Two weeks later, Sasuke and Kisame stood on a cliff overlooking the Land of Earth's mountainous terrain.
"So," Kisame said, Samehada shifting on his back, "what's the plan? Infiltrate quietly? Create a diversion? Or just walk in and take what we want?"
"The last one." Sasuke's Rinnegan scanned the distance, perceiving chakra signatures through kilometers of rock. "The Four-Tails jinchuriki—Roshi—is currently on a training expedition. Away from the village. Alone except for two guards. Perfect opportunity."
"The Tsuchikage will mobilize the moment we attack—"
"Let him. By the time anyone arrives, we'll be gone." Sasuke's voice was utterly confident. "I've marked Flying Thunder God seals across this entire region during the past week. Emergency escape routes everywhere. Even if Onoki himself appears, I'll just teleport away."
Kisame studied him with those small, predatory eyes. "You've gotten stronger. A lot stronger. Even among Akatsuki, you're... different now."
"I have Rinnegan. That makes me fundamentally different from everyone." Sasuke activated his eyes fully—the purple ripples blazing with power, draconic pupils gleaming, the faint lavender-blue tint from his Byakugan overlay creating an otherworldly appearance. "The Sage of Six Paths' power. Very few in history have possessed it."
"Pain has it too."
"Pain has implanted Rinnegan. Not the same." Sasuke's tone was dismissive. "His eyes belonged to someone else originally. Mine evolved naturally from my own Eternal Mangekyo. The difference is like comparing a transplanted heart to your original one. Both function, but one is fundamentally yours."
Kisame grinned. "You really don't respect Pain much, do you?"
"I respect his power. I don't respect his methods." Sasuke began walking toward their target. "He hides behind puppet bodies, controlling them remotely. Coward's tactics. If you have godlike eyes, you should use them directly. Not through proxies."
"Harsh words for our leader."
"Honest words. Pain knows it too. That's why he sent you to observe me." Sasuke glanced back, his Rinnegan perceiving Kisame's subtle reactions. "You're here to evaluate my capabilities, identify weaknesses, and report back. Am I wrong?"
Kisame's grin widened. "Not wrong. But I'm also here because watching you work should be entertaining. You've become something... unusual. Even for our organization."
"Something monstrous, you mean."
"I didn't say that."
"But you thought it." Sasuke's voice carried no emotion. "It's fine. I know what I've become. A collector who hunts divine sight. A thief who steals from gods. A monster who's forgotten what humanity feels like." His purple eyes gleamed. "And I'm comfortable with it."
They moved through the mountains in silence after that.
Land of Earth—Remote Training Ground
Roshi sat in meditation, his chakra synchronized with the Four-Tails within him. The massive ape-like beast's lava-based power flowed through his system, enhancing his already formidable abilities.
His two guards—both jonin-level Earth Style users—patrolled the perimeter.
None of them sensed the approaching threat until it was too late.
Sasuke materialized in the center of their camp using Flying Thunder God—appearing from nowhere with zero warning.
The guards reacted instantly, hands flying through seals—
"Shinra Tensei."
Both guards were hurled backward with devastating force, crashing into the rocky walls hard enough to leave crater impacts. They collapsed, unconscious before they hit the ground.
Roshi's eyes snapped open. He saw Sasuke's purple Rinnegan and understood immediately.
"Rinnegan... You're the one who attacked Cloud Village. Took the Two-Tails." Roshi stood slowly, his chakra beginning to surge. "You won't find the Four-Tails so easy to extract."
"I will, actually." Sasuke's tone was clinical. "Rinnegan gives me inherent control over tailed beasts. Your bijuu is already responding to my will more than yours. You just haven't noticed yet."
Roshi's expression shifted to horror as he felt it—Son Goku, the Four-Tails, stirring within him. Not responding to Roshi's commands, but to someone else's presence.
"Roshi... this chakra... it's..." Son Goku's mental voice was strained. "The Sage's eyes... I can't... can't resist..."
"No!" Roshi's chakra exploded outward. Red chakra cloaked his body as he accessed the Four-Tails' power directly. "I won't let you take Son Goku!"
He attacked—Lava Style techniques erupting from his hands, superheated molten rock flying toward Sasuke.
