Jiraiya glanced at Yoruha thoughtfully.
A bold idea suddenly sparked in his mind.
With the massive fanbase he had already built…
And with Yoruha's writing talent…
If they combined forces—
Their pens would be like dual blades.
They could create a masterpiece for the ages.
The moment that thought formed, the eyes of Kakashi, Might Guy, and Asuma lit up with excitement.
They'd all read the opening chapters of "Night Wind."
It was a masterpiece—a perfect blend of emotion and action.
If Yoruha joined Jiraiya to continue writing?
That would be beyond amazing.
But…
Yoruha stared at them with blatant contempt.
"Absolutely not."
"No way."
"Don't even think about it."
"The market's a disaster right now. Writing novels? That's basically a shortcut to financial ruin."
Yoruha spent a little more time at the hospital, chatting and throwing jabs at Kakashi and the others.
Then, Yūgao Uzuki (Maoyue Xiyan) arrived with a message from Naruto.
"Yoruha-kun, Lady Hokage is calling you to attend another meeting," she said politely.
"Another meeting?" Yoruha sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Can't they just say everything at once? I just got back."
"Haha, go on," Asuma chuckled. "You're the future of the village, after all. It's natural to be busy."
"Future? Please." Yoruha gave Asuma a look. "Your body's already falling apart—aren't you a little too optimistic?"
With that, he left the hospital.
This time, Yoruha didn't use Flying Thunder God to teleport to Tsunade.
He wasn't in a rush.
He simply walked at a leisurely pace alongside Yūgao.
"Hey, Maoyue-san," Yoruha asked, breaking the silence. "I haven't seen Anko lately. How's she doing?"
"Anko…?" Yūgao hesitated, her voice quiet. "After Orochimaru was killed by Uchiha Sasuke, she volunteered to investigate everything related to him."
She glanced at Yoruha sideways, her expression unreadable.
She often worried about her best friend, Anko.
Anko acted tough and carefree, but deep down, she was emotionally scarred.
Between Orochimaru and Sasuke…
Those two men had doomed her to a lifetime of solitude.
"…I see," Yoruha murmured, shaking his head.
That girl Anko… she'd gone off on such a dangerous mission without even telling him?
And Orochimaru was taken down that fast?
They must've really been in a hurry to settle that score.
Still, if Uchiha Itachi didn't pull that trick later, Sasuke's body would've become Orochimaru's in the end.
Back at the Hokage's office—
Tsunade was deep in discussion with Nara Shikaku (Kazuna).
"Yoruha, finally. Uncle Shikaku has some questions for you," Tsunade said, motioning toward him.
Ever since Yoruha and Jiraiya returned, she had immediately brought Shikaku in for strategy planning.
After all, the Akatsuki's obsession with collecting Tailed Beasts meant something very serious was coming.
Konoha had to be ready.
Shikaku looked up and asked, "Yoruha, are you sure the Akatsuki leader's eyes were the Rinnegan?"
The Rinnegan—also known as the Eyes of the Sage.
Some ancient clans like the Ino–Shika–Chō trio had secret records about it, but…
No one had actually seen it in modern times.
"I'm sure," Yoruha replied casually, slouching on the sofa. "I've read about the Rinnegan in some ancient scrolls from the Yamazaka Clan. What Pain has are definitely Rinnegan."
"…That's terrifying," Shikaku muttered, his brow furrowed. "Could he be a direct descendant of the Sage of Six Paths?"
The Sage of Six Paths—the god of the shinobi world.
These days, his existence was treated almost like mythology. But no one could deny he had been real.
After all, the Uchiha Clan possessed a stone tablet passed down from him—
One that only the Sharingan could decipher.
"The bloodline of the Sage of Six Paths is scattered all over the world," Tsunade said, her tone thoughtful. "It's said the Senju and Hyuga clans both descend from him. If Pain carries some of that blood, and awakened a latent bloodline, it's not impossible."
As the heir to the Senju clan, Tsunade knew a few things most didn't.
Especially when it came to ancient bloodlines.
"Bloodline resurgence, huh…" Shikaku's voice grew serious. "If Pain really inherited even a fraction of the Sage's power, the entire ninja world could be at risk."
Yes—Hashirama Senju was hailed as the God of Shinobi in the modern age.
But the gap between even him and the Sage of Six Paths was vast.
If Pain truly wielded that power—and turned hostile—the result would be catastrophic.
"Don't worry, Uncle Shikaku," Yoruha said, waving a hand.
"Pain isn't as strong as you're imagining."
His voice dripped with disdain.
"Sure, he has the Rinnegan—but if he really had the full power of the Sage of Six Paths, would he have to hide underground like a sewer rat?"
Yoruha had wondered about the Sage's power ever since arriving in this world.
Over time, he'd pieced some things together.
Theoretically, you needed both Indra and Asura's chakra to awaken the Rinnegan.
Yet even Uchiha Madara, after fusing with Hashirama's cells, didn't open the Rinnegan right away.
He had to wait until the very end of his life to do it.
And even then—
The Rinnegan wasn't originally from them.
It was a bloodline exclusive to the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Indra and Asura? They were just grandkids in the family tree. Their blood wasn't pure.
So why did you need to combine them to awaken something that never belonged to them in the first place?
Yoruha had figured it out.
To truly awaken the Rinnegan, two conditions must be met:
You must carry the Ōtsutsuki bloodline—and it must be pure.
(Madara barely met this requirement after implanting Hashirama's cells.)
You must master Yin-Yang Release.
(Not Yin Release + Yang Release, but an advanced, integrated eighth nature.)
That's why Madara couldn't awaken it until the very end.
Yin-Yang Release wasn't something you just "picked up."
It took a genius.
In fact, Madara was the only person in history to achieve it.
As for Nagato?
He was just a puppet—someone given power he didn't earn.
He might've looked impressive…
But compared to Madara?
He was just a hack.
(Then again, Yoruha was also using cheats—just better ones.)
And thus, in the hierarchy of "overpowered plug-ins," a cheat supremacy chain was born.