In the lounge beside the command headquarters.
Tsunade's expression was grave as she examined Naruto and Sasuke's injuries. Her brows were tightly furrowed, and her eyes seemed to hold a trace of confusion.
Kakashi stepped closer and asked with concern, "How are they? Can they still be saved?"
The Fourth Hokage and the Uchiha gathered nearby all looked tensely toward Tsunade, awaiting the answer of the Ninja World's foremost medical ninja.
Tsunade shook her head. "It's strange!"
"Strange?"
Even the Fourth Hokage was puzzled.
"Yes, extremely strange!" After a pause, Tsunade explained, "As a Jinchuriki, Naruto had not only had his Tailed Beast extracted, but had also suffered such severe injuries. By all rights, he should have died long ago. Sasuke's condition is much the same. His sternum was completely shattered, and his broken ribs had pierced directly into his heart, causing fatal internal bleeding!"
Everyone present was an experienced ninja. Just from Tsunade's description, they understood how severe Naruto and Sasuke's injuries were.
Such grave injuries should have made survival impossible, yet the two of them were somehow still clinging to life, completely defying common sense.
Itachi said in a deep voice, "It is indeed abnormal."
Just then, Naruto and Sasuke, who had clearly been in deep comas, opened their eyes at the same time. More than that, their injuries began healing rapidly at a rate visible to the naked eye.
"What!?"
Everyone present was shocked.
What happened next stunned them even more. Naruto and Sasuke, who had just been hovering at death's door, not only recovered from their injuries at astonishing speed, but the chakra fluctuations around them underwent earth-shaking changes.
The others then discovered in shock that Sasuke's left eye had turned into a Rinnegan.
Moreover, unlike an ordinary Rinnegan, Sasuke's left Rinnegan had six Tomoe within