Chapter 76: The Rinnegan

---

"Then, let Naruto decide."

This was a critical moment—one that would determine whether Konoha's top leadership would be completely overshadowed by the Uchiha clan.

If Naruto truly mastered the power of the Nine-Tails, his choice now was paramount.

Naruto looked at Tsunade, then at Fugaku.

Finally, he said, "I choose... Uchiha!"

In the Uchiha clan, at least, Naruto wouldn't be treated as an outcast. He would retain the basic dignity of being a Jinchuuriki.

Besides, Fugaku had just enacted the Public Security Law, which made Naruto feel a warmth in his heart that he had never felt before.

Hearing Naruto's words, Tsunade felt as though she had fallen into an icy abyss.

The Konoha Police Force was under Uchiha control. The ANBU, too, was controlled by the Uchiha. The most powerful clan outside of Uchiha had intermarried with them.

And now, even the Nine-Tails was aligned with Uchiha.

This was a reality Tsunade found hard to accept.

Naruto had completely chosen to align with the Uchiha!

Tsunade felt powerless, all her means of competing with the Uchiha now rendered useless.

...

**Konoha, Uchiha Compound**

Deep within the Uchiha compound was a secluded courtyard, surrounded by rooms.

One of those rooms housed a Jinchuuriki.

The beginnings of the Tailed Beast Organization, led by the Six-Tails' Jinchuuriki, Utakata, were forming.

Outside, several Uchiha members stood guard.

But these guards weren't there to keep Utakata imprisoned—they were there to protect him.

Originally, Fugaku wanted to imprison Utakata, locking the power of the Six-Tails within Uchiha's grasp forever.

But Sasuke objected.

"Don't doubt people," Sasuke had insisted.

Sasuke trusted Utakata.

And now, it seemed Sasuke's trust had paid off.

Utakata was content living among the Uchiha. He spent his time drawing, blowing bubbles, and occasionally teasing Sakura.(Note: Not the Same Sakura As Haruno Sakura)

Sakura, now a Chuunin of Konoha, often visited the Uchiha compound, while Utakata, though unemployed, lived a peaceful life as the Six-Tails' Jinchuuriki.

One day, Utakata was resting beneath a twisted tree in the courtyard when the door suddenly opened.

Fugaku had brought Naruto.

Naruto looked around the spacious and luxurious yard in disbelief. "Am I going to live here from now on?"

Fugaku nodded. "Yes, this will be your home from now on. If you need anything, just tell the guards outside. But don't misunderstand—they're not here to watch over you. They're here to protect you."

With that, Fugaku left.

Naruto curiously explored the yard when a clear voice called out from the tree, "Hey, hey, who are you?"

Naruto looked up.

Perched enchantingly in the tree was Utakata, shirtless and relaxed. Naruto introduced himself, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Please take care of me. May I ask your name?"

Utakata gracefully leapt down from the tree. "Are you a Jinchuuriki too?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes, I am."

On Utakata's shoulder, chakra condensed into a small, fox-like creature. The little fox, Saiken, stood on Utakata's shoulder and asked Naruto, "How many tails does your beast have?"

Due to Naruto's unique chakra, Saiken couldn't immediately tell.

As soon as Saiken finished speaking, a miniaturized version of the Nine-Tails, Kurama, appeared on Naruto's shoulder. Kurama leapt onto Naruto's head and addressed Saiken, "Saiken, it's me."

Saiken's eyes widened in excitement. "Kurama! Aren't you supposed to hate humans the most?"

Kurama replied sincerely, "Yes, but look closer. Who does he remind you of?"

Saiken examined Naruto carefully, recognizing the remnants of Asura's chakra within him.

In shock, Saiken murmured, "Ah..."

Before Saiken could continue, Kurama jumped onto Utakata's shoulder, swiftly kicking Saiken over. "Don't say anything else!"

Saiken rolled twice on the ground and nodded submissively. Kurama was the strongest, after all.

However, Saiken noticed that Kurama seemed less powerful than before and asked why.

"My darker half was sealed away by Minato," Kurama explained.

Surprised, Saiken asked, "So this isn't your full power? How dark is your darker half?"

Kurama's expression darkened at the question.

Sensing Kurama's mood, Saiken quickly backpedaled, "Wait, wait, don't be angry! Let me tell you about my experiences over the years."

...

After the Eight Trigrams Seal was unlocked, Kurama could condense into a mini version of himself, giving him brief moments of freedom to relax.

