After Yoichi relayed the intel obtained from Konan, Mikoto fell silent.
If it weren't brought up today, she would have nearly forgotten about Fugaku.
Upon hearing of Fugaku's plans, a sense of resentment welled up in Mikoto's heart. Her life was going perfectly well, so why did Fugaku have to show up and disrupt this peaceful existence?
"Yoichi, Itachi would never betray the family. I believe in him!"
Mikoto grasped Yoichi's hand, her heart filled with anxiety. It had taken so long for Itachi to build a father-son bond with Yoichi, and now they had Sasuke as a link between them. Why did Fugaku have to appear and destroy everything?
"Mmm, I trust him too, so we don't need to worry. If Fugaku approaches Itachi, he'll surely tell us."
Yoichi pondered for a moment, also curious to see how Itachi would handle the situation.
Moreover, with just Fugaku and White Zetsu, it would be impossible to capture Yugito. Now that Yugito had learned the Tailed Beast Sage Mode, Nibi could assist her in gathering natural energy.
The idea of capturing a perfect Jinchuriki with just the two of them was laughable to Yoichi. Unless Madara himself showed up, White Zetsu was overestimating his chances.
"I won't deploy the Anbu or the police force to monitor Itachi. Mikoto, don't mention anything to him either, no need to put unnecessary pressure on him."
Yoichi spoke, and Mikoto nodded in agreement. Although she wanted to go and warn Itachi immediately, she chose to trust Yoichi for now.
"Mikoto, if we catch Fugaku this time, I won't let him go. You know what he's been up to lately."
"I understand, Yoichi-kun. You've done enough already. What Fugaku has done is unforgivable."
Mikoto gently comforted him. She didn't want Yoichi to be troubled, and it was clear that Fugaku was in the wrong.
"Mikoto, I need to take something from Sasuke later—chakra that doesn't belong to him."
Yoichi mentioned, as it was time to extract Indra's chakra from Sasuke after delaying for so long. Combined with the Six Paths chakra and a small portion of Ashura's chakra, it might allow his eyes to evolve even further.
"Chakra in Sasuke's body?"
"Just like last time with Naruto, there's some chakra inside him that doesn't belong to him."
"In that case, do what you think is best, Yoichi-kun."
Mikoto nodded, understanding somewhat. Although she wasn't entirely sure what it meant, she trusted that Yoichi wouldn't harm their son.
Later, after Sasuke had been bullied by Karin and was running back to Mikoto for comfort, Yoichi scooped him up and took him away.
Once in the basement, Yoichi put Sasuke to sleep and used the same method as before—creating a spirit clone and entering Sasuke's body.
Finding Indra's chakra, Yoichi separated it from Sasuke and devoured it.
With his Rinnegan, Yoichi's eye power was far stronger than Indra's chakra. It took even less time than Ashura's chakra to be subdued, and Yoichi's spirit clone swallowed it entirely.
After sending the sleeping Sasuke back to Mikoto, Yoichi went to a forest outside of Konoha.
"Ashura's chakra, Indra's chakra, and the Six Paths chakra... Let's see how far I can evolve my eye power."
Excitement filled Yoichi as he began absorbing the chakra.
Ordinary shinobi couldn't absorb chakra, and techniques capable of doing so were rare, like the Hidden Mist's Samehada and the Spiritual Transformation Technique.
But now, with his Rinnegan, Yoichi could absorb chakra through his eye techniques.
As the chakra was absorbed, Yoichi's chakra reserves and eye power grew stronger. Both Ashura's and Indra's chakra carried traces of Six Paths-level energy.
Ordinary shinobi's chakra couldn't be stored, yet Ashura and Indra had reincarnated for over a thousand years.
At the Six Paths level, one's very existence was altered. Kaguya could ambush and nearly kill Isshiki before consuming the fruit. However, after consuming the fruit, her life essence transformed, making her immortal but sealable.
Hagoromo faced a similar situation. Although pulling the tailed beasts out of himself would be fatal for any ordinary person, he survived in the afterlife for a thousand years and later returned to the living world using Six Paths Madara's body.
Hamura, however, perished.
Kaguya showed no favoritism between Hagoromo and Hamura. They must have received equal power, yet Hamura died early while Hagoromo lived on.
As Yoichi absorbed the Six Paths chakra, he contemplated these matters. However, his greatest revelation came from the change in his eyes.
As the chakra was absorbed, Yoichi felt his Rinnegan and chakra intensify. When he reached the bottleneck, he easily broke through it.
Opening his eyes again, Yoichi felt immense power coursing through them, like he had become a true god.
"Is this what they call the Six Paths level?"
Yoichi was unsure. He had grown immensely stronger, but without absorbing the Ten Tails, he had no point of comparison.
Raising his hand, Yoichi concentrated chakra. Soon, five high-density chakra threads of different elements converged in his palm. Despite the conflicting chakra types, Yoichi controlled them perfectly without causing an explosion.
He then added Yin and Yang chakra, and after combining the seven elements, a high-density black orb formed in his hand.
"Truth-Seeking Ball."
Yoichi smiled at the sight of the Truth-Seeking Ball. He transformed it into a weapon, then conjured two more before stopping.
"Who knew making these would consume so much chakra? Three is my limit."
Though he could produce more, creating six Truth-Seeking Balls would leave him with less than 20% of his chakra.
Without the Ten Tails as a massive chakra source, he couldn't afford to use the Truth-Seeking Balls carelessly.
As for his Rinnegan, Yoichi created an ice mirror in front of him. Seeing six tomoe in his eyes, he felt immense satisfaction.
Both of his eyes had evolved into six-tomoe Rinnegan. He owed a big thanks to the Sage of Six Paths.
"Yomotsu Hirasaka."
