A figure appeared beside the orange-haired youth out of thin air.
But the man with the Rinnegan didn't even look at him, as if the masked man wasn't worth his attention.
"Nagato," the masked man said, "we can't let the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki continue growing unchecked.
The Two-Tails, Eight-Tails, and Nine-Tails are all now in Uzumaki Naruto's hands.
It's time Akatsuki took action."
The orange-haired youth's Rinnegan flickered with light.
His tone remained flat.
"The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki's power is indeed unexpected.
But rumors are just rumors.
That crater in Kumogakure? I could make it easily.
Under the power of a god, a mere Jinchūriki can stir no waves."
The masked man's Sharingan spun faintly behind his mask.
"This time is different!
That Susanoo—hundreds of meters tall—is beyond our control.
At this rate, Uzumaki Naruto will completely derail our plan!"
Nagato didn't understand what a multi-hundred-meter Susanoo really meant.
But Tobi did.
'Even if Uchiha Madara were revived,' he thought, 'he might not pull that off.'
Seeing Tobi so agitated, the orange-haired man's eyes held a trace of disdain.
'Uchiha Madara… just another mortal mindset.'
"Size doesn't equal strength. In the face of these eyes—"
"Everything is illusion."
Watching Nagato's posture, full of divine self-righteousness, Tobi cursed inwardly:
'He's using someone else's eyes and really thinks he's a god now.'
But this wasn't the time to confront Nagato.
He activated what few brain cells he had, trying to think like Madara, to break the deadlock.
Suddenly, he remembered Nagato's emaciated, withered body—
The pain-wracked vessel connected to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path via black chakra rods.
He had two ideas.
Retrieve his other Mangekyō Sharingan from Kakashi.
With both eyes restored, he could use dual Kamui, drastically boosting his power.
Not only would he gain enhanced phasing, but he could unlock Susanoo as well.
Boost Nagato's body, allowing him to fully wield the power of the Rinnegan.
Tobi hesitated.
He really didn't want to take back the eye he'd once gifted to Kakashi.
That left only the second plan.
"You can choose not to act yet—but your body's too weak.
You're not unleashing even half the Rinnegan's power.
I can heal you—make you stronger than you've ever been."
"With that, you'll easily crush Uzumaki Naruto."
Nagato fell silent.
Since summoning the Gedo Statue, he had been pierced with countless black rods, tethered to it at all times.
He endured constant, torturous pain as a reminder—
A reminder of the cost of war.
He had never thought of healing himself.
He needed that pain to drive him toward true peace.
But even he had to admit… Naruto's growth was concerning.
He neither agreed nor refused.
"I'll consider it. The matter of Uzumaki Naruto… I'll think it over."
Tobi gave him one last look.
Eyes narrowing, he vanished into a swirling vortex.
The moment he left, countless paper sheets fluttered through the rain.
They gathered into a calm, purple-haired woman—Konan.
Nagato turned to her, his tone finally softening.
"Konan, what do you think?"
She frowned slightly and spoke slowly:
"Nagato… he's not entirely wrong.
The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki has already grown far beyond our expectations.
The rumors from Kumogakure may be exaggerated, but the intelligence we have confirms it—"
"Uzumaki Naruto is only 13 years old… and already has that kind of power.
That's not something we can ignore."
Nagato's expression remained stoic.
"So… you think I can't beat Uzumaki Naruto either?"
Konan shook her head.
"That's not what I'm saying.
But if you healed, you could do things more efficiently, right?"
Her voice held genuine concern, and for a brief moment, Nagato's icy expression softened.
Since Yahiko's death, the relationship between the two had always been… awkward.
One didn't know how to express feelings.
The other didn't know how to receive them.
Back in Konoha, Naruto woke up in his new home.
***
He got out of bed, ready to start his Six Paths-level lottery.
But first…
He went to wash his hands thoroughly.
A habit from his past life, whenever he did high-level gacha pulls.
'Sure, it's not a manual draw… but rituals matter!'
He used Water Release to form a large, basketball-sized sphere of clean water.
Plunging his hands into it, the circulating water swirled around his fingers—
Cleansing, flowing, purifying.
Pop!
The water sphere burst into mist, lightly humidifying the dry room.
"System. Start the lottery."
After three seconds of silence—
"**Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have drawn a Six Paths-Level reward:
Rinnegan."
A glass cylinder filled with green nutrient solution appeared, hovering before him.
Inside: two light-purple Rinnegan eyes.
"The Rinnegan, huh? Standard but solid."
Naruto nodded in mild satisfaction.
"System, go again."
"**Ding! Congratulations, Host.
You have drawn the reward:
Perfect Ōtsutsuki Bloodline."
The moment the words landed, Naruto's entire body shuddered.
He could feel it—
His flesh transforming, evolving, ascending!
Each and every cell felt like it was cheering, rejoicing, transcending!
Within him, his various physical lineages—
Uzumaki Sage Body,
Shikotsumyaku Sage Body,
Wood Release Sage Body—
began to fuse.
His eyes, once glowing Tenseigan, became even more radiant and pure.
The process lasted half an hour.
Only then did his surging energy begin to calm.