Chapter 184 : Mangekyō Sharingan Evolved
In the forested mountains behind Konoha, beneath the waterfall where Riku often trained, he had placed a barrier to keep the area concealed.
Staring at his own reflection in the water, Riku silently released a sealing technique.
"Prrrzzzt—"
The moment the seal was lifted, the Mangekyō Sharingan pattern flared to life in his eyes, the tomoe spinning slowly. At the same time, arcs of purple-gold lightning surged from both of his eyes, crackling through the dark cave like living threads of energy.
His eyes trembled violently. The lightning began to spread from his face to his entire body, wrapping around him in wild, erratic bursts.
Riku frowned, thinking, What the hell is going on? Is this a side effect of the Mangekyō Sharingan?
He didn’t understand what was happening, but one thing was certain—his Sharingan was unleashing an immense amount of power. And yet, strangely, he didn’t feel any weakening of his ocular strength. Quite the opposite.
The lightning around him continued to flicker furiously, thunder echoing throughout the hidden cavern. If he hadn’t set up a powerful barrier, the energy would’ve alerted the entire village by now.
The pain in his eyes intensified. Purple-gold lightning engulfed his body, searing the grass beneath his feet until it was reduced to black ash. Cracks spiderwebbed across the stone floor from the sheer pressure radiating off him.
Despite the agony, Riku could feel his visual prowess growing exponentially.
Meanwhile, back in the village, Tsunade had sensed the disturbance and rushed toward Riku’s usual training spot. But when she arrived, he was nowhere to be found.
Shortly after, Sakura caught up to her. She glanced around, puzzled, and asked, "Lady Tsunade? Isn’t Riku supposed to be here?"
Tsunade frowned deeply, saying nothing for a moment. "He should be... This is where he always trains. And look—the barrier is still active."
Realization dawned on her. "Right—the hidden barrier."
She swiftly formed hand seals and activated a technique. "Barrier Release!"
The moment the seal was undone—
BOOOOOM!
A terrifying wave of force burst from the area.
Tsunade didn’t even have time to react before the energy exploded outward. It slammed into both her and Sakura with overwhelming speed and pressure.
Reacting instantly, Tsunade stepped in front of Sakura and took the brunt of the blast.
The two of them were sent flying hundreds of meters. A massive trench, dozens of meters wide and hundreds of meters long, was gouged into the earth outside the barrier’s mouth. Trees were blasted to splinters. Dust and smoke filled the sky.
Far away, Tsunade coughed, blood staining the corner of her mouth. A mountain of soil had piled up behind her from the sheer impact, forming a small hill. She clutched her chest, activating the Strength of a Hundred Seal as her wounds began to heal slowly.
Sakura, shielded by her master, hadn’t been seriously hurt. She ran forward, her voice laced with panic.
"Lady Tsunade! Sensei—are you okay?!"
"I’m fine," Tsunade said hoarsely, waving her off. "Something must’ve happened to Riku. I have to get to him—now."
Without another word, she turned and rushed toward the barrier.
Inside the barrier, Riku’s body was still wracked with pain. The Mangekyō Sharingan in his eyes spun at incredible speed. Slowly, the pattern shifted—transforming into concentric rings of purple, with faint golden sparks at their core.
He was evolving.
The surrounding lightning was no longer discharging randomly—it was being pulled inward, into his eyes. Absorbed completely.
Chakra surged violently within him. His reserves, which had once barely surpassed that of the Nine Tails, were now expanding—doubling, tripling. The power swirling in his body was monstrous.
Damn, he realized. My Sharingan is evolving? But why is it causing such a massive reaction?!
He had never expected the evolution to be this intense, this painful.
But Riku’s evolution was unique.
His body wasn’t born of the Ōtsutsuki bloodline. His Sharingan was a result of forced evolution. He hadn’t merely ascended to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan—he was surpassing it.
He was awakening the Rinnegan.
Only his Rinnegan wasn’t ordinary. The sheer force of will and chakra behind it made it something else—something far more potent.
His body, already honed to extremes, had pushed his visual prowess to its limit. The accumulated power in his eyes now exceeded even that of Madara Uchiha’s Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
That was why it had suddenly, violently evolved.
Luckily, his physical body had been strengthened enough to withstand the strain. He experienced only the pain—but not the collapse or backlash that would’ve killed anyone else.
Clenching his fists, Riku grit his teeth. Now that he understood what was happening, he could endure it.
"My chakra... it’s three times that of the full Nine Tails," he muttered. "Rinnegan is ridiculous..."
The evolution hadn’t just affected his chakra.
His spiritual strength had increased severalfold. His physical strength, too, had reached an incredible level—comparable to that of opening several of the Eight Inner Gates. But this was his normal state now. No backlash. No ticking time bomb.
His body had ascended to match the level of Hashirama Senju.
That was why his chakra had grown so immensely.
Riku frowned again. He could sense Tsunade approaching. She must’ve opened the barrier earlier.
But now the energy inside was so dense and chaotic, anyone who entered would be torn apart by the ambient force alone.
He grit his teeth and endured the searing pain in his eyes.
Didn’t the Sage of Six Paths awaken the Rinnegan directly from the Sharingan? Why do I have to suffer so much?!
He couldn’t help but feel a little resentful.
What Riku didn’t know was that Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki—the Sage of Six Paths—was the direct son of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. He inherited her bloodline and the divine power of the God Tree’s fruit. His body was already perfectly compatible with the Rinnegan.
His evolution was inevitable.
Even if he hadn’t absorbed his brother’s eyes, his latent power would’ve awakened the Rinnegan eventually.
But Riku was different. Despite constant strengthening, he lacked the divine bloodline. His body had to undergo drastic and painful transformation to adapt to the Rinnegan’s power.
During the transformation, a massive amount of energy was consumed.
Riku didn’t have enough chakra reserves to sustain the change on his own, so he instinctively began absorbing natural energy from the environment.
His Sage Mode activated on its own, entering an extended state.
Now, Riku’s face bore distinct markings—evidence of his Perfect Sage Mode. But unlike Kabuto, whose mode twisted his body, Riku’s was pure. His features remained unchanged aside from the symbolic patterns on his face.
Outside, Tsunade had just reached the barrier again—now fully restored.
She raised her hands to dispel it again, but at that moment, Riku’s voice rang out.
"I’m fine! Don’t come in—you’ll be hurt! My eyes are evolving. That’s all. Don’t worry!"
His voice was calm, but firm.
"This is a good thing. But the energy in here is too unstable—if you step in, you’ll get caught in it. Stay out, Tsunade."
Tsunade froze, startled. He hadn’t addressed her as Lady Tsunade this time.
Her eyes widened.
His eyes... are evolving? she thought. Mangekyō Sharingan can evolve again?!
---------------------
Join my Patreon and get access to 50+ early Chapters before anyone else! 🔥
https://www.patreon.com/UK21
Your Support is Truly Appreciated
--------