The Land of Lightning was a fortress of mountains and storms.
Hidden Cloud Village sat among those peaks—one of the Five Great Nations' most militarized settlements. Strong shinobi. Aggressive tactics. The Raikage's iron-fisted leadership creating warriors who valued strength above all else.
Perfect place to test my Rinnegan, Sasuke thought as he observed the village from fifteen kilometers away.
His purple eyes—six tomoe ripples with draconic pupils gleaming in the center—tracked every chakra signature in the village. The lavender-blue tint from his eleven absorbed Byakugan overlaid the Rinnegan, creating an unprecedented sensory range.
"Two-Tails jinchuriki located," he murmured. "Yugito Nii. Northeast sector, third training ground. Currently alone."
Team Taka stood behind him, clearly nervous about their proximity to a major village.
"Sasuke-kun," Karin said carefully, "Cloud has thousands of shinobi. If you attack their jinchuriki, they'll mobilize everything—"
"Let them." Sasuke's voice was utterly dismissive. "I have Rinnegan. They have... what? Lightning-enhanced speed? Bijuu chakra mode? Particle-based techniques?" He smiled coldly. "None of it matters. Rinnegan gives me control over tailed beasts directly. The Two-Tails is already mine—Yugito just doesn't know it yet."
"The Raikage is extremely fast," Jugo pointed out. "He might intercept you before—"
"Flying Thunder God is faster." Sasuke pulled out several kunai, each marked with his seal formula. "I'll mark the extraction point, teleport to the jinchuriki, subdue her instantly using Rinnegan, then teleport out before anyone can respond. Total operation time: under three minutes."
"That's insane," Suigetsu muttered.
"That's efficient." Sasuke began throwing marked kunai in a wide perimeter around their position—emergency escape anchors scattered across the mountain range. "And if somehow the Raikage does catch up, I'll just use Deva Path to repel him. Shinra Tensei can push back anything, including a lightning-speed bruiser."
He finished placing his anchors, then turned to his team.
"You three remain here. Observe only. If Cloud forces approach this position, retreat immediately and rendezvous at the Land of Frost border. Don't engage. Just run."
"And you?" Karin asked.
"I'll be extracting a tailed beast from one of the Five Great Nations' jinchuriki in broad daylight." Sasuke's Rinnegan blazed. "Try not to worry. This is what I've been preparing for."
He vanished using Flying Thunder God—teleporting directly to a marked position he'd thrown near Yugito's training ground hours earlier during his reconnaissance.
Cloud Village—Training Ground Three
Sasuke materialized in the trees overlooking the clearing.
Yugito Nii stood in the center, practicing fire techniques. Blue flames erupted from her hands—Matatabi's chakra enhancing her natural affinity. She was good. Jonin-level at minimum, with a tailed beast providing additional power.
Against anyone else, she'd be a formidable opponent.
Against Rinnegan, she was already defeated.
Sasuke dropped from the trees, making no attempt at stealth.
Yugito spun instantly, her sensor abilities detecting his presence. Her eyes widened as she saw his eyes—purple with rippling tomoe patterns, clearly wrong, clearly dangerous.
"Who—"
"Sasuke Uchiha. Akatsuki. Here for your tailed beast." He stated it like he was reading a grocery list. "This doesn't need to be violent. I can extract Matatabi painlessly if you don't resist."
"You're insane!" Yugito's chakra flared—blue flames coating her entire body. "The Two-Tails is mine! You think you can just walk into Cloud Village and—"
"Yes." Simple answer. "Because I have these."
His Rinnegan blazed with power.
Yugito lunged forward, her cat-like reflexes enhanced by bijuu chakra. Fire claws extended from her hands, aiming for his throat—
Sasuke didn't move.
"Shinra Tensei."
Gravity inverted. The repulsive force exploded outward from Sasuke's position, catching Yugito mid-leap and hurling her backward with overwhelming power. She crashed through three trees before hitting the ground twenty meters away.
"Adequate speed," Sasuke observed clinically. "But meaningless when I can manipulate gravity itself. Try again if you want. The result will be the same."
Yugito struggled to her feet, shocked. "What... what was that technique..."
"Deva Path. One of six Rinnegan abilities. I can push or pull anything with gravitational force. Your physical attacks are useless against it." Sasuke began walking toward her casually. "Now, are you going to make this tedious? Or will you accept the inevitable?"
