Chương 65: Chapter 65

"Long time no see, Jiraiya-sensei," Nagato said once he ensured that Konan was safe.

The toads on Jiraiya's shoulders gazed at Nagato with sadness in their eyes. The elders, due to their position, couldn't ignore what had happened to Jiraiya's pupil.

Judging by Nagato's look, the red-haired man had no doubt that Jiraiya wouldn't kill Konan. The disciple, however, was ready to act decisively.

"What are you waiting for?" Nagato asked. "You both came here to kill me. So why drag this out?"

"If we wanted to kill you, I would have used something more than just a wooden golem," I said.

Nagato turned his gaze toward me, and at that moment, the pattern in my eyes mirrored his. Rinnegan met Rinnegan. Now I no longer hid the power of my chakra.

The red-haired man's eyes widened in shock. He realized that my words were not just empty sounds.

"Then what do you want?" Nagato finally asked, regaining his composure.

"I want to talk to you, Nagato," Jiraiya said, his voice calm but tinged with sorrow. "To understand what happened. Why did my student, who wanted more than anything to bring peace to these lands, turn into Pain?"

Nagato's gaze was heavy and empty at the same time, reflecting the depth of his pain and disappointment. It was the look of someone who had been through too much, who had lost faith in his ideals and found solace only in cruelty.

His eyes, hidden behind strands of red hair, seemed like two bottomless chasms filled with grief and anger. In each, a merciless resolve flickered, remaining unshakable despite his emaciated state. Those eyes, which had seen so much suffering and cruelty, were now a pitiless reflection of the world he believed in.

The metallic notes in his gaze grew stronger, making his expression even harsher and more unyielding. In every movement of his eyes, one could feel an inexorable force and determination, as if he were ready to pierce anyone who dared oppose him with his will. There was something inhuman in that gaze—something that had turned Nagato into Pain.

"What makes you think I ever stopped thinking about bringing peace to these lands?" the disciple asked his teacher.

Jiraiya's eyes widened at Nagato's words.

"Are you saying that by kidnapping jinchūriki and creating chaos all over the world, you're bringing about the desired peace?!" Jiraiya shouted.

"These are necessary steps to achieve true peace!" Nagato replied with unwavering conviction.

"And how exactly would you bring peace?!"

Nagato was irritated not only by the question itself but also by the tone the white-haired sage used.

"By using the tailed beasts," Nagato said. "When people know pain, they will unite under one flag..."

—= Some time later =—

Nagato began telling us about his highly dubious plan to create an incredibly powerful weapon capable of changing the world. His voice was quiet and steady, but every word carried an insatiable thirst for justice mixed with deep pain.

"I am going to create a weapon that will be the embodiment of destruction," Nagato said, his eyes gleaming with cold fire. "This power will bring true peace to the world."

Jiraiya frowned as he listened to his former student.

"Do you truly believe that through such destruction you can create peace?!"

"Exactly," Nagato replied, his gaze becoming even colder. "People will never understand the value of peace until they experience the full pain of war. Only through suffering can true understanding and unity be achieved."

"Frankly, that's a lousy idea," I said.

Nagato and Jiraiya looked at me. While righteous anger was beginning to flare in Nagato's eyes, Jiraiya sighed with relief.

"Such a viewpoint will only create broken people who will continue the cycle of endless wars."

"And how would you achieve peace, then?" Nagato asked sarcastically. "What would you propose?!"

He had already dismissed Jiraiya's method as impossible and didn't even want to hear it. However, deep down, Nagato also understood that his own method was a dead end, which is why he wanted to hear a different point of view.

"I have an idea..." At that moment, a plan flashed in my mind—one that another genius had implemented, capable of uniting people around a common goal. "And the situation surrounding this planet will greatly help."

—= Some time later =—

"Thank you, Reed. Without your involvement, I probably wouldn't have been able to resolve this issue as you did."

