Naruto: Konoha Spring of the Uchiha Prodigies

Just moments before being struck by the beam, his body shrank by almost infinitesimal numbers, becoming a speck of dust almost invisible to the naked eye! The condensed beam of destruction grazed that barely visible "dust" and shot into the distance, annihilating everything in its path into nothingness!

However, forcibly activating multiple eye techniques and the "Karma" ability in succession, especially the hasty and extreme shrinking, obviously put a considerable burden on this vessel. When Isshiki instantly returned to his original state in the distance, his face seemed even paler than before, and his breathing became extremely erratic. For the first time, his indifferent eyes were filled with icy anger as he stared intently at Naruto and Sasuke below, who had exhausted their power and disintegrated from their fusion, kneeling on one knee and panting heavily.

“Not bad struggle… but it ends here.” Yishi’s voice was icy cold as he slowly raised his hand, seemingly preparing to unleash a true killing move.

But at that moment, his gaze suddenly turned to the other side of the battlefield—the Eight-Tails, Gyūki, lying heavily injured, missing one of its tentacles, and with its chakra fluctuating wildly!

[Taking this guy away first seems like a good idea. With his chakra, I can recover some of my strength.] Isshiki secretly calculated to himself. Although taking down these two brats in front of him wouldn't be a big problem, given his current physical condition, he would inevitably have to pay a huge price. And behind them was an even stronger Uchiha Touko, who was eyeing him covetously.

The next second, his figure vanished without warning!

"What?!" Sasuke's eyes snapped to the unusual fluctuations in space, and he warned sharply, "Watch out!"

But they weren't Yishi's target at all!

Almost simultaneously, the space above the heavily injured Gyuki rippled like water! Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's arm shot out from it with lightning speed, the eerie light in his palm like a gaping maw of an abyss, an irresistible and terrifying suction force instantly enveloping Gyuki's massive body!

"Moo—!!!" The bull demon roared in shock and rage. Its massive body was forcibly pulled off the ground and dragged toward the spatial ripples! Its remaining tentacles struggled frantically, lightning crackling wildly, but it was no match for the terrifying power from a higher level of life!

Upon seeing this, a fierce glint flashed in the bull demon's eyes, and he resolutely severed his own body from the part that was being sucked into the spatial ripples!

"Pfft—!!!" Dark blue blood splattered across the sky like a waterfall! The Gyu-oni's body exploded and then dissipated, revealing Killer Bee, who was already unconscious and encased in it.

Killer Bee's body crashed heavily into the ruins, while Isshiki Otsutsuki vanished into thin air.

"Damn it, he got away again?" Although Sasuke said this, he was still relieved. He wiped away the blood and tears from the corner of his eyes. In just a short while, his eye power was almost depleted. Otsutsuki Isshiki's current strength was far above theirs. If the fight continued, he might have to use the trump card left to him by his brother.

"But the Eight-Tails was taken away by that guy." Naruto said with some regret after recovering for a while, supporting his knee.

"Kid, go over there now. The Ox-Demon hasn't been captured." Just then, the Nine-Tailed Fox suddenly reminded him.

"Huh?" Naruto was taken aback and looked towards where Killer Bee had landed.

The two rushed over together, and as soon as they reached Killer Bee's side, they saw a slowly writhing mass of chakra recovering. Upon seeing the two arrive, Gyūki said to Kurama in disbelief within the Tailed Beast Space, "Kurama, you've gone too far!"

"An octopus severing its tail to survive? I see." Sasuke sneered upon seeing this and then unleashed a Mangekyou Sharingan genjutsu upon it.

……

After the Eight-Tails was defeated and the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning was confirmed dead, the situation in the Land of Lightning settled down. Although some nobles and some ninjas from the Hidden Cloud Village still wanted to put up a last stand, with the help of the chakra left behind by Naruto's Ninjutsu technique, some of the bolder civilians of the Land of Lightning forcibly broke through the defenses at the city gates and surrendered to the Konoha ninja army that was rushing to the city.

