Just as the aftermath of the final battle continued to ripple across the chaotic ninja world—
As one of the main figures of that climactic fight, Izayoi, now recognized as the strongest among the five great ninja villages, underwent a strange change in his body.
The day after he upgraded his Otsutsuki bloodline to the colored tier, Izayoi woke up in a villa on Sakura Street. After washing up, he was about to carry out the confidential mission for his jonin assessment.
But when he looked at himself in the mirror, he froze slightly.
The reflection staring back at him—his black hair that had once draped over his ears and forehead—had somehow turned completely white.
Before going to sleep, his hair had still been black. Not even a single white strand.
Yet now, he had awoken with a full head of white hair.
Izayoi, however, was not surprised. Instead, the corners of his lips slightly lifted into a smile, and he murmured in his heart:
"Just as I thought... The color-level Otsutsuki bloodline is rewriting my genes—transforming my blood from mixed to pure."
Back when Izayoi was three years old, he had copied Otsutsuki Toneri's Otsutsuki bloodline (red) and defied fate multiple times, eventually awakening the Byakugan. But he always had a lingering question:
Since he had awakened the Byakugan, why hadn't his hair changed to the white color typical of the Otsutsuki clan?
Now the answer was clear—it was because his genes were incomplete.
Otsutsuki Toneri had been born without the Byakugan due to incomplete genetics.
His degree of atavism was insufficient—thus, no horns.
But he still had white hair.
Izayoi had copied Toneri's red-tier bloodline, and since his eyes had already awakened, the changes were limited to his ocular features, not his hair.
Now, however, the color-level Otsutsuki bloodline was altering and completing Izayoi's genes, transforming his body from hybrid to pure-blooded Otsutsuki.
Thus, Izayoi now possessed another hallmark trait of a pure-blooded Otsutsuki.
"White hair, white eyes, horns… I already have the white eyes and now the white hair. What about the horns?"
He raised his hand and combed his hair backward with his fingers. Soon, his fingertips brushed against two small bulges.
Lifting his bangs and leaning closer to the mirror, Izayoi stared at his forehead.
Two small symmetrical bumps had appeared just above his hairline—like tiny mosquito bites.
Although the bumps were there, he felt no pain or itching.
But Izayoi, who could see the future, knew that these two bulges would eventually burst open like cocoons and form horns of an unknown shape.
And that day wouldn't be far off.
"When the horns grow out, I'll have all three Otsutsuki features. I'll be a pure-blooded Otsutsuki." Izayoi gently touched the bumps and gazed at his own eyes in the mirror, silently wondering to himself, "When that happens, what kinds of abilities will awaken in my body or eyes? Ultimate ocular technique, divine jutsu, or the bloodline web and wedge?"
Izayoi looked forward to the changes to come.
These three features were only the beginning.
The power of a pure-blooded Otsutsuki was capable of traversing the universe, like a god.
Ultimate ocular techniques, bloodline web, divine jutsu… Each one was a dimensional suppression against the entire ninja world. Only Otsutsuki could fight against Otsutsuki.
Izayoi was deeply curious. Would his pure bloodline resemble Otsutsuki Hagoromo and Hamura, or Otsutsuki Kaguya, or perhaps another branch of alien Otsutsuki?
This purity would determine which future abilities he could awaken.
If it was like Hagoromo and Hamura, he might awaken the ultimate ocular technique.
If it was Kaguya, he might gain the wedge or unique bloodline.
If it was the alien branch of the Otsutsuki clan—then the possibilities were endless.
"All the chakra in the ninja world originates from the God Tree, which is equivalent to sharing the chakra fruit. Now that my bloodline has become purely Otsutsuki, it's possible I could awaken any ability," Izayoi continued to analyze silently.
But the horns had yet to emerge. It would take time for his fate to evolve to that level.
Moreover, his body wouldn't enter its full growth phase until next year. Izayoi could only suppress his anticipation for now. After quickly finishing his morning routine, he used Wood Transformation to restore his hair color, ate breakfast, and teleported out to complete his mission.
To observe his body's changes more closely, Izayoi took five days to complete the jonin assessment task.
