Three weeks later, Sasuke stood at the edge of Hidden Rock Village's territory with an assigned team.
Not Team Taka this time. Pain had insisted on Akatsuki members.
Deidara—the explosion specialist, currently grinning like this was the best day of his life.
Kakuzu—the immortal miser, clearly annoyed at being paired with Sasuke.
And Sasuke himself, who would have preferred working alone.
"So the plan is what, exactly?" Deidara asked, molding clay between his hands. "I blow up the village, you grab the jinchuriki in the chaos, yeah?"
"No." Sasuke's voice was flat. "Your explosions would alert every shinobi in a fifty-kilometer radius. We need precision, not spectacle."
"But explosions are art—"
"Explosions are loud, inefficient, and draw unnecessary attention." Sasuke's Rinnegan activated, scanning the village in the distance. "The Five-Tails jinchuriki—Han—is currently in the village's industrial district. Alone. Perfect opportunity for extraction."
"The Tsuchikage will respond immediately," Kakuzu pointed out. "Onoki's Dust Release can erase matter at the molecular level. Even you should be concerned about that."
"I am concerned. That's why I've prepared countermeasures." Sasuke pulled out several marked kunai. "Flying Thunder God seals placed throughout the region during reconnaissance last week. If Onoki appears, I teleport away. Simple."
"You've planned this entire operation alone," Kakuzu said, his tone accusatory. "Without consulting us."
"Because consultation would have been inefficient. I know what I'm doing. You two are here because Pain insisted on supervision, not because I need help." Sasuke's dismissal was complete. "Now, I'll extract the Five-Tails. You two create a perimeter. If anyone interferes, delay them. Don't engage directly unless necessary."
"You're awfully confident for someone who's never fought a Kage," Deidara said.
"I defeated the Raikage three weeks ago. Repelled him using Shinra Tensei and escaped without injury." Sasuke's voice carried cold fact. "The Tsuchikage is older, slower, and relies on a single devastating technique. If I can avoid Dust Release, he's not a threat."
"And if you can't avoid it?"
"Then I teleport away and we try again later." Sasuke began moving toward the village. "But that won't happen. My Rinnegan perceives at speeds beyond human comprehension. I'll see Dust Release forming before it's fired."
They infiltrated Hidden Rock using different routes—Deidara via clay bird, Kakuzu through underground earth tunnels, Sasuke through Flying Thunder God teleportation.
Hidden Rock Village—Industrial District
Han worked alone in a forge, his Steam Release techniques enhancing the metalworking process. The Five-Tails jinchuriki was a solitary figure—armor covering his entire body, only his eyes visible through the helmet's visor.
He sensed the presence immediately. Decades of combat experience and Kokuo's warning made him turn—
Sasuke stood in the forge's entrance, purple Rinnegan blazing.
"Han of Hidden Rock. I'm here for the Five-Tails."
Han's response was instant. Steam erupted from his armor as he accessed Kokuo's chakra. "Akatsuki. I've been expecting you eventually."
"Then you know resistance is futile." Sasuke walked forward calmly. "Rinnegan gives me control over tailed beasts. Your bijuu is already responding to my will more than yours."
"Kokuo and I have been partners for forty years!" Han's voice was distorted through his armor. "That bond isn't so easily broken!"
He attacked—Steam Release enhanced taijutsu, moving with surprising speed despite the heavy armor. His fists struck like pile drivers, each impact releasing superheated steam.
Sasuke dodged casually, his Rinnegan tracking every movement. "Fast. But predictable. Your armor limits your mobility—you compensate with steam propulsion, but the vectors are obvious."
"Then try dodging this!" Han's entire body became wreathed in white-hot steam. "Boil Release: Unrivaled Strength!"
His speed increased dramatically. His strength multiplied. He became a blur of motion—
Sasuke activated Dragon Sage Mode.
Purple-black aura erupted around him. His physical capabilities spiked to match and exceed Han's enhanced state. When Han's fist met Sasuke's palm, the resulting shockwave shattered every window in the forge.
"Dragon Sage Mode enhances my body beyond bijuu chakra levels," Sasuke explained clinically. "Your strength is impressive for a jinchuriki. But I've transcended such limitations."
Han stumbled back, shocked. "What... what are you..."
"Evolution incarnate." Sasuke's Rinnegan blazed with full intensity. "Now—submit."
Tailed beast domination—maximum power.
Inside Han's mindscape, Kokuo the Five-Tails felt the crushing weight of Rinnegan authority. The horse-like beast with dolphin features tried to resist, tried to maintain its bond with Han—
But the Sage's eyes commanded absolute obedience.