What's truly unsettling is that those who spearheaded this act were actually some small business owners in the Land of Lightning. It's fair to say that under the previous policies of the Land of Lightning, apart from ninjas and nobles, most commoners were driven to the brink of despair.

After taking over the Land of Lightning, the Konoha ninja continued their usual practice of not harming the civilians of the Land of Lightning. They only sent all the ninjas of the Hidden Cloud Village and most of the nobles of the Land of Lightning to Konoha as war criminals. Among them, the most important person was Amado, who provided the Hidden Cloud Village with a large number of scientific ninja tools.

This war, which Uchiha Touko had been preparing for more than ten years, has now come to a temporary end. Apart from his allies, the entire ninja world has fallen under the control of the Land of Fire. Soon after, the Land of Rain, an ally of the Land of Fire, became the first to announce that it would join the newly established Ninja World Federation. Konan, the front-line representative of the Akatsuki organization, was appointed by Uchiha Touko as the governor of the Land of Rain province. Other allied countries began to follow suit.

The process went relatively smoothly overall. After Kakashi personally went to a few countries and used physical means to help them complete the change of daimyo, Minamoto no Yoshinori, the new emperor and mascot of the Shinobi Federation, gained a few more good friends to play cricket with.

Of course, the process was not entirely smooth sailing. A week after the fall of Raiju, the Jonin squad escorting war criminal Amado was attacked by Otsutsuki Isshiki and was wiped out.

Chapter 304 Divine Might Space: A Super-Large-Scale Murder Mystery Scene

After receiving the news that Amado had been kidnapped, Uchiha Touko, who was already having a terrible headache from the miscellaneous matters that would inevitably arise during the process of unifying the ninja world, couldn't help but facepalm upon hearing this news.

Now things are really messed up. The Kara scientists have been taken away by Isshiki Otsutsuki. Who knows what they might do? Let's just hope that Jiraiya didn't just throw away his DNA during all those years he was out of contact with the ninja world.

However, Uchiha Touko also prepared a great gift for Otsutsuki Isshiki.

Judging from the strength displayed by Yi Shi in recent appearances, Dou Guang was certain that his opponent was far from being at his peak. At present, Yi Shi was at most on par with him, and if it were a life-or-death battle, Dou Guang was even 70% confident that he could suppress his opponent—of course, that would only be before Yi Shi unleashed his full power at all costs.

The true terror of the Otsutsuki clan lies not only in their vast chakra reserves and bizarre eye techniques, but also in their near-immortal life form and the "contract" that allows them to reincarnate and possess other beings. To Uchiha Touko, this ability was like the stickiest, dirtiest dog excrement; once you were tainted, it was extremely difficult to completely remove and could even backfire on you.

That is why, even if he had the opportunity to completely kill Yi Shi, Dou Guang would not act rashly.

Defeating an Otsutsuki often begins with destroying the physical body, not the end. He naturally wouldn't want to become the next vessel for Isshiki, no matter how powerful or bizarre the opponent's ocular abilities. In comparison, Kaguya, also an Otsutsuki but sealed for a long time, with a relatively easier-to-understand thought process, is clearly a more ideal choice—if he truly has to rely on the power of an Otsutsuki to break through his limits in the future.

Therefore, Uchiha Touko carefully prepared a person to step in this pile of shit—the reincarnation of the previous generation's Indra chakra, the only Uchiha in a thousand years to awaken the Rinnegan, Uchiha Madara!

Madara Uchiha is arguably the only living human to have reached the level of the Sage of Six Paths. Although he cannot unleash his full power in his current Edo Tensei state, and the Rinnegan is still in Nagato's hands, Tokio Uchiha believes that if his ancestor can return to his peak, he will definitely be able to fight Isshiki Otsutsuki.

Therefore, Uchiha Tokō was planning a scenario where Madara Uchiha, who had returned to his peak, and Isshiki Otsutsuki would fight each other, so that he could reap the benefits.

……

Within the Kamui dimension, the 100,000-strong White Zetsu army spent a considerable amount of time recreating the border of the Land of Hot Springs—the battlefield where Konoha and Kumogakure once clashed fiercely—with astonishing fidelity. The terrain, the dilapidated fortresses, the scorched forests, and even the artificial smell of gunpowder permeating the air were all meticulously imitated.