The plan I proposed to Nagato involved presenting a common threat to all shinobi. But this threat had to be different from the one Nagato could present with his weapon. This threat could be the kin of the Sage of Six Paths' mother.

The essence of the plan was for the first five generations of shinobi to face this looming threat. This would force them to unite, and over time, people accustomed to this unity would have no significant reasons to split apart.

"You can thank me after it's all over," I said, focusing on the Flying Thunder God mark in Konoha.

In an instant, we found ourselves in familiar surroundings for Jiraiya.

"See you soon," I said before disappearing in a flash of the Flying Thunder God.

I needed to finish one more task of paramount importance.

I appeared before the Gedo Mazo, a giant humanoid entity of earthy color. Its decaying body formed a cloak-like appearance, and spike-like protrusions were visible on its back. The nine eyes, usually hidden by a blindfold, were now exposed—each one a dark void, except for one that glowed light blue during the sealing of the tailed beasts. The statue's wrists and ankles were shackled with chains, and in its mouth was a scroll secured by two ropes extending from the blindfold along both sides of its head.

Nagato, having agreed to our cooperation, allowed me to interact with the statue without any obstacles. I approached the Gedo Mazo, feeling the powerful aura emanating from this ancient artifact. Shadows from the surrounding candles danced on the walls, creating an atmosphere of ancient mystery.

I felt Nagato's gaze nearby. He was ensuring I precisely fulfilled the terms of our deal. Nearby was what remained of Black Zetsu—a formless entity that served as one of the guarantees of my words.

"It's time to begin..."

I reached out to the statue, feeling my fingers touch the cold stone. Interacting with such a powerful entity required caution and precision. Using my abilities, I began analyzing the statue's structure, trying to understand its nature and functions. Electromagnetic waves I emitted permeated the statue, returning information about its composition and energy flows.

After obtaining the necessary data, I proceeded to do what I had come here for. The Rinnegan contained all the necessary seals, and my hands had already formed the seals required to extract the tailed beasts from the statue.

Having extracted the bijuu from the Gedo Mazo, I quickly established a rapport with them. This was facilitated by the fact that each bijuu had previously been confined within the statue and was thus more inclined to cooperate.

To be frank, the remaining bijuu agreed for quite different reasons. Those under Iwagakure's control consented because of their extremely unpleasant experiences with their jinchūriki. On the other hand, the bijuu from Kumogakure agreed out of sorrow for their jinchūriki, with whom both the cat and the bull-octopus had good relationships.

After obtaining their chakra, I temporarily sent each of them into Kamui. The dimension proved capable of containing the bijuu's power. Meanwhile, I proceeded to carry out the most crucial part of my plan.

All the chakra I had gathered from the bijuu began to stir.

Throughout this time, I hadn't been mindlessly collecting each bijuu's chakra; I was also analyzing its structure. After two days, following the acquisition of Kurama's chakra, I succeeded in understanding how he was composed.

And it was thanks to this understanding that I could transfer a portion of my life force into the bijuu's chakra to create a full-fledged Juubi.

"Let's create our own Juubi..." the thought flashed through my mind as an immense portion of my life energy and psionic energy began to flow into the Gedo Mazo.

The statue's eyes began to open. Using the Rinnegan, I clearly observed how the statue began to change. The protrusions on its back rapidly grew. With each metamorphosis, the rate at which it absorbed my life energy increased. The bijuu's chakra began to merge into one.

"RAARGH!!!"

As soon as the absorption of my energy ceased, the statue roared, and the gravitational environment around us altered. Chunks of rock began to rise into the air as if pulled by an invisible force.

"Success..." the thought crossed my mind, and a satisfied grin appeared on my face.

The once humanoid figure of the Gedo Mazo began to transform at an incredible speed. Its body changed as if under the influence of an unseen power, and soon the Juubi stood before me.

