"You guys go handle the Tailed Beasts. Let the leader know that my chakra is nearly drained after capturing the beast—I can't use any jutsu right now," Hyuga Gakuya said to Deidara.
"You? Chakra drained?" Deidara gave him a skeptical look. Gakuya didn't look the least bit exhausted.
Gakuya stretched and gave a lazy yawn.
"Don't let the appearance fool you. I'm dead tired on the inside."
Deidara saw that Gakuya was adamant about resting, so he dropped the issue.
"Fine, go get some rest then."
"Later, everyone."
With a casual wave, Gakuya climbed onto his puppet hawk and flew off. Once he was out of sight, he activated Kamui and slipped into the Kamui dimension.
Obito was already waiting there, sitting silently beside Rin's corpse.
Gakuya wasn't worried that Obito would try to hide or destroy Rin's body—thanks to the Edo Tensei curse seal, he could monitor Obito's every move.
"You did well this time," Gakuya said with rare praise.
Obito had flawlessly carried out the plan, and the whole spectacle had unfolded just as Gakuya wanted. He had enjoyed every minute of it.
"Just keep your promise," Obito replied coldly.
"Of course."
Gakuya gently returned Obito to the coffin and laid him to rest beside Rin's remains. It was the least he could do to fulfill Obito's final wish.
...
Inside the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, the Three-Tails and Five-Tails had already been sealed. Only the Two-Tails, Six-Tails, Eight-Tails, and Nine-Tails remained before the Ten-Tails could be born.
But from this point on, Hyuga Gakuya had little to do with the Tailed Beast hunt. He had other, more pressing matters to attend to.
The pathway to the moon had been located by a White Zetsu under Uchiha Hikari's brainwashing. Now, Gakuya simply had to go to the moon and devour Otsutsuki Toneri.
To Gakuya, killing someone who hadn't even awakened the Tenseigan yet was nothing short of trivial.
The only potential threat was the massive golden Tenseigan—it might require some caution.
Besides that, there was also Sasuke.
Gakuya needed to check in on him and smooth things over. After all, their first reunion in three years had ended with Sasuke getting utterly beaten down by Itachi. That... had not reflected well on Gakuya.
...
Elsewhere, the Konoha squad had found a nearby inn and settled in for the night.
Hinata, still affected by the genjutsu, slowly began to wake. Within the illusion, she had lived through Hyuga Gakuya's life from age three to thirteen.
In that world, Hiashi and his wife had become the heads of the main family. She had taken Gakuya's place, harboring a blood feud—her parents were murdered by the Hyuga main family, and even the relatives who took her in had been killed by them.
She had become the Gakuya who massacred the Hyuga Clan, leaving only Hyuga Gakuya and Neji alive at the end, just so they could feel her pain.
Now, sitting blankly on the bed, she kept replaying those memories over and over. Subconsciously, a part of her had begun to understand Gakuya's actions.
"No, no, no... Hyuga Gakuya is the one who killed my parents. No matter the reason, I can't forgive him," Hinata muttered to herself in the empty room, as if trying to reinforce her hatred.
Her face was pale. The genjutsu had shaken her deeply. She knew Gakuya's past might have been filled with suffering, but that was no excuse for killing her parents.
Clenching her fists tightly, she tried to pull herself out of the mental storm. She had to face reality: Gakuya was her enemy. That would never change.
And yet... she couldn't stop herself from thinking,
Does this cycle of hatred passed down through generations really mean anything?
...
Disguised as Chiba Mokushu, Hyuga Gakuya appeared next to Sasuke, guided by White Zetsu and Kamui.
Sasuke showed no reaction to Gakuya's sudden arrival.
"Mokushu-sama!" Several of Sasuke's subordinates called out excitedly.
Gakuya gave a small nod in reply.
Sasuke's eyes were resolute. Without hesitation, he said,
"I want the Sage Body transplant."
Gakuya wasn't surprised. It was exactly what he'd expected.
Back when he first developed the organs capable of absorbing natural energy, the first person he had in mind was Sasuke.
But at that time, Sasuke had refused outright.
He had always disdained gaining strength through body modification. He believed true power could only be achieved through personal training and growth.
However, the recent battle with Itachi had shattered that belief.
Now, Sasuke needed a power that could rival the Sharingan—regardless of its source. All he cared about was revenge.
Gakuya was pleased with Sasuke's change of heart. Once someone opens the door to body modification, it's like a dam bursting—there's no turning back.
And Sasuke's enhanced strength would certainly benefit Gakuya's greater plan.
"Alright," Gakuya agreed without hesitation. "I'll take you back to Otogakure for the procedure. Kabuto will handle the operation."
Sasuke nodded. "Understood."
Gakuya used Kamui to absorb Sasuke and his three subordinates into the Kamui dimension. In an instant, they returned to Otogakure.
With Kamui, Gakuya's efficiency had improved drastically—traveling between locations only took a matter of seconds.
"You go get some rest. Get your body into top condition," Gakuya said, releasing Sasuke and his men.
Sasuke nodded and left the lab. He had his own room in Otogakure.
...
As Sasuke walked away, Gakuya gave a faint smirk. He turned to his subordinate and ordered,
"Go find Kabuto."
"Yes, sir!"
It didn't take long. Kabuto, in the middle of an experiment, dropped everything and rushed over. These days, with the federation running smoothly, most affairs no longer required his direct involvement.
Which meant he could focus entirely on his research.
"Gakuya-sama, you called for me?" Once the room was empty, Kabuto dropped the polite act—there was no need for pretense when it was just the two of them.
"How's everything going lately?" Gakuya asked in a surprisingly good mood, checking in on his right-hand man.
"Everything's progressing well," Kabuto replied respectfully. "Thank you for your concern."
Gakuya nodded and got straight to the point.
"The Sage Body you've been cultivating for Sasuke—how's it coming along?"
"It's ready," Kabuto said. "Per your instructions, I included small amounts of Hashirama cells and Naruto's blood."
Kabuto hesitated for a moment before asking,
"I understand why we'd use Hashirama cells... but why Naruto's blood?"
"Yin and yang combined," Gakuya said simply. "That's the key to creation."
He wasn't expecting Sasuke to awaken the Rinnegan on his own. That would take too long.
His plan was to make Sasuke more compatible with Uchiha Madara's Rinnegan in the future.
And it didn't necessarily have to go into the eye socket—it could be implanted into the palm, too.
Kabuto caught on immediately. "You mean... the Rinnegan?"
"Exactly," Gakuya confirmed. "Make sure this organ strengthens Sasuke's resilience."
"Don't worry. Everything was made according to your specs."
"Good," Gakuya said with a satisfied nod. "Get ready to begin the transplant."
"Understood."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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