Speedrunning Naruto to the Top

Just as the aftermath of the "final battle" kept spreading and plunging the ninja world into chaos—

One of the central figures of that final battle—Izayoi, publicly recognized now as the strongest shinobi among the Five Great Nations—underwent a bodily transformation.

On the second day after upgrading his [Ōtsutsuki Bloodline] to a Multi-Color entry, Izayoi awoke in his Sakura Street villa. He was about to wash up and head out to complete the secret mission for his Jōnin exam when he glanced at his reflection in the mirror and froze slightly.

He saw that his short black hair—which had covered his ears and forehead the night before—had somehow turned white. He'd gone to sleep with not even a single white strand. Yet now, after one night, it was completely white.

And yet Izayoi showed no surprise. He merely smiled faintly and thought to himself, "Exactly as I expected… The Multi-Color–level [Ōtsutsuki Bloodline] is rewriting my genes, upgrading my lineage from half-blood to pure-blood."

When he was three, Izayoi had replicated Toneri's [Ōtsutsuki Bloodline (Red)] and undergone several changes, even unlocking a [Kekkei Genkai: Byakugan]. At the time, he'd questioned why his hair remained black instead of turning white like the real Ōtsutsuki clan.

Now he had his answer: his genes were incomplete. Toneri, similarly, had incomplete genes—he was born without the Byakugan, no horns on his forehead, but he did have white hair. Izayoi's red-tier replication had taken shape in his eyes rather than his hair.

Now that [Ōtsutsuki Bloodline (Multi-Color)] was amending and completing his genes, transitioning his body from half- to pure-blood. Hence, he'd gained the white hair.

"White hair, White eyes, horns… I already have white eyes and white hair, so what about the horns?"

Izayoi raked his fingers through his hair, and sure enough, he felt two little bumps. Lifting his bangs, he studied his forehead in the mirror. He could see, hidden among the hair just above the hairline, two small symmetrical lumps—like mosquito bites. They gave him neither pain nor itchiness. But from the look of it, those lumps would eventually break open, forming some unknown style of horns. And that might not be far off.

"Once my horns come in, I'll have all three defining features of the pure-blood Ōtsutsuki," Izayoi murmured, gently touching those lumps while gazing at his reflection. "At that point, will my body or eyes develop new powers? The ultimate dōjutsu, divine arts, or maybe a Kekkei Mōra or Kāma?"

He was very eager to see how he might evolve. The trifecta of traits was only a beginning.

Pure-blood Ōtsutsuki who roam space like deities possess all sorts of abilities—ultimate dōjutsu, Kekkei Mōra, divine arts—any one of which would be a dimensional tier above typical ninja powers.

Only an Ōtsutsuki can truly face down another Ōtsutsuki. Izayoi wondered whether his "pure blood" would align him more with Hagoromo/Hamura, or Kaguya, or even some extraterrestrial branch of the clan. The pure-blood level determined which abilities he might awaken.

If it matched Hagoromo or Hamura, he'd likely unlock the ultimate eye power. If Kaguya, maybe the Kāma or Kekkei Mōra. Or if an alien Ōtsutsuki branch, the possibilities were endless. "Since all the world's chakra came from the God Tree, meaning everyone partook of the Chakra Fruit, if my lineage is now full-blooded Ōtsutsuki, it's anyone's guess what power might appear," Izayoi thought.

Still, the horns weren't out yet, so rewriting himself to such an extent might take a good while. And he was apparently just entering his real growth phase. Izayoi pushed down his excitement, quickly showered, and cast a Wood-Transformation jutsu to revert his hair color to normal. Then he went out for breakfast and teleported off to handle his mission.

To monitor the changes in his body, Izayoi took five days to complete that Jōnin exam assignment.

Over those five days, the ninja world was still abuzz discussing the final battle. The smaller nations shrugged, uninterested in meddling. The Five Kage, however, gathered yet again in the Land of Iron to hold another summit, this time on how to handle Uchiha Madara, Nagato, and the newly rebuilt Amegakure under Mokuton.