"I'll never—" Yugito's chakra exploded. The Two-Tails' power flooded her system. Her body transformed—taking on Matatabi's partial form. Blue flames covered her completely, cat ears manifesting, tails of fire extending from her back.
"Version Two jinchuriki transformation," Sasuke noted. "Impressive. Still inadequate."
Yugito roared and attacked with everything she had. Fire techniques combined with taijutsu enhanced by bijuu chakra. She was a blur of motion—faster than most jonin could even perceive.
Sasuke stood there, his Rinnegan tracking her movements effortlessly.
When she got close, he simply activated the Preta Path.
His hands glowed with absorbing energy. Every fire technique Yugito threw at him was consumed instantly—chakra drained away like water through a sieve.
"Preta Path absorbs all chakra-based techniques," Sasuke explained as her attacks vanished harmlessly. "Your bijuu chakra, your fire jutsu, your enhanced physicals—all of it requires chakra. And I can negate all of it."
Yugito stumbled back, gasping. "That's impossible... how can you just..."
"I told you. Rinnegan." Sasuke's voice carried no emotion. "Now stop wasting both our time."
His eyes blazed with power—the full force of his Rinnegan focused directly on Yugito and the Two-Tails within her.
The technique was instinctive, hardwired into the Rinnegan's nature: tailed beast control.
Yugito's eyes widened in horror as she felt it—her connection to Matatabi being overridden. The Two-Tails, which had been her partner for years, suddenly responding to someone else's will.
"What... what are you doing to Matatabi?!"
"Taking control." Sasuke's Rinnegan spun slowly. "Rinnegan allows the user to control tailed beasts directly. Your bijuu is no longer responding to you. It's responding to me."
Inside Yugito's mindscape, Matatabi the Two-Tails felt the overwhelming pressure of Rinnegan power crushing down on it.
"This chakra... it's the same as the Sage of Six Paths... how does a human possess..."
Sasuke's will invaded the seal, his Rinnegan reaching through Yugito's consciousness to touch Matatabi directly.
"Submit."
The Two-Tails tried to resist—tried to maintain its connection with Yugito. But Rinnegan power was absolute. The eyes that had been created by Hagoromo himself, the power that had originally separated the Ten-Tails into nine bijuu... it was overwhelming.
Matatabi's resistance crumbled.
In the real world, Yugito collapsed to her knees. Her Version Two transformation faded. Tears streamed down her face.
"Matatabi... I can't... I can't feel you anymore..."
"The Two-Tails is mine now." Sasuke walked forward, his hands forming seals. "Phantom Dragon Nine Consuming Seals."
Purple chakra erupted from his body—the summoning technique for bijuu extraction without the Gedo Statue. He'd modified it using his Outer Path abilities, creating a portable version that could seal tailed beasts directly into prepared containers.
He pulled out a specialized seal scroll—prepared specifically for this mission.
"This will hurt," he said clinically. "The extraction process damages the jinchuriki's body. Most die. But I need you alive to deliver a message, so I'll be... careful."
"Wait, please—" Yugito gasped, but it was too late.
The extraction began.
Blue flames erupted from Yugito's body as Matatabi was forcibly torn from her seal. The Two-Tails manifested briefly—a massive cat of pure chakra, writhing as it was pulled from its host.
Yugito screamed. The pain of extraction was indescribable—like having her soul ripped out while still conscious.
Sasuke's Rinnegan blazed as he controlled the process. The Two-Tails, already under his domination, couldn't resist even as it was sealed into the scroll.
Ninety seconds later, it was done.
The Two-Tails—all of Matatabi's power—was sealed in Sasuke's scroll.
Yugito collapsed, unconscious but alive. Her breathing shallow, her chakra system damaged but not destroyed.
Sasuke looked down at her with his inhuman purple eyes. "You survived. Good. When you wake, tell the Raikage that Akatsuki has the Two-Tails. Tell him that resistance is futile. Tell him that anyone who interferes with our objectives will face the same fate."
He formed a hand seal, preparing to teleport—
"SASUKE UCHIHA!"
The voice was thunder. Literally—enhanced by lightning chakra into a sound that shook the entire training ground.
Sasuke turned slowly.
The Raikage—A, Fourth Raikage of Hidden Cloud—stood at the clearing's edge. His entire body crackling with lightning, his expression pure fury.
"You dare attack my village? Attack my jinchuriki?" The Raikage's chakra exploded outward. "I'm going to tear you apart!"
"Interesting timing." Sasuke showed no fear. "I was expecting at least another minute before detection."
