Superior Reed Richards

"Long time no see, Jiraiya-sensei," Nagato said once he ensured that Konan was safe.

The toads on Jiraiya's shoulders gazed at Nagato with sadness in their eyes. The elders, due to their position, couldn't ignore what had happened to Jiraiya's pupil.

Judging by Nagato's look, the red-haired man had no doubt that Jiraiya wouldn't kill Konan. The disciple, however, was ready to act decisively.

"What are you waiting for?" Nagato asked. "You both came here to kill me. So why drag this out?"

"If we wanted to kill you, I would have used something more than just a wooden golem," I said.

Nagato turned his gaze toward me, and at that moment, the pattern in my eyes mirrored his. Rinnegan met Rinnegan. Now I no longer hid the power of my chakra.

The red-haired man's eyes widened in shock. He realized that my words were not just empty sounds.

"Then what do you want?" Nagato finally asked, regaining his composure.

"I want to talk to you, Nagato," Jiraiya said, his voice calm but tinged with sorrow. "To understand what happened. Why did my student, who wanted more than anything to bring peace to these lands, turn into Pain?"

Nagato's gaze was heavy and empty at the same time, reflecting the depth of his pain and disappointment. It was the look of someone who had been through too much, who had lost faith in his ideals and found solace only in cruelty.

His eyes, hidden behind strands of red hair, seemed like two bottomless chasms filled with grief and anger. In each, a merciless resolve flickered, remaining unshakable despite his emaciated state. Those eyes, which had seen so much suffering and cruelty, were now a pitiless reflection of the world he believed in.

The metallic notes in his gaze grew stronger, making his expression even harsher and more unyielding. In every movement of his eyes, one could feel an inexorable force and determination, as if he were ready to pierce anyone who dared oppose him with his will. There was something inhuman in that gaze—something that had turned Nagato into Pain.

"What makes you think I ever stopped thinking about bringing peace to these lands?" the disciple asked his teacher.

Jiraiya's eyes widened at Nagato's words.

"Are you saying that by kidnapping jinchūriki and creating chaos all over the world, you're bringing about the desired peace?!" Jiraiya shouted.

"These are necessary steps to achieve true peace!" Nagato replied with unwavering conviction.

"And how exactly would you bring peace?!"

Nagato was irritated not only by the question itself but also by the tone the white-haired sage used.

"By using the tailed beasts," Nagato said. "When people know pain, they will unite under one flag..."

—= Some time later =—

Nagato began telling us about his highly dubious plan to create an incredibly powerful weapon capable of changing the world. His voice was quiet and steady, but every word carried an insatiable thirst for justice mixed with deep pain.

"I am going to create a weapon that will be the embodiment of destruction," Nagato said, his eyes gleaming with cold fire. "This power will bring true peace to the world."

Jiraiya frowned as he listened to his former student.

"Do you truly believe that through such destruction you can create peace?!"

"Exactly," Nagato replied, his gaze becoming even colder. "People will never understand the value of peace until they experience the full pain of war. Only through suffering can true understanding and unity be achieved."

"Frankly, that's a lousy idea," I said.

Nagato and Jiraiya looked at me. While righteous anger was beginning to flare in Nagato's eyes, Jiraiya sighed with relief.

"Such a viewpoint will only create broken people who will continue the cycle of endless wars."

"And how would you achieve peace, then?" Nagato asked sarcastically. "What would you propose?!"

He had already dismissed Jiraiya's method as impossible and didn't even want to hear it. However, deep down, Nagato also understood that his own method was a dead end, which is why he wanted to hear a different point of view.

"I have an idea..." At that moment, a plan flashed in my mind—one that another genius had implemented, capable of uniting people around a common goal. "And the situation surrounding this planet will greatly help."

—= Some time later =—

"Thank you, Reed. Without your involvement, I probably wouldn't have been able to resolve this issue as you did."