Then, they split into two factions, imitating the ninjas of Konoha and Kumogakure respectively, using clumsy imitations of ninjutsu, emitting exaggerated roars and screams. Due to the characteristics of White Zetsu, they do not truly die. After being "killed", they will leave behind a pre-prepared corpse, then turn into a lump of mud and burrow underground. Afterwards, they will re-form and howl as they charge into the battlefield again.

"The wars of the Ninja Village era... were they far more brutal than the battles of the Warring States period?" His deep voice carried a hint of barely perceptible emotion. Although the battles of the Warring States period were cruel, they were limited in scale and mostly consisted of elite clashes between clans. But the large-scale battles before him, involving tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of "troops," were unimaginable in that era.

How could it not be intense? Both sides in the war are White Zetsu, so there's no question of them dying. And these dramatic White Zetsu finally got a chance to put on a show, so they're going to give it their all.

Looking at this scene, Madara Uchiha suddenly burst into laughter, "Hahahaha... Hashirama! Do you see this? This is the path you chose! The ninja village system you established, the balance between nations you pursued... ultimately brought about this endless slaughter on an even larger scale than before! Your so-called peace is utterly vulnerable! Only the Eye of the Moon Plan... only the eternal illusion is the true salvation! I... am the one who is right!"

A wild laugh echoed through the Divine Might Space, filled with obsessive confidence and mockery of his former best friends.

Just then, a pitch-black, viscous liquid-like figure quietly rose from the ground and condensed into the shape of Zetsu—this time, it was Black Zetsu, played by Afei, who respectfully spoke in its unique, slightly hoarse voice: "Lord Madara."

Ban's laughter stopped abruptly. He turned his head, his icy gaze falling on Zetsu. The emotions that had just leaked out instantly subsided, and he returned to that unfathomable majesty and indifference: "What is it?"

"Lord Madara, Lord Touko has succeeded in retrieving your Rinnegan from Nagato," Zetsu said cautiously, deliberately feigning hesitation in his tone, "but..."

"Just what?" Madara's voice suddenly rose, and a sharp killing intent spread out.

The Rinnegan is the core of his Eye of the Moon plan, and no mistakes are allowed.

As if stunned by the killing intent, Zetsu quickly continued, "But Nagato launched a fierce counterattack before his death. He summoned the Gedo Mazo for a last-ditch effort... which resulted in most of the Tailed Beast Chakra that Lord Douguang had previously collected and injected into the Mazo being exhausted. Now, the Gedo Mazo only has a few 'seeds' of Tailed Beast Chakra stored inside, which is far from enough to support the immediate activation of Infinite Tsukuyomi."

"Useless!" Madara snorted coldly, making no attempt to hide his dissatisfaction with Uchiha Touko, but he did not appear overly anxious. "Fine, the lack of Tailed Beast Chakra will only prolong the Infinite Tsukuyomi release process and take more time to collect energy to make up for it. Have Touko immediately send the Rinnegan and the Gedo Mazo to me."

"Lord Dou Guang is already on his way," Jue replied hastily.

“Very good.” Spot nodded, his gaze returning to the fierce and brutal fake war below, a hint of disgust and urgency flashing in his eyes. “I urge him to hurry up. Once he arrives, the Eye of the Moon Project will officially begin. This real world, filled with bloodshed, strife, and hypocrisy… I don’t want to stay here a moment longer.”

"Yes!" Black Zetsu replied, and then his body seemed to melt and sink into the ground, disappearing from sight.

……

In the real world, in the land of rain.

The Fourth Shinobi World War, which lasted for a relatively short period of time, finally came to an end.

Unlike previous major wars, this war ended faster than many had anticipated. Under the leadership of Uchiha Tokō and with the thorough preparations of Konoha and its allies, the battle, though slightly disrupted by the intervention of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, generally progressed towards a swift victory.

Shortly after the war ended, Uchiha Tokō personally set foot on the Land of Rain, a land shrouded in rain all year round, to visit Nagato.

