Chapter 146 - Rinnegan

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"When everything settles down..."

As if things could ever truly settle down.

This time, Akio's intervention wiped out a quarter of the Land of Rain from the map.

Just as Akio finished sealing Black Zetsu, Hanzō—who lived on the other side of the Land of Rain—finally arrived with a group of elite Rain shinobi in tow.

"Sir... You must be Elder Akio of the Uzumaki Clan. May I ask why you've brought such chaos to my Land of Rain?" Hanzō was a cautious man. Even though Akio clearly wasn't in peak condition, he didn't attack outright. After all, if the rumors were true, Akio's strength far exceeded his own, and Hanzō had personally witnessed the massive boulder that blotted out the sky, summoned by Akio moments ago.

Akio didn't respond. Though he wasn't in the best shape, he remained calm in the face of the Rain shinobi. His condition was relative—he was still more than capable of dealing with a hidden village like Amegakure.

"Grandpa Akio, are you alright?" Yuna and her family had reached him, and she stepped forward with concern.

"I'm fine…" Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Akio slowly stood. Even though he had used a 64-seal formation, Black Zetsu was still stirring. After all, it was something deeply connected to Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.

Akio glanced around, then looked at the still-wary Hanzō and shook his head with a faint smile. "I came to the Land of Rain to find a lost junior. Now that I've found her, I'll be leaving."

He gestured toward Yuna as he gave his explanation—clearly, he hadn't put much thought into the excuse.

"Hanzō-sama!"

One of the shinobi beside Hanzō couldn't hold back, but Hanzō raised a hand to stop him.

"You've reduced my country to rubble, and that's the explanation you give me?" Even as cautious as he was, Hanzō couldn't just back down at a time like this.

Akio sighed. "I'd love to give you a better explanation. But if I told you that I just eliminated a threat capable of bringing catastrophic destruction to the shinobi world… would you believe me?"

Hanzō stared at Akio for a long time before finally speaking. "You were the one meddling behind the scenes during the battle a year and a half ago, weren't you?" He was referring to the battle of the Sannin.

Akio chuckled without replying. "Yuna, let's go."

In the end, Hanzō still didn't attack. He wasn't sure how much strength Akio had left, and frankly, during that past battle, Akio had spared his life.

Akio carried Yuna and her family into the sky, flying slowly due to the two civilians accompanying them.

"Yuna, can you tell me what really happened today?" her husband finally asked.

Yuna shook her head and hugged Nagato tightly. She pointed to Akio. "Hirakawa, I told you I'm an Uzumaki. This man is the Grand Elder of our clan—he was also my mother's teacher. As for what happened… I'm still just as confused. Grandpa Akio, what was that shadow creature?"

Akio glared at her. "You've got the nerve to ask!"

Yuna glared right back. "Who was it that sent me to that white-haired guy in the first place?"

Akio was momentarily speechless and sighed. "Well… maybe it was for the best."

"That shadow is called Black Zetsu. It was targeting your son, Nagato."

Little Nagato peeked out from Yuna's arms, looking curiously at Akio.

Yuna clutched him tighter. "Why? If it's because of the Uzumaki bloodline, shouldn't it be after me instead?"

Akio scoffed. "You think you're the only one with talent? True, you and your mother were among the most gifted in the clan, but compared to your son, the two of you aren't even close!"

Yuna froze, then her face lit up with joy.

Akio continued, "Nagato was born with a natural Sage Body. That's a first in the history of the Uzumaki Clan. The most famous example of a Sage Body… is Hashirama."

"You mean Nagato could become a shinobi like the legendary First Hokage?"

Akio hesitated, then nodded.

While Nagato didn't have Asura's chakra, Akio believed that with proper training from a young age, the boy might one day grow to rival Hashirama in power.

Yuna kissed Nagato on the forehead and asked, "But you still haven't told us what exactly that shadow was."

Akio shook his head and said no more. He began descending with the three of them—Uzushiogakure was finally in sight.

"Yuna, think about how you're going to explain this to your mother. Leave the rest to me. Don't run off again—Nagato's potential must not be wasted. Once I return, I'll personally guide his training."

Yuna looked at her husband. By now, he had pieced together much of what was going on.

"Yuna, take me to meet your mother," he said calmly.

Akio raised an eyebrow, surprised by the man's composure. At least Yuna hadn't married a timid fool.

With a wave, Akio took off again in the direction he had come. His next destination wasn't far from the Land of Rain—still within the borders of the Land of Fire. That place was known as the Valley of the End.

On the way, Akio pulled out a box from his robes—the only trophy he had from sealing Black Zetsu.

Inside were a pair of Rinnegan eyes!

"What a temptation…" Akio muttered. "No wonder Black Zetsu surfaced. He was preparing to implant the Rinnegan into Nagato. I really did arrive just in time…"

He had no intention of transplanting the eyes himself. For him, the gain would be minimal, and the strain could be significant—his current body likely couldn't handle the Rinnegan's full power.

After about half an hour, Akio arrived at the Valley of the End. The statues he had left behind still stood tall.

He had known for a long time that Madara was hiding beneath this place, but had avoided visiting him to keep the story intact. Now that he no longer cared about the Fourth Great Ninja War's events and had already sealed Black Zetsu, it didn't matter anymore. With the Rinnegan gone and no help from Black Zetsu, Madara's resurrection was practically impossible.

Akio didn't want him to die alone in the dark—he had come to see him one last time.

Activating the Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique, Akio burrowed deep underground. After descending over 200 meters, he entered a massive underground palace.

"Bigger than I expected," he remarked.

He released his full sensory range and finally picked up Madara's chakra signature—still over ten kilometers away.

"Still that far, huh?"

Eager, Akio sped off.

"Zetsu, you're back. Why did you bring my Rinnegan with you again? Did something happen to Nagato?" Madara's eyes remained closed. Though he lacked sensory ability, he could still sense his own Rinnegan.

Akio's expression shifted slightly. Mimicking Black Zetsu's raspy voice, he said, "Lord Madara, the plan has failed. Uzumaki Akio showed up."

Madara froze, then stood. A single Sharingan in his right eye socket spun slowly—a spare he'd somehow acquired. "So it's you, old man. Looks like that pathetic embodiment of my will has been destroyed."

Akio paused, then smiled. "It's me, Madara. Long time no see… You've grown old."

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