Having composed himself, Shinji entered the dressing room, donning the Akatsuki's red-cloud cloak and the contact lenses he had prepared in advance.
The Rinnegan could not be deactivated, a fact Shinji had long considered.
Aside from using more conspicuous goggles, contact lenses were the only way to conceal the Rinnegan's distinctive patterns.
However, this wasn't a long-term solution, as an Uchiha who never activated his Sharingan would inevitably arouse suspicion.
After putting on the red-cloud cloak and a cat-face mask, Shinji checked his ninja tool pouch.
In addition to standard ninja tools, it contained several portable nutrient canisters. After all, precious eyes like Karin's Rinnegan, Yakumo's Koryugan, and Uchiha Fugaku's Mangekyo Sharingan were only safe if kept on him.
Losing them would be catastrophic.
Fully prepared, Shinji set out.
While he had no intention of interfering with the Akatsuki's tailed beast collection, that didn't mean he would let them act unchecked.
Weakening the Akatsuki during their tailed beast hunt would make it easier for him to seize the revived Ten-Tails from them later.
Leaving the secret laboratory, Shinji hurriedly made his way to the outskirts of Hidden Leaf Village.
Gazing at the village, the conflict seemed confined to the Forest of Death, allowing him to breathe a slight sigh of relief.
Then, his gaze shifted to another direction.
Smoke and dust billowed there, accompanied by booming sounds, clearly indicating a large-scale battle. The frontline appeared to be inching closer to Hidden Leaf.
"What's happening over there?"
Shinji muttered to himself before vanishing in a flash.
Soon, he reached the edge of the battlefield and finally saw the warring parties.
One side was, naturally, the shinobi army of the village alliance, led by Hidden Leaf shinobi. Their numbers were substantial—Shinji estimated at least four to five hundred, with more shinobi continuously arriving from Hidden Leaf.
The other side, however, surprised him.
The force battling the village alliance wasn't the Akatsuki but a horde of soldier puppets activated by Moryo's chakra.
"Undead Legion…"
Shinji frowned slightly.
These puppets weren't indestructible—a single explosive tag could shatter them. The real problem was their ability to regenerate, earning them the name "Undead Legion."
Because of this, despite the village alliance's numerical advantage, the frontline was slowly being pushed toward Hidden Leaf.
"So, they're using the Undead Legion to pin down the village alliance's forces, allowing Hiruko and Ranmaru to infiltrate Hidden Leaf and ambush the jinchuriki. Not a bad strategy."
Shinji understood the Akatsuki's plan.
The Undead Legion was a historical calamity with a record of destroying nations. Dealing with such a troublesome enemy required significant numbers, so the Akatsuki was using the Undead Legion to threaten Hidden Leaf, forcing the village alliance to divert substantial forces to counter it—a classic overt strategy.
Realizing the Akatsuki's intent, Shinji left the battlefield without looking back.
…
In the Forest of Death.
Having merged, Neji and Kimimaro combined their Byakugan chakra and Bone Pulse chakra. Under H's mediation, their chakra began undergoing dramatic nature transformations. In their fused state, their chakra volume surged visibly, reaching a shocking level.
"How is this possible!?"
Ranmaru was stunned.
He hadn't expected the two before him could merge.
At that moment, H spoke to Neji and Kimimaro in their minds: "You both know that maintaining the Tenseigan in this fused state is an immense burden. We must end this quickly after activating it!"
Neji asked, "How much time do we have?"
H replied, "I can't say for sure. To be safe, we should finish within ten minutes!"
Kimimaro said, "That's enough!"
Neji echoed, "It should be enough!"
H declared, "Then let's move!"
As their wills aligned, the two Tenseigan located at Neji and Kimimaro's foreheads snapped open, radiating brilliant light.
Saa.
The moment the Tenseigan activated, Neji and Kimimaro lunged at Ranmaru's true body.
"What!?"
Caught off guard, Ranmaru could only respond hastily.
Bang bang bang.
The two sides quickly clashed in fierce combat.
Ranmaru, enhanced by Steel Release and Swift Release, had a body like iron and could continuously stack speed. However, Neji and Kimimaro in their fused state had drastically improved physical capabilities.
Kimimaro's Bone Pulse alone made his physique extraordinarily tough. Now, in their fused state, not only was his bloodline disease temporarily suppressed, but his Bone Pulse was also enhanced, rivaling Ranmaru's Steel Release.
In terms of speed, while Neji and Kimimaro in their fused state were slightly slower than Ranmaru's Swift Release, they weren't defenseless. In the rapid exchange of taijutsu, the two sides were evenly matched.
"How is this possible! How can this be!?"
Ranmaru began to panic.
Under the Tenseigan's supreme perception, his prized Transparent Release and the shadow clones created by his Hogan lost all deceptive effect.
This forced him to confront Neji and Kimimaro head-on.
Both Neji and Kimimaro had endured countless battles and relentless training to achieve their current taijutsu prowess.
Before the bloodline fusion ritual, Ranmaru was just a physically impaired boy with no taijutsu foundation or experience in direct combat. Sneaking attacks under Transparent Release was manageable, but facing a formidable opponent head-on was beyond him—at least for now. Soon, thoughts of retreat surfaced in his mind.
Bang.
After forcing his opponents back with a punch, Ranmaru didn't hesitate. He activated Swift Release to flee.
With Swift Release, he believed even a troublesome enemy like them couldn't stop him. But as he leaped away, an inexplicable pulling force enveloped him, dragging him back toward Neji and Kimimaro.
"!?"
Ranmaru's face was full of disbelief. Turning, he saw his opponent had merely extended an arm toward him.
Pulled back by the force, Ranmaru was too flustered to defend. In an instant, Neji and Kimimaro landed over a dozen strikes, sealing all the chakra points across his body with Gentle Fist.