251 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

Akira nodded. "Based on certain things I've observed, I have a strong suspicion that Nagato's Rinnegan originally belonged to Uchiha Madara."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she recalled something. "Is this about your journey back to ancient times?"

"Yes." Akira confirmed. "After seeing the Sage of Six Paths with my own eyes, my instincts told me that Nagato's strength at the time was not on the level of someone who had awakened the Rinnegan on their own."

"You not only traveled back to ancient times but also met the Sage of Six Paths?!" Senju Tobirama was utterly shocked.

The Sage of Six Paths was a figure of myth and legend, yet Tsunade was claiming that Uchiha Akira had actually met him in person.

A faint smile appeared on Akira's lips. "That's right. I not only met the Sage of Six Paths, but also his brother and their mother. I even witnessed their family's great battle firsthand."

"This…" Tobirama was at a loss for words. The Fifth Hokage's experiences were far beyond anything he had imagined.

"So that's why you suspect Madara?" Tsunade pressed on.

Akira nodded. "Ever since I secretly used the Spirit Transformation Technique to eliminate the masked man who claimed to be Uchiha Madara, I've had my doubts."

"I see now." Tsunade, along with Fugaku and the others, suddenly understood.

In hindsight, Akira had done many things behind the scenes—his mysterious space-time dōjutsu being just one example. But none of that mattered anymore. He was Hokage now, and those details were irrelevant.

"If that's the case, do you know how to awaken the Rinnegan?" Tobirama asked, getting straight to the point.

"I believe so." Akira nodded.

With a swift movement, Hikari appeared right in front of him, her eyes gleaming with urgency.

"How do you awaken it?"

Back when they fought Nagato for control of the Ten-Tails, if she had possessed the Rinnegan, she would never have allowed Nagato to seize most of the beast's power.

Seeing Hikari's impatience, Akira shook his head. "Under normal circumstances, we can't awaken the Rinnegan."

"Why not?" Hikari asked, clearly displeased.

Tobirama was also puzzled. From his perspective, Hikari was far stronger than his brother Hashirama and even surpassed the Madara of the past. If Madara could awaken the Rinnegan, why couldn't Hikari, Fugaku, or even Shisui?

"Are we missing something?" Tsunade considered the process of awakening the Tenseigan.

Akira nodded. "That's right. We lack a crucial element."

"What element?" Hikari pressed further.

"The power of the Six Paths." Akira answered.

"The power of the Six Paths? Isn't the Ten-Tails' chakra essentially the power of the Six Paths?" Hikari asked, frowning in confusion.

Akira shook his head. "That's not wrong, but what I'm referring to isn't just the Ten-Tails' power—it's the Sage of Six Paths' power, or more precisely, his chakra."

Tsunade's eyes lit up as realization dawned on her. "So, you're saying we need the chakra of the Ōtsutsuki Clan?"

Awakening the Tenseigan required highly pure Byakugan and, most importantly, Ōtsutsuki chakra.

"Exactly." Akira nodded.

"So it's just as I thought." Tsunade murmured. "You figured this out based on the process of awakening the Tenseigan, didn't you? After all, the Rinnegan comes from the Sage of Six Paths, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, while the Tenseigan belongs to his brother, Ōtsutsuki Hamura."

"More or less." Akira agreed.

Since Tsunade had already pieced it together, there was no need to deny it.

"So different members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan possess different dōjutsu?" Tobirama asked, eyeing Akira.

"That seems to be the case." Akira nodded. "One common trait among their clan is that conventional ninjutsu has little effect on them. They can either absorb it directly or are outright immune."

"A clan of gods…" Tobirama muttered in awe.

Hikari crossed her arms, skepticism written all over her face.

"Then how did Madara awaken his Rinnegan? Don't tell me the Sage of Six Paths just showed up and handed over his chakra?"

"He must have found another way to obtain it." Akira shrugged.

"That's as good as saying nothing." Hikari huffed, then turned her gaze back to the battlefield where Nagato and Jigen were locked in combat.

Akira chuckled dryly. "We can discuss the Rinnegan later. For now, let's focus on taking care of Nagato and Jigen."

With Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto around, awakening the Rinnegan wasn't out of reach. It wasn't something that needed to be rushed.

"Then hurry up and do it!" Hikari snapped. "At the rate they're going, this fight could drag on forever."

The battlefield was in constant upheaval, the clash of chakra reverberating in the air as Nagato and Jigen remained evenly matched.

Neither of them showed any sign of exhaustion—their overwhelming power seemed endless.

Given the situation, this battle wouldn't be over in just an hour or two.

One was a Jinchūriki of the Ten-Tails, his chakra seemingly infinite. The other was a vessel of an Ōtsutsuki, possessing unparalleled endurance.

In the past, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo and Ōtsutsuki Hamura had fought against Kaguya for three months before finally sealing her away.

Now, Nagato and Jigen seemed to be following a similar pattern.

Their attacks weren't strong enough to deal a decisive blow.

One had near-immortality. The other had an impenetrable defense.

Akira nodded and said firmly, "It's time to end this."

He turned to Hikari and the others. "Be ready. The moment I make my move, contain Nagato immediately. Assist Hikari in extracting the Ten-Tails from him. Support me as needed."

"Understood." They all nodded solemnly.

On the battlefield, metal clashed repeatedly as Nagato's Six Paths Staff collided with Jigen's black rods.

By now, Nagato had fully adapted to Jigen's fighting style, making the battle even fiercer.

Jigen, on the other hand, could no longer afford to underestimate Nagato. His opponent's sudden growth in strength genuinely surprised him.

After obtaining that unique Rinnegan, Nagato's dynamic vision had undergone a complete transformation.

His ability was no longer as effective as before.

At this point, Jigen was already considering retreating.

He had acted on impulse by coming here without adequate preparation.

For instance, he should have absorbed more of the Ten-Tails' chakra beforehand.

Had he done so, his power would have been far greater, and overpowering Nagato wouldn't have been an issue.

Without a sound, two pitch-black slashes cut through the air, aiming straight for Nagato and Jigen!

The speed was terrifying—so fast that even Nagato, with his Rinnegan-Sharingan, couldn't react in time.

With a sickening slice, his body was severed along with his Six Paths Staff.

Before he could even process what had happened, Truth-Seeking Orbs transformed into black rods and shot forward, piercing through him and sending him flying hundreds of meters, impaling him against the roots of a massive tree.