze back to the cracks on the Gedo Statue's arm.
The Ten-Tails' body, even in its incomplete form, was still a monstrous reservoir of chakra. And more importantly…
Since his Rinnegan also originated from the Gedo Statue, it meant that he should be able to summon it as well.
After thinking for a moment, he decided not to sever the connection just yet. A fully awakened Rinnegan could probably extract the power, but he lacked enough intel for now.
Better to wait.
"You still want to fight? If not, let's move on to the next step," he said.
Nagato stared at Masashi intently. Lying was a basic ninja skill, he couldn't determine if Masashi was telling the truth. But there was one thing he could verify on the spot.
He formed a hand seal.
The ground beneath them vanished, the Gedo Statue transformed into a massive cloud of white mist, quickly filling the entire canyon.
Masashi landed lightly on the ground.
The Sharingan's fundamental abilities were chakra perception and genjutsu amplification. And at the Rinnegan stage, those abilities were even further enhanced.
Against such abilities, the Hidden Mist Jutsu was the best counter. In essence, it spread chakra everywhere, making it harder to pinpoint a target.
It was said that the technique was inspired by the mist produced during Summoning Jutsu, though whether that was true remained unknown. But at this level of chakra control, it wasn't interfering with anything.
Even through the dense fog, Masashi could clearly see a huge mass of humanoid chakra in front of him. He watched as that mass raised its hand, chakra rapidly gathering at the palm.
Come on. We both have the same eyes, pulling a sneak attack like this is pointless.
Even though he wasn't fully familiar with the Rinnegan yet, basic abilities didn't require mastery.
Chakra output? Just match it.
Masashi didn't raise his hand. This was his first time using it, and he felt like it deserved some ceremony.
So instead, he flicked his fingers. A shockwave burst forth simultaneously from both of them.
The thick mist was blown away in an instant, completely cleared out by the force. The shockwaves collided mid-air. The impact scattered the mist like waves crashing against rocks.
BOOM!
Nagato took a step back, his expression darkening.
"Looks like yours isn't original," Masashi said, watching him. "Same chakra output, but yours is obviously weaker."
Nagato remained silent.
The truth was undeniable, Masashi really did have the same Rinnegan as him. Even their abilities were identical.
Nagato, who had always been the one using the Rinnegan against others, had never even considered how to fight against another pair. But after leading Akatsuki for so many years, he at least knew how to handle this situation.
"You mentioned a 'next step'... what is it?"
"Nice pivot," Masashi praised him first.
He could see that Nagato was deeply shaken right now, so he didn't press further and instead got to the point.
"The Chunin Exams are starting soon. Is Ame participating? If so, how many people? Give me a list."
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Currently 80 advance chapters!
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