"Yugito's chakra spiked during the extraction. Every sensor in the village felt it." The Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode activated fully—his body encased in lightning armor. "And now you're going to pay for your arrogance."
He moved.
Not running. Lightning-speed movement.
The Raikage crossed the distance between them in a fraction of a second—faster than most eyes could track. His fist, enhanced by lightning chakra and his natural strength, aimed directly for Sasuke's head with enough force to pulverize stone.
Sasuke's Rinnegan tracked the movement perfectly.
"Too slow."
"Shinra Tensei!"
Gravity inverted violently.
The Raikage was hurled backward with devastating force—his lightning armor protecting him from the impact but not the momentum. He crashed through the treeline, carving a furrow fifty meters long.
"Your speed is impressive," Sasuke said as the Raikage struggled to his feet. "For a normal shinobi. But Rinnegan perceives at speeds beyond human comprehension. You're moving in slow motion to me."
"Bastard!" The Raikage attacked again—this time from a different angle, using his incredible speed to create multiple approach vectors.
But it didn't matter.
Every attack was met with Shinra Tensei. Every approach repelled. The Raikage couldn't get close—Sasuke's gravitational manipulation created an impenetrable barrier.
"This is pointless," Sasuke observed. "You can't touch me. Your lightning armor protects you from my attacks, but it doesn't let you bypass my defenses. We're at an impasse."
"Then I'll break through your defenses!" The Raikage's chakra spiked even higher. "Lariat!"
He charged with his ultimate technique—his arm extended, lightning coating it completely, moving at his absolute maximum speed.
Sasuke could have dodged. Could have teleported away. Could have used another Shinra Tensei.
Instead, he activated a different path.
"Asura Path."
His right arm transformed—mechanical components emerging from his flesh, chakra-enhanced weaponry manifesting. A cannon formed from his palm, aimed directly at the charging Raikage.
The laser-like blast met the Lariat head-on.
The resulting explosion leveled the entire training ground.
When the smoke cleared, both fighters stood apart—the Raikage's lightning armor flickering, Sasuke's mechanical arm retracting back to normal.
"You're strong," Sasuke admitted. "Kage-level at minimum. Under normal circumstances, you'd be a challenging opponent."
"Under normal circumstances?" The Raikage growled.
"But I'm not normal. I have Rinnegan. I have abilities you can't counter. And most importantly..." Sasuke's eyes shifted—from purple Rinnegan to his Eternal Mangekyo pattern, then back to Rinnegan. "I have Flying Thunder God. Which means this conversation is over."
He vanished.
Teleported directly to one of his marked kunai fifteen kilometers away, leaving the Raikage standing alone in the destroyed training ground.
Fifteen Kilometers Away—Rendezvous Point
Sasuke materialized in front of Team Taka, completely unharmed.
"Mission complete," he announced, holding up the seal scroll. "Two-Tails captured. Jinchuriki left alive to deliver message. Raikage engaged and repelled. No casualties on our side."
Team Taka stared at him in stunned silence.
"You... you actually did it," Karin whispered. "You infiltrated Cloud Village, extracted a tailed beast, and escaped from the Raikage himself."
"It wasn't difficult." Sasuke sealed the scroll into his cloak. "Rinnegan made the extraction trivial. The Raikage is fast but predictable. I simply used superior tactics."
"Superior tactics," Suigetsu repeated flatly. "You mean god-tier eyes that make you unkillable."
"Those too." Sasuke's expression was utterly neutral. "Now we return to base. Pain will want to see this."
As they began moving, Jugo spoke quietly. "Sasuke... that woman. Yugito. She's probably dying right now. Jinchuriki die when their bijuu is extracted—"
"She'll survive. I was careful." Sasuke's tone suggested he didn't particularly care either way. "And if she doesn't, that's irrelevant. I got what I came for."
"How can you be so cold about it?" Karin asked. "She was just defending her village—"
"And I was just collecting a tailed beast. We both did what we had to." Sasuke looked back at her with his purple Rinnegan eyes—completely inhuman. "Sentiment doesn't factor into the equation. She had something I wanted. I took it. That's all."
They traveled in silence after that.
Behind them, Hidden Cloud Village erupted into chaos—medical teams rushing to save Yugito, sensor corps trying to track the attacker, the Raikage ordering full mobilization.
But Sasuke was already gone.
Already planning his next move.
Already thinking about which tailed beast to target next.
The Two-Tails was just the beginning.
Seven more to collect.
And with Rinnegan, each extraction would be just as easy.