Nagato was slightly surprised by Douguang's sudden visit, but still received him with the highest honors. At this moment, although Nagato looked very haggard due to the injury from overusing the Rinnegan in the battle against Otsutsuki Isshiki, his eyes were less extreme and desperate than before, and instead full of hope.

The outcome of this war largely confirmed Uchiha Touko's initial prophecy and the conditions for cooperation.

Konoha and its alliance ended the war with great efficiency, keeping the main fighting within the ninja community and protecting civilians in various countries to the greatest extent possible. In particular, in small countries like the Land of Rain, many civilians did not even truly feel the arrival of war before the chaos subsided. This result was consistent with the direction of "achieving lasting peace at the lowest cost" that Tokō initially promised.

The meeting between Touko and Nagato took place in the towering steel tower of the Akatsuki organization. A light rain fell outside the window, and the atmosphere inside was subtle and heavy. The two sat facing each other, with a cup of tea that Konan had just served on the table between them. The rising steam swirled slowly in the cold air.

Nagato gazed at the unfathomable Hokage before him, and slowly spoke, his voice low and hoarse: "Hokage, what brings you here today?"

He knew that although the war was over, what they needed to do might have only just begun.

"I wouldn't call it guidance, but there's something I need your help with," Uchiha Touko said, taking a sip of tea.

"Please give your orders, Hokage," Nagato said.

"I need to borrow your Rinnegan." Uchiha Touko said after finishing his tea and gently placing the teacup on the table.

"This..." Nagato was stunned for a moment by Uchiha Touko's words.

The air in the room seemed to freeze, with only the sound of rain outside the window continuing.

"You've always thought that these Rinnegan are your own power, awakened when you were in extreme danger and needed to protect your companions, your potential exploded, right?" Dou Guang's tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable penetrating force.

Nagato frowned. This was a fact he had always firmly believed. "Isn't it true?"

“I’m sorry, no.” Dou Guang slowly shook his head. His voice was deep and clear, and every word was like a heavy hammer hitting Nagato’s heart. “These eyes never belonged to you. They belonged to Uchiha Madara. He transplanted them to you through special means before he died. Nagato was just a container he chose in his long plan to temporarily store these eyes, a ‘host’ to ensure that the Rinnegan could be preserved and grow before he was resurrected.”

“Think it over carefully, Nagato. Isn’t the timing of your awakening of these eyes too ‘coincidental’? Before you, in the history of the Uzumaki clan, has there ever been a precedent for awakening the Rinnegan? Why you of all people? Why, immediately after you awakened it, did a mysterious person calling himself ‘Uchiha Madara’ come to your door to ‘guide’ you and tell you about the so-called ‘Eye of the Moon Plan’? Is all of this really just fate?”

Douko's words were like a cold scalpel, peeling away layer by layer the beliefs that Nagato had held for many years. Nagato immediately believed most of what Uchiha Douko said. After all, Uchiha Douko's current power was far superior to his own, and he would not fabricate this story for Nagato just because he coveted the power of his Rinnegan.

Nagato's face turned deathly pale, his breathing became increasingly rapid, and the horrific image of Yahiko dying before his eyes flashed uncontrollably through his mind...

“Then Yahiko…” Nagato raised his head with difficulty and looked at Uchiha Touko.

Uchiha Touko sighed: "From the moment these eyes were transplanted into you, your life, everything you cherished, was already incorporated into the Uchiha Madara resurrection plan. The death of your comrade was a predetermined and indispensable part of this plan! His sacrifice was to completely destroy the light in your heart, making you, this vessel, 'qualified' to steadfastly carry out the mission of collecting the tailed beasts. In other words, your comrade was also indirectly killed by Uchiha Madara's conspiracy. You, Nagato, not only unknowingly used the enemy's power, but also, to some extent, became an accomplice in the enemy's plan."

"Bang!" Nagato slammed his fist on the armrest of his wheelchair, the solid metal instantly twisting and deforming. He gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently, and his Rinnegan eyes erupted with unprecedented shock, pain, anger, and the madness of being utterly fooled!

