262 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

"Mother, be careful of Uchiha Akira. His dojutsu is terrifying—not only does he possess incredible space-time abilities, but he can also summon two clones with the same strength as himself, each possessing identical powers." Black Zetsu's voice emerged from the folds of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's sleeve.

Hearing this, Kaguya's expression became more serious.

From her perspective, while Akira's chakra wasn't as strong as her two sons back then, the gap wasn't large enough to ignore. He was definitely an opponent worth cautioning against.

And if there were three of him… that would undoubtedly be a huge problem!

"In that case, let's change locations. I wouldn't want my nursery to be destroyed," Kaguya declared.

As her voice fell, the nine tomoe Rinne Sharingan on her forehead trembled slightly. In an instant, the six people present felt their vision blur, and when their sight returned, they found themselves in a vast, frozen wasteland.

This was the Ice World—one of the dimensions woven by Kaguya's Rinne Sharingan ability, Amenominaka!

"This is—!?"

Aside from Akira, the others—Hikari, Tsunade, and the rest—were utterly shocked.

"This is where you will perish."

As Kaguya's cold voice echoed, the entire world trembled.

Countless ice spears shot forth, and a violent tremor shook the realm as if the very world itself was quaking!

Boom!

Four beams of light erupted into the sky as four fully-formed Susanoo spread their wings, carrying Tsunade and Tobirama Senju into the air.

Uchiha Akira moved the fastest, enveloping both Tobirama and Tsunade in his Susanoo and soaring skyward.

"Amaterasu!"

The voices of Uchiha Fugaku and Hikari rang out simultaneously.

In an instant, black flames ignited across the icy landscape.

As the flames blazed, the temperature of the ice world soared, causing the endless frost and snow to rapidly melt into a torrent of black-flamed water, rushing in all directions.

Uchiha Akira shouted, "I'll handle her with Hikari. The rest of you, stay out of this fight!"

Without hesitation, Fugaku and Shisui spread their Susanoo wings and sped off into the distance.

Akira's eyes flashed as his dojutsu, Temporal Shadow, activated, summoning his past and future selves.

Without a word, the two clones, identical to him in every way, charged toward Kaguya within their own Susanoo.

Despite their inability to communicate, they were essentially Akira himself—there was no difference.

Boom!

The entire frozen world trembled as countless chakra fists erupted into the sky, blotting out the heavens!

This was Kaguya's feared Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack, a technique renowned as the pinnacle of taijutsu.

For most enemies—even someone like Ōtsutsuki Isshiki—this attack would be devastating.

But against Akira? It was utterly ineffective.

With Kamui at his disposal, only those with speed far surpassing his own could land a decisive blow!

Hikari, unwilling to take the risk, swiftly dodged the terrifying barrage.

The battle raged on as Akira's two clones repeatedly tried to close in on Kaguya.

However, thanks to Black Zetsu's warning, Kaguya remained extremely cautious, constantly shifting her position and refusing to let Akira get close.

Akira turned to Tobirama and said in a deep voice, "Second Hokage, take Tsunade and get her out of here. Mark them with Flying Thunder God seals as a precaution."

"Leave it to me!" Tobirama nodded.

With a flicker, a kunai engraved with the Flying Thunder God Formula vanished into the distance, and in the next moment, Tobirama disappeared from within Akira's Susanoo.

Tsunade looked at Akira solemnly. "Fifth Hokage, be careful."

"Don't worry," Akira replied with a faint smile. "This battle will be over sooner than you think."

"What? Do you have another trump card?" Tsunade asked, surprised.

Akira nodded. "Just watch, Lady Tsunade."

As he finished speaking, Tobirama reappeared within Akira's Susanoo.

Gazing at Akira, Tobirama spoke solemnly, "I'm ready. Be careful in the upcoming battle."

"I will, Second Hokage," Akira assured him.

With a swift movement, Tsunade and Tobirama disappeared into the space between Susanoo's brows.

Akira's gaze swept across the battlefield before he charged toward Uchiha Hikari's location.

The battle there was incredibly intense, forcing Hikari to rely on feints to stay in the fight.

At this level of combat, even a Susanoo formed from Six Paths power and Sage Mode could do little.

Under the relentless barrage of Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack, Susanoo was like fragile glass, shattering upon impact!

Hikari's fully-formed Susanoo had already been broken three times. If not for her status as the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, she would have long since lost the ability to fight.

Akira glanced at Hikari and called out, "Hikari, go check on Tsunade and the others. I'll handle things here!"

"Are you sure?" Hikari looked at him doubtfully.

The mere presence of Kaguya was enough to make one's soul tremble.

She acknowledged Akira's strength, but there was still a vast gap between him and Kaguya.

"I have one last trump card I haven't used yet. If it doesn't work, we can fight together," Akira replied.

Hikari's eyes widened in surprise. "In that case, I'll leave this to you!"

Her Susanoo spread its wings and flew toward Tsunade's location.

...

Meanwhile, back on the battlefield,

Akira's two clones continued using Kamui to close in on Kaguya.

Unexpectedly, this ability was proving to be a significant advantage for Akira in this battle.

Kaguya simply did not dare to confront him directly!

"Mother, his dojutsu is too dangerous. We must find a way to neutralize it and prevent him from using it freely," Black Zetsu warned.

Defense alone was never a winning strategy—Black Zetsu, having lived among humans for thousands of years, understood this well.

Only the attacker controlled the battle's rhythm. Only by seizing the initiative could victory be secured.

Kaguya asked coldly, "Black Zetsu, can his space-time ability be used indefinitely?"

"Mother, I fear it might be. In the past, if he was forced to keep his dojutsu active for five minutes straight, he would temporarily be unable to use it. But now, no one knows how long he can maintain it. Besides, forcing him to keep it up that long is no easy task..."

Black Zetsu's voice carried uncertainty.

"Then let's test that other dimension and restrict his speed. That should create an opening." Kaguya's thoughts shifted as she prepared to activate Amenominaka once more.

But at that moment, just as Akira's two clones were attacking with full force, their forms suddenly began to fade, and they disappeared before Kaguya's eyes.

"Mother, it seems his other dojutsu has reached its time limit," Black Zetsu said, a hint of delight in his voice.