Utakata turned to Naruto, introducing himself, "My name is Utakata—'U' as in feather, and 'Takata' as in happiness."

Though Utakata appeared aloof, he was kind-hearted beneath the surface.

Naruto asked, "I've never seen you in Konoha before."

Utakata looked up at the sky. "I'm originally from Kirigakure, but now I've joined Sasuke's Tailed Beast Organization."

This was the first time Naruto had heard of Sasuke forming an organization.

Utakata explained further, and Naruto understood.

Sasuke was gathering all the Tailed Beast Jinchuuriki.

In this way, no one would dare to bully them anymore.

Utakata even showed Naruto the uniform he had designed for the Tailed Beast Organization. The white combat attire with simple black markings looked powerful.

The most important detail was the forehead protector.

Each one bore a number, representing the Jinchuuriki from the One-Tail to the Nine-Tails.

When Naruto saw the second one, he was shocked to see Sasuke's name.

"Sasuke... is also a Jinchuuriki?!" Naruto asked, stunned.

Utakata nodded. "Yes, Sasuke is the Two-Tails' Jinchuuriki. Didn't you know?"

Naruto shook his head. He truly didn't know.

To think his closest friend was a Jinchuuriki all this time and had never told him—it made Naruto feel a bit sad.

After a while, Sasuke arrived.

Dressed in white, he was still as handsome as ever.

Naruto asked, "Sasuke, are you really the Two-Tails' Jinchuuriki?!"

Sasuke nodded. "Yes, I am. Why?"

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

Sasuke sighed. "Because back then, the relationship between the Uchiha and the village was tense. I couldn't tell anyone—I was about to be used as a weapon by Uchiha!"

As Sasuke explained, Naruto realized just how much he didn't understand about the world of politics and power struggles.

For Naruto, the dream of becoming Hokage was simply a desire to be acknowledged by others.

Sasuke then said, "Naruto, you need to understand that only power can change the world. That's why I want you to join my Tailed Beast Organization—so that we can create a world without war, where the strong no longer oppress the weak. A true utopia."

Naruto was surprised. "Sasuke, you know about Temujin?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yes, Uchiha's intelligence network spans the entire ninja world. I know Temujin wants to build a utopia using the power of Greer's Stone. But we're different—we're Jinchuuriki. We have the power of the Tailed Beasts!"

Naruto nodded firmly. "Yes! I'll join you!"

Naruto had found a new purpose, one that aligned with his friends and the mission they hadn't yet completed.

The Tailed Beast Organization welcomed its fourth member.

Naruto.

One-Tail: Gaara.

Two-Tails: Sasuke.

Six-Tails: Utakata.

Nine-Tails: Naruto.

Sasuke returned to his room.

Everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly, yet there were still dark forces lurking beneath the surface—one of them being the "Kara" organization.

A few years ago, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and Isshiki Ōtsutsuki chose the ninja world as their battleground, planting chakra fruits in this world.

However, Kaguya betrayed Isshiki, attacking him and leaving him gravely wounded, on the brink of death.

In his weakened state, Isshiki encountered a monk and used him as a vessel by implanting his essence into the monk's body.

This was the Ōtsutsuki clan's method of resurrection.

The monk who became Isshiki's vessel was named Jigen. Jigen, now housing Isshiki's consciousness, would continue to grow stronger in the shadows.

Sasuke was deeply wary of Jigen—or rather, Isshiki Ōtsutsuki. After all, Isshiki had once been one of the most powerful combatants in the Ōtsutsuki clan.

Sasuke was now 13 years old.

When he turns 15, his eyes are expected to evolve once again. When that time comes, Sasuke plans to hunt down Jigen and put an end to Isshiki's schemes once and for all.

"Otsutsuki… just wait for me," Sasuke thought to himself.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two years had passed.

During these two years, the Uchiha clan had been unusually peaceful, never overstepping any boundaries. However, Tsunade couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.

The Uchiha shouldn't be this quiet.

Today was Sasuke's 15th birthday, and he was filled with excitement.

After these years of rigorous training, Sasuke had grown immensely powerful.

His strength now surpassed anyone in the ninja world! With the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and his perfect Sage Technique, Sasuke believed he was the strongest force in existence.

And he was right.

Tick tock... tick tock...

The clock on the wall continued to tick, marking the time.

It was time.

Suddenly, Sasuke felt a sharp, indescribable pain in his eyes. It felt as though his eyes were being crushed and then reassembled.

But instead of rubbing his eyes, Sasuke embraced the pain, knowing what it signified.

Slowly, the pain subsided.

