Sora turned around and slowly walked back inside the barrier.
He began sorting through the information about the "Akatsuki" organization in his mind.
According to the timeline, the Akatsuki organization should already be secretly controlled by Obito and Zetsu by now.
Nagato and the others' ideals had likely been twisted from their initial 'achieving peace through dialogue' into becoming tools for executing the 'Eye of the Moon Plan'.
Nagato... a descendant of the Uzumaki clan, the current host of the Rinnegan.
Sora pondered this key figure.
'His current strength, relying on the Rinnegan and the Gedo Statue, should solidly place him at the Super Kage level, but his lifespan being constantly drained by the Rinnegan probably makes prolonged combat an issue for him.'
'If I go all out with my current power, I should be able to fight him, with the odds of victory likely being fifty-fifty.'
A thought he had previously dismissed surfaced once again.
Madara Uchiha's Rinnegan!
If he could obtain it, he could definitely revive Min Uesugi much sooner.
This temptation was very great.
But just a few seconds later, Sora once again forcibly suppressed this thought.
There were two reasons.
First, and most importantly, was the issue of compatibility.
The Rinnegan was, in essence, the ultimate expression of the Uchiha clan's power, a manifestation of Indra's chakra.
Nagato, being a member of the Uzumaki clan, possessed massive chakra and vitality, which allowed him to barely bear and use it, yet even he was nearly worn down by it.
In the original story, Kakashi, who lacked Uchiha blood, was chronically in a state of chakra depletion just from bearing a single Sharingan, earning him the famous nickname of the "low-chakra" ninja.
Sora understood his own body very well.
His chakra "source" was inherently small. Although the Dragon Vein had compensated for the quantity issue, the problems with "quality" and "origin" remained unresolved.
Forcibly transplanting the Rinnegan, setting aside whether it would even succeed, even if it did, would likely become a huge burden for him, just like it was for Kakashi, severely affecting his combat endurance and future development.
His future plan was to fuse multiple kekkei genkai through the "Kekkei Genkai Absorption Technique," ultimately advancing towards Kekkei Mora.
If he had an extremely incompatible, even dominant "foreign organ" inside his body, the risk of rejection and unknown dangers would increase exponentially.
He needed the most stable, most compatible, most potentially powerful path.
He hoped that if he could one day obtain the Rinnegan, it would be best if it was a Rinnegan he opened himself by fusing Indra and Asura's powers through his own strength, one that belonged to him!
Only then would it perfectly harmonize with his body, becoming a solid cornerstone for his advancement to Kekkei Mora, not a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment.
This would undoubtedly make the path to reviving Min Uesugi longer and more difficult, but Sora still chose this more stable road.
The second reason was the issue of risk and timing.
Nagato himself was extremely powerful, possessing all the abilities of the Six Paths of the Rinnegan. Combined with the coordination of the Six Paths of Pain and Konan's assistance, forcibly seizing the Rinnegan in his home base of Amegakure would be extremely difficult.
Even if successful, it would inevitably come at a heavy cost.
Moreover, lurking in the shadows was an old schemer—Zetsu.
This guy was a mental creation of Kaguya, having hidden in the ninja world for over a thousand years with the sole purpose of reviving his mother.
The Rinnegan was the core of his thousand-year plan, his only hope of reviving Kaguya.
Once Sora made a move on the Rinnegan, he would be directly touching Zetsu's reverse scale.
Although Sora somewhat looked down on Zetsu's sneaky, hiding nature and his seemingly not-top-tier strength, he had to admit that an old monster who had lived for over a thousand years was absolutely first-rate in terms of scheming and survival skills.
Just like when facing the White Snake Sage not long ago, if the White Snake Sage hadn't produced the "Master-Servant Contract," Sora would have definitely killed her on the spot.
Being relentlessly targeted in the shadows by a guy like Zetsu, constantly thinking of ways to scheme against you, reclaim the eyes, and kill you, would absolutely be a headache.
Until he possessed absolutely overwhelming strength, enough to ignore all schemes and plots, Sora did not want to prematurely and completely break with an existence like Zetsu, entering a fight to the death.
'The Rinnegan... cannot be touched for now.'
Sora finally made his decision.
The current primary task was to improve his own strength, perfect the kekkei genkai fusion, and simultaneously use Baihu, this hidden piece, to monitor the Akatsuki's movements.
As for reviving Min Uesugi, there was no need to stubbornly fixate on Madara Uchiha's Rinnegan right now.
It would be best to open a new pair himself.
Having thought this through, Sora felt his mind clear considerably.
'Baihu... it's time to meet with the members of 'Akatsuki'.'
…
Early the next morning, in the dense forest outside Takigakure.
Sora's figure appeared on time.
Uchiha Kenta and Uchiha Yami were already waiting there.
After a night of rest and simple treatment, Uchiha Kenta's injuries had stabilized considerably, and his chakra had mostly recovered.
Uchiha Yami's complexion had also improved a lot, though a trace of panic still lingered in her eyes.
"Let's go."
Without any extra words, Sora turned and sped off towards the direction of the Land of Whirlpools.
The Uchiha siblings did not dare delay and immediately followed.
Three figures weaved through the forest at high speed.
Not long after they left, space slightly distorted in another location, and Uchiha Obito wearing a spiral mask slowly appeared.
He scanned the empty forest, a flicker of understanding in his eyes.
"Already left, huh... they move fast."
He wasn't surprised; it was normal for that "Baihu," being someone recommended by Sora, to be elusive.
"Zetsu."
"Keep watch here, and around Takigakure. If you find any trace of that 'Baihu,' notify me immediately."
Obito instructed, looking at Zetsu's bizarre half-black, half-white form.
"Understood."
Zetsu responded hoarsely and then slowly sank into the ground.
Several spore-form White Zetsu clones silently merged into the surrounding trees and earth, becoming the most concealed surveillance devices.
Space distorted around Obito again as he headed towards the direction of the Land of Water.
…
The journey was uneventful.
Led by Sora, the three crossed the border of the Land of Fire, took a boat across the sea, and finally, by evening, reached their destination—a small island near the Land of Whirlpools.
Sora led the two to the depths of the island, arriving in front of a seemingly unremarkable cliff.
"This is the place."
Sora pointed at a hidden cave opening below the cliff: "According to the organization's intelligence, this is a secretly established, abandoned Konoha stronghold inside, storing some supplies and documents they didn't have time to relocate."
Uchiha Kenta's eyes sharpened, his Sharingan activating as he carefully observed the area around the cave entrance.
"The entrance has camouflage and a simple alarm barrier. The technique is very skilled, definitely Konoha's style."
He analyzed in a low voice, then his brow furrowed slightly: "I can sense several chakra reactions inside. Not many, but one of them... is very strong!"
That powerful chakra gave him considerable pressure; it was definitely at the Elite Jonin level, possibly even stronger!
Hearing this, a look of tension appeared on Uchiha Yami's face, and she subconsciously took a step closer to Sora.
Throughout the journey, this taciturn yet powerful "Baihu" had given her a strange sense of security.
Although he wore a cold mask, his several timely interventions and his steady demeanor had left a deep impression on her heart.
Even quietly fostering a trace of girlish affection she herself hadn't yet noticed.