The power of the Rinnegan was all-encompassing. With Nagato's assistance, Hiruko—now free from the struggle of battling multiple souls within him—regained full control over his body. His flesh, which had been on the brink of collapse, was also rapidly restored under the influence of chakra.
His twisted, deformed body gradually returned to human form. A vast and overwhelming aura once again emanated from within him—and even his eyes began to undergo visible change.
The three tomoe in his Sharingan spun rapidly, then slowly converged into a singular, intricate pattern.
Mangekyō Sharingan!
Through the power of the Chimera Technique, Hiruko—someone not even of Uchiha blood—had not only awakened the Sharingan, but had evolved it into the Mangekyō. This feat left everyone present feeling a bit stunned and disbelieving.
Standing on the altar, Hiruko could clearly feel the transformation in his eyes. The world before him was changing, reshaping itself in his vision. His own power, too, was undergoing a transformation, surging to new heights.
Excitement. Ecstasy. Triumph. Liberation.
Everything he had ever chased in life—he had finally achieved it with his own hands. And it had all come true. This overwhelming sense of satisfaction and fulfillment lifted Hiruko to a euphoric high.
The faint violet glow surrounding him grew ever brighter. His rate of chakra absorption grew even more frightening.
Many of the outer members Akatsuki were already staggering under the strain, their chakra almost drained. Even Deidara, Sasori, Konan, and the others began to frown.
"Withdraw," Nagato said in a calm but firm tone.
His boundless chakra surged like a vast ocean. With just his own power, he began supplying all the chakra Hiruko required.
Seeing this, the others ceased their chakra output. While they were shocked by the sheer magnitude of Nagato's reserves, many of the outer members looked at him with fiery admiration.
In their eyes, the person worthy of respect and faith was not Hiruko, who was now transcending and about to become the ultimate shinobi, but Nagato, who had granted Hiruko all of this.
Kami-sama.
Seeing Nagato give so much for him, Hiruko's eyes showed a flash of gratitude—but deep beneath it lurked a glimmer of greed.
The Mangekyō Sharingan was strong. But compared to the Rinnegan—those divine eyes Nagato bore—it was surely nothing.
If he could somehow make those eyes his own…
"Leader."
That flash of greed vanished instantly. Hiruko, now proclaimed the ultimate shinobi, bowed his head before a god.
With Nagato's help, the ritual had proceeded smoothly. Hiruko had successfully become what he'd always dreamed of: the ultimate shinobi. His strength had leapt beyond the limits of Kage-level, stepping into the realm of Super Kage.
But that was as far as he would go.
Whether it was due to his choice of sacrifices, the limitations of his own body, or even because Nagato had intervened to resolve the soul battle for him—Hiruko had failed to undergo a complete transformation.
The power of all things he gained was pitifully weak, but for Hiruko, it was enough.
A commoner who was once unable to keep up with the Sannin's pace had, with his own talent and potential, broken through to a level that even Kage could not reach. This alone was enough for Hiruko to be proud of.
The increase in his strength also raised Hiruko's status in the Akatsuki. Nagato kept his promise and generously handed over all the authority of the mission department to Hiruko.
And Hiruko, in turn, proactively pledged his loyalty to Nagato, declaring himself ready to fight at his command—to go to war against that evil-doer, Yuki Yoru.
But Nagato shook his head.
"Go back and get used to your new powers. Right now, you still can't shake Yuki Yoru."
"However, at your current strength… you should be able to stand against one of his Captains."
"Captain?" Hiruko's expression stiffened.
"Yes. The Captains of the Gotei 13 in Soul Society—your former comrades," Nagato said calmly.
Former comrades…
Hiruko's face tightened. "The Sannin, huh."
His relationship with the Sannin was always… complicated. Even if it had been one-sided, even if they never really saw him as an equal.
Still, the fact remained: the Sannin had always been a barrier he could never cross.
Back in the Academy, he'd already been overshadowed by them. Even the idiotic Jiraiya had his own unique charisma.
After becoming full-fledged shinobi, the Sannin had shone brighter than ever under the leadership of the Third Hokage. No matter how hard he tried to chase after them, the gap only grew wider and wider—so much so that he couldn't even catch their shadows.
Even after defecting from Konoha and joining Akatsuki, becoming teammates with Orochimaru, nothing had changed.
He still remembered the look of disdain in Orochimaru's serpentine eyes when he'd first told him about his life's work—the Chimera Technique.
He had never forgotten it.
"It's different now."
Hiruko murmured under his breath, fists clenched tightly. Blood-red Mangekyō eyes swirled in his sockets, as if they might bleed.
"I've done it, Sannin!"
Feeling that he'd finally caught up to them, Hiruko lifted his head, looked seriously at Nagato, and declared:
"Leader, I swear I'll bring you the head of the traitor Orochimaru—myself!"
Nagato gave a slight nod. His gaze shifted, landing on two figures hidden beneath the distant trees—Obito and Zetsu.
"Should we go say hello?" White Zetsu scratched his head. "Nagato's looking right at us."
"Idiot."
Obito had no interest in entertaining the fool. He activated Kamui without a word, and in an instant, both he and Zetsu vanished into the distortion of space.
He had no time or patience to discuss ideology with Nagato. Even if Nagato had started drifting out of their control, it didn't matter.
His Sharingan—blessed with incredible insight—had recorded everything that happened during the ritual.
Every step. Every fluctuation. Every chakra surge involved in the fusion process.
Hiruko's ritual had not only marked his own success—it had become a perfect reference for Obito.