"Preta Path."
Sasuke's hands glowed with absorbing energy. Every Lava Style technique Roshi threw was consumed instantly—the chakra drained away before the lava could even reach him.
"Chakra-based techniques don't work on me," Sasuke explained patiently. "I can absorb infinite chakra. Your Lava Release is impressive but useless here."
Roshi shifted tactics—pure taijutsu enhanced by Four-Tails chakra. He moved with surprising speed for someone his age, his fists coated in lava as he engaged in close combat.
Sasuke didn't even activate Dragon Sage Mode. He just used the Asura Path—his arms transforming into mechanical weaponry, creating blade extensions that blocked Roshi's attacks effortlessly.
"You're skilled," Sasuke noted as their exchange continued. "Well-trained. Good synchronization with your bijuu. Under normal circumstances, you'd be a formidable opponent."
"Then why aren't you taking me seriously?!" Roshi roared, frustration evident.
"Because I don't need to." Sasuke's Rinnegan blazed. "I'm several tiers above you in raw power. This isn't a fight. It's a collection."
He stopped blocking. His eyes locked onto Roshi's.
Tailed beast domination—maximum intensity.
Roshi froze mid-strike. Inside his mindscape, Son Goku felt the overwhelming pressure of Rinnegan power crushing down like a mountain.
The Four-Tails—a proud, ancient beast who'd existed for millennia—found itself completely unable to resist. The same power that had created the bijuu in the first place now commanded absolute obedience.
"I... I submit..." Son Goku's mental voice was defeated. "The Sage's will... cannot be denied..."
In the real world, Roshi's Four-Tails chakra cloak vanished. His connection to Son Goku severed. Tears streamed down his face.
"Son Goku... I can't feel you anymore..."
"The Four-Tails is mine now." Sasuke's voice was empty of empathy. "The extraction will begin. You should sit down. Fighting it only makes the pain worse."
"Wait—" Roshi gasped. "Please, Son Goku and I have been partners for decades. We've fought together, trained together—"
"Irrelevant." Sasuke formed hand seals. "Your partnership is over. The Four-Tails serves a greater purpose now."
Kisame watched from the perimeter, his expression unreadable. He'd seen many brutal things in his life, but watching Sasuke casually tear apart a decades-long bond between jinchuriki and bijuu with zero emotion was... disturbing.
He really has become something inhuman, Kisame thought. Even I feel something watching this. But he doesn't. Nothing at all.
The extraction began.
Red chakra erupted from Roshi as Son Goku was forcibly torn from his seal. The Four-Tails manifested briefly—a massive ape wreathed in lava, roaring in pain and rage as it was pulled from its host.
But the roar was directed at Sasuke—not in defiance, but in submission. The Rinnegan's control was absolute.
Three minutes later, it was done.
Son Goku—all of the Four-Tails' power—was sealed in Sasuke's prepared scroll.
Roshi collapsed, still breathing but barely. The extraction had destroyed his chakra network, aged his body decades in minutes. He was dying.
Sasuke looked down at him with those inhuman purple eyes. "You have hours, maybe a day. Use that time to make peace with whatever you believe in. Your sacrifice contributes to something greater than yourself."
"You... monster..." Roshi gasped. "Akatsuki... will destroy... the world..."
"Probably." Sasuke's agreement was casual. "But that's not my concern. I'm not here for Akatsuki's goals. I'm here for power. Everything else is just... background noise."
He turned away, leaving Roshi to die alone.
Kisame fell into step beside him. "That was brutal. Even by our standards."
"It was efficient." Sasuke sealed the Four-Tails scroll into his cloak. "Minimal combat, maximum result. The jinchuriki is neutralized, the beast is captured, and we're leaving before reinforcements arrive. Textbook operation."
"You didn't even hesitate when he begged."
"Why would I? His emotional attachment to the Four-Tails doesn't change my objective." Sasuke's voice was utterly flat. "Sentiment is weakness. I discarded it along with my humanity."
They walked in silence for a moment.
Then Kisame asked quietly, "Do you ever regret it? Becoming this?"
