269 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

"Jiraiya-sensei, this isn't your fault. You had your own matters to attend to. Children will eventually leave the protection of their guardians... people have to grow up." Konan shook her head blankly.

Jiraiya remained silent. Though he had countless words of advice in his heart, he found them difficult to express.

After a long pause, Konan's voice blended with the sound of falling rain.

"Jiraiya-sensei, I will cooperate with Konoha in the reconstruction of Amegakure. I hope that under Konoha's leadership, the people of this country can have a better life."

"The people of this nation have suffered too much..." Konan's sorrowful voice carried a weight that was heart-wrenching.

Jiraiya opened his mouth but, in the end, spoke with utmost seriousness,

"Konan, don't worry. This is something that must be done."

Under the downpour, Konan and Jiraiya, accompanied by Konoha's Anbu, walked towards Amegakure.

...

Meanwhile, the chamber housing the Divine Tree had been expanded.

The once small room had been broken through and transformed into a massive structure.

At this moment, within the vast chamber, Akira stood alongside others, with two young boys staring in awe at the three towering Divine Trees before them.

They were none other than Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto.

"I still can't sense anything unusual about Sasuke or Naruto," Uchiha Fugaku shook his head. He had not detected any abnormalities in his younger son.

Not long ago, Akira had informed him that there was something peculiar about Sasuke. Without hesitation, Fugaku had brought his son over. Yet, along the way, no matter how much he observed, he couldn't find anything unusual.

Upon arrival, he realized that the Fourth Hokage's son, Uzumaki Naruto, had also been summoned.

"Those trees are huge..." Naruto's face was full of astonishment as he gazed up at the massive Divine Trees.

He ran up to Uchiha Akira, tugged at his clothes, and looked up.

"Hokage-sama, what are these trees?"

He was naturally friendly, unafraid of strangers.

"Hokage-sama!" Sasuke greeted politely.

Uchiha Akira smiled at Sasuke before ruffling Naruto's hair. "These are the Divine Trees."

"Huh? Divine Trees? What are those?" Naruto tilted his head in confusion, unable to comprehend what Akira meant.

"Idiot!" Sasuke sneered. "The name says it all. Divine Trees—they must have incredible power!"

"Tch! You arrogant prick, Sasuke! I was just pretending not to know!"

Naruto instantly bristled.

"Being dumb is being dumb. Don't make excuses!" Sasuke smirked.

For some reason, he had an instinctive competitive streak when it came to Naruto, always wanting to prove himself superior.

"Why you—!" Naruto fumed and immediately pounced on Sasuke, sparking yet another verbal sparring match.

The onlookers merely shook their heads, choosing not to intervene. Clearly, this wasn't the first time these two had clashed.

"What exactly makes them special?" Senju Tobirama asked, looking at Uchiha Akira with curiosity.

Since lifting the Edo Tensei, Tobirama had not returned to the Pure Land. Given the current circumstances, he simply could not rest in peace.

Instead of answering right away, Akira turned to Hikari and asked, "Can you see anything?"

Uchiha Hikari's Sharingan gleamed as she scrutinized the two boys. After a moment, she shook her head.

"I can't see anything unusual about them," she admitted.

"Even the Jinchūriki of the Ten-Tails can't perceive it?" The others were visibly surprised.

"These two really are special," Tobirama remarked, now even more intrigued.

Uchiha Akira finally spoke. "There are two incredibly powerful chakra signatures attached to them."

"Two powerful chakra signatures?" Uchiha Fugaku's expression grew serious. He carefully observed the two playing boys again, but no matter how he tried, he couldn't perceive the chakra Uchiha Akira was referring to.

"Will it be harmful to them?" Tsunade asked with concern.

"No," Uchiha Akira shook his head. "On the contrary, it's beneficial to them."

"Beneficial?" The group was taken aback.

"Yes. These two chakra signatures are extraordinarily strong and well-hidden. Even with my Rinnegan, I can only see them thanks to my Tenseigan," Akira explained.

Upon hearing this, the group nodded in understanding.

The Tenseigan was indeed superior to the Sharingan in terms of perception. It was an eye that could see through illusions and grasp the true essence of things.

Senju Tobirama turned to Uchiha Akira and asked, "Do you have any theories about these chakra signatures?"

"No need to guess," Uchiha Akira smiled faintly. "I'll just ask directly."

"Ask directly? You mean these chakra signatures have consciousness?" Tobirama's expression shifted slightly.

"You could say that," Uchiha Akira nodded.

"How are you planning to do it? Use your Rinnegan to extract them?" Uchiha Hikari asked curiously.

"No," Uchiha Akira shook his head. "These chakra signatures are beneficial to them. They should remain. I'll simply use the Spirit Transformation Technique to communicate with them."

"Then go ahead," Tobirama nodded.

Among those present, several possessed the Spirit Transformation Technique, but only Uchiha Akira could locate the specific chakra signatures.

With a flash of white light, Uchiha Akira's spirit form entered Uzumaki Naruto's body.

Naruto, completely unaware, continued bickering with Sasuke.

Within the depths of a dark and boundless mental space, Uchiha Akira's ethereal form radiated a soft white glow as he advanced forward.

Here, time and space seemed nonexistent.

After walking through the darkness for a while, he suddenly spotted a flickering campfire ahead.

Bathed in the firelight sat a young man, his face weary yet serene. His head was wrapped in white bandages, and he wore a white robe.

Sensing someone approaching, the young man turned his head. His expression was momentarily blank before his eyes grew sharper with awareness.

Staring at Uchiha Akira, he was visibly surprised. "Those eyes… Sharingan?! I never expected my brother's descendants to become this powerful. How remarkable!"

He then introduced himself, "I am Asura, younger brother of Indra, your ancestor."

"Greetings, ancestor," Uchiha Akira greeted respectfully, his tone serious.

Asura studied Akira for a moment before breaking into a warm, hearty smile. "You do resemble my brother somewhat."

Then, his eyes shone with curiosity. "If someone as strong as you has emerged, then the world outside must be thriving, right? Peace must have finally been achieved?"

Uchiha Akira shook his head. "Far from it. Wars have never ceased. Internal strife and external threats plague the land. The world is on the brink of collapse."

Asura's smile faded, replaced by shock. "What happened?!"

"To explain that, we need to go back to the time when the Sage of Six Paths sealed the Ten-Tails and distributed chakra to the world's people..." Akira began recounting history, keeping his narration purely factual, without personal bias.