Beneath Sunagakure, in the core laboratory.
Dim yellow Chakra lights bathed the entire space in an ambiguous, tranquil atmosphere. The Elite Warriors slept quietly in their incubation pods, their dark gray alloy Battle Armor gleaming cold and hard under the lights.
Beside the laboratory bench, Toyotomi Yinglang sat in a broad stone chair. Kushina stood quietly beside him, her gaze resting on Nagato, who was studying the black rods nearby.
Nagato had just finished using Shadow Devouring Extraction on the last few Konoha prisoners. Now he sat cross-legged in a corner of the laboratory, eyes closed in concentration, seemingly digesting his newly acquired "servants." His dark red hair shone purplish-black under the lights. His scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan had faded, returning to an ordinary violet.
"Teacher."
Nagato opened his eyes and looked at Toyotomi Yinglang.
"I have a question."
"Go ahead."
Toyotomi Yinglang leaned against the back of his chair, his tone casual.
"Which is stronger... the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan or the Rinnegan?"
Nagato spoke softly, but every word was perfectly clear.
That question had lingered in his mind for a long time.
He had once possessed the Rinnegan. Those eyes had given him power, but also pain. Now he had abandoned the Rinnegan and set out on the Sharingan's path of evolution. Yet he remained unsure whether his choice had been right.
Toyotomi Yinglang looked at him, a faint smile slowly curling his lips.
"The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and the Rinnegan... are on the same level."
His voice was calm, yet carried an unquestionable certainty.
"The same level?"
Nagato frowned slightly.
"But... the Rinnegan are the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths. According to legend, they hold the power to control life, death, and reincarnation..."
"Legends are ultimately just legends."
Toyotomi Yinglang cut him off.
"Actual combat is the