Sasuke considered the question seriously. "No. Regret implies I had better options. I didn't. The path to ultimate power requires sacrifice. Humanity, morality, emotional connections—all weaknesses that had to be excised. What I've become is necessary. Optimal. Perfect for my goals."
"And what are those goals, exactly? You've never really explained."
"Godhood." Simple answer. "Collecting every divine sight in existence. Surpassing even the Otsutsuki clan. Becoming something beyond anything this world has ever seen." Sasuke's Rinnegan gleamed. "I'm not building power for revenge or justice or peace. I'm building it because I can. Because the ability to collect and merge dojutsu is mine alone. Because I want to see how far evolution can go."
"That's insane."
"That's ambitious. There's a difference." Sasuke marked another kunai with his Flying Thunder God seal, tossing it into the distance. "And it's working. I have Rinnegan. I'm collecting tailed beasts. Soon I'll have Tenseigan. Then I'll merge them into something unprecedented. The plan is progressing perfectly."
Kisame studied him with those predatory eyes. "You're going to betray Akatsuki eventually, aren't you?"
"Obviously. The moment Pain is no longer useful, I'll take his Rinnegan and absorb them into my collection. Just like I took Itachi's eyes. Just like I've taken everything else I wanted." No deception. Complete honesty. "Does that bother you?"
"Not really. I've always known loyalty in our organization was... flexible." Kisame's grin returned. "But you might want to be careful. Pain's not stupid. He knows you're planning something."
"I know he knows. That's why I'm being direct about it." Sasuke's logic was cold. "If I pretended loyalty, he'd suspect deception. But by admitting I'll eventually betray him, I create a paradox. He can't act against me preemptively without losing his strongest member. So we maintain this uneasy alliance where both sides know the other will eventually strike first."
"You've thought this through."
"I think everything through. It's why I'm still alive." Sasuke activated Flying Thunder God. "Now let's return to base. Pain will want his tailed beast."
They vanished, teleporting back toward Akatsuki's location.
Behind them, Roshi died alone in the mountains—his decades-long partnership with Son Goku ended by a monster who'd felt nothing about destroying it.
Akatsuki Base—Four Days Later
Pain examined the sealed Four-Tails, his expression carefully neutral.
"Two tailed beasts extracted in under a month. Both successful solo operations. No casualties on our side." His Rinnegan met Sasuke's. "Impressive efficiency."
"It's simple when you have the right tools." Sasuke's voice carried no pride. "Rinnegan makes tailed beast extraction trivial. The only challenge is locating the jinchuriki and avoiding unnecessary combat with their villages."
"Kisame reported that you showed... exceptional coldness during the extraction. Even by Akatsuki standards."
"Did he?" Sasuke glanced at Kisame, who shrugged unapologetically. "I suppose 'coldness' is one interpretation. I prefer 'focus.' Emotional attachment would have complicated the operation unnecessarily."
"The jinchuriki begged for mercy," Konan said quietly. "And you felt nothing."
"I felt impatience. His begging was wasting time." Sasuke's honesty was brutal. "Was I supposed to feel guilt? Remorse? Those emotions would have changed nothing. The Four-Tails was my objective. Everything else was irrelevant."
Silence filled the chamber.
"You're becoming more inhuman with each mission," Pain finally said. "More monstrous. Does this concern you at all?"
"Why would it? Humanity is a limitation. Morality is a chain. I've transcended both." Sasuke's Rinnegan blazed. "You should understand this, Pain. You created six puppet bodies to distance yourself from direct combat. You've sacrificed your own humanity for power. We're not so different."
"We're very different," Pain said coldly. "I maintain my humanity through Nagato. The real me still feels. Still cares about something beyond pure power."
"Then you're weaker for it." Sasuke's statement was matter-of-fact. "Caring creates vulnerabilities. Attachments can be exploited. I eliminated those weaknesses. That's why I'm stronger than you."
The tension in the chamber became suffocating.
"Are you challenging me?" Pain's voice was dangerous.
"Not today. I already told you—you're still useful. When you stop being useful, then we'll have this conversation properly." Sasuke turned to leave. "Until then, just assign me the next target. I'll continue collecting tailed beasts for you."
