In a hidden corner of the shinobi world, a man long missing stood inside a dark cave, talking to himself.
"Rin is already dead."
"No. Death only applies to your kind. As for me, I control death. If I could let her die, I can just as easily bring her back to life.
Obito Uchiha. You have great potential. Complete the mission I give you, and I will return Rin to you, truly alive. Not a dream, not a fantasy, but a living, breathing Rin."
Two different voices emerged from Uchiha Obito's mouth, creating an eerie atmosphere in the cave.
"...I can't defeat Aoba Kamikawa."
"I know. I've prepared assistance for you."
As the voice spoke, Obito felt a wriggling from the stock of White Zetsu stored within his body. One of them suddenly broke free and emerged, quickly taking on a human form.
Obito recognized the face, it was none other than Hashirama Senju.
"Hashirama… I thought he was already dead."
"He is. Dead multiple times, in fact. But I already told you, I command death."
After a moment of silence, Obito spoke again.
"It's still not enough. Even with Hashirama, he lost to Konoha last time. I still have no confidence in killing Aoba Kamikawa."
"Heh. First of all, this time's Hashirama is different. I've given him even greater power. Second, you have other allies."
"Naruto Uzumaki?"
"Obito Uchiha… you're far more perceptive than I expected."
"That wasn't hard to guess. Every generation's Asura reincarnation has just been your puppet, right?"
"Heh… once you reach a higher understanding of chakra, you'll be able to do the same."
"Is that so? If you're so powerful, then why don't you just do it? Why not kill Aoba Kamikawa yourself?"
"...I have my reasons. If you want what I promised, then fulfill your mission. Kill Aoba Kamikawa. Destroy Konoha. Isn't that your wish all along?"
"…"
"...Fine. Give me Aoba's movement patterns and Konoha's defense maps. I'll carry out the mission."
"...That, you'll have to obtain yourself."
"What do you mean? Can't you monitor the entire shinobi world?"
"I could. But recently, I've lost the ability to monitor Aoba. He's stripped all chakra from his body and now uses only pure natural energy. He's sealed off all of Konoha, I can no longer see anything inside it."
"..."
Meanwhile, the genetic enhancement project for Sasuke had already begun. But he wasn't the only one in the first batch.
Ōtsutsuki Toneri and Hyuga Hinata were also included in the initial phase.
Neji and Hanabi were scheduled for the second round.
Mainly because Neji's bloodline was slightly less pure than Hinata's, and Hanabi was still a bit too young, so they were slated for the next cycle.
Toneri, of course, required no explanation. He likely had the purest Ōtsutsuki lineage in the entire shinobi world.
Hinata was the Hyuga princess, and the one Toneri personally believed could help complete his own genetics. In fact, their success rate might even exceed Sasuke's.
Besides, even if the experiment failed, it didn't really matter. As long as Aoba was around, he who bore countless divine authorities, no injury was beyond healing.
The procedure went smoothly. Sasuke was the first to complete his enhancement, mainly because he was already at the Six Paths level. His body and chakra had incredible compatibility, allowing him to quickly adapt to genetic changes.
Toneri and Hinata, on the other hand, were much weaker in comparison. It would take them a long time to gradually adjust.
After awakening, Sasuke closed his eyes and quietly sensed the changes within his body. Then he did something shocking.
He suddenly raised his hands, and dug out his own Rinnegan.
The researchers nearby were stunned, but they didn't have the strength to stop Sasuke. Aoba, however, quickly understood what was happening.
Most members of the Ōtsutsuki clan had Byakugan.
Apparently, after completing his genetic enhancement, Sasuke's body had undergone a form of atavism and genetic completion.
Aoba remembered seeing something similar in Boruto: a certain Ōtsutsuki had embedded his Rinnegan in his hand instead of his eyes.
Sure enough, just a few seconds later, Sasuke opened his eyes once more, this time revealing a pair of light sky-blue eyes.
Not just the Byakugan, he had directly awakened the Tenseigan.
And he didn't even need surgery. He simply held the extracted Rinnegan for a few seconds, and it fused naturally into his palms.
If not for Aoba, Sasuke would already be the strongest shinobi in a thousand years. Whether it was Hashirama or Madara from the past, they likely wouldn't survive a minute against him now.
Even Six Paths Madara from the original storyline would be no match for the current Sasuke.
Nearly unlimited chakra, combined with both the Rinnegan and Tenseigan, Sasuke now had the power to sweep the entire shinobi world's conventional forces by himself.
"How do you feel?" Aoba asked.
"Indescribable. I can see the palace on the moon, that must be where Toneri's clan lives, right?"
"That's right."
"I even feel like I could shatter the moon with a single attack."
"Uh, maybe don't 'feel' that so casually. Yes, you probably can, but don't unleash that power lightly. That kind of raw physical destruction won't help much in the upcoming battle. I need you to dig deeper, find more profound abilities."
"I understand. Give me a little time."
"Of course. But for now, there's something I need you to do right away."
As Aoba spoke, he took out Shisui's Kotoamatsukami Mangekyō Sharingan.
"I need you to upgrade this pair of eyes to the Rinnegan."
Ōtsutsuki bodies had extremely high compatibility. This was likely tied to their ability to cross galaxies and invade planet after planet.
If their bodies weren't highly adaptable, the differing energy systems across planets would severely hinder them.
For Sasuke now, upgrading the Mangekyō to Rinnegan was no longer a challenge.
Ōtsutsuki clan members, after consuming chakra pills, could immediately awaken the Rinnegan. And those "pills" were essentially just modified chakra fruits from the Divine Tree.
Sasuke, having Ten-Tails power within him, was practically a living Divine Tree himself. In theory, he could handcraft chakra fruits.
Not just Shisui's Mangekyō, there was still Kakashi's Kamui to deal with.
And then the pair from Madara as well.
In the near future, Konoha would have four pairs of Rinnegan.
Aoba didn't know what kind of tricks the Sage of Six Paths had prepared, but his response?
A simple, brute-force strategy:
Pile on overwhelming Six Paths-tier power and see how the enemy handles it.
If you would like to read more...
The novel has be completed (Chp. 362) on the patreon -> SaintXI