A slight smile curled on Sasuke's lips.

"It's done."

[Congratulations, host Uchiha Sasuke, for surviving to the age of 15. Your left eye has now evolved into the "Mangekyō Rinnegan."]

Sasuke's eyes had now fully transformed. His Sharingan was gone, replaced by the Rinnegan—though only in his left eye.

[Congratulations, host, for acquiring the new eye technique: "Heavenly Hand Power."]

[Heavenly Hand Power: A space-time jutsu allowing the user to forcibly switch places with any object within their line of sight. Each use consumes one of the Rinnegan's tomoe, and it takes one hour to regenerate a tomoe.]

At first glance, it might seem like a simple technique. But in reality, it was anything but.

Each time Sasuke used his Heavenly Hand Power, he consumed one tomoe.

This meant Sasuke could use the technique several times in quick succession, but a full recovery of all tomoe would take six hours.

However, considering the immense versatility of the Heavenly Hand Power, this small limitation was insignificant.

Sasuke gazed at himself in the mirror.

His right eye remained a normal Sharingan, but his left eye had now become the Mangekyō Rinnegan.

The original powers of his right eye hadn't disappeared; they had been integrated into his Rinnegan.

Opening his status template, Sasuke reviewed his progress:

[Host: Uchiha Sasuke.]

[Special Physique: Chakra Affinity, Gedō Mazō, Two-Tails Jinchūriki, Perfect Sage Technique.]

[Kekkei Genkai: Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan (Right Eye), Mangekyō Rinnegan (Left Eye), Blood Escape.]

[Eye Techniques: Amaterasu, Time distortion, Chibaku Tensei, Kotoamatsukami, Heavenly Hand Power,etc]

[Chakra Nature Affinities: Fire, Lightning, Earth, Water, Wind, Yin, Yang.]

With the Rinnegan, Sasuke had not only gained new chakra affinities, but he also acquired the power of Yin-Yang Release.

...

Meanwhile, at the Hokage's Office…

Tsunade lay awake, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. As she gazed out at the blood-red moon through her window, her unease grew.

The frequency of these red moons was increasing.

The Uchiha clan was becoming more and more powerful.

She feared the next Hokage might be from the Uchiha clan.

The current Uchiha were incredibly strong.

Itachi, Fugaku, Sasuke, and the mysterious masked man—each of them possessed unparalleled combat prowess.

Even the mighty Hyuga clan, usually a dominant force, was now allied with the Uchiha.

Tsunade thought of the families that had supported her: the Sarutobi clan, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, the Aburame clan, the Inuzuka clan…

Sighing, she realized that even if all these clans combined their strength, they would still struggle against Sasuke.

Her head throbbed with worry.

"Why did I take on this responsibility in the first place? I wish I could've passed it on to Naruto," Tsunade thought bitterly.

Unable to sleep, Tsunade decided to go up to the rooftop of the Hokage Building for a drink.

Shizune had prepared a large jar of sake for her. Although there was no food to accompany the drink, the sake would suffice.

Tsunade asked Shizune, "Care to join me for a drink?"

Shizune shook her head. "I don't drink."

Tsunade turned to Tonton, her pet pig.

Tonton blinked, as if to say, "!!!"

She feared that while drinking, she might end up being served as a snack.

In the distance, Sasuke observed the scene. Activating his new eye technique, he focused on Shizune.

In an instant, a tomoe in Sasuke's left eye disappeared.

In the blink of an eye, Sasuke and Shizune switched places.

Shizune felt a sudden, tearing sensation as she was transported. Confused, she looked around.

"Where am I? How did I get here?" Shizune wondered, completely at a loss.

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of the Hokage Building…

Tsunade felt a sudden shift in the air. She turned to see who it was.

It was Sasuke.

Tsunade was surprised. "Why are you here?"

Sasuke replied, "Today is my birthday. I came to have a drink with you."

Tsunade waved her hand, and a sake jar flew into Sasuke's grasp. She grinned provocatively, "Sasuke-kun, can you handle your drink?"

Sasuke smirked. "Of course I can."

Sasuke sat down across from Tsunade, who glanced at him casually.

And then she noticed his left eye.

For a moment, Tsunade thought she was seeing things. She rubbed her eyes and looked again.

But no—it was real.

It wasn't the Mangekyō Sharingan!

It was the Rinnegan!

Sasuke… when did you acquire the Rinnegan?!

Tsunade had wondered why the Uchiha clan had been so quiet lately, and now she understood—they had been hiding this all along.