Madara was stunned as he watched the scene unfold.
"What did you do to them?"
Shinji slowly walked toward him, a faint smile on his face.
"I merely granted them a bit of new power. In exchange, they must obey my orders completely."
As he spoke, Obito and Orochimaru slowly turned their heads and began to circle Madara.
One glance was enough.
Madara immediately understood.
Their consciousness was gone.
Completely erased, all because of that green light.
"You… what exactly are you trying to do?" Madara asked.
But in the next moment, his voice stopped abruptly.
His eyes lost their focus.
Then—
He felt it.
His breathing.
His body.
Madara slowly clenched his fists, sensing the life coursing through him.
He had been resurrected.
Fully revived.
And the one who did it… was the man standing before him.
Madara's confusion deepened.
Just what was this Ōtsutsuki planning?
"Master," Black Zetsu said, "this man is Uchiha Madara. His strength is extraordinary. Even without the Rinnegan, if he is given a pair of Sharingan, his combat ability will still be formidable. He will be a valuable asset."
Madara did not expect this.
Black Zetsu had completely betrayed him, offering him up to a new master without hesitation.
Shinji studied Madara with interest.
"Not bad. He does look strong. Sharingan… what is that?"
Black Zetsu paused briefly before answering,
"You can think of it as a dōjutsu derived from the Byakugan, but fundamentally different."
"I see," Shinji nodded. "Then give it to him."
As he spoke, a green light once again appeared in his hand.
Before Madara could react, it was already injected into his body.
In an instant, his will was suppressed.
Completely controlled.
Obito stepped forward. "I can find him a new Sharingan."
Shinji nodded. "Then let's move."
With Madara, Obito, and Orochimaru now under his control, Shinji decided to head toward Kirigakure.
He needed to see the situation there with his own eyes.
Just then, Orochimaru suddenly spoke.
"Shinji-sama, do you require additional manpower?"
Shinji raised an eyebrow slightly, intrigued.
"Oh? I didn't expect you to offer something like that."
Orochimaru smiled faintly and began forming hand seals.
Edo Tensei.
At the same time, in Kirigakure…
Another Orochimaru sensed something was wrong.
His body.
It felt… controlled.
His expression darkened.
If this continued, everything would fall apart.
The original plan would be completely disrupted.
Whether it was the main body or a split consciousness, neither would accept being controlled like this.
That left only one option.
The plan had to be temporarily abandoned.
He needed to free himself first.
And for that—
He had to inform Shigure.
Time passed little by little.
Shinji remained unaware that the Ōtsutsuki clan had already been defeated by Shigure in Konoha and was now scattered, fleeing across the shinobi world.
They were searching for Shinji.
But they could not find him.
Meanwhile—
Twenty hours had passed since the rain began devouring the Rinnegan.
Less than four hours remained.
This was the most critical stage for Shigure.
Because as the devouring continued through the power of the Great Sage, something unexpected happened.
A voice echoed in his mind.
[Great Sage: Congratulations, host. You have successfully fused the power of the Rinnegan and the Tenseigan. The skill "Degenerate" is now being applied to merge both forces and upgrade your skill.]
[Great Sage: Calculation complete. Skill upgrade request accepted. "Degenerate" is undergoing evolution.]
The skill "Degenerate" was about to evolve.
Shigure focused, anticipation rising in his chest.
This evolution was fueled by the combined power of the Rinnegan and the Tenseigan. Whatever it became, it would undoubtedly be extraordinary.
Time passed.
Four hours slipped by quickly.
During this period, the Great Sage continuously assisted in stabilizing and refining the process, while the power of the Gluttony King was steadily injected into the evolving skill.
Finally—
After what felt like an eternity—
[Great Sage: Congratulations, host.]
The moment those words appeared, Shigure let out a slow breath.
It was complete.
[Great Sage: Congratulations, host. You have successfully devoured the Golden Rinnegan.]
[Unique dōjutsu obtained: Rotating Scarlet Eye.]
[Due to the effect of "Degenerate," the power of the Rinnegan and the Tenseigan has been fully fused, resulting in a skill evolution.]
[Skill "Degenerate" has successfully evolved.]
[New skill acquired: King of Abundance.]
Shigure paused for a moment.
The description alone was… difficult to grasp.
[Great Sage: In simple terms, all abilities possessed by the host can be enhanced through this skill.]
[Minimum output increase: 50%. No upper limit.]
[Additionally, the speed and possibility of deriving and creating new abilities has been greatly increased.]
[For example, the host can now develop abilities more freely. Even unconventional or previously impossible abilities can now be created.]
Now Shigure understood.
Previously, certain abilities were impossible due to logical or structural limitations.
Now—
Those restrictions no longer applied.
He could create abilities without being bound by conventional rules.
Even something as contradictory as flames flowing like water… could now exist.
A faint light flashed in Shigure's eyes.
This was far more than simple strength.
This was the power to turn the impossible into reality.
At the same time, with the evolution of "Degenerate" into King of Abundance, Shigure's Six Paths power rose to an entirely new level.
By absorbing the Tenseigan's Six Paths power, his own power had undergone a qualitative transformation.
The immense energy contained within the Golden Rinnegan further amplified it, causing his Six Paths abilities to multiply several times over.
For someone already at Shigure's level—
Such an increase was terrifying.
Boom!
A violent tremor shook the entirety of Konoha.
Everyone instinctively turned toward the center of the village.
The sky darkened in an instant.
Thunder roared.
Black and crimson lightning spread across the heavens, crackling with overwhelming power.
Hisashi and the others were thrown backward by the sheer force.
They struggled to steady themselves, their faces filled with shock.
Sensing the overwhelming aura, Ao froze for a moment.
"Lord Shigure… has become even stronger."
At the same time—
Shinji Ōtsutsuki stood before a group of Ōtsutsuki clan members.
He looked at them with a slight frown.
"You said… what exactly?"
(End of Chapter)
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