Chapter 196: The Birth of the Second Ten-Tails Jinchūriki

As the white light dissipated, a massive crater appeared within the Four Red Yang Formation.

The reason it couldn't be described as a meteorite crater was because this super crater was too perfect, too beautiful.

If one hadn't witnessed its creation, they would have thought it was a masterpiece of nature.

The walls of the crater, its base, and even its edges were all incredibly smooth, as if polished by time or a craftsman.

The surface was completely devoid of any gravel or debris, unlike anything created by an impact or explosion.

This showed that the explosion had left no fragments behind—the entire area of land had been reduced to dust.

No, more accurately, it had been reduced to atoms invisible to the naked eye.

This was the terrifying power of the Dust Release Kekkei Tōta.

Anything it touched, no matter how durable or well-defended, would instantly be disintegrated into atoms, vanishing completely from the world.

Even the incredibly resilient Wood Release, which could easily block the mountain-splitting katana of the Complete Body — Susanoo, or the armored Complete Body — Susanoo itself, or the absolute defense of the Third Raikage, which could withstand Naruto's Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, were all powerless against Dust Release.

The only things that could ignore Dust Release were the Preta Path of the Rinnegan and the innate ninjutsu immunity of the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki—essentially, a higher-dimensional attack.

The Second Tsuchikage and Ōnoki, thanks to this Kekkei Tōta, stood at the pinnacle of the Five Kage, much like the Third Raikage.

The key point was that their chakra reserves were too small, and Dust Release consumed an enormous amount of chakra.

Even at full strength, they had to use Dust Release sparingly, reserving it for moments when they could guarantee a one-hit kill.

But for Yagyu, whose chakra reserves now surpassed even the Nine-Tails, the rate of chakra consumption was far slower than the rate of recovery.

This was why Yagyu had been so eager to obtain Dust Release.

Aside from Wood Release and the Rinnegan, Dust Release was undoubtedly the most suitable ability for Yagyu.

Now that he had finally achieved his goal, Yagyu couldn't help but show off a little.

And the results did not disappoint. The Sage Art Dust Release: Rasenshuriken, fused with Dust Release, was second only to Naruto's Six Paths: Rasenshuriken in the original story, placing it on the same level as the Truth-Seeking Ball Rasenshuriken.

Once it exploded, it would unleash an attack capable of annihilating all creation.

The Ten-Tails' split bodies, merely touched by the white light, were reduced to atoms along with the ground, utterly powerless to resist.

"I've got the Six Paths Sage Mode, various Kekkei Genkai, and the Dust Release Kekkei Tōta. Next up is... the Truth-Seeking Ball."

After testing the Sage Art Dust Release: Rasenshuriken, Yagyu turned his attention to the Truth-Seeking Ball, which was on par with the Sage Art Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands.

By having the Outer Path Maru devour portions of the chakra of the nine tailed beasts, fully digesting them and making them his own, Yagyu's strength had skyrocketed. From just stepping into the Six Paths level, he had now surpassed Naruto and Sasuke, who had received power-ups from the Sage of Six Paths.

Although he hadn't yet obtained the Truth-Seeking Ball, a standard feature of the Six Paths level, Yagyu possessed the Rinnegan and Wood Release, which Naruto lacked, as well as Dust Release and numerous Kekkei Genkai.

Similarly, he also had the Six Paths Sage Mode, which Sasuke did not possess.

Unlike Naruto and Sasuke, who had received their power-ups directly from the Sage of Six Paths, Yagyu had achieved his Six Paths Sage Mode and various Kekkei Genkai through his own planning and effort, aside from using his knowledge of the plot and the game system to speed up his acquisition of the Rinnegan.

Unlike Naruto and Sasuke's superficial strength, Yagyu's current power surge was the result of genuine accumulation and breakthrough.

"To master the Truth-Seeking Ball, one must first master Yin-Yang Release, then use Yin-Yang Release to create a form and infuse it with the seven chakra nature transformations. If it doesn't 'explode,' it will form the Truth-Seeking Ball, which is on par with the Kekkei Mōra but isn't classified as such—it's an SSS-rank ninjutsu."

Yagyu recalled the principles behind the Truth-Seeking Ball.