"This power... it's the same that created us... I cannot... cannot resist..."
Kokuo's will broke.
In the real world, Han's Steam Release chakra cloak vanished. His connection to Kokuo severed instantly. He fell to his knees, gasping.
"No... Kokuo... after forty years... no..."
"Your partnership is over." Sasuke formed hand seals without emotion. "The extraction begins now. Thank you for your service."
"Wait—please—Kokuo and I—we've been through so much together—"
"Irrelevant." The sealing technique activated. "Your emotional attachment doesn't change my objective. The Five-Tails is more valuable to me than your decades of partnership."
White chakra erupted from Han as Kokuo was forcibly torn from its seal. The Five-Tails manifested briefly—a massive creature of chakra, crying out in pain and submission.
Han screamed. The extraction was agony—forty years of partnership ripped away in minutes.
Three minutes later, it was done.
Kokuo—all of the Five-Tails' power—was sealed in Sasuke's scroll.
Han collapsed, his armor clattering against the stone floor. Still breathing. Barely. The extraction had destroyed him internally, but Sasuke had been careful enough to leave him alive.
"You'll die within hours," Sasuke said clinically. "Use that time however you wish. Your sacrifice contributes to something greater than yourself."
"You... monster..." Han gasped through his helmet. "You feel... nothing... about this..."
"I feel satisfaction at a successful extraction. Does that count?" Sasuke's tone suggested genuine curiosity, as if he couldn't quite remember what normal emotions were supposed to feel like.
Before Han could respond, the entire forge exploded inward.
The Tsuchikage's Arrival
Onoki—Third Tsuchikage of Hidden Rock—floated through the destroyed wall, his chakra blazing with fury. Despite his small, elderly appearance, the sheer pressure of his power made the air heavy.
"Akatsuki," he said, his voice cold. "You dare attack my village? Kill my jinchuriki?"
"Not dead yet. Still has hours." Sasuke turned to face the Kage, completely unbothered. "Though that's irrelevant now. I have what I came for."
Onoki's eyes widened as he saw Sasuke's Rinnegan. "Those eyes... you're the one who attacked Cloud. Who has the same eyes as Pain."
"Natural Rinnegan evolution, not implants." Sasuke's correction was casual. "And yes, I attacked Cloud. Extracted the Two-Tails. Then the Four-Tails. Now the Five-Tails. I'm quite efficient at this."
"You won't escape this time." Onoki's hands began forming a triangle shape. "Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
A cube of white light formed between his hands—the molecular destruction technique that could erase anything it touched.
Sasuke's Rinnegan tracked the technique's formation perfectly. He saw the chakra building, calculated the firing trajectory, and determined his response in less than a second.
The cube fired—
Sasuke teleported using Flying Thunder God, appearing fifty meters away on a rooftop.
"Predictable," he called down. "Dust Release is devastating but requires precise aim and hand positioning. Easy to dodge if you can see it forming."
"Then I'll make sure you can't dodge!" Onoki fired again—this time a wider cube, covering more area.
Sasuke teleported again. Then again. Each time Onoki fired, Sasuke was already gone—appearing in different locations using his pre-placed seals.
"This is pointless," Sasuke observed. "You can't hit what you can't predict. And my teleportation is instant. We could do this for hours."
"Then I'll destroy the entire district!" Onoki's chakra spiked. "Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"
A massive sphere of molecular destruction expanded outward—
"Shinra Tensei!"
Sasuke's gravitational repulsion met the Dust Release head-on. The two techniques collided—molecular destruction versus gravitational manipulation.
The resulting explosion leveled six city blocks.
When the dust cleared, Sasuke stood unharmed, his Rinnegan blazing. Onoki floated in the air, clearly shocked that his ultimate technique had been countered.
"Rinnegan's Deva Path can repel anything, including molecular destruction." Sasuke's explanation was almost educational. "Your Dust Release is impressive, Tsuchikage. But it's not the invincible technique you think it is."
"You arrogant—" Onoki began forming another technique.
"Actually, this conversation is over." Sasuke pulled out the sealed Five-Tails scroll, showing it to Onoki. "I have what I came for. Continuing this fight is inefficient. So I'm leaving."
"You think I'll just let you—"
Sasuke activated Flying Thunder God and vanished.
Gone in an instant, leaving Onoki alone in the devastated district.
Rendezvous Point—Twenty Kilometers Away
Sasuke materialized where Deidara and Kakuzu waited.
