Chapter 248: Is Everyone Opening Rinnegan Now?

Ōtsutsuki Urashiki appeared, his head adorned with a pair of horns shaped like a forehead protector, pale skin, and pure Byakugan eyes. He wore a cream-colored robe, and what stood out most was the fish basket hanging at his waist and the fishing rod resting casually on his shoulder. Both the basket and rod were made of a glowing red energy, giving them a flashy and impressive look.

"So this is the attacker? A Byakugan? Is he part of the Hyuga Clan? But he can fly? I've never heard of any Hyuga member being able to fly." Seeing Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, the people of Iwagakure were all silently questioning themselves.

They couldn't help but look at Akira with suspicion.

Everyone knew that the Byakugan was exclusive to the Hyuga Clan, a prestigious family in Konoha. Now, this attacker had Byakugan eyes. It was hard not to think that this supposed rescue of Iwagakure was just an elaborate act staged by Konoha.

Akira ignored the doubts from Iwagakure's people. His attention was entirely focused on Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, his demeanor growing more serious.

"Didn't expect you to be so persistent," Urashiki said.

Suspended in mid-air, Urashiki scanned the crowd, and his gaze eventually landed on Sasuke—his old nemesis, who had traveled through time alongside him.

"Hey, who's this fishing guy?" Before Sasuke could speak, Akira interrupted, his tone mocking as he glanced at Urashiki. "Why don't you just go and fish somewhere else instead of standing so high up like you own the place?"

"Who are you?" Urashiki asked, giving Akira a cold glance. In truth, aside from Sasuke, Urashiki didn't regard anyone else in the ninja world as worth his attention.

The people of this world simply weren't that strong.

But when Urashiki's gaze landed on Akira, his brow furrowed slightly. "I didn't expect that in this era, there would be someone like you. Impressive, your chakra is very powerful. I like it," he said, eyes gleaming as if he was a predator who had found his next meal.

Suddenly, he flicked his fishing rod, and the hook shot straight toward Akira. The line seemed to extend infinitely.

"Careful! If his hook pierces you, it can steal your chakra!" Sasuke urgently shouted in warning.

Hearing Sasuke's words, Akira grew more serious. He raised his hand, and a grass sword appeared in it. With a swift flick of the blade, there was a crisp "clang" as he blocked the incoming hook.

However, the force was overwhelming, and Akira found himself stepping back several paces, stunned by the power.

The hook didn't look like a heavy weapon such as an axe. Yet the strength behind it was incredible.

It was clear that Urashiki's chakra was far more immense than his own.

It was like in those martial arts tales—if you had enough skill, even a leaf or flower could be a formidable weapon.

Seeing Akira deflect his attack, Urashiki's expression remained unchanged. He flicked the rod several times, the hook darting toward Akira at even greater speed, from unpredictable angles.

It was clear he was experienced in dealing with the Sharingan; the erratic movements of the hook made it impossible for Akira to predict its path.

Like a player using random dodging tactics in an online game.

The three tomoe of Akira's Sharingan spun, but even his enhanced vision couldn't predict the hook's trajectory. His heart sank.

If he couldn't predict the attack, then he'd have to abandon that strategy—sometimes the best defense was a strong offense.

In that moment, Akira found his resolve. Instead of focusing on the incoming hook, he aimed his grass sword directly at Urashiki.

"Pierce him, Divine Spear!"

With chakra surging through it, the grass sword's blade extended instantly, thrusting towards Urashiki's chest.

This legendary weapon, in Akira's opinion, was far superior to the swords of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kirigakure.

"Hm?" Seeing the blade suddenly extend several hundred meters towards him, Urashiki's expression shifted. He hadn't expected the sword to have such a function.

Quickly, he raised his fishing rod horizontally to block the attack.

With a "clang," the extended sword collided with Urashiki's rod, stopping its advance.

Because Urashiki blocked the attack, the hook aimed at Akira also missed its mark.

