Naruto: Burning Will

Every time the Rinnegan appears, it heralds the reemergence of the highest tier of power in the shinobi world. Beyond its divine reputation and mythological origin, the Rinnegan possesses a host of unparalleled abilities: the Six Paths Techniques, mastery over life and death, gravitational powers like Shinra Tensei and Chibaku Tensei, and dominion over the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path—the Gedo Mazo—which can restrain all nine Tailed Beasts once they are extracted.

Of all these techniques, none is more terrifying than the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique, which can reverse death itself, shattering the very laws that divide the living and the dead. In any functioning world, once life and death can be manipulated freely, the stability of reality begins to crumble. Even if the odds are low, the mere possibility of someone mastering this forbidden power is enough to invite disaster.

Kaguya Otsutsuki, the first wielder of chakra and progenitor of its bloodline, became near-immortal after consuming the chakra fruit of the God Tree. Her son, Hagoromo Otsutsuki—the Sage of Six Paths—was the first person to master the Rinnegan and spread chakra throughout the world. He used his immense power to divide the Ten Tails into nine separate beings—the Tailed Beasts—and shape the elemental foundation of ninjutsu by separating Yin-Yang and the Five Elements.

Though hailed as the savior of the world, Hagoromo was more akin to a divine architect, constructing the very rules of reality. His teachings became the cornerstone of shinobi history.

After his time, no Rinnegan appeared for generations. Even Hagoromo's sons, Indra and Asura—genius forebears of the Uchiha and Senju clans—could not awaken it. It wasn't until Madara Uchiha, near the end of his life, implanted the cells of Hashirama Senju into his body and merged Indra's and Asura's chakra, that the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan evolved into the Rinnegan. This confirmed the theory: to awaken the Rinnegan, one must possess both Yin (Uchiha) and Yang (Senju) chakra.

Though the Sharingan can evolve into the Rinnegan through specific means, they are fundamentally different dōjutsu. The Sharingan is a precursor at best; to access Rinnegan abilities, one must transition between the two, unless one is Sasuke Uchiha. Gifted with the Rinnegan directly from Hagoromo, Sasuke's eye combines Sharingan and Rinnegan traits simultaneously—a unique mutation fitting of the series' protagonist.

Thus, Yin-Yang Release is indispensable for the Rinnegan's birth.

But then, how could a clone awaken the Rinnegan?

From Mizuki's point of view, the ninja world's power ceiling is tightly regulated. In his prior life, World War II's atomic aftermath birthed non-proliferation treaties to control global destruction. Regardless of politics or propaganda, such measures were necessary. Similarly, in the shinobi world, unchecked spread of Rinnegan users could obliterate villages over trivial disputes.

What if two Uchiha awakened Rinnegan and fought over pride or love, reducing entire countries to dust? Even with a low probability, the danger scales exponentially when potential users increase.

Mizuki speculates that Hagoromo's division of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements wasn't just to share power, but to prevent future wielders from easily accessing world-breaking abilities. Even prodigies like Hashirama, Madara, Sasuke, and Itachi couldn't naturally manifest the Rinnegan. Only Madara, in his twilight years, merged Hashirama's cells and the Gedo Statue to forcibly awaken it—an unnatural method.

Everything in this world follows logic. Hagoromo's act of separating fundamental powers acted as a safeguard. Still, Kaguya Otsutsuki predates him and remains an exception.

Kaguya, the progenitor of chakra, stole the fruit of the God Tree and became its living avatar. Her control over the Ten Tails and her Rinne Sharingan made her a force far beyond human. The Rinnegan, as a vessel of that power, may be inherently restricted by the world's laws. Hagoromo likely built safeguards to ensure no one else could access such might easily. Yet Madara and Obito uncovered a loophole.

Kaguya, through the Zetsu, willed herself back into the world. Her will corrupted the safeguards set by her son and reignited the threat of Ten Tails Jinchūriki and the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

As Kaguya's direct descendant, a clone infused with Sasuke's DNA and stimulated through cursed chakra and Mizuki's omnipotent serum could bypass Hagoromo's safeguards. If the clone's chakra is potent enough—and if its lineage traces back to Kaguya—awakening the Rinnegan becomes feasible.

Mizuki knew this.

Though he never personally saw the eye form, he knew the serum's effects. The clone had inherited dormant genes from Sasuke, some of which traced back to Kaguya. By triggering these with cursed chakra—essentially using the seal as a lever to extract natural energy—the clone produced chakra nearing Sage-tier quality. Thus, the Rinnegan could manifest by brute-forcing open the conditions Hagoromo had sealed.

Still, Mizuki never dared to use the clone's Rinnegan. Not just due to moral hesitation, but because of sheer danger. Imagine a child, mindless and untrained, suddenly handed a loaded weapon. That's what Mizuki saw: raw power in an unstable vessel.

How could he control such a thing? There's no known sealing technique designed to contain the Rinnegan. Without firsthand study, there's no way to engineer such a seal.

And even if he could, why risk it? Better to clone a squad of 'Might Guys,' punch through gods, and call it a day. A fantasy, of course, but Mizuki's daydreams kept him sane amid ethical quandaries.

While Mizuki abstained, Deidara and Sasori of the Red Sand were not so cautious.

The clone's infant mind lacked ninjutsu knowledge, but instinctively wielded gravity-based powers like Shinra Tensei to defend itself. Once injured by Sasori's puppet, its survival drive kicked in, and it no longer held back.

Sasori and Deidara were soon targeted. The clone used Chibaku Tensei—Planetary Devastation. Deidara and his owl were the first caught, immobilized mid-air. Sasori's puppet swarm was then trapped as fragments of earth and debris spiraled upward to form a massive floating sphere.

Within moments, both Akatsuki members were sealed in stone.

Far behind them, the Konoha party felt the shockwaves. They turned, witnessing the massive celestial sphere hanging in the air.

"What is that?" gasped one.

"If it's powered by chakra, technically... it's ninjutsu," another muttered in disbelief.

Even Hiashi Hyuga was stunned. "That technique... it resembles an ancient family record. One only passed to Hyuga clan heads. I thought it was just myth. But if this is real... then the Rinnegan, the Sage of Six Paths... maybe all of it is."

He gazed silently at the nearly vanished moon overhead.

Suddenly, the sealed stone sphere cracked.

A massive explosion erupted from within.

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