The plan I proposed to Nagato involved presenting a common threat to all shinobi. But this threat had to be different from the one Nagato could present with his weapon. This threat could be the kin of the Sage of Six Paths' mother.

The essence of the plan was for the first five generations of shinobi to face this looming threat. This would force them to unite, and over time, people accustomed to this unity would have no significant reasons to split apart.

"You can thank me after it's all over," I said, focusing on the Flying Thunder God mark in Konoha.

In an instant, we found ourselves in familiar surroundings for Jiraiya.

"See you soon," I said before disappearing in a flash of the Flying Thunder God.

I needed to finish one more task of paramount importance.

I appeared before the Gedo Mazo, a giant humanoid entity of earthy color. Its decaying body formed a cloak-like appearance, and spike-like protrusions were visible on its back. The nine eyes, usually hidden by a blindfold, were now exposed—each one a dark void, except for one that glowed light blue during the sealing of the tailed beasts. The statue's wrists and ankles were shackled with chains, and in its mouth was a scroll secured by two ropes extending from the blindfold along both sides of its head.

Nagato, having agreed to our cooperation, allowed me to interact with the statue without any obstacles. I approached the Gedo Mazo, feeling the powerful aura emanating from this ancient artifact. Shadows from the surrounding candles danced on the walls, creating an atmosphere of ancient mystery.

I felt Nagato's gaze nearby. He was ensuring I precisely fulfilled the terms of our deal. Nearby was what remained of Black Zetsu—a formless entity that served as one of the guarantees of my words.

"It's time to begin..."

I reached out to the statue, feeling my fingers touch the cold stone. Interacting with such a powerful entity required caution and precision. Using my abilities, I began analyzing the statue's structure, trying to understand its nature and functions. Electromagnetic waves I emitted permeated the statue, returning information about its composition and energy flows.

After obtaining the necessary data, I proceeded to do what I had come here for. The Rinnegan contained all the necessary seals, and my hands had already formed the seals required to extract the tailed beasts from the statue.

Having extracted the bijuu from the Gedo Mazo, I quickly established a rapport with them. This was facilitated by the fact that each bijuu had previously been confined within the statue and was thus more inclined to cooperate.

To be frank, the remaining bijuu agreed for quite different reasons. Those under Iwagakure's control consented because of their extremely unpleasant experiences with their jinchūriki. On the other hand, the bijuu from Kumogakure agreed out of sorrow for their jinchūriki, with whom both the cat and the bull-octopus had good relationships.

After obtaining their chakra, I temporarily sent each of them into Kamui. The dimension proved capable of containing the bijuu's power. Meanwhile, I proceeded to carry out the most crucial part of my plan.

All the chakra I had gathered from the bijuu began to stir.

Throughout this time, I hadn't been mindlessly collecting each bijuu's chakra; I was also analyzing its structure. After two days, following the acquisition of Kurama's chakra, I succeeded in understanding how he was composed.

And it was thanks to this understanding that I could transfer a portion of my life force into the bijuu's chakra to create a full-fledged Juubi.

"Let's create our own Juubi..." the thought flashed through my mind as an immense portion of my life energy and psionic energy began to flow into the Gedo Mazo.

The statue's eyes began to open. Using the Rinnegan, I clearly observed how the statue began to change. The protrusions on its back rapidly grew. With each metamorphosis, the rate at which it absorbed my life energy increased. The bijuu's chakra began to merge into one.

"RAARGH!!!"

As soon as the absorption of my energy ceased, the statue roared, and the gravitational environment around us altered. Chunks of rock began to rise into the air as if pulled by an invisible force.

"Success..." the thought crossed my mind, and a satisfied grin appeared on my face.

The once humanoid figure of the Gedo Mazo began to transform at an incredible speed. Its body changed as if under the influence of an unseen power, and soon the Juubi stood before me.

