Chapter 249 — Naruto's Potential
Naruto looked around at the scene before him, and his expression gradually darkened. At the same time, Toneri's face didn't look any better.
It wasn't because Toneri held any deep feelings toward Konoha. Rather, it was because, in the absence of his teacher, Hatake Yusuke, he had failed to protect his teacher's home.
Because of that, Toneri was filled with anger. Without realizing it, both of his Tenseigan had fully opened. When he saw Pain's eyes, a flicker of surprise flashed within his gaze.
"Toneri, let me handle this fight," Naruto said, his tone firm and steady.
Toneri really wanted to refuse. But when he saw the rage burning in Naruto's eyes, he could only nod.
He knew Naruto better than anyone else. He knew just how rare it was for Naruto to show an expression like this—especially when Toneri understood exactly what Konoha meant to him.
"Very well. If you lose, I'll step in," Toneri said.
Naruto didn't look back. He only gave a small nod, his attention locked entirely on Pain. Meanwhile, Toneri leapt down from Gamabunta's back and walked toward Sakura.
"Toneri, aren't you going to help Naruto?" Sakura asked.
"There's no need. Naruto is extremely strong right now," Toneri replied.
Earlier, inside Naruto's body, he had sensed a powerful chakra—one that felt strangely familiar to him.
Toneri looked toward Naruto. Even he had been shocked for a moment, thinking to himself: So that's the power Sensei spoke of… I never imagined Naruto held something like that inside him.
Naruto stared at Pain.
"Hand over the Nine-Tails within you," Pain said coldly.
"Someone like you, who destroys other people's homes, doesn't deserve forgiveness," Naruto responded.
"Only those who truly understand pain… can grasp the meaning of peace," Pain said, his gaze shifting toward Hatake Yusuke as he uttered those words.
Summoning Technique.
A massive rhinoceros and a giant dog appeared, charging toward Gamabunta and the others.
Naruto instantly shot forward toward the rhino, grabbed its horn, and hurled the entire creature through the air with a tremendous arc of force.
Sakura watched with wide, astonished eyes.
"So strong…" she whispered, her gaze filled with awe as she stared at Naruto.
Toneri was equally shocked. He had never known Naruto possessed such power—power that now appeared even stronger than his own, despite all the years he had trained under Hatake Yusuke.
At that moment, Toneri opened his Tenseigan once more. With its extraordinary clarity, he peered into Naruto's body.
What he saw was no longer Naruto, but a brown-haired young man. His expression closely resembled Naruto's, and he wore clothing similar in style to Toneri's own.
Is that person an Otsutsuki? No wonder… This explains why Naruto has always felt so familiar to me. Could Sasuke be the same?
Toneri finally understood the words his teacher had once told him: that if he did not work hard, he would eventually be surpassed by Naruto and Sasuke.
He had doubted it before. As a member of the Otsutsuki clan, he carried an inherent sense of pride.
To him, both Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke were only descendants of the Otsutsuki's branch lineage.
As someone of the main lineage, how could he possibly fear being left behind? And to top it off, he had awakened the Tenseigan.
In Toneri's eyes, aside from his teacher, he had never considered anyone else his equal. Not even Yusuke's younger brother had earned any particular respect from him.
He had always believed that one day, he would surpass them all. But now, he realized he had been wrong.
At the very least, the Naruto standing before him was someone he had to take seriously.
Sasuke… according to what Sensei had said… would very likely become one of them in the future as well.
"Toneri, your eyes…" Sakura muttered. She had known Toneri for years, yet this was the first time she had ever seen him open his eyes. She couldn't hide her surprise.
"It's nothing," Toneri replied softly, closing his Tenseigan once again.
"O-Oh… I see…" Sakura didn't ask further, seeing that Toneri clearly had no intention of explaining.
"You arrived at just the right time," a voice said.
"Sensei, you're here."
Toneri bowed slightly toward Hatake Yusuke.
"Toneri, you're still too stiff," Hatake Yusuke said, watching his disciple's overly formal gesture.
"Sensei, since you're in Konoha, why didn't you stop him?" Toneri asked. His face wasn't angry—just straightforward.
"Because I can't beat him," Hatake Yusuke said with a dramatic sigh.
"Sensei, please be more serious," Toneri said, his expression tightening with exasperation.
"And your acting is terrible. Besides, I don't believe he could be your match. Even with those eyes, the outcome would be the same," Toneri added.
"Oh? You're that confident? Those eyes are extremely powerful, you know?" Yusuke said.
"Because Sensei is invincible," Toneri replied earnestly.
And he meant every word. In Toneri's eyes, his belief in Yusuke's strength surpassed even the trust Tsunade and the others placed in him.
While the Rinnegan was undeniably powerful, its level was equal only to the Tenseigan. If someone like Toneri—who possessed the Tenseigan—could be effortlessly defeated by Yusuke, then a puppet like Pain certainly would fare no better.
Moreover, Toneri could clearly see that Pain's eyes did not belong to him. Because Toneri was someone who had actually "opened" such eyes before, he knew immediately that the chakra Pain used wasn't his own, making its control unstable.
"Hahaha, wouldn't it be better to let Naruto polish himself? Besides, that guy is… well, let's say we're acquainted. It'd feel wrong for me to jump in," Hatake Yusuke said with a light laugh.
"Yusuke-sensei, what are those eyes? Are they really that strong?" Sakura asked, curiosity burning in her voice.
"Of course. Those are the Rinnegan—a power that surpasses both the Byakugan and Sharingan. According to legend, only the Sage of Six Paths possessed them. With the power of creation and destruction, the user commands Yin–Yang Release and wields abilities that can make one a god of creation or destruction. The Rinnegan is also the sole key to resisting and breaking the Infinite Tsukuyomi," Hatake Yusuke explained.
"The Sage of Six Paths' eyes? Doesn't that mean Naruto is no match for him?" Sakura gasped. In her mind—
"Relax. Naruto—"
Out on the battlefield, it was already clear that Naruto had gained the upper hand in his fight against Pain.
As for the Tenseigan—it could only be awakened by merging the chakra of the Otsutsuki clan with the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan.
It was the highest evolutionary form of the Byakugan, standing on equal ground with the Rinnegan of the Sage of Six Paths' lineage.
The Tenseigan was the Byakugan's ultimate pinnacle.
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Explanations
(Otsutsuki Toneri is a descendant of Otsutsuki Hamura, younger brother of the Sage of Six Paths. He has pale skin, long bluish-white hair, willow-like eyebrows, and was born without eyeballs. He wears white robes marked with tomoe around the collar.
He awakened the Tenseigan after taking Hyuga Hanabi's Byakugan and merging it with his own Otsutsuki chakra—though he later returned the eyes to Hinata.)
(The Otsutsuki who live on the moon are divided into two factions. Toneri descends from the side branch. Because the members of his clan deviated from Hamura's will, they attacked Earth.
They live on the moon and belong to the same generation as Naruto and Sasuke, possessing pure Otsutsuki lineage.)
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