The thunderous explosions finally subsided.
The armor of Fivefold Tribulation Crossing was on the verge of collapse, barely clinging together as it still hung loosely over the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Yet—
The Hashirama construct embedded in the statue's chest was completely unscathed.
High above, amid drifting smoke and scorched clouds, Momoshiki hovered in disbelief.
"He… endured it?"
"He actually tanked the Mutual Detonation enhanced by High King Production?!"
Atop the statue, within the last remaining forehead chamber, Madara stood with arms crossed, his expression calm.
"Are you joking?"
"Fivefold Tribulation is my strongest defense at this stage."
"You've already damaged it this much. Isn't that enough for you, Ōtsutsuki?"
"Damn it!"
Momoshiki clenched his fists in frustration.
His stock of High King Production techniques was exhausted.
And with Madara's battle sense, there was no way he would be allowed to "feed" him more techniques.
As for Momoshiki's own arsenal—
While powerful, none of it could surpass the barrier he had just failed to break.
Am I… out of options?
To his humiliation, Momoshiki realized—
He was thinking of retreat.
Me? Retreating?
Running with my tail between my legs?
I am Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki, a noble being of heaven!
The crimson halberd of Byakugōjin formed in his hand once more.
To survive that explosion, his Rinnegan-linked shadows had vanished.
They were clearly in cooldown.
If I combine Aramitsu's cutting power with Yin-Yang Release…
One decisive strike might still destroy him!
Seeing that Momoshiki refused to back down, Madara lowered his arms.
The remnants of Susanoo armor peeled away from the statue.
"Ungrateful fool."
"Then stay here forever."
"I've been lacking Ōtsutsuki souls lately."
Whoosh!
A black spatial vortex suddenly tore through space, interrupting the standoff.
Obito and Akira emerged atop the statue.
"Hm?" Madara turned.
Akira's right eye had completely transformed.
The sclera carried the pale violet hue unique to the shinobi world.
Three dark concentric ripples.
Six ink-black tomoe.
The Six-Tomoe Rinnegan.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Uncle Madara," Akira said calmly.
"Unfortunately, I only awakened one eye."
Madara snorted.
"And you're still not satisfied?"
"Opening a Rinnegan through self-inflicted death is already absurd."
"The fact you awakened even one is a miracle among miracles."
He glanced at Akira's left eye—the Eternal Mangekyō.
"If you want that one to awaken too…"
"You'll need a genuine near-death experience caused by uncontrollable external force."
Akira murmured, "Uncontrollable external force…"
Meaning—
No deliberate self-harm.
No intentionally failing to dodge attacks.
No calculated self-sacrifice.
Anything done on purpose would not count.
"I understand," Akira smiled.
"I'll leave it to fate."
With Rinnegan, having it or not was a world of difference.
One eye or two was another.
For now, one eye was enough to complete his plans.
Madara studied him.
"Have you released Twin Bloom?"
"Yes."
"Then what's with your body?"
"Why does it still resonate with Hashirama's and my chakra?"
"It's like you're still synchronized with the construct."
Akira covered his right eye lightly.
The Rinnegan shimmered between his fingers.
"That's… a long story."
"Think of it as a one-time awakening bonus with permanent effects."
"The power of that Hashirama construct infused with your strength…"
"It's become part of me."
Madara was startled.
"Awakening bonus? Since when does the Rinnegan do that?"
Akira smiled faintly.
"It's related to my own ocular abilities…"
"Lower life-forms!"
Momoshiki's furious roar cut in.
"Have you forgotten I'm still here?!"
His Byakugan locked onto Akira.
The half-dead inferior had returned.
With a Rinnegan.
Another being deeply tainted by Kaguya's bloodline.
How disgraceful…
That woman had spread the sacred power of the Ten-Tails across inferior lands.
Madara folded his arms again.
"So, Akira."
"How do you want to deal with him?"
Akira smiled.
"Uncle Madara, any suggestions?"
"That depends," Madara replied calmly,
"On what role he plays in your plan."
Akira's gaze drifted to the edge of the reddish-brown wasteland.
He checked his watch.
8:12:49 a.m.
I was sent into Kamui around 8:01.
Madara fought Kinshiki first.
At least two or three minutes must've passed.
Then…
It might still be within range.
That technique…
It's worth trying.
Whoosh!
Akira vanished—
Not toward Momoshiki.
But toward the corner of the battlefield.
Toward Kinshiki's severed horn.
"Lowly creature! What are you trying to do?!"
Momoshiki roared, chasing after him.
Akira flicked his right eye.
—Futsunomitama!
Swish!
A storm of chakra rods erupted, crisscrossing before Momoshiki!
"What?!"
Momoshiki slashed wildly, barely deflecting them.
By the time he looked again—
Akira had already reached the broken horn.
Whoosh!
The horn flew into Akira's hand.
His right eye flared.
—Yumodora Flow!
Black temporal lines rippled outward.
Along the horn—
Kinshiki's massive body reassembled in midair, horror written across his face.
Akira muttered,
"Cutting it close… Good thing the Rinnegan extended my rewind limit to ten minutes."
Kinshiki looked around in confusion.
"W-What happened…? Didn't Lord Momoshiki already—?!"
From the moment Kinshiki reappeared, Momoshiki had frozen in midair.
"That… that technique…"
Atop the statue, Madara spoke gravely.
"So that's it… So it really works like this."
Obito frowned.
"What do you mean? That's just Akira's time-reversal again, right?"
Madara shook his head.
"You didn't see it firsthand."
"Momoshiki absorbed Kinshiki. There was causality between them."
"If Akira rewound Kinshiki to before he was turned into a chakra fruit…"
"Then Momoshiki should've been forced out of that state."
"But he wasn't."
"You know what that means, Obito?"
Obito clenched his fist.
"It means…"
"The causality is gone."
Madara nodded.
"Exactly."
"On the surface, Akira revived Kinshiki."
"But in truth…"
His voice lowered.
"He split Kinshiki into two."
"The one that was eaten…"
"And the one that is alive."
Akira had seen what he wanted to see.
Crack—crack!
Crystalline frost began spreading over Kinshiki's body.
"Lord Momoshiki!"
Kinshiki cried out helplessly as he was completely frozen, sealed in ice, and vanished into mist.
"This…"
Akira whispered,
"Is the eye technique that severs causality."
"Annihilating Śraddhā."
—Severance of Existence.
"Next…"
His gaze slowly turned toward Momoshiki.
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