The Juubi possessed a grotesque, spherical body with long arms and clawed fingers. It had no legs, and its wide mouth was lined with several rows of sharp teeth, giving it an even more terrifying appearance. A single spike protruded from its chin, resembling a deadly weapon. Dark veins, reminiscent of plant tendrils, spread across its body like giant roots enveloping its horrifying form. The Juubi's tails, their ends resembling plant buds, unfurled, giving it an even more dreadful and imposing look.

"So this is what you are, Juubi," I whispered, feeling the incredible power emanating from it. Every particle of its essence radiated a force capable of destroying entire worlds.

The Juubi roared, and the air around us trembled. It seemed as if nature itself feared its presence. Gravitational distortions intensified, and the chunks of rock instantly plummeted to the ground, as if the strings pulling them had been severed.

"RAAARGH!!!"

"Let's not scare the inhabitants," I said before sealing the Juubi within myself.

The moment the Juubi settled inside me, a metamorphosis began within my body. Thanks to my control over all internal processes, I could easily direct them as needed and avoid potential problems.

My body began to change before my eyes. My hair turned white, acquiring a silvery hue, and my skin became pale, almost translucent. The Juubi's energy enveloped me, and the chakra formed black attire with matching pants, boots, and gloves. Over this appeared a white mantle, bearing the Rinnegan and nine magatama on the back, and six magatama on the chest. A horn-like protrusion grew on my forehead, resembling a protector, giving me the appearance of an ancient warrior.

"Interesting..."

My clothing was entirely composed of chakra. Specifically, this attire was essentially the bijuu chakra cloak, which, due to the density of the Juubi's chakra, was remarkably substantial.

Behind me floated ten Truth-Seeking Orbs—black spheres that represent the pinnacle of the fusion of all five elements. The orbs contain the power of all five nature transformations, surpassing Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Tota. The combination of various natural properties within these spheres generates a multitude of effects.

Each Truth-Seeking Orb can instantly turn anything it touches into dust, similar to Dust Release. These spheres, imbued with Yin–Yang Release, can neutralize any ninjutsu they come into contact with, rendering them impervious.

In their normal form, the Truth-Seeking Orbs can be used as high-speed projectiles, instantly expanded to enormous sizes, or employed to heal injuries.

By concentrating, I managed to dispel this attire. Now I was back in my usual clothes. My hair, which had been silvery, returned to its chestnut color, and my skin regained its familiar tone. The Truth-Seeking Orbs remained behind me.

In an instant, the chakra cloak reappeared without any issues. I needed to test some of the abilities I had acquired.

—= Some time later =—

In a very short period, I managed to comprehend the enhancements I had undergone after becoming the Juubi's jinchūriki.

"Now this is interesting..." the thought crossed my mind as I began training with Amenominaka.

From my memories, Kaguya and the others referred to this ability as the means to traverse different dimensions.

The third eye that had appeared on my forehead was successfully opened.

"I see..." I thought as I understood the true nature of this ability.

Amenominaka encompassed the star system where this planet was located and allowed for shortcuts to each planet. This was why Kamui could synchronize with this ability, as the Kamui dimension existed in a truly different realm.

This ability turned out to be quite energy-consuming; if not for my enhanced body, I would have to wait for recovery after six transitions.

Compared to my native solar system, the one in this universe wasn't particularly teeming with life. Apart from the shinobi planet and its moon, all the remaining planets were lifeless.

A black portal opened before me, leading to the Moon, where the descendants of Hamura resided, along with something that greatly interested me.

My arrival on the Moon went unnoticed because, at that moment, only Toneri remained there, as the main and branch families had annihilated each other.

"That power," an old voice echoed.

Ha, I had completely forgotten about them.

"Pleasure to meet you, Hamura," I said, looking at the spectral form of the Sage's brother.

"Who are you?" he asked me.

"My name is Reed Richards," I smirked. "Scientist, superhero, businessman, teacher, and recently, the jinchūriki of the Juubi."

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Stones for the God of Ramens! Souls for the Throne of Ramens!