Upon using the eye technique, Yoichi noticed his previous one-kilometer range had expanded to five kilometers.
As for the life force control ability, Yoichi casually waved his hand, and within ten seconds, everything within five kilometers withered into a wasteland.
He then restored the life force, bringing the dead trees, animals, and insects back to life. Yet, driven by instinct, they all fled the area as fast as they could.
"A good harvest."
Not only had Yoichi gained the Truth-Seeking Balls and upgraded his Rinnegan, but his abilities had greatly improved. He could now use chakra to alter his robes, turning them into a more defensive chakra cloak.
His sensory ability had also improved dramatically. If he focused, he could sense powerful chakra even as far as the Land of Water.
The Fourth Mizukage couldn't possibly give him such a sensation, so it had to be Madara, who was likely laying low in the Land of Water.
"Start gathering the Tailed Beasts' chakra soon, Madara. I'll assist you when the time comes."
Sending Kushina and Yugito was out of the question, but he could send Edo Tensei versions of the previous Jinchuriki. Mito was a bit tricky, so Kin and Gin would have to do.
Yoichi planned to store some Nine-Tails and Two-Tails chakra in the Edo Tensei bodies of the previous Jinchuriki and Kin and Gin.
"Oh right, today's final sign-in draw. Let's hope for a surprise."
Yoichi suddenly remembered. Ever since he obtained the Moon Breathing technique, the daily draws had been lackluster, leaving him disinterested. He had nearly forgotten about the sign-in ability altogether.
However, it's always best to see things through. Maybe luck would be on his side tonight, especially since it was the day he stepped into the Six Paths level.
[Sign-in item: Potara Earrings]
"This... this is..."
Seeing the item in his hand, Yoichi was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected much, but he had drawn something incredible.
These were the Potara Earrings from Dragon Ball, worn by the Supreme Kais. When non-Supreme Kais wore them on opposite ears, they could fuse into one person for an hour.
The fusion greatly enhanced their strength, and if the two individuals were similar in nature, the fusion would result in an ideal combination.
Yoichi immediately thought of his Kamui Mangekyō clone. This clone was primarily made from his own cells and now looked about six or seven years old.
Now, with Yomotsu Hirasaka allowing him to absorb life energy, he could rapidly grow the clone to maturity. Once it reached its peak, Yoichi could fuse with it during battle, granting him the combined powers of the Rinnegan and Kamui Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Amazing! Looks like I'll be making some extra trips soon. Besides the clone, Tsunade, Mikoto, and Mina will also need life energy."
Yoichi thought of Turtle Island. If he absorbed the turtle's life energy, it could sustain dozens, even hundreds of people, and the island would truly become just that—a lifeless island.
It didn't seem like a bad idea.
The next day, Yoichi woke up early, with plenty to accomplish.
According to the Anbu reports, the Suna emissaries would arrive in Konoha by midday. However, Pakura wasn't coming—she had impulsively revealed the entire plan for the merger.
Now, Yoichi had to act quickly and take down Sunagakure before long.
The timing wouldn't affect Konoha much, but swallowing Suna in one swift move would be a tremendous advantage.
Before heading to the Hokage office, Yoichi first visited Konoha Hospital. Using the power of Yama no Mikoto, he restored Nagato's life force, then ordered the Anbu to transport him to the underground prison.
Nagato was placed near Konan, close enough to speak but out of sight.
Nagato was the chain keeping Konan bound. After a couple more days of rest, Konan would be sent to Amegakure as Konoha's 'Angel,' recruiting citizens for the Land of Fire.
With Nagato's situation handled, Yoichi arrived at the Hokage office.
Rin and Kurenai were already there. Upon seeing Yoichi, Rin smiled and prepared tea, while Kurenai approached and said, "Yoichi-sensei, you're here."
"Mmm. We have an important meeting today. Kurenai, Rin, have the Anbu summon the jōnin from all the village departments, as well as the chūnin instructors and former Hokage. We have something important to discuss."
Upon receiving the order, the two women grew serious, responded promptly, and left to deliver the Hokage's message.
Soon, shinobi began to arrive one after another at the Hokage office.
Eventually, even Hashirama and Tobirama arrived.
Seeing that most of the key people were present, Yoichi stood in front of a prepared map of the shinobi world and addressed them.
"I'll keep this brief. Many of you already know that Konoha's ninja corps have been training non-stop, preparing for war. Now I can tell you that it's all in the name of long-term peace."
"Suna was attacked two days ago by rogue shinobi Fugaku and the Suna traitor Sasori of the Red Sand. They brought several Edo Tensei bodies with them and took the One-Tail Jinchuriki, causing significant damage to Suna."
"But that's not the important part. The important part is that this is our chance to annex the Land of Wind. Jinin-sensei."
At this, a jonin immediately stepped forward and said, "Fifth Hokage, the ninja corps' training has never stopped. We're ready to deploy ten squads at any time."
"That's enough. Pakura of Suna has been on our side for some time now. Yesterday, she informed me that over a thousand Suna ninja are ready to support the village merger. With their surrender, we have an 80% chance of success in annexing Suna. Once Suna is gone..."
Yoichi drew a line along the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, outlining a new nation. He also included the Land of Tea and the Land of Rain in the map. This would become the largest nation in the shinobi world.
Hashirama scratched his head and said, "War, huh? But still..."
"Brother, don't speak," Tobirama interrupted Hashirama bluntly. "There's no problem with this plan. Think back to the Warring States Period, when hundreds of nations were at war. The Land of Fire wasn't this big back then. This is the way to ensure lasting peace!"
In this matter, Tobirama agreed with Yoichi's vision. If the other four great nations hadn't formed so quickly back then, Tobirama would have pushed his brother to expand the Land of Fire to encompass the entire shinobi world.
(End of Chapter)
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