It turns out he was just a pawn from beginning to end! His greatest power was something someone else had entrusted to him, and the death of his most beloved friend was actually part of the enemy's plan!

“I’m sorry, I should have told you sooner, but as you know, you needed to be in a stable mental state to face that war,” Uchiha Touko said. “Now that the war is over, I feel it’s necessary to tell you the truth.”

It took Nagato a long time to calm down. Then, he looked up at Uchiha Touko and asked, "Did the Hokage tell me all this just for these Rinnegan eyes that my enemy entrusted to me?"

“I do need to borrow your Rinnegan, but not by force,” Dou Guang explained. “Uchiha Madara has been resurrected using the Impure World Reincarnation technique. He is currently eagerly waiting for me to send you your Rinnegan and the Gedo Mazo to complete his Eye of the Moon Plan. He doesn’t know that I know everything, nor does he know that I will come looking for you.”

“My plan is to take your Rinnegan and give it to him. This will gain his complete trust. He will be eager to use these eyes to complete the Rinne Rebirth Technique in order to restore his full power and start the Eye of the Moon Project.”

"At that time, Madara Uchiha, who has recovered to his 'complete form' and whose confidence has swelled to its peak, will face another 'surprise' that I have prepared for him—Isshiki Otsutsuki, a true enemy from beyond the heavens who harbors absolute malice towards all living beings in the ninja world. There will surely be a fierce battle between them," said Tokko Uchiha. "And that will be our chance to completely eliminate all hidden dangers."

Chapter 305 Madara Uchiha's Grand Resurrection (Part 1)

After listening to Uchiha Touko's account, Nagato fell into a long silence.

Xiao Nan stood beside him, her fingers unconsciously clenching the hem of her clothes. Her gaze never left Nagato, her eyes filled with worry, expectation, and a hint of barely perceptible pain.

After a long while, Nagato slowly raised his head. His movements were slow, as if every inch required immense effort. His gaze was calm yet firm as he looked directly at Uchiha Touko. His voice was hoarse yet clear: "Hokage, I can give you these eyes, but I have a request."

"Speak." Uchiha Touko nodded slightly, his demeanor composed, as if he had already anticipated all of this.

“If I have the chance—” Nagato’s voice suddenly turned cold, a sharp, knife-like killing intent flashing in his eyes, a hatred that had been brewing for decades and was almost tangible, “I will kill Uchiha Madara with my own hands.”

"Well, that's not a big problem." Uchiha Touko shrugged, his tone slightly playful, but he quickly changed the subject, "However..."

"But what?" Nagato frowned, his fingers unconsciously gripping the armrests of his wheelchair, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force. "Does the Hokage intend to protect your clan's former head?"

“No, that’s not it.” Uchiha Touko shook his head and smiled, a smile tinged with mockery and indifference. “The Uchiha clan wouldn’t go so far as to honor a traitor who nearly dragged the entire clan into the abyss and then abandoned them as their clan leader. To this day, he doesn’t even deserve a memorial tablet in the Uchiha Shrine. All he left behind was a mess that was almost impossible to salvage and the suffering of a generation.”

"What I'm trying to say is that if you want to end his life yourself, you might have to wait in line. My beloved friend, brother, Kakashi Hatake has the same idea, and his reasons are probably no less than yours."

“I see.” Nagato’s expression softened slightly, but the resolve in his eyes remained. “Then I will discuss it with Kakashi. These eyes…when do you plan to take them?” He raised his hand, his fingertips gently touching his eyelids, a gesture filled with an indescribable longing and relief.

"Come back to Konoha with me first." Uchiha Touko straightened up. "After removing your eyes, we'll have Konoha Hospital's top medical team develop a complete rehabilitation plan for you, relieving you of the burden of these eyes. With the innate tenacity of your Uzumaki clan, your body should gradually recover. Konoha has the best physical therapists and nutritionists; they will do everything they can to help you."

"Lord Hokage, are you saying... Nagato can really recover?" Before Nagato could respond, Konan couldn't help but step forward excitedly.