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Chương 66: Chapter 66

If Kaguya was completely immortal, her children were only partially so. The human part of their heritage made their bodies mortal, but their spiritual essence could retain consciousness for a very long time.

"I can't sense Mother's chakra..." Hamura whispered, gazing intently at me.

Using my eyes, I studied what Hamura truly was. It must be said that the sight was quite disheartening.

"I couldn't allow such a problematic individual to reside within my body," I said, looking at Hamura.

In Hamura's gaze, I saw traces of regret about how everything had turned out. Kaguya's son, judging by what I observed, still felt pangs of conscience for what he had done.

"Her return isn't anticipated," I added, not taking my eyes off Hamura. "Kaguya's will was personally destroyed by me."

Hamura showed no reaction to my words, which confirmed my suspicions. He was well aware of what was happening on Earth, yet did nothing to prevent Kaguya's reappearance.

"Do I detect an accusation in your words?" Hamura asked me.

Found it.

"No, you hear my understanding of what you truly are."

A portal opened before me to the place where Hamura's soul currently resided. Thanks to the Rinnegan and my knowledge, creating such a portal was quite simple.

The dimension where Hamura currently existed was desolate and resembled the Kamui dimension, but it had been modified by Kaguya's son for his own purposes.

Hamura didn't have time to react to what I did. In the shortest possible time, his spiritual essence was completely absorbed by me. As soon as this happened, the surrounding space began to destabilize.

At that moment, I could use what I had gleaned from the books in the library of Kamar-Taj.

"Kamui!"

Using my own dimension, I managed to initiate the absorption of this dimension into mine. Since there was no longer any entity here that could resist such a merger, it was quite easy to accomplish.

When I sensed that Kamui had been strengthened by absorbing this dimension, I received confirmation of the theory that had occurred to me while studying how to obtain energy for casting spells from higher entities or other dimensions.

"One down," the thought flashed through my mind. "One more to go."

Thanks to Hamura, I had an idea of where to find Kaguya's second son. Using the Rinne Sharingan, I began to search for the location of his dimension.

The second son of Kaguya was in a similar dimension. At that moment, he was hovering on his Truth-Seeking Orbs, observing the world of the living.

"I thought you'd appear here much earlier," Hagoromo said when I arrived in his dimension. "Guest from another world."

I wasn't surprised by his knowledge of my origin, as he could witness my arrival in this universe.

Hagoromo's gaze was as if he had been expecting me. I might have assumed that he saw my arrival in his brother's dimension, but my intuition screamed that something else was at play.

"And what do you mean?"

Hagoromo pulled a smile onto his face and said:

"It's a long story."

"I'm in no hurry."

—= Some time later =—

First, the old man explained how he knew about my presence here. As I expected, it was because Hagoromo had been observing changes in the fabric of space-time for a long time. My appearance couldn't help but interest him. After that, he began to watch me more closely. From Hagoromo's point of view, my subsequent actions clearly revealed my plans.

"And you accepted it?"

Hagoromo understood perfectly that I referred to his inaction regarding what I did with Hamura and planned to do with him.

"I've tried many things," the old man said. "The result was that Asura and Indra began battles that continue to this day, and the rest of my children eventually became tools in this endless conflict."

"I see."

Hagoromo did not resist when his soul was absorbed by me; on the contrary, he was glad to finally receive the long-awaited rest.

After Hagoromo's soul was absorbed, I could finally proceed to absorb this dimension. My own dimension received another enhancement, which would play its role in the future.

Having finished with Kaguya's two sons, I returned to Amegakure, where no more than twenty minutes had passed.

Nagato met me, unable not to notice the enhancement I had acquired.

"I suppose you're ready to carry out your plan?" Nagato asked me.

I turned my gaze to the moon, then looked at him and at Konan, who still felt slight apprehension about me.

"Yes, it's time to create a common enemy for this entire planet."

My hands had already formed the Ram seal, and I felt an incredibly large portion of my chakra begin to flow out. The moon in the sky turned a blood-red color.

