257 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

"Boom!"

A deafening roar echoed across the sky as two colossal Susanoo clashed in midair.

A storm of blue and red chakra erupted like a volcanic explosion, surging toward the heavens.

Blinding light spread in all directions like a tsunami, forming a massive spherical barrier of energy.

The point of impact between the two titans became a zone of utter devastation, where destructive energy poured out wildly.

"Boom! Boom!"

The two towering Susanoo figures soared through the sky, locked in a fierce chase.

Although Uchiha Hikari's Susanoo was slightly smaller in size, its armor—formed by the black flames of Amaterasu—allowed it to withstand Uchiha Madara's brute force without immediately falling into a disadvantage.

On the contrary, with each collision, black flames ignited on Madara's Susanoo.

Of course, to Madara, Amaterasu was no longer a real threat. Whether through the Preta Path's absorption ability or the Deva Path's techniques, he could easily deal with the black flames.

The azure Susanoo raised its hand, and Madara's cold voice rang out:

"Shinra Tensei!"

A tremendous repulsive force burst forth like a storm, forming a white shockwave that instantly blasted Hikari's Susanoo away, sending it crashing to the ground!

"Boom!"

A thunderous impact followed, raising clouds of dust like an ocean wave as the earth trembled violently.

Hikari's Susanoo smashed into the ground, creating a cataclysmic explosion akin to a Tailed Beast Bomb.

"Swoosh!"

From within the swirling dust, Hikari drove her Susanoo skyward once more. In her hands, the Blade swelled to an enormous size—so large that it seemed exaggerated even compared to the massive Susanoo itself!

Swinging the blade down, the entire sky seemed to shudder, and space itself nearly distorted under the overwhelming force!

Seeing this, Madara's expression grew serious. He clasped his hands together, unleashing his full chakra and ocular power before letting out a low growl:

"Chou Shinra Tensei!"

"Clang!"

The sky visibly distorted as blinding light burst from the point of impact.

For a moment, it was as if a second sun had appeared in the night sky.

The dazzling light illuminated the land for hundreds of miles, while a terrifying energy storm erupted like a towering tidal wave, annihilating massive boulders across the battlefield!

Even Tsunade and her two companions had to unleash their strongest defensive techniques to withstand the residual force.

When the radiance faded, the two enormous Susanoo figures in the sky were left shattered and barely holding their forms. They now resembled flickering chakra constructs rather than proper Susanoo warriors.

Comparatively, Madara's Susanoo remained more intact, its rough shape still discernible.

Meanwhile, Hikari's Susanoo had nearly dissolved into a mere mass of crimson chakra.

Within the crimson glow, Hikari's eyes were bleeding as she gasped for breath, her chakra reserves plummeting.

In contrast, though Madara was also panting, his condition was undeniably better than Hikari's.

It was clear that despite lacking Sage Mode at the moment, the power boost from the Ten Tails had given Madara a significant advantage.

"You're not bad... but this is as far as you go!" Madara declared, his lips curling into the victorious smile of a predator.

So far, the battle had decisively tilted in his favor.

Just then, a streak of black light sliced through the air, aiming straight for Madara's vital points.

Uchiha Akira had returned from the alternate space, patiently waiting for the perfect moment to launch a devastating surprise attack!

"Fast!" Madara's pupils contracted, his heart tightening in alarm. Akira's timing was impeccable—striking at the exact moment when Madara was basking in his apparent victory.

It was also the precise instant when his Limbo clones were on cooldown, having just merged back into his body.

Even though Madara had been wary of Akira, this strike still sent a cold sweat down his back.

Had he not remained on high alert, this attack could have seriously injured him!

"Shinra Tensei!"

Madara roared, his Rinnegan flaring wide!

A colossal repulsive force erupted like a raging storm.

With a dull crash, the black sword shattered into fragments of dark lightning and vanished. Akira's body was also repelled, sent flying backward by the violent shockwave.

Seeing this, Madara smirked smugly. With his vast experience, he had long anticipated Akira's Space-Time Ninjutsu and had been prepared for such an ambush.

Madara sneered, "You're still too green, kid!"

Yet, before he could finish speaking, another streak of black light flashed through the air, hurtling straight for his neck at an unimaginable speed!

"Damn it...!" Madara's expression changed drastically. Without time to think, he immediately leaped upward.

With a sickening slash, the black light effortlessly cut through the remnants of his Susanoo, slicing through his lower half.

In an instant, Madara was left with only his upper body, his severed lower half plummeting toward the ground.

"Cunning brat! That's not the Uchiha way!" Madara growled, his voice laced with frustration as he hurriedly retreated.

"Heh..." Akira let out a soft chuckle.

But within moments, another black streak streaked through the sky—so fast it was almost beyond perception!

This time, however, Madara's Shinra Tensei had fully recovered.

A monstrous wave of repulsive force erupted, shattering the chakra-forged lightning sword into nothingness.

No matter how powerful Akira's attack was, chakra-based weapons would always be inferior to true physical blades in durability.

"You finally showed up. If you had waited any longer, we might not have been able to hold out," Hikari exhaled in relief upon seeing Akira.

With Akira here, Madara was doomed.

His ocular techniques were simply too overpowered. Three against one—combined with his elusive Space-Time abilities—made it nearly impossible for Madara to win.

Akira glanced at the battlefield, where past and future versions of himself—summoned through his Temporal Shadow ability—had encircled Madara. He smirked and said, "I've actually been here for a while, just waiting for the right moment to strike."

"That last attack was a good chance, but Madara's battle instincts are frighteningly sharp. He managed to dodge just in time," Akira added with a tinge of regret.

Hikari nodded. "As expected of a peak-era legend. He's far more troublesome than Nagato."

As they spoke, both Akira and Hikari closed in on Madara.

Seeing this, Madara felt an immense headache coming on.

Dealing with two versions of Akira was already stretching him thin, and now there was another Akira plus Hikari?!

At this rate, even if his body were made of iron, there were simply too many nails to hammer!

No—these weren't just nails. They were towering pillars!

"Damn it!" A deep sense of crisis settled in Madara's heart.

Three Akira clones, each equally powerful. Even if he fought just one of them, victory wasn't guaranteed.

Hikari might be weaker, but she was still no pushover. Taking her lightly would be a mistake.

"I need to retreat for now... I have to find a way to restore the Ten Tails' full power before making my next move!" Madara's thoughts raced as he made his decision.