Guarding Tsunade at the summit, instead of Izayoi or Kakashi, were Hinata and Karin. Each bore an indelible Flying Thunder God mark Izayoi had left, so that if trouble arose, he'd appear instantly.

…

"Lord Madara, the Five Great Nations are holding another Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron. They're probably discussing how to handle you," Black Zetsu reported first.

Madara's interest piqued, "Is that Izayoi brat also there?"

"Nope," Black Zetsu answered with a strange expression. "From what we can tell, he's undertaking some 'top-secret Jōnin exam mission.'"

"Huh?" Madara blinked, somewhat startled. "At a time like this, he's out doing a Jōnin exam?"

"If our White Zetsu intel is correct, yeah," White Zetsu chimed in.

"Interesting…" Madara mused with a grin. "That kid's either deliberately playing dumb or else is supremely confident."

"Lord Madara," Black Zetsu asked warily, "you don't think he's joined forces with Ōtsutsuki Toneri, do you?"

Madara waved it off. "Doesn't matter. Even if they're collaborating, it just means Toneri is the only real threat. If the Tenseigan can't perceive my 'Limbo' shadows, those two kids won't matter."

"We just need to find a portal to the moon ASAP. That Tenseigan boy didn't show at the final battle, probably because his eyes aren't fully evolved. He hasn't birthed a unique ocular ability. If he had, he'd be unstoppable, so he must still be in the last stage."

"Lord Madara, Toneri can read lips; he might be overhearing everything," Black Zetsu reminded.

"Bah, let him," Madara said dismissively. "If Tenseigan is the same tier as the Rinnegan, it probably follows a path like from Three Tomoe to Mangekyō to Eternal Mangekyō, culminating in the Rinnegan. He's only how old—barely early adulthood. At best, he's in the Eternal Mangekyō stage. His final evolution step remains. Meanwhile, we just need to reach the moon. Unless or until he surpasses that threshold, he can't cross dimensions."

Black Zetsu didn't respond, but internally his dread only grew. As Kaguya's "third son," Black Zetsu knew better: Indra/Ashura needed the "two poles unified" trick to awaken the Rinnegan because their blood had thinned over generations.

Madara only awakened it near old age because he'd spliced a tiny fraction of Hashirama's flesh into himself, gradually merging Indra and Ashura's chakra over decades.

But Toneri's a direct member of the Ōtsutsuki clan with little dilution, plus he'd awakened Tenseigan, meaning his blood wasn't that watered down.

He might be 99% of the way to the ultimate ocular power, momentarily short of full blossoming, at which point he'd be in Madara's league. That left Black Zetsu deeply troubled. They had to locate the moon portal quickly to stop Toneri from completing that final step.

He merged with Madara's body to speak telepathically. "Lord Madara, the lunar portal is likely connected to Tenseigan's powers. The seal might also be Tenseigan-level. If Tenseigan is a 'final-tier' ocular technique akin to the Rinnegan, you might need a share of your ocular power to detect the portal's chakra."

Madara's eyes lit up. "Precisely. Then I'll dispatch some Wood Clones to help you and the White Zetsu Army find that portal. If that fails, I can gather Tailed Beast chakra in a pinch and simply attempt flying to the moon with a perfect Susanoo, if that's possible."

"Let me try first, my lord," said Black Zetsu, determined to kill Toneri. They concluded, and Black Zetsu turned the conversation. "Lord Madara, do you want to greet this era's Five Kage?"

"Not interested. I don't feel like playing ninja house with children," Madara said dismissively. "They can attempt to sabotage me becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki by moving Eight-Tails around, but Toneri… who seems to want the Rinnegan, might not be aware of the Gedo Statue's real secret, or he disdains the Ten-Tails. Another possibility is he wants the statue for himself. Either way, it's all in our favor. Don't mention the Ten-Tails. Let the Five Nations guess. Let them fret."