"Infinite Tsukuyomi."

I plunged the entire world into an illusion indistinguishable from reality. However, while Madara wanted to show people paradise on Earth, mine was something more universal for everyone.

Madara sought to create a perfect world where all people's dreams and desires would come true. In his illusion, there was no suffering, conflicts, or wars. Everyone would live in their own paradise, surrounded by loved ones. Madara was attracted to the idea of an eternal world, a utopia where everyone would feel happy and content.

In the nightmare playing out in their minds, aliens of incredible power attack each of the villages.

I looked at Nagato and Konan, who were unaffected by the technique only because of my presence here.

"Now, only the finishing touches remain."

—= Two years later =—

"You're leaving already?" Mei asked me.

At that moment, we were in our bedroom. During this time, she had managed to achieve what she intended. Now I needed to explain all this properly to Sue.

"Yes," I nodded.

A sad smile touched Mei's lips. She perfectly understood the nature of the relationship between us.

"Don't be sad," I said. "We'll meet again before you even notice I'm gone. Besides, you have fewer responsibilities now."

She smiled.

"Will you meet with your students?"

I shook my head. Naruto and Fuu had grown up a lot during this time, and my presence in their lives was no longer needed.

After everything I did, this world managed to achieve peace. They all "acquired" an enemy who represents a terrifying threat. The common enemy served as a reason to create alliances between the villages.

After kissing her goodbye, I appeared in a place hidden on the far side of the moon, where there was a terraformed area for the bijuu. According to the story people were told, the bijuu agreed to become guardians of peace.

In reality, each of the bijuu received their freedom with the task of filling a fuinjutsu array with chakra each generation to activate the next Infinite Tsukuyomi. The scenarios for the illusion were created by me based on my knowledge of the human brain's structure, so people wouldn't experience similar plots.

After verifying that everything was working correctly, I entered my own dimension, where a door with a message from my future self had recently appeared.

"I hope I won't encounter those monsters after all..." the thought flashed through my mind before I opened the door.

The door led to a tunnel in an interdimensional space, which seemed to be constructing itself as we moved.

"I see," the thought flashed through my mind as I realized what was happening.

"And how do you like this place?" said a voice that caught me completely by surprise.

My gaze fell upon the source of the question—the one responsible for the existence of this tunnel.

"I'd say it's an overly dramatic tunnel whose operating principle I don't fully understand," I replied, looking at myself.

Future Reed Richards, who outwardly differed little from my present self, merely smiled and said:

"As you might have guessed, in this place the flow of time becomes even more distorted than anywhere else. The only thing that remains relatively stable is this tunnel."

I understood what he meant.

"You're building the tunnel. That's why such situations are possible."

"Yes."

I already knew what I needed to do next.

"Ready to share some knowledge?"

My future self smirked.

—= Some time later =—

"What a bastard," I thought as I found myself back on my island.

Thanks to the enhancements my powers had undergone, I was able to subconsciously scan the area and quickly analyze the data obtained.

"About a week has passed since my disappearance..."

At that moment, those currently on the island were approaching me—Bruce and Betty, to be precise.

They were using the vehicles available on the island; specifically, they were riding flying motorcycles—one of my side projects.

Since they were already coming toward me, there was no point in moving to meet them.

"Reed?" I heard Bruce's voice.

Bruce looked much better than the day we first met. Apparently, having Betty here and the calm atmosphere had worked wonders.

"Long time no see, Bruce," I said.

I sensed that those connected to the Fantastic Four network had also received information about my appearance on the island.

Bruce's gaze scanned me. During the time spent in the shinobi world, my appearance had changed slightly—not enough for those who were with me during that time to notice, but enough to be noticeable to someone who had seen me a week ago.

"For you, it was a much longer time, wasn't it?"

I should have expected he'd figure it out. Some of my work available to those on the island provided a certain understanding of the fabric of space-time.

"More than a year?" Bruce asked me.

This question was related to my theory that the farther one travels from their universe, the longer it takes to return to their native universe.

