The research on the Rinnegan had suddenly made progress.
When Makoto arrived at the Biological Science Research Institute to check on the situation, he discovered that the advancement Kabuto had mentioned was related to something connected to the Rinnegan when it was transplanted into a White Zetsu.
"We can roughly determine its location, but we still don't know exactly what it is," Kabuto explained.
Makoto fell into deep thought upon hearing this.
Something connected to the Rinnegan… Could it be the Gedo Mazo?!
Back when Orochimaru raided Uchiha Madara's hideout, the Gedo Mazo was nowhere to be found—it must have been hidden away by Black Zetsu.
Ever since Makoto had captured Black Zetsu, he had kept it sealed, preventing any further interference.
Uchiha Madara had awakened the Rinnegan and used Summoning Jutsu to bring the Gedo Mazo from the moon to Earth.
He had then relied on it to extend his life, which had, in turn, triggered the war between the Otsutsuki Main Family and Branch Family on the moon.
Makoto asked, "Where is it located?"
"It seems to be deep in the ocean," Kabuto replied.
He then pulled out a map and pointed to a general area in the sea.
"The ocean, huh… That would be a good place to hide it," Makoto murmured.
Without hesitation, he opened a spatial portal and teleported above the vast sea.
Standing high in the sky, Makoto scanned the surroundings—aside from the endless water, there was nothing in sight, not even a trace of land.
He expanded his sensory abilities to search, but he found nothing.
After pondering for a moment, he suddenly dived down, plunging into the ocean.
As he entered, the seawater parted to create a vacuum around him.
Makoto searched underwater for a long time before finally discovering a deep-sea trench.
Upon entering the trench, he immediately sensed traces of previous activity.
The rock formations on both sides appeared to have been carved, and strange patterns were etched into their surfaces.
He soon arrived at the entrance of a cave.
The area was heavily concealed, blocking sensory detection, and its location in the ocean's depths made it nearly impossible to find without the Rinnegan.
The mysterious patterns seemed to be part of some kind of jutsu, carved into the cave walls and extending deep within.
The cave was pitch black, with nothing visible to the naked eye.
But for Makoto, this was no obstacle—he didn't even need a light source to perceive everything within.
Following the winding and rugged path of the cave, Makoto pressed forward until he reached the end.
The rocky ceiling above suddenly disappeared, and as he ascended, he emerged from the water.
Before him was a vast, artificially carved-out space, filled with breathable air.
The walls were still engraved with countless intricate jutsu markings, but now they glowed with a faint blue light.
At the center of this cavernous space stood a towering stone statue, its massive arms bound by enormous chains.
Its head bore nine tightly shut eyes.
The Gedo Mazo!
The husk of the Ten-Tails, the physical body of Otsutsuki Kaguya.
This was Makoto's first time seeing it in person, and it looked even more terrifying than he had imagined—like a slumbering demon.
He soared forward, approaching the Gedo Mazo, circling it several times.
The massive statue remained as lifeless as a corpse, exhibiting no chakra reaction whatsoever.
Landing on its enormous hands, Makoto attempted to inject his chakra into it, but still, there was no response.
This surprised him—he couldn't awaken it.
Could it be that the Rinnegan was required to do so?
After pondering for a moment, Makoto left a spatial marker at the location and returned to the Konoha Biological Science Research Institute.
He retrieved the White Zetsu that had been implanted with the Rinnegan and brought it back to the cavern.
As soon as the Rinnegan got close, Makoto immediately sensed chakra fluctuations from the Gedo Mazo.
Before this, even with his Tenseigan, he had been unable to elicit any reaction from it.
He attempted to interact with the Gedo Mazo's chakra once more, and suddenly, the massive statue began to tremble.
Its rocky exterior cracked and crumbled away, revealing a withered, tree-like body beneath.
Makoto watched as the Gedo Mazo revealed its true form, deep in thought.
Right now, it was nothing more than an empty husk.
Only by filling it with the chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts could it assume its full form as the Ten-Tails.
And the chakra and power of the Ten-Tails far surpassed the combined might of all nine Tailed Beasts.
For the Empire, the Tailed Beasts now served as the energy cores that powered colossal mechas like the Brutal Justice and continuously supplied Konoha with electricity and energy.
There was no need for Makoto to destroy the current achievements just to revive the Ten-Tails.
If only there were more Tailed Beasts—then he could awaken the Ten-Tails without compromising the Empire's mechas and energy stations.
More Tailed Beasts…
A few minutes later, in Moon Grounds—a top-secret location of the Empire—most of those present were miners, with a small number of ninja maintaining order.
None of them knew they were actually on the Moon.