"Understood." Black Zetsu nodded.

After injecting the right amount of Mokuton chakra into Black Zetsu to strengthen his search for the portal, Madara headed into a wooden chamber.

Inside, on a wheelchair with bandaged eyes, sat Nagato, Konan standing behind him. Madara eyed Nagato with regret. "You really won't transplant another pair of eyes? With your bloodline and Hashirama cells, you could use a pair of Sharingan, or at least ordinary Byakugan. The Gedo Statue's Yin–Yang Release could cultivate them for you, so it wouldn't be inferior to Sharingan. Why turn them down?"

"No," Nagato said softly. "I want to see the world through my heart. I once believed I was born with the Sage Eye, that I was the prophesied child Jiraiya-sensei spoke of. Yet I never really had ambition—just wanted to fulfill Yahiko's dream. Now I know I'm not the prophesied child, nor can I become 'God of the New World' in Yahiko's name. So let me be an observer and watch how this era ends."

"You're leaving?"

"Yes. I plan to head back with Konan to that place… It holds our childhood memories and those shared with Jiraiya-sensei." Nagato nodded and removed the ring from his hand, giving it to Madara. "Henceforth, Amegakure and the Akatsuki are yours."

"A pity—I was hoping you'd help me sever the chains of fate," Madara said with genuine regret, glimpsing Nagato's conviction. He found Nagato far better than Obito could ever be.

But seeing Nagato's resolve, he didn't force it. If Nagato wouldn't embrace the Eye of the Moon Plan, so be it. Nagato was resolute, reminding him somewhat of Hashirama. Madara personally saw them off. Then he strolled to a small wooden conference room in an underground base, sat at a wooden table, and used the ring to summon the Akatsuki members to a meeting. Except for Black Zetsu, Tendo Pain, and Konan, only the mental projections of the others appeared.

They were silent while Madara scanned them, gleaning intel from Black Zetsu. His gaze lingered on Kakuzu, Kisame, and Itachi the longest—those three he found most interesting.

At last, Sasori, lacking patience, blurted out, "Where are the Leader and White Tiger (i.e., Tobi)? Why are his Rinnegan in your possession? Did you kill them?"

Three rapid questions that reflected everyone's greatest doubts.

"Nagato and Konan have quit the Akatsuki; they're no longer shinobi," Madara said, chin resting on his hand, voice amused. "And as for 'why his Rinnegan are in my eyes,' well—I was merely reclaiming what was originally mine."

"NANI?!"

The members gawked—yes, even Deidara and Hidan were shocked. "What do you mean by that?" Sasori asked. "The Uchiha clan's bloodline is the Sharingan, right? Why call the Rinnegan your own?"

Itachi remained silent, but huge waves churned inside him. He'd believed the "Eternal Mangekyō" was the Sharingan's zenith. Now he realized the Rinnegan was its true final form.

"I'll tell you that secret—if you stay in the Akatsuki," Madara said. "But your real bodies must come so I can carve a vow-seal to prevent leaks. Then I'll explain why we collect Tailed Beasts, the Gedo Statue's secret, and how all your dreams can come true."

The members fell silent once again. Eventually Kakuzu asked, "If we don't come, you plan to kill us?"

"You're that Kakuzu from Takigakure, right? Even you could endure the negative side effects of Earth Grudge Fear—no wonder you've lived so long," Madara remarked, then gave a scornful smirk. "Your power's hardly worth my time. I can use Edo Tensei just fine. That undead army you witnessed belongs to me now. I allowed you to remain out of respect for Nagato's efforts. If you don't want to remain, just destroy your ring and leave."

With that, he waved his hand, bored. "I can't be bothered talking to you illusions any longer. You have three days. Those who wish to stay, come see me in person. Those who don't—consider yourselves out. Meeting adjourned."

Madara cut off the chakra flow, dispersing their mental images.

~~~

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