During that time, the ninja world was still abuzz with discussions about the final battle.
The smaller nations merely watched from the sidelines.
The Five Kage convened once more in the Land of Iron to hold another summit. The agenda: how to deal with Uchiha Madara and Nagato, as well as the Hidden Rain Village, which had been rebuilt using Wood Release.
This time, Tsunade's personal guards were no longer Izayoi and Hatake Kakashi, but Hinata and Karin.
Izayoi had left Flying Thunder God markers on both women.
If anything went wrong at the Five Kage meeting, Tsunade and her two guards believed Izayoi would arrive immediately.
...
"Lord Madara, the five great ninja villages are holding a Kage Summit in the Land of Iron. They might be planning how to deal with you," Black Zetsu reported.
Uchiha Madara raised an eyebrow with interest. "Is that brat Izayoi attending?"
"He's not." Black Zetsu looked puzzled. "According to what White Zetsu's clone gathered, he's currently on a confidential jonin assessment mission."
"Huh?"
Madara blinked in surprise, then chuckled. "At this time, he's going through a jonin assessment?"
"If the information's accurate, yes," White Zetsu confirmed.
"Interesting…" Madara smiled with intrigue. "Is he just pretending to be mysterious, or is he that confident?"
"Lord Madara, do you think he'll join forces with Otsutsuki Toneri?" Black Zetsu asked, a trace of concern in his tone.
He had never doubted Madara's strength. This reincarnation of Indra's chakra had surpassed Indra himself—and also Senju Hashirama, who had surpassed Asura.
He was only one step away from obtaining the Six Paths Sage Mode, Truth-Seeking Balls, and powerful Yin-Yang Release.
Once he became the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, he would unlock all of that and more—including the Ten-Tails' bloodline.
But right now, Madara was only just stepping into the Six Paths realm.
His advantage was the "chakra shadow"—an aura only visible to Six Paths-level powerhouses.
Without the chakra of a Ten-Tails Jinchuriki or Impure World Reincarnation, Madara's advantage would vanish against someone with both the Rinnegan and Wood Release.
"It doesn't matter. Even if they team up, we're only facing Toneri," Madara replied calmly. "If the Rinnegan can't see chakra shadows, then those two brats are meaningless."
"So, we must find the portal to the moon as soon as possible. That Rinnegan kid didn't appear during the battle—it's likely his Rinnegan hasn't fully evolved yet."
"But Lord Madara, Toneri can read lips. He may have overheard us," Black Zetsu warned.
"Heh... let him," Madara said arrogantly. "If the Samsara Eye and Rinnegan are equivalent, then Toneri's evolution path must be similar to mine. He should've started with three-tomoe Sharingan, then Mangekyō, Eternal Mangekyō, and finally Rinnegan."
"At his age, he's likely only reached Mangekyō or Eternal Mangekyō. The last step is a leap across dimensions."
Black Zetsu remained silent—but his anxiety deepened.
As Kaguya Otsutsuki's third son, he understood all too well:
Indra and Asura needed to merge because their blood was impure—descendants of Hagoromo and mortals.
Madara only awakened the Rinnegan near death—after decades of having a fragment of Hashirama's flesh.
But Toneri was a true Otsutsuki—his bloodline not diluted. Awakening the Samsara Eye meant he was already at a high degree of regression.
At just 18 or 19, he had mastered gravity, repulsion, alternative Six Paths techniques, and Yin-Yang Release.
He was only a step away from mastering the power of all things.
Once he crossed that final threshold, the only difference between him and Madara would be mastery of their respective ultimate eye techniques.
Black Zetsu's heart grew heavier.
It couldn't be delayed—
They had to find the space portal to the moon immediately.
"Lord Madara, the lunar portal is likely tied to the Rinnegan. Only your ocular power may be able to perceive its chakra seal," Black Zetsu offered.
Madara's eyes lit up. "That makes sense. I'll send some Wood Clones with you and the White Zetsu army. If you still can't find it, then we'll go extreme—gather enough tailed beast chakra, and I'll use Full-Body Susanoo to fly straight to the moon."
"Let me try first," Black Zetsu said, not arguing this time—proving just how urgently he wanted Toneri gone.
