"Hmph! You really think the Rinnegan is that easy to control? The moment you Kuchiyose (Summon) the Gedō Mazō (Demonic Statue of the Outer Path), just wait to be drained dry by it!"
Those who cannot master the Rinnegan are sucked of chakra and life by the Gedō Mazō.
Nagato is the best example.
That is why Obito agreed to the trade—partly because Kabuto had leverage over him, and partly because he believed Kabuto couldn't control the Rinnegan anyway.
He didn't believe Kabuto could ever truly command it, because the Rinnegan evolves from the Sharingan.
He and Madara could handle it with ease, while Nagato—who wasn't of Uchiha blood—could not. Kabuto would be even less capable.
"Hmph! You dare use Rin to threaten me? Prepare to die!"
Obito seethed and unconsciously quickened his pace.
Since he had already declared war on the shinobi world, he had to get ready fast—raise the hundred-thousand White Zetsu army and also craft a new Six Paths of Pain.
If he wanted to defeat the Five Great Villages, he needed sufficient strength.
Although Pain's Six Paths had been devised by Nagato, there was no reason he couldn't borrow the concept. Against any ninja other than Natsuki, it shouldn't be a problem.
As for Natsuki—leave him to Madara.
Elsewhere, in a laboratory in the Land of Rice Fields.
Kabuto stared at the ripple-patterned eyeball floating in a nutrient cylinder, a feverish smile tugging at his lips.
"Hahaha! The Rinnegan is finally in my hands. Let me see just how mighty the eyes of a sage truly are!"
Kabuto didn't hesitate. He performed surgery on himself.
He'd always been a madman with no regard for his own life. When cultivating Ryūchidō (Ryuchi Cave) Sennin Mōdo (Sage Mode), he'd even dared to graft into his body the bloodline factors of the Sound Five, Karin, Suigetsu, Jūgo, and others—thus forging his current power.
So when faced with something like the Rinnegan, of course he dared to implant it straight into his eye.
Soon, the operation was complete.
After a period of acclimation, the Rinnegan became his right eye at last—yet it filled him with a bad sensation, because it was constantly draining his chakra.
Naturally so—just as the Sharingan continuously siphons chakra.
When a non-Uchiha transplants the Sharingan, the eye doesn't truly adapt to the body and must be "fed" with chakra at all times, or it deteriorates.
As the evolved form of the Sharingan, the Rinnegan demands even more chakra.
In Nagato's case, being of Uzumaki lineage, his chakra reserves were vast, so he barely noticed it at first. He later wasted away like a rack of ribs because the Gedō Mazō did the draining.
Kabuto, however, didn't possess such reserves, and now felt an extreme discomfort.
"So that's it. No wonder he handed over the Rinnegan so readily. He thinks I can't control it. But perhaps I understand now—it needs Uchiha blood, doesn't it? Heh. Don't underestimate me. If that's all, I'll just swap myself a new bloodline. In that case… let Madara help me!"
As expected, Kabuto—like Orochimaru—ultimately set his sights on Sasuke's body.
But Kabuto's ambition was far greater than Orochimaru's.
The power of the Rinnegan—he would have it!
Land of Iron. The Five Kage Summit continued.
Now that they knew the truth, they could craft targeted responses for many matters.
Tsunade emphasized, "The most important thing right now is to prevent Obito from seizing the jinchūriki! Protecting the jinchūriki takes top priority!"
A agreed at once. "Exactly! As long as the jinchūriki are secure, Obito can't reconstitute the Jūbi (Ten-Tails). That's the key to this war. Fortunately, we still have five jinchūriki not captured yet, so the situation isn't irretrievable."
Gaara gave Tsunade a thumbs-up. "We owe much to Konoha. Otherwise, Fū and I would already be dead."
Mei nodded as well. "Indeed. The more jinchūriki they steal, the worse it gets for us. Konoha safeguarding several of them is a huge advantage for our operations."
By now, reconnaissance squads were already moving out toward Konoha's perimeter.
Not only had Konoha protected the jinchūriki during Pain's invasion, they had also overpowered Pain with the Rinnegan, and even uncovered the whole truth. All of that was nothing short of astonishing.
With a Konoha like this—who wouldn't acknowledge them?
Even the ever-stubborn, prideful Ōnoki had nothing to refute.
Well—he still had something to say. "As for our strategy for the Fourth Shinobi World War, this old man would like the boy who defeated the Rinnegan—Natsuki—to offer his thoughts."
Swoosh—everyone's eyes snapped to Natsuki. Caught mid-yawn, he stiffened. He hadn't expected Ōnoki to call him out. It felt ill-intentioned.
He waved a hand. "I'm just a youngster. At most I can fight. Strategy? Not my forte."
Ōnoki countered, "No need to be modest. The old man believes the truly strong aren't fools. Speak freely. Even if your ideas aren't perfect, none of us will laugh."
This geezer—truly sly!
If he spoke badly, they'd absolutely laugh.
Maybe the old man felt Natsuki had stolen too much thunder earlier and wanted to knock him down a peg?
Natsuki glanced at Tsunade, but to his surprise she nodded. "The Tsuchikage is right. Natsuki, say a few words. As the Hokage's aide, I trust your judgment."
That threw Natsuki for a loop. This was the Five Kage Summit. What was a teen doing giving a speech here?
Still, under everyone's gaze, he spoke. "Ahem. Well then. Just now everyone stressed protecting the jinchūriki—that's critical. But that's a defensive posture. Defense puts us on the back foot. I recommend we go on the offensive."
A leaned forward, interested. "An offensive? How?"
Natsuki counted on his fingers. "I don't know the exact battle plan, but there are five things we must do.
"First, find a way to kill or seal Black Zetsu. He's the true mastermind in the shadows. We can't let him keep pulling tricks.
"Second, seal the Gedō Mazō (Demonic Statue of the Outer Path). That thing is the Jūbi's husk. If we seal it—or better yet, destroy it—then with no vessel there's no way to recreate the Ten-Tails.
"Third, defeat Madara. He was deceived by Black Zetsu, yes, but he's still one of the leaders of the Tsuki no Me Keikaku (Eye of the Moon Plan). Most likely he's already been brought back with Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation) and seeks full revival through the Rinnegan. He's the most dangerous piece on the board. We must take him down.
"Fourth, defeat Obito. That goes without saying.
"Fifth, defeat Kabuto. He knows Edo Tensei, and he's probably cooperating with Obito. Like Orochimaru, he's a lunatic who can easily unleash disasters. The sooner we eliminate him, the better.
"If we complete these five tasks, the Fourth Shinobi World War should be over. Of course, if something unexpected happens—if Mugen Tsukuyomi (Infinite Tsukuyomi) can't be stopped and everyone is trapped in the genjutsu, and Kaguya gets released—then the ones who remain awake will have to stake their lives and save the entire shinobi world."
(End of Chapter)
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