For Yagyu, this wasn't particularly difficult. Thanks to the chakra nature orbs provided by the game system over the years, his foundation in the seven basic chakra natures had long reached the pinnacle of what a shinobi could achieve.

If it weren't for the limitations of his past life's knowledge, which made it hard for him to have those flashes of inspiration or wildly illogical ideas, Yagyu could have already synthesized Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Tōta on his own.

The recent devouring and fusion by the Outer Path Maru had shown Yagyu how Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Tōta were synthesized.

Given enough time, Yagyu was confident he could use Yin-Yang Release to create the Truth-Seeking Ball.

But the current situation clearly wouldn't give him that time, and Yagyu had no intention of wasting time figuring it out on his own.

After all, with the game system and the Outer Path Maru as his cheats, why waste time grinding?

"Ten-Tails Coffin Seal Technique—"

At that moment, a shout reached Yagyu, as well as Uchiha Madara, Naruto, Sasuke, and the four girls maintaining the Four Red Yang Formation below.

Following the direction of the voice, Naruto, Sasuke, and the four girls once again witnessed an unbelievable scene.

Uchiha Madara, who had been stripped of his "fruit," showed no anger. Instead, he wore an intrigued smile.

While Yagyu was marveling at the power of the Outer Path Maru and testing the Sage Art Dust Release: Rasenshuriken, the Ten-Tails, suppressed by the Sage Art: Myōjin Gate, had finally evolved again, transitioning from its second form to its third.

One more evolution, and it would return to its original form as the God Tree, beginning to absorb the planet's energy.

In its third form, the Ten-Tails' power and will had fully awakened. Even someone who wasn't a true Rinnegan wielder could now become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki by using the Rinnegan's Ten-Tails Coffin Seal Technique.

Uchiha Obito, who had been hiding in the Kamui dimension, watching Yagyu's ascension and the terrifying power of the Sage Art Dust Release: Rasenshuriken, didn't hesitate. He emerged from the Kamui dimension and used the Ten-Tails Coffin Seal Technique to absorb the Ten-Tails, which was still suppressed by numerous red torii gates, into his body.

In an instant, the massive Ten-Tails, as large as a mountain, twisted and distorted before being sucked into Uchiha Obito's body.

In just a few blinks, the Ten-Tails had disappeared, leaving behind only the red torii gates that had once restrained it.

However, upon closer inspection, one would notice a white sphere floating above one of the red torii gates.

"Such... such enormous chakra!"

"What is that thing?"

"That masked man... he absorbed the container that sealed the tailed beasts. Does that mean the ten-tailed monster is actually a tailed beast too?"

"The Ten-Tails... does that mean the nine tailed beasts were all split from it, just like those monsters?"

"But wait, the Nine-Tails is still inside Naruto. How can this monster become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki by reclaiming just eight tailed beasts?"

"Wait... it's gone! The chakra inside that sphere has disappeared!"

"No, it's not gone. It's just... it's like Lord Yagyu now. The Byakugan can see the sphere, but it can't perceive its true nature."

"So, both Yagyu and that masked man have transcended our dimension?"

"..."

The four girls—Hinata, Ino, Sakura, and Tenten—were discussing this in the mental communication network Ino had created.

By the end, their faces showed a hint of worry.

They had full confidence in Yagyu's strength, especially since they had witnessed his power firsthand and believed no one in the ninja world could rival the new era's God of Shinobi.

Yagyu's recent transformation had further deepened their awe, making their confidence almost blind.

But now, someone on par with Yagyu had appeared.

Considering the Akatsuki's relentless pursuit of the nine tailed beasts, even going to war with the five great villages, and the current developments, the four girls realized that the Akatsuki leader had sought this power all along.

Thankfully, Yagyu had obtained this power first, transcending into a higher dimension.

If that masked man had achieved this first, the outcome of the war might have taken a drastically different turn.

"That guy... he absorbed that monster! What's he trying to do?!"

Naruto stared wide-eyed at the white sphere, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

"This is similar to how a Jinchūriki works," Sasuke remarked.

"Exactly. Obito has become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki," Uchiha Madara said, jumping onto a branch created by Wood Release. He smiled playfully. "He has become the second Sage of Six Paths."