"Yes, but let's discuss this when the others arrive," I suggested to Bruce and Betty.

Bruce was about to ask a question about my experience, but Betty was quicker.

"Darling, let's really discuss this inside the building?"

The look in Betty Ross's eyes indicated that this was not a suggestion. Bruce merely swallowed and nodded.

—= Some time earlier =—

—= Susan Storm =—

"And this way we can enter a market traditionally dominated by well-known film companies."

At that moment, Susan Storm was at a briefing with the team she and Reed had assembled to conquer the film industry.

"How long will it take our camera operators to get used to these new possibilities before us?" asked an up-and-coming director named Daniel.

The captain—as he preferred to be called—of the camera operators' team thought for a while and said:

"Considering all variables, I'd give our people about six months. Although many aspects are user-friendly, the operators' eye needs to adapt to all this."

Apparently, Daniel hadn't hoped for anything else, so he stated:

"In that case, we'll focus on refining the script. That way, we won't waste time."

"And which scripts exactly will we be refining?" asked the voice of Daniel's longtime friend, who was part of the scriptwriting team. "We don't have access to some projects."

"Speaking of that," said Denis, a renowned director whose name had become synonymous with a unique visual style and masterful cinematography. His films always featured deep, meticulously crafted shots that created atmosphere and immersed the viewer in a special world. "Will we be able to acquire the rights to Herbert's books?"

Susan knew well that this director's dream was to adapt Frank Herbert's Dune into a film. He had always admired how Herbert described the vast deserts of Arrakis, envisioning majestic and detailed landscapes that he dreamed of bringing to the screen.

She was about to answer his question when suddenly a notification arrived indicating that Reed had returned. She couldn't believe her eyes, but after double-checking, she confirmed that Reed Richards was indeed back on Earth.

"We'll postpone the discussion of this question until the next meeting," Susan said quickly. "That's all for today's briefing. Goodbye, everyone."

After that, she used teleportation. In an instant, she disappeared from New York.

—= Johnny Storm =—

The flaming body of Susan's younger brother collided with the Rhino.

BAM!

The momentum Johnny had gained allowed him to lift the Rhino several meters into the air, so that Parker could take over.

"Since when did rhinos learn to fly?!" exclaimed Peter, using his web to entangle the Rhino.

They both knew perfectly well that this would only hold him for a few moments. For this reason, Johnny began concentrating flames in his hands, preparing to neutralize the Rhino with a single powerful blow.

"Now!" shouted Parker, shooting web into the Rhino's eyes.

Johnny acted instantly. The ball of flame he was concentrating began to pulsate with incredible power, resembling a miniature sun in his hands. He focused all his energy to create the most destructive fire charge possible.

His hands began to glow brighter; the flames became more intense and hotter. The air around him rippled from the heat, creating the illusion of a mirage. Tiny sparks burst from the center of the fiery concentration, indicating the enormous amount of energy concentrated in his palms.

At the moment Parker shouted, Johnny raised his hands and released the concentrated flame. A dazzling fireball burst forth, whistling through the air and leaving a trail of heat behind. The bright light illuminated everything around, momentarily eclipsing all else.

The Rhino, blinded by the web and not expecting such an attack, didn't have time to react. The fireball struck him with incredible force, exploding and creating a wave of heat and light. The Rhino was thrown back; his powerful body, despite all his strength, was repelled under the onslaught of fiery energy.

The flames continued to rage around the Rhino, turning him into a burning silhouette. Johnny didn't lessen his concentration, directing all his strength to maintain the fiery stream and completely neutralize his opponent.

He ceased his attack the very moment the Rhino's body fell to the ground. The Rhino couldn't withstand the power of Johnny's assault and was now unconscious.

At that moment, Johnny received a notification that lifted his spirits.

"Spidey, I'm leaving the rest to you!" Johnny declared before taking to the skies.

He could have used teleportation, but flying was much more enjoyable.

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