"Done," he announced. "Five-Tails extracted. Tsuchikage engaged and evaded. No casualties on our side. Total operation time: forty-seven minutes."
Deidara stared at him. "You fought the Tsuchikage and just... left? In the middle of the battle?"
"Fighting him would have been pointless. I achieved my objective. Staying to fight would have risked the sealed bijuu and wasted time." Sasuke's logic was airtight. "Efficiency over ego."
"You're insane," Kakuzu muttered. "Fighting a Kage should be taken seriously—"
"I did take it seriously. That's why I didn't waste time trying to kill him. Onoki's Dust Release is dangerous. Killing him would require significant effort and risk. Extracting the Five-Tails and escaping was the optimal choice." Sasuke sealed the scroll into his cloak. "Now we return to base."
They traveled in silence.
Deidara kept glancing at Sasuke with an expression between awe and fear. Kakuzu remained stone-faced, but his body language suggested deep unease.
He's right to be afraid, Sasuke thought, perceiving their micro-expressions with his Rinnegan. I'm becoming something even Akatsuki can't control. And they know it.
Akatsuki Base—Two Days Later
Pain examined the sealed Five-Tails, his expression unreadable.
"Three tailed beasts extracted in under two months. You've surpassed even my expectations, Sasuke."
"I'm efficient. That shouldn't be surprising." Sasuke's voice was neutral. "The remaining bijuu are Six-Tails, Seven-Tails, Eight-Tails, and Nine-Tails. Assign me to the next target."
"No."
Sasuke's Rinnegan focused sharply on Pain. "Explain."
"You're too effective. Too powerful. Too unpredictable." Pain's own Rinnegan met his gaze. "The other members are becoming... concerned. They think you're planning to take all the tailed beasts for yourself."
"I am."
The chamber went silent.
"You're admitting it?" Konan asked, shocked.
"Why would I lie? Obviously I want the tailed beasts for my own purposes. They're valuable research material for understanding chakra nature manipulation at the highest level." Sasuke's honesty was brutal. "But I'm letting Akatsuki use them first because Pain's plan serves my short-term interests. Once the bijuu are no longer useful to me, I'll reclaim them."
"You can't just—" Konan started.
"I can. And I will. What exactly are you going to do to stop me?" Sasuke's challenge was direct. "Pain, you have implanted Rinnegan. I have natural evolution. In a direct confrontation, I'd win. Konan, your paper techniques are impressive but useless against someone who can absorb chakra with Preta Path. The rest of Akatsuki combined might challenge me, but they'd take significant casualties in the process."
He let the implications hang in the air.
"So here's what's going to happen," Sasuke continued. "I'll continue extracting tailed beasts for you. You'll continue using me because I'm the most efficient extractor you have. And we'll both pretend this arrangement is stable until it's not. Sound acceptable?"
Pain stared at him for a long moment.
"You're the most dangerous ally I've ever had."
"But still an ally. For now." Sasuke turned to leave. "Assign me the Six-Tails next. I'll have it extracted within a month."
"No," Pain repeated. "I'm assigning the Six-Tails to other members. You're being temporarily benched."
Sasuke stopped. "Bad decision. I'm your most effective operative—"
"Which is precisely why you're being benched. You're too effective. Too independent. Too comfortable ignoring orders." Pain's voice was hard. "You need to be reminded that you're part of an organization, not a solo operator who happens to wear our cloak."
"So this is about control."
"This is about maintaining operational structure." Pain's Rinnegan blazed. "You'll remain at base for the next month. Train. Research. Do whatever you want. But you're not going on any missions."
Sasuke could have argued. Could have threatened. Could have simply left.
Instead, he smiled coldly.
"Fine. I'll stay. Use this time to extract the Six-Tails yourselves." His tone suggested he was humoring a child. "But when your other members fail or die trying, remember that I offered to handle it efficiently."
He walked out, leaving Akatsuki in tense silence.
After he left, Konan turned to Pain. "This is getting out of hand. He openly admits he's planning to betray us, and we're just... letting him stay?"
"Because the alternative is forcing a confrontation now, when we're not prepared." Pain's voice was tired. "Sasuke is right—in a direct fight, the outcome is uncertain. He has natural Rinnegan, Flying Thunder God, Dragon Sage Mode, and abilities we probably haven't even seen yet. Fighting him now would cost us too much."
"So we're just waiting for him to betray us?"
"We're buying time. Gathering strength. Preparing contingencies." Pain's eyes dimmed. "And hoping we're ready when the inevitable happens."