"What?!"

Naruto and Sasuke were both shocked.

"The Sage of Six Paths is just a mythical figure, right? Are you saying he actually existed?!" Naruto exclaimed in disbelief.

"Their Rinnegan proves it," Sasuke said, frowning as he focused on another point. "If he's the second Sage of Six Paths, that means the nine tailed beasts didn't exist before. There was only this Ten-Tails monster, and the Sage of Six Paths was its first Jinchūriki?"

"Sasuke's right," Kurama, the Nine-Tails, spoke up from within Naruto. "We tailed beasts are essentially split-off fragments of the Ten-Tails' chakra. If the Ten-Tails had split us off on its own, we'd all be mindless monsters like those creatures, driven only by the Ten-Tails' madness.

But it was the Sage of Six Paths who split us. He was the first wielder of the Rinnegan and possessed a secret technique called Yin-Yang Release, which can create all things from nothing and give them life."

"That's amazing!!" Naruto's eyes widened in awe, though he didn't fully grasp the implications.

In his mind, Sage Mode was already incredible, and the strongest jutsu he knew was the Rasenshuriken, which he had learned from Jiraiya, who in turn had learned it from Tsunade, who had learned it from Yagyu.

Aside from those two techniques, Naruto only had the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Without the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, he wouldn't even be qualified to stand beside Sasuke as an equal.

A jutsu like Yin-Yang Release, which could create all things and give them life, was practically godlike.

Thinking about it, it made sense. Without such a godlike jutsu, the nine tailed beasts and Kurama wouldn't exist.

Through the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Naruto had glimpsed the power of Yin-Yang Release.

If Yin-Yang Release was this powerful, how strong must the Sage of Six Paths, who possessed this secret technique, have been?

Uchiha Madara said that Obito had become the second Sage of Six Paths. Did that mean Obito now possessed such immense power?

At this thought, Naruto couldn't help but glance worriedly at Yagyu in the sky.

Perhaps due to the enhanced dynamic vision provided by his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Naruto seemed to notice something and froze.

"Yagyu... he's smiling?!"

Naruto was stunned, but then his confidence surged again.

That's right. Yagyu was in the same state as that white sphere.

His strength must have reached that level too.

All Naruto and Sasuke needed to do was keep Uchiha Madara busy, preventing Yagyu from having to fight both of them at once.

With this in mind, Naruto's fighting spirit reignited. He turned to Sasuke, who had also noticed Yagyu's confidence and shared his resolve, and shouted, "Let's go, Sasuke!"

"Yeah..." Sasuke grinned, drawing the Kusanagi Sword. "Don't hold me back, dead last!"

As he spoke, brilliant blue-white lightning began to crackle around Sasuke's body.

In the next moment, a golden and a blue-white streak shot toward Uchiha Madara, who was also watching Yagyu with a furrowed brow.

Seeing this, Uchiha Madara sighed with boredom. "If this were earlier, I wouldn't mind wasting some time with you two. But now, don't get in the way of my show."

With that, Uchiha Madara discarded his scythe, and his Mangekyō Sharingan transformed into the Rinnegan. He shot toward Naruto and Sasuke at incredible speed, his previously amused expression now cold and filled with killing intent.

Clearly, he intended to end this quickly.

And the reason for this change was the white sphere that was Uchiha Obito, as well as Yagyu in the sky.

"What a decisive guy. I wonder if you, the one with the strongest will in the ninja world, can pass this test."

Yagyu gazed down at the white sphere, a smile on his face as he muttered to himself.

Originally, Yagyu had been considering how to stage things—whether to let the Ten-Tails reach its third form, allowing Uchiha Obito to become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, or to help the hidden Black Zetsu control Uchiha Obito and revive Uchiha Madara as the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki.

But he hadn't expected Uchiha Obito to act so decisively.

So, Yagyu was curious—could Uchiha Obito withstand the Ten-Tails' will this time, just as he had in the original story?

Crack—

A sound of shattering came from the white sphere.

As countless cracks spread across its surface, pieces began to fall away.

The second Ten-Tails Jinchūriki of this world had officially been born.