Before long, Shinji rushed out of the Death Forest. After a brief moment of contemplation, he decided to head to his secret laboratory first.
The push for Rinnegan was the most critical step toward reaching the "Six Paths level," and it could not tolerate any interference. Thus, his secret laboratory, located outside Hidden Leaf Village and beyond the scope of this war, was undoubtedly the best location.
However, considering the Akatsuki organization had already begun their operations, it was possible that Obito, in his intangible state, or Zetsu, lurking underground, could be secretly observing from some corner of the village. So, instead of heading straight to his secret laboratory, Shinji found a secluded spot midway and activated Susanoo Tomoshibi, temporarily wielding the Koryugan.
Using the Koryugan's penetrative vision and its blood-sensing ability, he carefully confirmed that no one was around. Then, he split off multiple Blood Clones and scattered them to confuse any potential observers. His true self trailed behind, ready to counter any surveillance.
Finally, when one of his Blood Clones successfully entered the secret laboratory...
His true self, lurking outside the laboratory, activated the dojutsu Koryu and swapped places with the Blood Clone inside. His real body smoothly entered the secret laboratory, while the Blood Clone was displaced outside, standing guard and concealing the laboratory's location.
Hoo
Safely inside the laboratory, Shinji let out a breath.
Even for him, at this critical juncture of pushing for the Rinnegan, a trace of nervousness was inevitable.
He then activated Susanoo Tomoshibi again, removing the Koryugan and carefully placing it into a small nutrient tank.
Wielding any dojutsu now would interfere with and burden his attempt to push for the Rinnegan, so he had to release all active techniques.
Next, while calming his mind, he approached the equipment, connected the instrument lines to his body, and began checking his current physical data.
After meticulously recording the data, his nervousness eased considerably.
"The activity level of my chakra has indeed increased. Is it because the All Creation Power has accumulated enough?"
Various speculations flashed through his mind.
In his view, all advancements for a shinobi could ultimately be attributed to chakra enhancement. Stripping away the mystical aspects, the reason he sensed the opportunity to push for the Rinnegan was, in essence, because his body had amassed sufficient chakra to make it possible.
Closing his notebook, the tension in his heart had completely dissipated.
When everything was reduced to tangible, measurable data, emotions like confusion and nervousness naturally faded. After all, the greatest trigger of fear was the unknown.
From the data, Shinji had comprehensively surpassed Karin's state when she prepared to push for the Rinnegan, so his success rate this time was extremely high.
Leaving the laboratory, Shinji entered a more spacious training ground.
He didn't turn on the lights, instead stepping slowly into the shadows. The quiet, dark environment of the underground training ground allowed him to focus more intently on himself.
At the center of the training ground, he sat cross-legged, his tightly shut eyes slowly opening to reveal the crimson Sharingan within!
He didn't immediately activate the dojutsu Jikibi or Wazunagi to extract Indra Ōtsutsuki's chakra from Sasuke. Instead, he attempted to push for the Rinnegan using his own chakra.
And so, in the darkness, his chakra surged violently. The three tomoe in his Sharingan spun rapidly, and his pupils glowed with a dazzling red light!
Shua
In an instant, his Sharingan transitioned from its standard tomoe state to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, his aura gradually climbing to its peak.
"Is this my limit?"
Shinji was quietly astonished.
Because he had been preparing for the Rinnegan push for so long, it had been a while since he last unleashed his chakra fully. Now, going all out, he realized his chakra had grown to such an extent that even he felt a thrill of awe!
Yet, even with such terrifying chakra, he was still one step away from awakening the Rinnegan. Though that step was clear, Shinji couldn't cross it with his own power alone.
"In terms of Yang Release chakra, both quality and quantity are sufficient. It's just the quality of my Yin Release chakra that's slightly lacking…"
Shinji couldn't help but sigh.
He felt that if he recklessly activated Jikibi and Wazunagi to gather chakra from his marked subordinates—Karin, Haku, Yakumo, Shion, Neji, Kimimaro, Ryuzetsu, and Chino—combining their massive chakra reserves, he might have a decent chance of breaking the shackles and awakening the Rinnegan, the threshold of the "Six Paths level."
But with the Akatsuki currently invading Hidden Leaf, and battles raging on all fronts, recklessly draining his subordinates' chakra could lead to accidents. So, he didn't act impulsively and decisively abandoned the attempt, choosing instead to stick to the original plan: extract Indra Ōtsutsuki's chakra from Sasuke for the safest approach to push for the Rinnegan.
Soon, activating Jikibi, Shinji sensed Sasuke.
At this moment, Sasuke was under the protection of Naruto, Karin, Haku, and others in a shelter. However, due to overusing the Cursed Seal, his body was extremely weak, barely able to move.
Shinji didn't waste words, directly using Jikibi to speak bluntly to Sasuke: "I need your chakra!"
"What!?"
Hearing the Leader's voice in his mind, Sasuke froze.
Shinji stated his terms: "You give me your chakra, and I'll help you restore your dojutsu power!"
Sasuke, reacting with delight: "Really?"
The depletion of his Mangekyō Sharingan's dojutsu power was his greatest concern. If not for that, he wouldn't have resorted to the Cursed Seal's power.
Shinji didn't bother emphasizing his capability, instead saying coldly: "Tell me your answer!"
"Alright!" Almost without hesitation, Sasuke agreed, though he soon frowned: "But my condition is terrible right now. I'm afraid I don't have much chakra to give you!"
Shinji replied calmly: "That's fine!"
He didn't need a large quantity of chakra. What he required was the high-quality Yin Release chakra of Indra Ōtsutsuki, comparable to Asura Ōtsutsuki's.
Simply put, he needed a small amount of extremely high-quality Yin Release chakra to merge with his own, allowing him to cross the tantalizingly close threshold before him!
"Then do it, and remember your promise!"
Sasuke went all in.
He knew what it meant to have his chakra completely drained, but to restore his dojutsu power, he could no longer care about the consequences.
Shinji didn't hold back either, directly activating Wazunagi to extract Sasuke's chakra from afar.