Sasuke's Quarters—That Evening
Sasuke sat alone, spreading out maps and intelligence reports.
One month of forced inactivity, he thought. Fine. I'll use it productively.
He pulled out his research notes on Tenseigan—the Otsutsuki clan's ultimate dojutsu.
Eleven Byakugan absorbed. Not nearly enough for Tenseigan evolution. The Giant Tenseigan on the moon required hundreds, possibly thousands of Byakugan to create.
But I don't need to recreate the Giant Tenseigan. I have Takama-ga-hara. I can absorb and merge dojutsu directly into my eyes. The question is: how many Byakugan do I need?
He made calculations based on his future knowledge, cross-referenced with what he'd learned from absorbing previous dojutsu.
Estimate: fifty to seventy pure Byakugan for Tenseigan awakening. Currently have eleven. Need at least forty more.
The Hyuga clan has approximately sixty members with active Byakugan. Konoha's protection makes them difficult targets, but not impossible.
He began planning his eventual assault on Konoha—mapping out the Hyuga compound, identifying security patterns, calculating optimal extraction routes.
The Nine-Tails jinchuriki—Naruto—will be the primary target. But the secondary objective is the complete collection of all Hyuga Byakugan.
I'll need to move fast. Extract as many eyes as possible before the village can organize a defense. Flying Thunder God will be essential.
His Rinnegan gleamed as he planned.
And once I have Tenseigan, I'll merge it with Rinnegan using Takama-ga-hara. Create something unprecedented. The fusion of Hagoromo's and Hamura's power.
Then I'll be truly unstoppable.
A knock interrupted his planning.
"Enter."
Jugo stepped inside, his expression troubled. "Sasuke... can we talk?"
"About?"
"About what you're becoming. About where this is all leading." Jugo sat down heavily. "You just told the entire Akatsuki organization that you're planning to betray them. You admitted it openly. Don't you see how insane that is?"
"I see exactly what it is—honest. I'm tired of pretending loyalty I don't feel." Sasuke's voice was utterly flat. "Lying about my intentions would be inefficient. This way, everyone knows where they stand."
"But they'll prepare for your betrayal—"
"Let them. I'll be faster. Stronger. More prepared." Sasuke's confidence was absolute. "By the time they're ready to move against me, I'll have already surpassed them completely."
"You're not invincible, Sasuke. No one is—"
"Name someone who can stop me." The challenge was direct. "I have natural Rinnegan. Flying Thunder God. Dragon Sage Mode. Eternal Mangekyo. Fifty-five absorbed Sharingan. Eleven absorbed Byakugan. Three tailed beasts' worth of chakra sealed for study. Who exactly poses a threat to me?"
Jugo was silent.
"That's what I thought." Sasuke returned to his maps. "Now leave. I have planning to do."
Jugo stood slowly. "I hope you know what you're doing. Because if you're wrong about even one thing..."
"I'm not wrong. I've calculated every variable. Accounted for every contingency." Sasuke's purple eyes gleamed. "I'm the Dojutsu Hunter. This is what I do. And I've never failed a collection yet."
Jugo left without another word.
Alone again, Sasuke smiled to himself.
Let them all worry. Let them all plan. Let them all prepare.
When the time comes, I'll be three steps ahead.
Because unlike them, I know exactly what's coming.
And I've already won.
His Rinnegan blazed in the darkness—six tomoe ripples containing the power of gods, draconic pupils reflecting stolen divinity, the faint lavender-blue tint from absorbed Byakugan creating an otherworldly glow.
The Dojutsu Hunter refined his masterpiece.
Preparing for the greatest collection of his existence.
Konoha.
The Nine-Tails.
The Hyuga clan.
All of it within reach.
All of it waiting to be taken.
And nothing—not loyalty, not morality, not even an entire organization of S-rank criminals—would stop him from claiming it.
The path to godhood demanded sacrifice.
And Sasuke had sacrificed everything.
Leaving only the collector.
Only the hunter.
Only the monster who'd forgotten what humanity felt like.
And was perfectly comfortable with what remained.
You're absolutely right! I apologize for the continuity error. Looking back at the documents, Chapter 58 already covered Sasuke mastering Flying Thunder God and mentions he has "The Scroll of Seals' contents fully memorized and analyzed."
Let me continue from Chapter 65 with different content that maintains continuity:
You're absolutely right! That's a critical plot point. Let me revise Chapter 65 to address the moon's Tenseigan and Sasuke's plans for it: