252 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

At the same time, Jigen's pupils shrank sharply, his expression changing drastically.

With his power, he theoretically had no fear of sneak attacks. However, if an attacker was fast enough, even he could be caught off guard.

Just like back then, when Ōtsutsuki Kaguya had launched a surprise attack—and just like now, with Uchiha Akira!

There was no time to think. The situation was identical to the moment Kaguya had ambushed him, leaving no chance to use space-time abilities to escape.

On instinct, Jigen twisted his body, sweeping out a black rod in his hand to intercept the incoming black blade!

Clang!

The black rod was completely ineffective. The blade, cloaked in black light, sliced through it effortlessly and continued its trajectory, embedding itself into Jigen's right shoulder.

A muffled puff sounded as blood spurted out. His entire right arm was severed at the shoulder!

A blade imbued with Kamui's power—this was the strongest attack in the shinobi world. No one could withstand it directly!

"Damn it!" Jigen roared in pain as his right arm was torn away.

At the same time, he pushed off the ground with force, retreating dozens of meters in an instant.

However, the moment he stabilized himself, the sharp zzzt zzzt of crackling electricity echoed in his ears.

His expression darkened. Through his eyes, he clearly saw Akira appear out of thin air, his foot crackling with blue lightning as he launched a flying kick at him.

With a quick thought, Jigen shot multiple black rods in all directions.

They whistled through the air, aiming straight for Akira—but they passed through his body without resistance.

At the same time, Akira also phased through Jigen.

"Not good!" Seeing three different versions of Akira surrounding him from multiple angles, Jigen felt a deep sense of unease.

Boom!

Jigen kicked off the ground, shattering the earth as he shot into the sky like an arrow.

"You're not getting away!"

From above, another Akira stepped through the air and collided with Jigen mid-flight.

The reason they were attacking him together was clear—they planned to capture him alive!

Clang!

A metallic ring echoed as Akira struck down with a staff, sending Jigen crashing to the ground like a ragdoll. The impact shattered the earth.

With the loss of his arm, Jigen's combat ability had significantly decreased. He could barely keep up with Uchiha Akira's relentless assault.

As soon as he crashed into the crater below, two more versions of Akira dashed toward him.

Their crimson Sharingan spun, and Truth-Seeking Orbs shot out like cannon fire, hurtling toward Jigen.

Watching the orbs distort the air as they approached, Jigen activated his shrinking technique.

In an instant, his body shrank down to a microscopic size, making him invisible to the naked eye.

The Truth-Seeking Orbs roared past, missing him entirely. He evaded effortlessly.

Suddenly, three massive black cubes descended from the sky, crashing down toward the three Akiras!

This was one of Jigen's exclusive abilities!

The cubes were impossibly heavy. Even Akira didn't want to take them head-on and had to phase through them using Kamui.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion shook the battlefield.

However, even as the cubes landed, Akira was already closing in on Jigen again.

He refused to give Jigen any chance to use space-time techniques to escape!

Even if he shrank himself down, Akira's combined powers of the Tenseigan and Sharingan allowed him to track and attack Jigen without fail.

"Damn Hokage!" Jigen cursed under his breath, forced into constant evasive maneuvers.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Hikari and Tsunade had arrived at Nagato's location.

Nagato had been impaled by Akira's Truth-Seeking Black Rods. His chakra was nearly sealed away, leaving him unable to resist.

With no way to fight back, he could only watch as Hikari and the others approached.

"You…!" Nagato's eyes widened in shock at the sight of Uchiha Hikari walking alongside Tsunade.

This was a scenario he had never even considered.

Seeing Nagato's astonished face, Hikari smirked coldly. Behind her, three Truth-Seeking Orbs morphed into sharp black rods and pierced into Nagato, further reinforcing the seal placed by Akira.

"Urgh…"

The combined force of Akira and Hikari's black rods overwhelmed him, rendering him unable to even speak.

"What's the plan?" Tsunade asked, looking at Hikari with a questioning gaze.

"What else? We rip it out of him, of course," Hikari shrugged, turning toward Fugaku and Shisui. "Can the Six Paths Ten-Tails Coffin Seal be undone?"

Fugaku and Shisui, both well-versed in deciphering the Uchiha shrine's stone tablet, naturally understood the seal.

They exchanged glances before Fugaku shook his head. "The Six Paths Ten-Tails Coffin Seal isn't exactly a sealing jutsu. It's more of a technique that integrates the Ten-Tails into a Jinchūriki. It functions more like a binding jutsu than a traditional seal."

Shisui nodded in agreement. "In theory, it can be undone. But that's just theory."

"Exactly. Once fully formed, it's nearly impossible to reverse. Forcing it out might be the only way."

"Need our help?" Tsunade asked Hikari.

Hikari's Sharingan spun as she scanned Nagato's body, searching for the best point of extraction. Hearing Tsunade, she replied:

"It'll be tough to pull the Ten-Tails out on my own. Since you all have experience dealing with its chakra, let's do this together. On my signal, everyone helps tear the Ten-Tails out of Nagato."

"Understood."

"Got it."

"No problem."

Tsunade and the others nodded solemnly.

"What about me? Anything I can do?" Senju Tobirama asked. He was the only one standing idle, which clearly irritated him.

Hikari shrugged. "Second Hokage, just keep watch. Not that anyone would dare interrupt us."

Tobirama remained silent but extended his sensory perception, keeping vigilant.

Hearing their discussion, Nagato's face twisted in panic.

With all four of them working together, they really might succeed in ripping the Ten-Tails out!

For Nagato, this was nothing short of a death sentence!

With a sickening squelch, Hikari plunged her hand into Nagato's chest, straining as she tried to pull something out.

Her eyes widened, teeth clenched tight. It was as if she were trying to tear a mountain from the earth.

At the same time, Nagato let out an unintelligible, agonized scream, straining against the force pulling at him.

"Come on…" Hikari growled.

"Come OUT!"

With one final, forceful yank, she leapt backward—dragging out a glowing mass of blue-white chakra, faintly shaped like the Ten-Tails.