"Is that... Orochimaru's grass sword?" Sasuke, who had once trained under Orochimaru, instantly recognized the blade in Akira's hand. He was surprised. How had Orochimaru's sword ended up with him? Had Orochimaru been killed by Akira?

But there was no time for such thoughts. Seeing that the fight had begun, Sasuke drew his own sword and rushed towards Urashiki, his speed and power surpassing even Akira's.

The two grass swords weren't the same, but both Sasuke and Akira were beyond Kage-level in power. Together, they launched a fierce attack on Urashiki.

The intensity of their battle left the people of Iwagakure stunned.

Akira's power was expected; after all, he was one of the strongest in the ninja world. But Sasuke's display of strength was equally astonishing, even surpassing Akira's at times. It left the onlookers bewildered. How could this mysterious individual be so powerful?

Yet despite their combined strength, Akira and Sasuke were still unable to defeat Urashiki, shocking Iwagakure's people even further.

Initially, many in Iwagakure thought that Urashiki might be from the Hyuga Clan. But as the battle progressed, they realized just how powerful Urashiki was. It became apparent that this man with the Byakugan was no ordinary Hyuga.

They had never heard of anyone from the Hyuga Clan wielding this kind of power, and such a fierce battle couldn't possibly be a mere performance orchestrated by Konoha.

The clash continued, with Akira and Sasuke relentlessly attacking. Eventually, Urashiki began to grow irritated. With a mighty swing of his rod, a massive surge of chakra erupted, forcing Akira and Sasuke back.

"Enough. You two... it's time for me to get serious," Urashiki declared, his voice tinged with annoyance.

Closing his eyes briefly, Urashiki then reopened them, revealing a pair of Rinnegan that glowed with a striking blue hue.

"Rinnegan!? Another Rinnegan user in the ninja world!?" The people of Iwagakure cried out in disbelief.

The color was different from Pain's, but the six concentric circles were unmistakable—it was the Rinnegan. The man attacking Iwagakure had awakened the power of the Rinnegan!

Terrifying. Now there were two pairs of Rinnegan in the ninja world.

Seeing this, Rōshi and the other contenders for the Tsuchikage felt a sudden disinterest in their competition.

Why? Because these individuals wielded power that was far beyond their own.

While others fought at this level, here they were, still squabbling over a mere title of Tsuchikage.

Suddenly, their ambitions felt rather trivial.

As for the people of Iwagakure, their thoughts were momentarily interrupted as they turned back to the battle. Seeing Urashiki's blue Rinnegan now activated, Sasuke too wasted no time. His immense chakra flared, his hair rising as his own Rinnegan activated—along with his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

The sight left Iwagakure's people utterly stunned.

What was going on? When did the Rinnegan become so common?

This friend of Akira's also had the Rinnegan? Though it was only in one eye and decorated with fancy tomoe, it was unmistakably the Rinnegan.

Naturally, all eyes turned to Akira.

Urashiki and Sasuke had both activated their Rinnegan. So, what about Akira?

"Seriously, is everyone and their ghost awakening Rinnegan now?" Akira muttered, feeling a little embarrassed under everyone's gaze.

It seemed he'd be losing face if he didn't join in.

With a sigh, he exposed his left eye, revealing a six-tomoe Sharingan. However, that was all he could do. He didn't have the Rinnegan.

Shaking his head in resignation, Akira's Sharingan spun, transforming into the Mangekyō form.

"A mere Mangekyō?" Urashiki scoffed, clearly unimpressed.

To him, if it wasn't the Rinnegan, it wasn't even worth acknowledging.

"This guy..." Akira sighed internally, a hint of helplessness mixed with amusement. When did the Mangekyō Sharingan become so undervalued?

Then again, considering Urashiki's immense power, it wasn't surprising that he looked down on the Mangekyō.

"Extract!"

Feeling a surge of anger, Akira focused on Urashiki, his left eye's Mangekyō Sharingan preparing to unleash its ability.

_________________

POWER STONE!!!

____________

Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 300+ at patreon.com/Emik01.