"Impossible!"
Jiraiya still didn't believe it. Nagato had awakened the Rinnegan ever since his parents were killed when he was a child. That kind of experience couldn't have been faked.
If it was implanted…
It could only have happened back then, but how much time had even passed? And Nagato himself had no memory of it whatsoever. No matter how he looked at it, it just didn't add up.
More importantly—
Jiraiya had always believed that Nagato might be the Child of Prophecy foretold by the Great Toad Sage.
Now Kyoichi was telling him that the eyes of the prophesied one might not even be his own?
That upended everything he had believed until now.
But then...
Tsunade hit him with that death glare again.
Jiraiya fell silent.
Minato stepped in to mediate.
"Sensei, Kyoichi is just making a hypothesis based on the current situation. If he were absolutely certain, he would've brought it up long ago."
"Exactly. No need to be so anxious," Kushina added. "Minato mentioned before that Nagato's physical characteristics suggest a strong Uzumaki lineage—his chakra and body aren't weak by any means."
"That's right," Kyoichi continued. "The Uzumaki clan is famous for their longevity and incredible vitality. While Nagato's constitution is certainly above average, it's still noticeably weaker compared to the typical Uzumaki standard."
Jiraiya paused, and—reluctantly—had to admit that Kyoichi's analysis made some sense.
Nagato's body...
Did fall a bit short of what you'd expect from someone of Uzumaki descent.
"Back to the main point," Tsunade said, redirecting the conversation, "if those eyes aren't Nagato's… then whose are they?"
Kyoichi shrugged.
"If I knew that, I'd already be tracking it down. Why do you think I've been sitting around waiting for Kakuzu to slip up?"
"Uh…" Tsunade was at a loss for words.
Yeah, that was kind of a dumb question.
But still...
If Kyoichi's theory was right, then whoever gave Nagato those eyes must be terrifyingly powerful. And—
"Why would someone give away the Rinnegan? That makes no sense!" Jiraiya asked, baffled.
"No idea," Kyoichi said. "Maybe it has something to do with the Rinnegan's functionality… or maybe the original owner couldn't control them anymore. Or maybe—just maybe—they're using Nagato and his Rinnegan for some specific purpose."
Kyoichi spoke thoughtfully, as if piecing the puzzle together.
"I remember you said Itachi was once taken away by a certain technique," Tsunade recalled, "and even probing his memory yielded no results?"
She was referring to the intel on Itachi.
Mind control… and Earth Release capabilities…
"In that case—"
"It connects!" Tsunade exclaimed. "If the enemy possesses some method of controlling others, and if Nagato's Rinnegan really didn't originate with him… then those eyes must belong to the one behind this organization!"
Kyoichi nodded quietly.
The others had clearly thought of it too, but all three were hesitant to say it out loud—if this was true, then the enemy behind the scenes was beyond terrifying.
"Then… doesn't that put Nagato in serious danger?"
"Don't panic," Kyoichi replied calmly. "We still haven't figured out the extent of their abilities. If those eyes really do belong to the enemy, then panicking won't help. And if they don't, then I was wrong—no need to worry either way."
"…That actually makes a lot of sense."
Jiraiya sat back down, trying to sort through the flood of information in his head. But his brain was mush—he couldn't make sense of any of it.
The truth was...
His entire worldview had just been shaken.
The Child of Prophecy might not be Nagato.
And those eyes... might not be his either.
What the hell is going on anymore?
Tsunade's mind was also a mess. She struggled to wrap her head around the idea that someone so powerful might be operating behind the scenes of the shinobi world.
"Hey now," Kyoichi interjected. "You guys are acting like this is confirmed intel. It's all just speculation. No need to look like you're carrying the weight of the world. If I freaked out over every theory I came up with, I'd have had a mental breakdown by now."
The others twitched at the corners of their mouths.
This guy…
Deserved a beating.
How could anyone not be shaken by a theory this earth-shattering?
Also—
Was Kyoichi… still hiding other secrets?
They looked at him, all thinking the same thing: Probably.