Once the scientific advancements from the Mechanical Science Institute were fully implemented, manual labor would no longer be necessary, and everything could be automated with machines.
At the Hamura Shrine—
Makoto was the only one who could come here.
All the former Otsutsuki clan members who had once set foot in this place were long dead.
He was the only person to have ever witnessed the golden Tenseigan.
Back when he sought to obtain a computer from the future, he had considered traveling to a parallel timeline further ahead.
However, the potential risks of unforeseen consequences made him abandon the idea.
After careful thought, he reasoned that the power levels in the Naruto world were already quite formidable—after all, some individuals could destroy planets on their own.
If he ended up in a world similar to Dragon Ball, it might not be a bad thing.
With the existence of Dragon Balls and his mastery over time and space, he would always have a way to manage any challenges.
Having made up his mind, Makoto opened a pitch-black vortex, its interior swirling with chaos, leading to an unknown destination.
He couldn't go too far ahead in the timeline.
An adult Naruto was incredibly powerful, and with Sasuke's Rinnegan, forcibly seizing the Tailed Beasts would inevitably provoke Naruto's hostility.
There was no need to bring that trouble upon himself.
After weighing his options, Makoto stepped forward into the dark vortex.
...............
Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
Once one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, it was now nothing more than a massive, circular crater.
All of its buildings had been reduced to rubble and pushed toward the edges, compressed into a chaotic heap.
The five massive stone faces on the Hokage Monument, however, remained intact, gazing down upon what had become the ruins of Konoha.
Makoto emerged from a swirling black vortex of chaos, scanning his surroundings.
In the distant forest outside the village, he could sense an immense chakra presence.
"Boom!"
A loud sound echoed from within the crater.
Below the towering white eyes of the Rinnegan stood three enormous toads.
Makoto's gaze flickered with interest.
He had arrived at just the right moment—right in the middle of Pain's assault on Konoha.
From his vantage point at the village's edge, he could clearly see what was happening in the crater below.
A tense confrontation was unfolding: Naruto, clad in his black and red cloak, stood against the members of the Akatsuki, their black robes adorned with crimson clouds.
Having met Yahiko just today, Makoto found the scene particularly amusing.
"Who are you?!"
A figure suddenly appeared at Makoto's side in a flash, staring at him warily.
Another person swiftly joined him—a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl with long, dark blue-black hair and pale white eyes.
Hinata.
Makoto glanced over the two of them before focusing on the young man who had arrived first.
"You're Kou, aren't you?" he asked.
Hyuga Kou was taken aback. "You… know me?"
Makoto replied, "When you were little, I held you in my arms."
Kou: "..."
Hinata: "..."
Both of them stared at Makoto, who appeared to be only in his twenties, momentarily at a loss for words.
Kou furrowed his brows. "Are you from the village? I've never seen you before."
He had only just noticed the presence of this unfamiliar Hyuga and found him extremely suspicious.
After all, Pain had just destroyed the village, yet this man was completely unscathed—not even a speck of dust on his clothes.
As for what the man had said earlier, Kou naturally didn't believe it.
The stranger looked to be about the same age as him, at most two years older.
Seeing Makoto remain silent, Kou grew even more wary, instinctively shifting into a combat stance.
"Hinata-sama, this guy is really suspicious!"
"Mm!"
At that moment, the battle in the crater erupted into full force—Naruto and Pain clashing in a fierce showdown.
Makoto's figure suddenly vanished, reappearing hundreds of meters away in the blink of an eye.
There, an enormous orange toad loomed nearby, along with two human-sized slugs.
Lying on the ground in a green cloak was Tsunade, the Hokage, her body weakened and drained.
Beside her sat a short-haired girl.
"Who's there?!"
Makoto's abrupt appearance immediately put the nearby Anbu on high alert.
He instinctively reached for the short blade strapped to his back, only to realize—he couldn't move.
What's going on?!
A wave of shock surged through the Anbu's heart.
Makoto looked at Tsunade, her face worn and aged, leaning against a rock.
His expression remained calm.
"You're in a miserable state, Tsunade."
"Who are you?!"
Sakura hurriedly got to her feet, glaring at the unfamiliar man as she demanded an answer.
But just like the Anbu, the moment she moved, her body froze.
An invisible force had locked her in place, leaving her completely immobilized.
She could only watch in helpless horror as this mysterious man reached out his hand toward her master.
Sakura wanted to call out, but in her immobilized state, all she could do was breathe.
Makoto gently placed a finger on the forehead of the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade.
A radiant blue light surged forth, instantly enveloping her entire body.
In the blink of an eye, her aged and withered form began to visibly rejuvenate, her skin becoming youthful and smooth once more.