Three Days Later—Akatsuki Base
Pain examined the sealed Two-Tails with his own Rinnegan, clearly impressed despite himself.
"You extracted it alone. From a jinchuriki inside one of the Five Great Nations. And escaped from the Raikage." His tone was carefully neutral. "Efficient work."
"It was simple." Sasuke's response carried no pride, just cold fact. "Rinnegan controls tailed beasts innately. The extraction was the easy part. Avoiding unnecessary combat with Cloud's forces was the strategic element."
"The Raikage reported that you used multiple unknown techniques," Konan said, reading from an intelligence report. "Gravitational repulsion. Mechanical weaponry emerging from your arm. Instant teleportation. He's convinced you're a greater threat than Pain now."
"He's correct." Sasuke showed no humility. "I have natural Rinnegan evolution, not implanted eyes. My body has adapted perfectly. I can use all six paths without the strain Pain experiences. Plus my previous abilities—Eternal Mangekyo, Flying Thunder God, Dragon Sage Mode, absorbed dojutsu. I'm the strongest member of Akatsuki. Denying that is delusional."
The chamber was silent.
Pain studied Sasuke for a long moment. Two Rinnegan users, facing each other. Teacher and student. Or perhaps... rivals.
"Your confidence has merit," Pain finally said. "But don't underestimate the other members. Obito—"
"Has Kamui, yes. Space-time ninjutsu that makes him intangible. Impressive but not insurmountable. I can use Flying Thunder God to match his mobility, and my Rinnegan's Preta Path can potentially absorb chakra-based phasing." Sasuke's analysis was instant. "He's dangerous. Not unbeatable."
"And me?" Pain's voice carried challenge.
"You're the second-strongest member. Possibly equal to me if you're willing to use your full power." Sasuke's honesty was brutal. "But you're controlling six bodies remotely, which creates coordination delays I don't have. Your bodies are puppets—mine is enhanced by Hashirama cells and Dragon Sage Mode. In a direct confrontation, I'd win. Eventually."
"Arrogant."
"Accurate." Sasuke's purple eyes gleamed. "But this is pointless posturing. We're allies. For now. I have no intention of fighting you until Akatsuki's objectives are complete. After that..." He smiled coldly. "We'll see."
Pain exchanged a glance with Konan. The unspoken communication was clear: This can't continue. He's too powerful. Too unpredictable. When the time comes, we'll need to eliminate him before he eliminates us.
But Sasuke saw it. His Rinnegan perceived the subtle shifts in their chakra, the micro-expressions, the intent behind their silence.
They're already planning my betrayal, he thought with cold amusement. Good. So am I. Let them think they have the advantage. When the moment comes, I'll be the one who strikes first.
"Next target?" Sasuke asked aloud, playing along.
"Four-Tails," Pain decided. "The Tsuchikage is old but powerful. This will require more planning—"
"Assign me to it." Sasuke's interruption was casual. "I can handle another extraction. The experience with the Two-Tails was... educational. I want to refine my technique."
"The Four-Tails jinchuriki is a full-transformation type. More dangerous than Yugito—"
"More practice then." Sasuke's confidence was absolute. "Give me two weeks to prepare. I'll return with the Four-Tails sealed."
Pain considered, then nodded slowly. "Two weeks. But take backup. Kisame will accompany you."
"Unnecessary. I work better alone."
"It wasn't a request." Pain's voice hardened. "You're powerful, but you're also reckless. Kisame goes with you. He can handle himself, and he'll report back on your methods."
Ah, Sasuke thought. Surveillance. He wants Kisame to observe me, learn my capabilities, identify weaknesses. Smart.
"Fine," he said aloud. "Kisame can come. But if he slows me down, I'm leaving him behind."
Kisame, who'd been listening silently, grinned with all his shark teeth. "I'll try to keep up, Uchiha. Should be entertaining watching you work."
The meeting concluded.
As Sasuke left, he felt the weight of multiple gazes on his back. Akatsuki was becoming wary. Suspicious. Hostile.
Perfect, he thought. Let them fear me. Fear is the first step toward submission. And when they realize how outmatched they are, they'll have two choices: serve me or die.
Either way, I'll collect what I want from them.
His Rinnegan gleamed in the darkness—six tomoe ripples containing the power of the Sage of Six Paths, enhanced by fifty-five absorbed Sharingan and eleven Byakugan.
The Dojutsu Hunter had evolved beyond anyone's expectations.
And he wasn't done evolving yet.
Not even close.