The Juubi possessed a grotesque, spherical body with long arms and clawed fingers. It had no legs, and its wide mouth was lined with several rows of sharp teeth, giving it an even more terrifying appearance. A single spike protruded from its chin, resembling a deadly weapon. Dark veins, reminiscent of plant tendrils, spread across its body like giant roots enveloping its horrifying form. The Juubi's tails, their ends resembling plant buds, unfurled, giving it an even more dreadful and imposing look.

"So this is what you are, Juubi," I whispered, feeling the incredible power emanating from it. Every particle of its essence radiated a force capable of destroying entire worlds.

The Juubi roared, and the air around us trembled. It seemed as if nature itself feared its presence. Gravitational distortions intensified, and the chunks of rock instantly plummeted to the ground, as if the strings pulling them had been severed.

"RAAARGH!!!"

"Let's not scare the inhabitants," I said before sealing the Juubi within myself.

The moment the Juubi settled inside me, a metamorphosis began within my body. Thanks to my control over all internal processes, I could easily direct them as needed and avoid potential problems.

My body began to change before my eyes. My hair turned white, acquiring a silvery hue, and my skin became pale, almost translucent. The Juubi's energy enveloped me, and the chakra formed black attire with matching pants, boots, and gloves. Over this appeared a white mantle, bearing the Rinnegan and nine magatama on the back, and six magatama on the chest. A horn-like protrusion grew on my forehead, resembling a protector, giving me the appearance of an ancient warrior.

"Interesting..."

My clothing was entirely composed of chakra. Specifically, this attire was essentially the bijuu chakra cloak, which, due to the density of the Juubi's chakra, was remarkably substantial.

Behind me floated ten Truth-Seeking Orbs—black spheres that represent the pinnacle of the fusion of all five elements. The orbs contain the power of all five nature transformations, surpassing Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Tota. The combination of various natural properties within these spheres generates a multitude of effects.

Each Truth-Seeking Orb can instantly turn anything it touches into dust, similar to Dust Release. These spheres, imbued with Yin–Yang Release, can neutralize any ninjutsu they come into contact with, rendering them impervious.

In their normal form, the Truth-Seeking Orbs can be used as high-speed projectiles, instantly expanded to enormous sizes, or employed to heal injuries.

By concentrating, I managed to dispel this attire. Now I was back in my usual clothes. My hair, which had been silvery, returned to its chestnut color, and my skin regained its familiar tone. The Truth-Seeking Orbs remained behind me.

In an instant, the chakra cloak reappeared without any issues. I needed to test some of the abilities I had acquired.

—= Some time later =—

In a very short period, I managed to comprehend the enhancements I had undergone after becoming the Juubi's jinchūriki.

"Now this is interesting..." the thought crossed my mind as I began training with Amenominaka.

From my memories, Kaguya and the others referred to this ability as the means to traverse different dimensions.

The third eye that had appeared on my forehead was successfully opened.

"I see..." I thought as I understood the true nature of this ability.

Amenominaka encompassed the star system where this planet was located and allowed for shortcuts to each planet. This was why Kamui could synchronize with this ability, as the Kamui dimension existed in a truly different realm.

This ability turned out to be quite energy-consuming; if not for my enhanced body, I would have to wait for recovery after six transitions.

Compared to my native solar system, the one in this universe wasn't particularly teeming with life. Apart from the shinobi planet and its moon, all the remaining planets were lifeless.

A black portal opened before me, leading to the Moon, where the descendants of Hamura resided, along with something that greatly interested me.

My arrival on the Moon went unnoticed because, at that moment, only Toneri remained there, as the main and branch families had annihilated each other.

"That power," an old voice echoed.

Ha, I had completely forgotten about them.

"Pleasure to meet you, Hamura," I said, looking at the spectral form of the Sage's brother.

"Who are you?" he asked me.

"My name is Reed Richards," I smirked. "Scientist, superhero, businessman, teacher, and recently, the jinchūriki of the Juubi."

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