Then he shifted topics. "Lord Madara, shall we pay the Five Kage a visit?"
"Not interested," Madara said with disgust. "I'm done playing ninja tag with children."
He added mentally, "If someone wanted to stop me from becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, they'd just kill the Jinchuriki. But Toneri only wanted the Rinnegan back, meaning he doesn't know the Outer Path Statue's secret—or he doesn't care about becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki."
"Or perhaps… he intends to become the Jinchuriki himself."
"Either way, this works in our favor. Let the five villages speculate. We don't need to reveal anything yet."
"Yes," Black Zetsu replied.
After transferring Wood Release chakra into him, Madara left Black Zetsu to his task and arrived at a wooden house.
There sat Nagato in a wheelchair, eyes bandaged, Konan standing behind him.
"You really won't transplant new eyes?" Madara asked, regret in his tone. "With your blood and Hashirama cells, even Sharingan would be no problem. Even ordinary eyes would do. With the Demon Statue and Yin-Yang Release, there'd be no rejection."
"No need," Nagato smiled faintly. "I want to see the world with my heart now."
"I used to think I was the Chosen One, the child of prophecy, born with the eyes of a sage. But I had no dreams. I only wanted to fulfill Yahiko's."
"Now that dream is over. I'm not the child of prophecy, nor can I be a god. So I'll just quietly watch this new era unfold."
"You're leaving?"
"Yes," Nagato nodded. "I'll return with Konan to where we grew up—where we trained under Jiraiya."
He removed the Zero ring from his finger and tossed it to Madara. "The Hidden Rain Village and Akatsuki are yours now."
"What a pity. I had hoped you'd come with me to sever the world's karma," Madara sighed, his tone full of admiration.
In his eyes, Nagato far surpassed Obito.
Among all the descendants of the Uzumaki and Senju clans in the Second Ninja World War, no one had better lineage than Nagato—not even Hashirama's grandchildren.
That was why Madara entrusted the Samsara Eye to him.
From the beginning, Madara never planned to discard him—but reward him.
Even take him along to prove that the Infinite Tsukuyomi was the right path.
But seeing Nagato's resolve, he didn't press further.
Instead, he personally saw Nagato and Konan off.
Afterward, Madara returned to a wooden chamber.
There, he summoned the remaining Akatsuki members.
All of them appeared via their chakra projections—except for Black Zetsu, Tendo Pain, and Konan.
Seeing Madara seated silently, the members exchanged nervous glances.
Madara scanned the group—his gaze lingering longest on Kakuzu, Hoshigaki Kisame, and Uchiha Itachi.
When he still didn't speak, the impatient Sasori asked, "Where's the leader? And the White Tiger? Why are the Samsara Eyes in your body? Did you kill them?"
Madara responded lazily, "Nagato and Konan have quit Akatsuki. They're no longer ninja. As for the Samsara Eye—it's not that his eye is in my body. I merely reclaimed what was mine."
"What?!"
The members froze—even Deidara and Hidan.
Sasori pressed, "What do you mean? Isn't the Uchiha kekkei genkai the Sharingan? Why do you say the Samsara Eye is yours?"
Uchiha Itachi remained silent—but inside, a storm raged.
He had believed that the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan was the final form.
Now it seemed the Samsara Eye was the true ultimate form.
"I can tell you the secret," Madara said. "But only if you stay with Akatsuki. Come here in person, let me brand you with a curse mark that prevents betrayal, and I'll reveal why we collect tailed beasts and the Demon Statue."
"Your dreams will come true."
The members fell into silence again.
After a moment, Kakuzu asked, "If we refuse—will you hunt us down?"
"You're from Takigakure, right?" Madara chuckled. "With Earth Grudge you've survived this long. But your strength isn't worth my time."
"I know the Impure World Reincarnation technique. I already have your corpses. I kept you around for Nagato's sake."
"If you want to leave, just destroy your ring."
With a final dismissive wave, Madara ended the meeting.
"All of you—decide within three days. Come to me in person, or it'll be seen as quitting Akatsuki."
And with that, he severed the chakra link.