That guy had always liked working in silence. Research, training… he'd quietly accumulated so much that by the time anyone noticed, his strength had already skyrocketed.
He was definitely holding something back.
Jiraiya had arrived in high spirits and was now leaving filled with dread. He even forgot that he was probably still going to get beat up once he got home. As for Kyoichi, he didn't say much more.
After all, everything discussed tonight was still conjecture. Without evidence, it couldn't be made public. But private speculation among trusted allies? That was fine.
At the very least—
Jiraiya was taking it seriously now.
Because of how overwhelming the topic of the Rinnegan was, everyone completely forgot about the initial topic: the Land of Water and Kirigakure.
It wasn't until the next day that someone remembered that's where the conversation had started.
And then—
Jiraiya realized: if Kyoichi could speculate in such detail about the Rinnegan, how could he not have noticed the anomalies in the Land of Water?
He probably had noticed.
Maybe even long before Jiraiya got his intel.
And he was right—
Kyoichi had made preparations a while back. In addition to his pawn Yagura, he had stationed multiple covert ANBU teams along the eastern front, constantly monitoring any changes.
Now that Danzō was no longer a factor, he no longer had to worry about some traitor undermining his plans or selling them out under some noble-sounding excuse.
As for Kakuzu—
He was the real problem.
Kyoichi could use Flying Thunder God seals to mark and track Kakuzu's location. Though the detection range was limited, it was definitely larger than Kakuzu's own perception. With Oriri's Mind's Eye of the Kagura, they could even track Kakuzu and Sasori without either of them realizing.
However…
The real issue wasn't them. It was Black Zetsu and White Zetsu.
So far, Kyoichi still had no perfect method to detect or identify them. Only some Wood Release-based techniques could vaguely sense their presence.
So…
Before anything else, he needed to enhance his Wood Release—to make the plants his eyes. And he had to avoid White Zetsu's sensory abilities, at least long enough not to be detected immediately.
Right now, Kyoichi was attempting to master natural energy, not Sage Chakra.
That kind of energy was something White Zetsu wasn't as familiar with. It wasn't chakra or Sage Chakra—so it wouldn't be sensed as easily.
Of course…
Kyoichi hadn't figured out how to fight using natural energy just yet. But for plant modification and chakra concealment, he'd recently made solid progress.
The vine hidden deep within the Forest of Death—the one he'd been cultivating to help him stay hidden—had started to bear results.
A little more time, and it would be ready.
Next step—
Kyoichi, carrying a new technique formula, went to find Oriri.
"Kyoichi-sama."
"Oriri, this is a rather important task. Your training in sealing techniques has come a long way. You should be able to handle this."
He handed her the formula.
Oriri studied it for a bit and said, "This looks like a space-time positioning formula. Similar to the one used in summoning techniques. What do you need me to do?"
"I need you to attune to it—to be able to sense it even from long distances. That's important. If you can't do it, that's fine—I can do it myself, but my range is much smaller."
When Oriri joined ANBU, she had told Kyoichi about her abilities.
Besides medical ninjutsu, she also specialized in sensory techniques.
So…
She studied the formula a bit more, then closed her eyes and tried to sense it.
After a while, she looked up at the ceiling.
"I think I sense two of them… one's in the Hokage's office."
"Correct. One is mine. The other belongs to Minato. Any others?"
"Not at the moment. Maybe I'm not familiar enough with the formula yet. Give me some time, Kyoichi-sama. I swear I'll master it within three days!"
She shook her head at first, but quickly made a firm promise.
"No need to rush. Take your time," Kyoichi said. "I just thought your sensory range was larger, so I wanted to leverage that. Minato and I can still do it if necessary."
Chakra-based sensory techniques couldn't match the range of the Kagura Mind's Eye, but they were still far better than average.
And Flying Thunder God techniques were notoriously difficult.
Oriri didn't say a word, but it was clear she had already made up her mind—she was determined to fully master the technique within a few days and reach the level where she could sense it from long distances.
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