After briefly discussing a few things, Haseo drifted into a deep sleep again. When he woke up the second time, an entire day had already passed.
By then, he felt his condition had improved greatly. More importantly, his spirit had been revitalized and was no longer so listless.
Tsunade still remained by his bedside, only this time she'd moved to Haseo's reachable left side.
Some things are indeed laughably ironic—for instance, how pragmatic this woman truly was… Before, when she was still angry, whatever pain Haseo's injuries caused him was endured as it was. However, after accepting Haseo's explanation, she began using gentle healing chakra to suppress his pain sensation.
Reality may be harsh, but sometimes it comes with a sugary aftertaste of romance too.
Haseo reached out to stroke her hair, gently waking her up by pinching her cheeks while she was still half-asleep, then moving on to tickle under her chin… This sequence was somewhat familiar, yet probably shouldn't be applied to humans.
Ticklish under her chin, Tsunade immediately straightened her back and dodged with her head.
"Do I have to start purring too?"
"Sorry, just inertia—inertia issues. Although... maybe not necessarily a bad idea."
This moment proved that while it was hard for a cat to evolve into a catgirl, the reverse was surprisingly easy—if you were already a ninja, that is.
But she didn't respond.
"By the way, Tsunade, when do you think I can regain mobility?"
"If you're talking about barely being able to move, at least another week will be needed. If you mean restoring full battle capacity, well, there can't really be an exact timeframe—it'll depend on your recovery progress... What's wrong? Is there any problem?"
"Yes, I need to return to that battlefield for confirmation. I should move on this within the next couple of days," Haseo replied.
Even though Madara Uchiha was truly dead, Haseo still needed to see for himself whether the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path had been destroyed—though logic dictated that it should have been gone by now.
"That's impossible."
Tsunade rejected without hesitation.
Could someone who'd recently had a tree sprouting from their thigh and their insides spilling out everywhere suddenly start bouncing around like nothing happened? Tsunade was merely a physician, not a deity.
"I understand this is important, and I know you definitely have a method..."
Haseo took Tsunade's hand and spoke with grave seriousness.
Tsunade: "..."
Tsunade always ended up agreeing to Haseo's requests eventually; otherwise, this moment's solemnity would instantly give way to witnessing how a forty-year-old man could throw a childish tantrum—the scene would surely be as chaotic and awkward as a car crash.
So after yet another day passed, Haseo returned to that battlefield alongside his subordinates and Tsunade… To be precise, throughout the journey Tsunade continuously supported his movement.
"Lord Haseo..."
As they arrived, Ka-jin and Mokkō, who had remained behind to guard the area, rushed forward.
Haseo looked up and found that although the area had suffered extensive damage and remained in chaos, the key "Ball of Light" was already gone.
Detonating Nine-Tails had caused considerable destruction, meaning its sacrifice wasn't in vain—it carried value. Haseo wouldn't let Nine-Tails' sacrifice go to waste. He would definitely bring it back to Konoha afterward, welcoming it home—like a long-lost weapon with feelings, again and again, reusing it endlessly.
"Lord Haseo, your technique has barely faded. We did a quick sweep, didn't find anything strange… Well, actually, there wasn't *anything* over there," Ka-jin reported to Haseo.
However, before they could approach closer, Sannai blocked the two individuals.
First, she checked the Sealing Technique set upon them, carefully verifying their chakra signatures multiple times before finally nodding in approval. This ensured that the two left behind had not been infiltrated.
The Uzumaki clan's techniques still deserved recognition.
"Did other ninja come here? What about Iwagakure?" As they slowly moved toward their target location, Haseo asked the two.
"There hasn't been anyone. First, all major ninja villages should now have their complete attention focused on the battlefield of The Great Ninja World War. Second, this place is just too remote. Even if the battle's commotion was massive… it's not even within Iwagakure's scouting range.
If they missed it during the battle, finding it later would be nearly impossible. I estimate at least several months will pass before Iwa ninjas notice this corner," Ka-jin said.
Haseo nodded. [Planetary Devastation] had already rolled down onto the ground. Who knows how long it would take before an Iwa ninja wandering by randomly discovered many new "natural wonders."