"The Five-Tails," Pain decided after a long pause. "Hidden Rock Village. But this time, you're taking a full team. The Tsuchikage has mobilized after Roshi's death. You'll need backup."
"I don't need backup. I need people who won't slow me down." Sasuke's dismissal was complete. "But fine. Assign whoever you want. Just make sure they can keep up."
He walked out, leaving Akatsuki in tense silence.
After he left, Konan turned to Pain. "This can't continue. He's openly admitting he'll betray us. His power is growing beyond control. We need to—"
"Do nothing," Pain interrupted. "Because he's right. We need him more than he needs us. Attacking him now would cost us too much. We wait. We use him to collect the remaining tailed beasts. And when the time comes..." His Rinnegan dimmed. "We'll be ready."
But neither of them looked convinced.
Outside the chamber, Sasuke smiled to himself.
They're afraid, he thought with cold satisfaction. Good. Fear means respect. And respect means they won't act rashly.
His Rinnegan perceived everything—the subtle chakra fluctuations that indicated stress, the micro-expressions that revealed intent, the body language that screamed barely-contained hostility.
Let them plan. Let them scheme. When the moment comes, I'll be faster. Stronger. More prepared.
Because unlike them, I know exactly what's coming.
And I've already planned three steps ahead.
Team Taka's Quarters—That Evening
Karin found Sasuke alone, studying sealing scrolls in his room.
"Sasuke-kun... can we talk?"
He looked up, his eyes currently normal black. "If you must."
She sat down hesitantly. "You're getting worse. More distant. More... empty. Every mission, you come back less human than before."
"That's accurate. Is there a question in there?"
"Don't you care?" Her voice cracked. "About anything? About us? About yourself? About what you're becoming?"
Sasuke was quiet for a moment, genuinely considering her question.
"No," he finally said. "I don't care. Not in the way you mean. You, Suigetsu, Jugo—you're useful. I keep you around because you provide value. But if you asked me to choose between your lives and my next dojutsu collection, I'd choose the collection without hesitation."
Karin's eyes filled with tears. "How can you just admit that?"
"Because it's the truth. Why would I lie about it?" Sasuke's voice was utterly neutral. "You asked if I care. The answer is no. I care about power. About evolution. About my collection. Everything else is just... peripheral. Background details in my progression toward godhood."
"We're not details, we're people—"
"You're resources. Very useful resources that I prefer to keep functional. But resources nonetheless." Sasuke returned to his scrolls. "If that's unacceptable to you, you're free to leave. I won't stop you. I won't hunt you down. You'll just... cease to be relevant."
Karin stood, shaking. "I don't even recognize you anymore. The Sasuke I knew—"
"Never existed. You knew a mask. A facade I maintained because it was socially expected." His purple Rinnegan activated briefly. "This is what I always was underneath. I just stopped pretending."
She left without another word, the door closing with quiet finality.
Sasuke returned to his studies, completely unbothered.
She'll either accept it or leave, he thought. Either outcome is acceptable.
His scrolls contained research on Tenseigan—the Otsutsuki clan's ultimate dojutsu. The Byakugan's evolution, equivalent to Rinnegan for Sharingan.
Eleven Byakugan absorbed so far. I need more. Many more. The Hyuga clan in Konoha has dozens.
He made notes on his future targets. Planning his eventual assault on his former village.
The Nine-Tails. The remaining Sharingan users. The entire Hyuga clan's Byakugan. All of it in one location.
When I move on Konoha, it will be the greatest collection operation in history.
His Rinnegan gleamed in the low light—six tomoe ripples containing stolen divine power, draconic pupils reflecting inhuman ambition.
The Dojutsu Hunter planned his masterpiece.
And nothing—not friendship, not morality, not even Akatsuki—would stop him from achieving it.
The path to godhood demanded sacrifice.
And Sasuke had sacrificed everything that made him human.
Leaving only the collector.
Only the hunter.
Only the monster who wore a familiar face but contained nothing familiar behind those stolen eyes.
And he was perfectly comfortable with what he'd become.
Perfectly comfortable being the thing that terrified even other monsters.
The Dojutsu Hunter.
Evolution incarnate.
Approaching his final form.
One stolen eye at a time.