277 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

"This village cannot be erased just yet, otherwise, the Hokage in Konoha will definitely notice something is wrong!" Kaguya Ōtsutsuki thought, her chakra surging as it merged into the Divine Tree.

In the next moment, numerous White Zetsu emerged from the massive roots of the tree.

In the original timeline, Obito Uchiha was able to use the power of the Tailed Beasts to create a hundred thousand White Zetsu. For Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, achieving the same was a mere trifle.

As soon as these White Zetsu landed, they took two steps forward and immediately transformed into the exact likeness of Kirigakure shinobi.

Their speech, movements, expressions—every aspect was indistinguishable from the real shinobi and villagers of Kirigakure.

From ordinary civilians to shinobi, from Genin to Jōnin, and even the Mizukage himself—Kaguya had recreated them all!

She was able to achieve this due to two reasons. Firstly, White Zetsu inherently possessed an extremely powerful mimicry ability. Secondly, Kaguya had already extracted the memories of these Kirigakure shinobi, making their imitation seamless.

"Let the Divine Tree absorb some natural energy first. Once I capture Isshiki, the tree will enter its accelerated growth phase," Kaguya mused.

With a rumbling sound, the colossal Divine Tree slowly sank into the earth, leaving only a massive flower bud exposed above ground.

...

Elsewhere, in a secret laboratory within the capital of the Land of Fire, a one-armed Jigen swirled the wine in his glass.

"As expected, finding a vessel capable of carrying an Ōtsutsuki is not an easy task..." Jigen sighed inwardly.

Over the past six months, he had mobilized all his resources in search of a suitable vessel.

But despite rigorous testing, he had yet to find one that could truly withstand the burden of an Ōtsutsuki.

"No choice then. Under these circumstances, I can only mimic those natives and seal the Ten-Tails within myself. Losing an arm has affected me greatly..." Jigen thought begrudgingly.

For a proud Ōtsutsuki, imitating the ways of mere mortals was beneath him.

However, the reality of his situation left him with no other option. Missing an arm had significantly weakened his combat ability.

If he were to be discovered by Kaguya in this state, he would be doomed.

His thoughts settled, Jigen passed through several doors and arrived at a vast underground chamber.

There, a Ten-Tails in its first-stage form stood silently.

Although this Ten-Tails was slightly smaller than Kaguya's, the difference was not substantial.

It was still an enormous, terrifying entity.

Gazing at the beast, Jigen whispered, "My little Ten-Tails, let's merge for a while."

He spread the fingers of his remaining hand and reached toward the creature.

Having lived on Earth for so long, Jigen had naturally studied ninjutsu and was no stranger to sealing techniques.

However, as an Ōtsutsuki vessel, he did not require the Six Paths Ten-Tails Coffin Seal to become a Jinchūriki.

A deep rumble shook the vast chamber as the Ten-Tails transformed into a torrent of chakra and surged into Jigen's body.

Two breaths later, the beast had completely vanished.

Looking at his newly regenerated arm, Jigen smirked and murmured, "As expected, after absorbing my little Ten-Tails, I have gained an incredible regenerative ability. Calling it immortality wouldn't even be an exaggeration!"

His appearance remained unchanged, aside from the full restoration of his lost arm.

"Moreover, my power has increased significantly. My body's upper limit has been raised, allowing me to hold even more power. Even entering the second stage of the Kāma won't strain me as much!" Clenching both fists, Jigen nodded in satisfaction.

For the first time in a while, he felt his strength had truly increased.

"Kaguya..." A cold gleam flashed through Jigen's eyes.

...

Konoha.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, several years had gone by. It was now the 60th year of the Hidden Leaf calendar.

In the same familiar spacious room, several figures sat tensely, their eyes fixed on Uchiha Akira, who was seated cross-legged on the floor.

Present were Tobirama Senju, Uchiha Hikari, Tsunade, Fugaku Uchiha, Shisui Uchiha, and Hinata Nikka, all watching intently.

Today marked the moment Akira would finally complete his celestial sage transformation, using stellar energy as its foundation.

He called this new mode: Celestial Sage Mode.

For the past several years, he had been just a step away from achieving it. But today, he was ready to take that final, crucial step!

A soft hum resonated as an invisible wave of energy spread outward from Uchiha Akira.

Before their eyes, tiny, luminous specks of light began to emerge from his body.

These radiant specks resembled miniature stars—though small, they shone brilliantly.

As the light particles appeared, the expressions of those present changed drastically, their gazes sharpening with alertness.

They could all sense the immense power contained within each speck of light.

If even a single one of them exploded, Konoha would be wiped off the map!

The radiant energy surged and intertwined. Within moments, a brilliant white chakra cloak formed around Akira.

The cloak was pure white, with a high collar adorned with nine crimson sun symbols. Its wide sleeves also bore the same red sun insignias, while his back was marked with an enormous swirling sun emblem.

The radiance intensified, condensing into nine floating spheres the size of fists. These spheres were an ominous black with a deep red hue, orbiting around him.

Seeing this, Tobirama furrowed his brows and murmured, "What are those? Are they akin to Truth-Seeking Orbs? Or are they the ultimate refinement of fire-nature chakra?"

"No, they aren't fire-based chakra!" Hikari's voice rang out. She stared intently at Akira and continued, "Stellar energy may originate from stars, but it is not elemental—just like natural energy."

"Those things are likely similar to Truth-Seeking Orbs! I can feel the immense power within them, comparable to the original orbs themselves!" she concluded.

No one in the room disagreed with her assessment. After all, she was only a step away from mastering Earthly Sage Mode, and she had already sensed stellar energy firsthand.

Moreover, her status as a Ten-Tails Jinchūriki had granted her an advantage.

At that moment, Akira opened his eyes.

As his eyes snapped open, a blinding white light momentarily flashed across the room.

"How do you feel?" Hikari asked eagerly.

"Incredible. Better than ever!" Akira replied with a grin.

At this moment, he felt an unprecedented surge of power coursing through his body. It was intoxicating.

This power was so immense that even the Ten-Tails' strength paled in comparison!

Seeing everyone's expectant gazes, Akira smiled slightly and declared,

"This new Sage Mode surpasses the power of the Ten-Tails!"

"And I'm only talking about Celestial Sage Mode on its own!" he added confidently.

"Seriously?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing him carefully. After a moment, she remarked,

"You certainly look powerful, but claiming you're stronger than the Ten-Tails? That's a bold statement."

Akira shook his head. "I understand the Ten-Tails' power well, which is why I dare to say this."

Looking at the gathered shinobi, he continued, "Anyone here who masters Celestial Sage Mode will be able to rival a Ten-Tails Jinchūriki!"