The diamond-shaped mark on her forehead—previously erased due to the release of the Yin Seal and the overuse of medical ninjutsu—reappeared in its original form.
Watching this unfold, Sakura was astonished.
But as the initial shock subsided, she realized that this mysterious man was actually healing her master.
Tsunade's eyes fluttered open.
As she became aware of her restored body—now in an even better state than before—her gaze immediately snapped to Makoto, her mind racing.
"Who are you?!" she demanded.
Meanwhile, Kou and Hinata, having tracked Makoto's location using their Byakugan, were now rushing toward the Hokage's position.
Makoto's lips curled into a slight smile.
"I am a Sage."
A Sage?
Everyone present was momentarily stunned before finding the claim utterly absurd.
Sakura and the Anbu operative suddenly noticed that the force restraining them had vanished.
They were free once again.
A single thought ran through their minds: Regardless of whether this man is truly a Sage or not, his strength is unquestionably beyond ours.
Tsunade furrowed her brows as she scrutinized Makoto.
She felt as if he was toying with them—but had he truly been the one to heal her just now?
Friend or foe, she couldn't be sure.
Remaining cautious, she asked, "What is your purpose here?"
Makoto cast a glance toward the massive crater below, where the fierce battle raged on.
"Konoha is facing a calamity. I've come to save you."
Tsunade's eyes widened in surprise.
"You intend to help us defeat Pain?"
Regardless of this man's true identity, given Konoha's dire situation, any form of assistance was something the Hokage could accept.
If this mysterious figure was truly willing to help, then so much the better.
Tsunade had originally been on the brink of collapse due to extreme chakra exhaustion, yet this man had managed to restore her completely—something even she herself couldn't have accomplished.
Makoto let out a light chuckle.
"Pain? He is not even worthy of my intervention."
"..."
Everyone fell silent.
This enigmatic man, who had initially seemed unfathomably powerful, was now starting to sound more like a delusional lunatic.
Pain was the leader of the Akatsuki.
Even Lord Jiraiya had fallen to him, and just moments ago, he had obliterated Konoha in a single devastating attack.
Makoto, unconcerned with their thoughts, suddenly extended a finger toward Kou.
"You," he said. "Go and defeat Pain."
Kou froze, momentarily stunned, his mind struggling to process what had just been said.
Then—boom.
A terrifying surge of energy flooded into his body, invading every cell of his being.
His eyes widened in shock as an overwhelming sensation washed over him—something he had never experienced before.
Tsunade frowned. "Are you... joking?"
BOOM!
In the next instant, a massive, unfathomable chakra erupted from Kou's body.
A vivid blue aura crackled around him, swirling in powerful waves.
The force of it sent ripples through the air.
His forehead protector slipped off, clattering onto the ground, revealing the "卍" seal of the Branch Family.
His black hair whipped wildly in the wind.
Everyone present was left utterly dumbfounded, watching in disbelief.
Dark markings slowly crept up Kou's face, and with them came a power unlike anything he had ever known.
Makoto gazed at him calmly.
"What are you waiting for?" he said. "Go."
Kou swallowed hard, standing frozen for a few seconds before finally vanishing in a single step.
As he departed, the sheer force of his movement unleashed a violent shockwave, kicking up a massive storm of dust and debris.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted in the distance.
Everyone instinctively turned toward the source of the sound—only to see that the massive crater had been split open even further, revealing a bottomless abyss.
Standing at the very edge of the chasm was Kou.
Hinata, using her Byakugan to scan the battlefield, spoke in disbelief.
"Kou… he… defeated two of Pain's bodies with a single punch!"
Tsunade and the others swallowed hard, utterly speechless.
Shock. Disbelief. Silence.
That one attack had given Kou an overwhelming surge of confidence.
Without hesitation, he launched himself at Pain, unleashing a relentless onslaught.
At this moment, Pain was already in a severely weakened state.
The Deva Path's abilities were unavailable, and Kou—now wielding enough raw power to obliterate mountains with a single strike—tore through the Akatsuki leader.
The man who had slain Jiraiya and annihilated Konoha was shattered into nothing but a storm of blood and fragments.
As the dust settled, the chaos of battle slowly faded into eerie silence.
Many of the ninja on the battlefield had no idea what had just happened.
Even Naruto, clad in his black-and-red cloak and still in Sage Mode, stood frozen in place.
He could feel it—the same Senjutsu chakra flowing through Kou's body.
But why?
Why was it so much more powerful than his own?
Back on Tsunade's side, the silence was suffocating.
Makoto let out a slow, amused sigh.
"So," he said, glancing at them casually.
"Do you believe that I'm a Sage now?"
--------------
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