If he followed the exact steps, executed with caution and precision…
He too could reach the realm of all things.
Maybe even go further—break past the limits and become the living Six Paths Sage that Black Zetsu always spoke of.
Nagato did nothing to stop Obito from leaving. He simply watched in silence. After Obito disappeared, he gave a soft order and departed the mountain, returning to his towering steel jungle in Amegakure.
The pale violet Rinnegan scanned the village below. From time to time, Nagato tilted his head skyward.
Rain still fell in fine sheets. The sky above remained overcast, an eternal gray that seemed to smother all light—so heavy it pressed on the soul.
"To you, Yuki Yoru is like the clouds hanging over this land. Without external help, you'll never be able to disperse them."
Space tore open. A white-robed monk stepped out, strolling up behind Nagato. He followed Nagato's gaze toward the gloomy sky.
"How pitiful."
A pitiful nation. A pitiful Nagato.
Nagato turned to look at Jigen. He hadn't used chakra to shield himself from the rain. Ever since Yahiko's death, he had grown fond of the sensation—cold raindrops beating against his skin always reminded him of that soul-crushing pain.
"You went to see Hiruko, didn't you?"
Nagato asked quietly, unfazed by Jigen's sarcasm.
"The Chimera Technique is interesting. If the sacrifice had been you, I might've been more intrigued."
Jigen shook his head.
He had witnessed the entire ritual and had to admit—the technique was clever. It could actually allow a lowly, inferior creature without the bloodline of the Sage of Six Paths, like Hiruko, to have a chance to peek into the power of the heavens.
But that was as far as it went.
A Super Kage-level talent with a wisp of the power of all things. Such a person could not withstand his chakra and could not meet his requirements for a vessel.
Upon hearing Jigen's words, the look in Nagato's eyes changed slightly.
The reason he had so wholeheartedly helped Hiruko complete the ritual—even intervening at the end—was because of the man standing before him.
The one who had pulled him from the depths of hell, taught him Sage Mode, and revealed the truth of this world:
Jigen.
Or rather—Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
After losing to Yuki Yoru again at the Sand Gold Fortress, Nagato, although rescued by Zetsu, had his resolve shattered, his beliefs crumbled, and he had even lost the will to live.
But the appearance of Isshiki Ōtsutsuki allowed Nagato to see a glimmer of light once again.
It was not a light of hope that would allow him to live on, but a light of desperate reality that broke through the fog!
Isshiki had revealed the true nature of the world, Nagato's bloodline, the Ōtsutsuki, and even the existence of the Ten-Tails.
His worldview had been destroyed—only to be reshaped anew. And so, they formed a pact.
Nagato would help Isshiki find a vessel capable of withstanding his chakra. In return, Isshiki would help him crush Yuki Yoru—and perhaps even let him share in the chakra fruit that came at the end.
That was Nagato's salvation from this sorrowful world.
Hiruko had been his first candidate.
But clearly—even as the so-called ultimate shinobi, Hiruko wasn't good enough.
"…If Hiruko isn't suitable, then maybe he is."
Nagato looked down over the iron jungle and said slowly, "You've seen what he's done over these past two years. Today's ritual was the spark that finally pushed him to act."
"If he succeeds, he could become your vessel."
"Uchiha Obito, huh."
Isshiki nodded. "Indeed. If that guy completes the ritual using the sacrifices he's chosen, he might really withstand my chakra."
But…
That guy was also Kaguya's third pawn—and being watched by two others from the Pure Land.
If Isshiki moved now and things went wrong, and then Kaguya's brats teamed up against him, it'd spell disaster.
Because of Yuki Yoru, Isshiki had been forced to act early. Fortunately, the key player—Nagato—had been neglected by many factions. That gave Isshiki the opening he needed.
He had found his opportunity. The pieces were on the board. Now, it was time to slowly build his advantage.
"His sacrifices are… unique. To complete such a ritual, he'll need far more chakra than he's gathered in the past two years."
Isshiki shifted the conversation. "Kekkei Genkai, Kekkei Tōta, and Kekkei Mōra… the difference between the three is like comparing three-tomoe Sharingan to Mangekyō—or even your Rinnegan. No, the gap is even wider than that."
"What he seeks is the final stage: Kekkei Mōra, the fusion of all bloodlines, the path to my realm. To achieve that requires an astronomical amount of chakra."
"Chakra…" Nagato frowned. "That's hard? There are still many powerful chakra sources in the Shinobi World."
Like the Tailed Beasts, the Dragon Vein (Ryūmyaku), the Star (Meteorite) from Hoshigakure… these were all known massive chakra sources.
With Zetsu's scouting abilities, locating such sources shouldn't be difficult.
"There were many chakra sources, yes. But now?" Isshiki chuckled.
"All of the Tailed Beasts are already under Yuki Yoru's watch. The star, the Dragon Vein, the geothermal energy beneath the Land of Snow—he's already taken them all."
"With things like this, that guy won't gather enough chakra anytime soon."
Nagato's eyes widened, his mouth slightly agape.
He hadn't realized Yuki Yoru had done this much over the past few years.
He'd laid plans across the entire Shinobi World.
'This world isn't as simple as you see it. The beings from beyond this realm are like a sword of Damocles hanging above our heads. The so-called sages in the Pure Land eye us with contempt. And you, Nagato—you've confined your vision to small nations and petty wars.'
'You disappoint me.'
The image of Yuki Yoru sighing that day was still vivid in his mind. Nagato was in a daze, his expression strange.
"You've come this far already, haven't you, Yuki Yoru…"