273 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

Senju Tobirama nodded in understanding. He could comprehend Uchiha Akira's reasoning.

At this stage, Akira's personal experience couldn't serve as a reliable reference—his situation was simply too unique, vastly different from anyone else's.

"So, how is it? Has anyone managed to sense the energy of the Earth itself?" Akira asked with concern.

Upon hearing his question, the group attempting to sense the energy all shook their heads.

"If this discovery hadn't come from you, I'd have thought it was a hoax. We haven't been able to sense any of this 'Earth energy' you're talking about," Tsunade admitted with a wry smile.

"It seems that this new Sage Mode is even more difficult to master than we expected," Uchiha Fugaku sighed.

This was to be expected—mastering Sage Mode had always been an incredibly difficult feat.

Jiraiya had trained for decades and still hadn't perfected it.

Let alone this new, even more advanced Sage Mode!

Their current progress was entirely within Akira's expectations.

"There's no need to rush this," Akira reassured them. "Once I have a better grasp of this new Sage Mode, I'll try guiding the Earth's energy into your bodies, just like how traditional Sage Mode training works."

The energy of the Earth was overwhelmingly powerful. Since Akira hadn't fully mastered it yet, he wasn't willing to take any reckless risks.

"Let me try first!" Hikari stepped forward decisively.

She had already learned how Tsunade and the others had achieved Sage Mode.

At its core, the method wasn't too different from the White Snake Sage's training—only Akira's approach was more refined and stable.

"Alright." Akira nodded. "Hikari, as the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki, your situation is fundamentally different from theirs. You might be able to pick it up faster."

Under the watchful eyes of the others, Akira injected his own senjutsu chakra into Hikari's body.

This was meant to help her acclimate to the new type of chakra first before attempting to draw in the Earth's energy.

As the unfamiliar senjutsu chakra surged through her, grotesque bulges appeared across Hikari's body, making her look eerily distorted.

However, as a Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, her strength was immense.

Moreover, Akira had been careful to control the amount of senjutsu chakra he infused, ensuring she didn't turn to stone.

After a while, the bulges receded, and Hikari returned to normal.

Opening her eyes, she exhaled and muttered, "It's definitely hard to control."

Then, looking at Akira, she continued, "Alright, let's take this further. I want to see just how powerful the energy of the planet truly is!"

Akira nodded, stepping behind her and placing his right hand on her back.

Focusing intently, he began channeling a trace of the planet's energy into her body.

Crack—!

A sharp cracking sound echoed. Akira's pupils shrank as he watched in alarm—Hikari's back had instantly petrified, spiderweb-like cracks spreading across her skin.

As a Jinchūriki, her clothes were made of the Ten-Tails' chakra.

But now, even her clothing had turned to stone!

Seeing this, Akira immediately ceased transferring the energy.

If he had continued, even as a Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, she would have undoubtedly succumbed to complete petrification.

And at that point, she might actually die!

Hearing the commotion, the others immediately flashed to Akira's side, their eyes filled with shock as they stared at Hikari's stone-covered back.

"Such immense power...!"

Hikari's voice was laced with awe.

As she spoke, the petrified area on her back gradually returned to normal.

She slowly raised her right hand, and in her palm, a swirling mass of crimson senjutsu chakra condensed into a Rasengan.

Though the sphere was only about the size of a fist, the energy radiating from it sent shivers down everyone's spines.

This was a Rasengan infused with the newly synthesized senjutsu chakra!

The eerie crimson glow wasn't a result of elemental transformation—it was simply the natural color of the new energy Hikari had fused together.

"That Rasengan... is terrifying!" Tsunade exclaimed in shock.

"The density… the sheer quality of this chakra..." Tobirama analyzed intently before his expression turned grim.

"This is on par with the Hokage's Rasenshuriken!" Fugaku added, his tone serious.

For the first time, they truly grasped the overwhelming power of this new Sage Mode!

"This kind of strength is incredible," Hikari remarked, the corners of her lips curling into a breathtaking smile. "Now I'm even more eager to see what will happen when we harness stellar energy."

With that, she flicked her wrist, launching the crimson Rasengan into the air.

Boom—!

A fiery explosion erupted in the sky, sending shockwaves rippling across the area, whipping their hair wildly.

After a while, the wind settled, and Hikari closed her eyes, concentrating.

The others waited in silence, watching her intently.

Ten minutes passed before Hikari opened her eyes again, disappointment flashing across her face.

She shook her head slowly. "I still can't sense the planet's energy."

"Don't rush it," Akira reassured her. "It's normal to fail on the first attempt."

His case was an exception—his ability to sense these energies came from the Ritual of the Chimera.

The ritual had flooded him with immense planetary and stellar energy, and his current body had been formed within that power.

That was why he could sense these forces so naturally—it was ingrained in him from birth.

"I get that," Hikari admitted, "but I can't help wanting to master it faster. And then there's the stellar energy… If this is already this difficult, I can't imagine how long it'll take to grasp that."

"Patience is key," Akira reminded her.

Training in Sage Mode was an extremely dangerous process. Many had lost their lives in pursuit of it.

This new Sage Mode was even more powerful—meaning it was even riskier.

Even though Hikari was a near-immortal Jinchūriki, they couldn't afford to be reckless.

"We'll take it one step at a time," Tobirama interjected, steering the conversation in another direction. "By the way, the laboratory has finished preparing the Ōtsutsuki Toneri clones. It's time to feed them to the Divine Tree."

For the past several days, Tobirama had been practically living in the lab.

Since he was an Edo Tensei summon and unable to grow stronger through training, he dedicated himself entirely to research.

"Alright, let's give it a try," Akira agreed. "Let's see if Toneri's genetic makeup meets the Divine Tree's requirements."

Upon receiving confirmation, Tobirama disappeared in a flash.

Moments later, he reappeared with three beds, each occupied by a clone identical to the adult Ōtsutsuki Toneri.

Without hesitation, Akira grabbed one of the clones and leapt to the smallest Divine Tree.

Sensing something, the Divine Tree trembled, its massive roots writhing in anticipation.

Rumble—!

As its roots twisted, a gaping maw formed at the base of the tree.

The enormous mouth opened and closed rhythmically, revealing rows of razor-sharp fangs, glistening with strands of sticky fluid.