After a while, the group arrived at the spot where Nine-Tails had been detonated, where the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path originally stood—a beautifully neat yet incredibly huge bowl-shaped depression had formed on the surface.
"Spread out; everyone conduct a detailed investigation."
Looking down, everything beneath was barren. The Demonic Statue left absolutely nothing behind.
The Uzumaki immediately scattered toward the bottom of the crater, beginning their inspection.
"Tsunade, may I borrow the usage of 'Sage Sensor'?"
Under such circumstances, however, Haseo clearly trusted his own sensor abilities more.
"No."
Tsunade used Doctor's "veto power" without hesitation, her firm and sharp gaze indicating there absolutely wasn't room for negotiation.
Allowing Haseo to come here had already been a significant concession. How dare he try pushing further?
Nevertheless, looking down again, everything appeared completely bare. Sure, the Uzumaki had strong sensing skills—but what were they gonna find in an empty hole? They completed their tasks very quickly.
Facts proved it once again: the Nine-Tails was a devastating force that burned completely—leaving no trace behind, yet incredibly powerful, an ideal companion for daily life and spontaneous apocalypses. Its chakra burned away Ten-Tails' body entirely. Did this also count as 'burning the beanstalk to cook the beans' (a Chinese idiom meaning self-destructive actions)?
The Uzumaki shinobi returned to Haseo's side again. By then, Haseo had become so exhausted that his entire body sagged against Tsunade's.
His vision was still filled with that massive crater. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke:
"It's truly over..."
...
In the Land of Rain, within Akatsuki's secret base.
Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato sat together in a circle. At this time, Nagato's eyes were already covered by a layer of white gauze.
"It seems Lord Haseo wasn't lying. He really was helping us..." Yahiko looked at Nagato. "Can you recall anything from your early childhood? How did you get those eyes? And what exactly had been bound to you all this time?"
These people weren't fools, nor were they simple-minded idealists—at least they hadn't branded Lord Haseo an enemy just for removing Nagato's eyes.
What happened several days ago was clearly a case where Lord Haseo had driven away something that had always been attached to Nagato.
Nagato slowly shook his head. "I don't know. Before this, I always believed these eyes were something I was born with. But... perhaps unknowingly, I had become someone else's piece on the board.
I think Lord Haseo probably realized this the first time he saw me...
So what has happened to me recently should be a good thing. I've freed myself from certain restraints and shackles, and cast off burdens that never rightfully belonged to me."
Haseo had mentioned the name Madara Uchiha in front of the three of them before, but now they wisely chose not to mention that name or any details Haseo had revealed.
Yahiko and Konan exchanged glances, then he smiled—Yahiko was a positive, ambitious young man, so Nagato's attitude pleased him greatly.
"Long ago, regarding the issue of your eyes, Konan and I made a decision..."
"No, no, you can't do that! I..."
After hearing Yahiko's words, Nagato immediately shook his head and waved his hands in strong protest.
His reaction made Yahiko and Konan laugh immediately.
"Don't rush to refuse. Wait until we contact Lord Haseo again before deciding anything."
"Wait... are we contacting that person again?"
"Of course. Didn't he say he'd introduce you to a reliable doctor? That guy became The Fourth Hokage, so surely he wouldn't go back on his word, right?"
Behind Nagato loomed thick, almost suffocating shadows. However, as the three continued talking, and the room was illuminated by flickering lamplight, it seemed whatever negative presence once lingered was gradually being driven away.
Deciding to seek out Haseo again would prove to be the best decision this trio ever made.
Here's a simple question: The Rinnegan is a dojutsu extremely difficult to awaken—an ocular power so rare that it has become legendary. Because it is rare, it is important and valuable.
But just how rare is it?
Question:
In this world, at the same time, among ninja, how many "Rinnegan" users could there possibly be at most?
Answer:
At least seven pairs—fourteen in total.
And if we count not only humans but also bijū, their numbers would be countless.
Although the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path had been destroyed, there was still…
Still... one lie had never been exposed.
The dead Madara Uchiha was indeed truly him, but did the Rinnegan return to his body, or had he temporarily become some kind of vessel for the [Rinnegan]?
P.S.
I'm begging for those moon votes—only 24 hours left to go!
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