Fusing the Rinnegan

In the end, Yota gave up on the idea of completely devouring the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. At least until it had absorbed enough Chakra to become the God Tree, he would not make any further attempts.

Much like Hashirama Cells, the Chakra inside the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path could turn people into wood. Perhaps only after integrating Tailed Beast Chakra could it display an animal-like form.

Not even the Munch-Munch Fruit could truly make a snake swallow an elephant. If Yota forcibly devoured the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, he would not die thanks to the Munch-Munch Fruit’s power, but his entire life form would change, transforming him into a tree.

His strength would indeed soar, but he would no longer be human!

Yota was living perfectly well, had no blood feud to avenge, and possessed limitless potential. Naturally, he would not do something like that.

Still, even merely absorbing the Sage Eyes had sent Yota’s Sage Body and Chakra skyrocketing. In particular, the power of his Wood Release had increased tremendously, nearly rivaling Hashirama Senju’s.

Yota even believed that if he learned Sage Mode, the power of the Wood Release he unleashed would absolutely surpass Hashirama Senju’s!

Just as Madara Uchiha’s Sage Eyes had evolved after obtaining Sage Body cells, Yota’s Sage Body seemed to have been partially completed and undergone a degree of evolution after he acquired the Sage Eyes.

Combined with his physique from the Pirate World, although his body had originally been strong, extracting Chakra had still been like burning coal in a thermal power plant. But after absorbing so much Ōtsutsuki bloodline, it had been upgraded to nuclear fuel, just like the descendants of the Ōtsutsuki clan.

The difference was that an ordinary Ōtsutsuki descendant could at most burn one or two tons of nuclear fuel, while Yota, due to his powerful physique, was burning the equivalent of one or two hundred tons!

However, Ōtsutsuki descendants were ultimately no match for the true Ōtsutsuki clan. Thus, even though his bloodline had improved considerably, Yota was still far inferior to the Sage of Six Paths. At most, he was roughly on par with Naruto and Sasuke at their late-stage peaks.

"This level of strength is enough." Feeling the abundant Chakra within him, Yota smiled faintly. He then opened the Dark Space and tossed out Jiraiya, Nagato, and Konan, who had remained unconscious inside.

To everyone’s surprise, Nagato, who had once been nothing but skin and bones with black rods stuck all over his back, now looked vastly healthier. He was still somewhat thin, but no longer resembled a walking skeleton.

In particular, the black rods on his back—enough to drive someone with trypophobia mad—had all been removed. Even his red hair, which had once looked like a clump of weeds, had regained its luster.

A moment later, the three of them woke up. Nagato opened his eyes, and to everyone’s surprise, he was no longer blind. In his eye sockets were a pair of sharp, hawk-like eyes.

Nagato was initially somewhat dazed upon waking. After all, he had believed himself doomed. Konan, however, cried out the instant she opened her eyes, "Nagato!"

Hearing Konan’s voice, Nagato immediately became fully alert. He glanced around, surprise appearing on his face.

Jiraiya had actually awakened before the other two, but he was a generation older than Nagato and Konan and far more experienced. He quickly calmed down and made no unusual moves.

Seeing that all three had awakened, Yota smiled faintly. "Looks like the three of you are awake. Can you listen to me now?"

The three exchanged looks. Jiraiya was straightforward enough, bursting into laughter. "Sorry, sorry. I got worked up just now. I thought you were going to kill Nagato."

"Master Jiraiya…" Nagato murmured, his voice complicated.

He rose from the ground and felt his abundant energy and healthy body. For a moment, Nagato felt as though he had been reborn into another world.

Having lost the Rinnegan and the near-omnipotent feeling they brought, much of Nagato’s adolescent delusion was instantly cured. Moreover, he was now meat on the chopping block, so his mind was calmer than ever.

At first, Nagato had believed his enemy would never spare him, which was why his hostility had been so intense. But now, seeing that Yota had completely healed him, Nagato could even feel that the Chakra within his body had increased considerably.

He did not know what price Yota had paid to fully heal him, but if Yota merely wanted him dead, he certainly would not have gone to such trouble.

And Master Jiraiya—he had never expected him to stand before Nagato and protect him in the end… though it had been useless anyway.

Thus, Nagato was much calmer now than at the beginning. Or rather, he had already resigned himself to fate.

"How do you feel? I’ve healed your body completely and fused a large amount of Hashirama Cells into it. The eyes I transplanted for you are ones I used before. They certainly cannot compare to those Bloodline Limits, but at least their long-distance and dynamic vision are far superior to ordinary eyes."

"I feel very good… Thank you." Touching his legs and body, Nagato had to admit that Yota’s healing abilities were indeed astonishing. His body, once riddled with wounds, had now fully recovered. Even when he moved, there was not the slightest stiffness, clearly leaving behind no hidden injuries.

The one most excited by Nagato’s recovery was not Nagato himself, but Konan at his side. Looking at the now healthy Nagato, tears streamed from Konan’s eyes.

After they calmed down from their excitement, Nagato looked at Yota. "You must have something you need me to do, otherwise you would not have healed me. If there is anything you need, just say it. As long as it does not involve Konan or violate my principles, I can do it."

Yota had spared his life for a reason. In Nagato’s mind, the worst that could happen was selling his life to Yota. In any case, this life had been given back to him for free, and he could still experience being healthy for a while.

However, Konan did not like hearing that. She grabbed Nagato’s arm. "You did this last time too. Do you take me for a child, Nagato?"

"I won’t always be your burden!"

Watching the two act as if they were parting forever, Yota rolled his eyes. "Relax. I really do not need anything from either of you."

"No, more accurately, I only need to speak with Konan, and it is not anything dangerous."

Upon hearing this, Konan and Nagato immediately stopped arguing and both looked at Yota.

Black mist suddenly spread over Yota’s entire body, and he sank into the Dark Space. A moment later, when he reappeared, he had become a gaunt figure with dry red hair and more than a dozen black Chakra rods embedded in his back.