"Naruto," Kakashi said, still looking drained as he sat nearby. "Sakura and I will head back first in a bit."
Naruto opened his eyes and nodded. "Sorry, Kakashi-sensei."
Kakashi let out a small laugh. "No, this isn't anyone's fault."
Then, after a brief pause, he added, "I already sent the intel back, but there's been no response yet. That probably means things in Konohagakure… aren't looking great."
Earlier, Kisame had mentioned that the Akatsuki had launched a full-scale attack on Konohagakure. Now, nearly an hour had passed since he escaped.
That guy ran the moment Urashiki was sealed. By the time Naruto arrived, Kisame was already long gone.
Strength, mindset, skill—he was a top-tier ninja in every way. From the very start of the fight, he had no intention of killing them. If he had, even Naruto would have been in for a tough battle.
Thinking about this, Kakashi sighed. "The only thing I don't understand is… why he even told me all that. If the Akatsuki wanted to ambush Konohagakure, the best move would have been to keep quiet and keep us stuck here."
Naruto frowned as well.
It was true—there was no reason for Kisame to reveal the attack. If he had kept it a secret and used some tricks to delay them here, it would have only worked in his favor.
But Kisame just had to say it out loud.
Kakashi turned to Naruto. "Be careful of the enemy's tricks."
Konohagakure had been attacked, and they couldn't get in contact with the village. Without knowing what was happening, their only choice was to rush back. But Sasuke… In his current condition, Naruto had to stay here. Otherwise, no one could predict what might happen.
One side was his comrades, the other was the village. This kind of familiar yet difficult choice was making Kakashi frustrated.
Kurama, towering in the rain, looked into the distance with a thoughtful expression. "Kisame mentioned the name Otsutsuki Urashiki earlier. That means they know about the existence of the Otsutsuki. If we take a bold guess… could they also be aware of the power Naruto and Sasuke gained from the Sage of Six Paths?"
"So they deliberately sent Itachi to mess with Sasuke's mind, just to keep Naruto and Sasuke here… and then strike all at once?"
Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "That's a real possibility."
As she operated on Sasuke, Sakura spoke without thinking. "But if that's the case, how did they cut off our communication with Konohagakure?"
"Sealing jutsu, barrier techniques, or just outright killing the summoned creatures used for contact. There are plenty of ways." Kurama lowered his head to look at Sakura. "Try summoning Katsuyu-sama. Have her relay the message directly to Tsunade."
Kakashi frowned as if something had just clicked in his mind. "It's worth a try."
Katsuyu-sama's communication method was different from Kakashi's. She and her clones shared the same consciousness.
This meant it was nearly impossible for their message to be intercepted.
Time passed as they waited. A few minutes later, Sakura let out a long breath and turned to Naruto. "Naruto, I'm counting on you next."
Naruto nodded, walked over to Sasuke, and looked at his bloodstained eyes. Without hesitation, he placed his hands on them. A bright glow flashed, and in an instant, the incredible life force of the Six Paths Yang Power completely restored Sasuke's eyes.
It wasn't an exaggeration. If it were Naruto himself, he wouldn't even need Sakura's operation—he could just pop his eyeballs back in, and with a quick *pop*, they'd be as good as new.
"All done." Naruto pulled his hands back.
Right at that moment, Sasuke's eyes opened. As his familiar chakra surged, a pair of Mangekyou Sharingan with intricate patterns appeared before everyone.
The design was very similar to Sasuke's previous Mangekyou, but now it carried elements resembling Itachi's, making it look unique.
Feeling the immense power in his eyes, Sasuke instinctively reached up to touch them. "This strength… No wonder they say the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan is completely different from the regular Mangekyou."
The difference was huge. Sasuke even had the illusion that he could use his Mangekyou abilities endlessly without worrying about chakra.
But just as that thought crossed his mind, a sharp pain exploded from his left eye. He instinctively winced, clutching his eye in pain. At the same time, his right Mangekyou shut down.
"Sasuke?" Sakura's face changed as she quickly caught him and placed her hand over his left eye. A green glow appeared. "Itachi's eyes shouldn't be rejecting Sasuke's. Why is this happening?"
Naruto and Kakashi immediately stepped forward. Kakashi stood in front, carefully observing Sasuke's left eye with a serious expression.
Meanwhile, Naruto placed his hand on Sasuke's back, channeling Six Paths Yang Power to ease his pain.
In theory, this shouldn't be happening. But as Naruto continued pouring in the Six Paths Yang Power, his expression suddenly froze. "Wait… this is…?"
"What is it?" Kakashi asked, frowning.
Naruto shook his head, his face looking puzzled as he stopped channeling power. "Sasuke's Six Paths Yin Power is gathering in his left eye. I remember the Sage of Six Paths once said that when this happens, it usually means…"
Kurama lowered his massive head, staring at Sasuke with curiosity. "Sasuke's Rinnegan is about to awaken?"
"Yeah." Naruto nodded, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "Once Sasuke unlocks the Rinnegan, his strength will finally be on par with mine."
"On the same level as you?" Sakura pulled back her hand, which had been using medical Ninjutsu, looking completely dumbfounded. A sudden sense of… despair crept into her heart.
Lady Tsunade, can I really…
Catch up to them?
Sakura felt like crying.
She had worked so hard to get a little closer to them, but now…
Sigh…
That single sigh summed up all her frustration and bitterness.
No, Sakura, pull yourself together! Lady Tsunade told me to go back and learn Sage Mode, right? I will definitely succeed! Sage Mode! Just you wait!
As Sakura silently screamed inside, the pain in Sasuke's left eye started to ease. He removed the hand covering it, revealing his spinning Mangekyou Sharingan. Then, right before everyone's eyes, the Mangekyou's spinning suddenly sped up. In the end, it transformed into three black tomoe floating in his eye.
But that wasn't all—on top of the purple tomoe, strange black patterns appeared in rings, taking the form of the Rinnegan.
"So this is the Rinnegan…" Kakashi's expression was complicated.
A legendary eye like this had actually appeared before him. And even more surprising—it had evolved from the Mangekyou Sharingan.
This was beyond what Kakashi had ever imagined.
Naruto, however, was confused. He stared at Sasuke's eye and asked, "Isn't the Rinnegan supposed to not have tomoe? Why does Sasuke's Rinnegan have tomoe?"
From what he remembered, the Sage of Six Paths' Rinnegan didn't have tomoe. Even when Urashiki took over Sasuke's body, the Rinnegan that appeared had no tomoe. But now, Sasuke's Rinnegan did?
"Tomoe Rinnegan," Kurama spoke in a low voice. "It has stronger ocular power than an ordinary Rinnegan. If I had to compare it, it's like the difference between the Mangekyou Sharingan and the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan."
Both were Mangekyou, but their powers were completely different. The same went for the Tomoe Rinnegan and the regular Rinnegan.
The next stage of evolution would be the third eye on Kaguya's forehead—the Rinne Sharingan. It was also the six-tomoe Rinnegan that appeared on the foreheads of Otsutsuki clan members in their second stage of transformation.
——
As for the Tomoe Rinnegan and the Rinne Sharingan, I couldn't find any official descriptions in the original series or other official sources. But strangely, all the material I came across seems to describe it this way. So whether it counts as an official addition or not, let's just go with it.
There's also something called the Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan… but that's purely fan-made. In the original work, any inconsistencies in the number of tomoe were just mistakes made during drawing. Kishimoto himself mentioned this. So officially, there's only the Three-Tomoe Rinnegan and the Six-Tomoe Rinne Sharingan—the Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan doesn't exist.
As for the nine tomoe seen in the Infinite Tsukuyomi reflection on the moon and the Ten-Tails' Rinnegan with nine tomoe, the official explanation is that Kaguya's third eye is the Ten-Tails' eye. The one reflected on the moon is also Kaguya's third eye. So that means it's a Tomoe Rinnegan. As for why it has nine tomoe… I have no idea.
If there are any mistakes, just take this as a fan interpretation and don't change it.
After all, I'm just a guy writing a novel. jpg