Chapter 093: Stars That Suddenly Shine

Naruto and Jiraiya walked side by side through a silent forest. A gentle breeze rustled the trees, their leaves whispering in the night wind, masking all secret murmurs beneath the soft susurrus. When asked why he was so concerned about information on the Akatsuki, Naruto chose silence, lowering his voice as he explained unhurriedly that news had come from the Land of Waves—the Akatsuki had recently become inexplicably active, their movements far more frequent than before.

At that moment, a thin veil of mist filled the woods, and under the moonlight, the scene appeared dreamlike, almost illusory.

"The Akatsuki have become more active?" Jiraiya repeated Naruto’s words with a slight furrow of his brow. He let out a long, deep sigh, then slowly raised his head, his gaze drifting toward the fathomless night sky.

The night was like an enormous black curtain, silently shrouding the world beneath its weight. Amid that endless darkness, a single star shone with exceptional brilliance, far brighter than any other around it.

Jiraiya fixed his eyes on the star, murmuring to himself, "I wonder who leads the Akatsuki now? Is it still one of those people?"

He narrowed his eyes, as if peering across the void, locking eyes with the shadowy puppeteer behind the Akatsuki.

"If it is still them, I wonder if, at this very moment, they too are gazing up at this unusually bright star, just like us?"

Beneath their feet, the grass was slick with night dew, and from time to time, a few fireflies drifted above the blades, flickering with faint light.

Naruto also gazed quietly at that star, though his thoughts had wandered elsewhere.

He wondered to himself, Had this star always been so bright? Could it have exploded?

Perhaps this dazzling brilliance was the final light from a star that had exploded billions of years ago, and only now, after crossing endless darkness and void, had its photons finally arrived in the world of shinobi.

At that very moment, deep within an unknown, shadowy cave somewhere in the shinobi world, droplets of water fell intermittently from the stalactites, echoing in the silence.

A man stood motionless at the mouth of the cave. Odd, elongated horns protruded from his head, glinting with an eerie sheen in the dim light.

His gaze was fixed, unwavering, upon that star whose brilliance had suddenly surged, his expression deeply stirred.

"That is... home. My home, to which I can never return."

His lips quivered as he whispered, "After so many years, I finally see that familiar light again. How cruel those people were..."

Suddenly, a sharp knocking shattered the suffocating stillness.

In an instant, the man’s expression turned cold. With the slightest movement, his entire appearance shifted as if by magic, transforming into a middle-aged man with a braid.

Behind him, the cave was no longer shrouded in gloom but fully illuminated. The dripping stalactites vanished, replaced by a room with an understated, unassuming decor.

"Sir," came a low voice from outside the door.

"Come in."

With a creak, the door swung open to reveal a man clad entirely in black. His hair was strikingly white, and an orange-lensed pair of sunglasses concealed most of his face.

"What is it?" The braided man’s voice was cold and calm, reverberating in the empty space.

The man in black bowed slightly, his tone tinged with resentment. "The man you brought back from another dimension a few years ago, the so-called Uchiha—he’s gone. And he’s taken many from the outer ranks with him. Even though you saved his life and graciously allowed him to join the inner circle, to plot with us toward our great endeavor, he showed no gratitude at all. He took members from the outer circle and founded his own faction, betraying us. I beg you, sir, grant me permission to hunt him down. I swear I’ll kill him and wipe out his entire clan."

But the braided man merely waved his hand dismissively and replied in a detached tone, "It doesn’t matter. Saving him was merely a convenience, and letting him go was always a part of our plan. Do not let him disrupt our grand design."

He paused, his gaze sharpening. "Now, what of the other matter I am concerned with?"

The man in black answered immediately, "With a rich reward, there are always those willing to take risks. Our request has already been accepted—by a member of the Akatsuki, no less. He’s already entered the Leaf Village and is working to acquire that power for us."

A trace of satisfaction curled the braided man’s lips. "Excellent. That will save us much trouble. Once he’s obtained that power, we can sweep them all up in one fell swoop."

—

After parting with Jiraiya, Naruto, for once, did not throw himself back into his usual grueling training. Instead, wearied, he dragged himself back to the small, familiar home he knew so well.

As soon as he got home, Naruto collapsed onto his bed and let his mind slip into the sealed space.

There, he found the Nine-Tails, now appearing as a small fox. Naruto asked, "Kurama, when I mentioned the Rinnegan earlier, you seemed especially agitated."

As he spoke, he entered the seal as he always did, reaching out with practiced ease to scoop the fluffy fox into his arms, giving it the customary affectionate rub.

This time, however, the Nine-Tails did not struggle as usual, but instead looked deeply troubled.

It shifted restlessly in his embrace, its voice muffled and low. "Kid, yes, I did mention the Rinnegan just now."

There was a note of irritation in the beast’s tone; even ensconced in Naruto’s warmth, its body was tense with unease.

"That’s the old man’s eye! It holds incredible power! Such eyes shouldn’t exist in this era! After the old man died, they vanished from the world! So why have they appeared in this age?"

The Nine-Tails rambled on, repeating itself in increasing agitation, reiterating the unmatched might of the Rinnegan again and again.

To be honest, Naruto remained skeptical of eyes that were so lauded for their power.

Put bluntly, even if they were an organ of the human body, they were no more than a weapon. No matter how powerful a weapon is, if it falls into the hands of a clueless child, it will create nothing but senseless destruction. Only in the hands of a true warrior can it realize its true potential.

The Nine-Tails’ endless emphasis on the eyes’ power made Naruto almost want to scoff.

If this were some lowbrow adventure novel, and the Nine-Tails were harping on about the power of a particular bloodline or trait, Naruto could perhaps understand.

But the truth was, this was a harsh reality, not a fantasy. Without relentless training, no matter how noble or strong one’s lineage, how far could it truly take you?

He himself, despite the powerful blood of the Uzumaki clan, had earned every skill he possessed through twenty years of brutal battle, honed piece by piece on the field.

That was why Naruto refused to believe that one could become invincible on the strength of a pair of mystical eyes alone.