246 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

Suddenly, Uchiha Akira and his group simultaneously turned their heads toward another part of the battlefield.

A streak of light shot through the sky and crashed heavily into the ground.

"Boom!"

The earth shattered in a wide radius, sending clouds of dust billowing into the air.

A graceful figure emerged from the smoke—an absolutely stunning woman with an icy expression, her long silver-white hair flowing behind her. She wore a glowing white robe, similar in style to Nagato's.

"Uchiha Hikari?! What happened to her?" Fugaku and Shisui were both taken aback at the sight of the newcomer.

Hikari's appearance was entirely different from before—almost unrecognizably so!

Tsunade, watching from the side, had a strange look on her face as she turned to Fugaku.

"Fugaku, why does this Uchiha Hikari look a bit like you?"

"Like me?" Fugaku was momentarily stunned.

Shisui was also surprised. He scrutinized Hikari closely, and after a moment, his expression turned just as peculiar.

Glancing back and forth between Hikari and Fugaku, Shisui murmured,

"Rather than resembling Captain Fugaku, I'd say she looks more like Sasuke—after his features matured and softened."

Hearing Shisui's words, Fugaku froze before his expression became equally odd.

Now that it was mentioned... she really did look like Sasuke!

"Fugaku, is it possible that Uchiha Hikari has some ancestral connection to your family? Maybe you were from the same bloodline long ago?" Tsunade asked with curiosity, staring at Hikari.

Fugaku sighed. "The Uchiha clan all shares a common ancestry. It's not that surprising for some members to look alike."

Akira, listening to their conversation, couldn't help but chuckle internally. Of all times, this was what they were discussing?

"Just a joke~" Tsunade waved her hand dismissively before her expression turned serious. "But this Hikari... Her chakra signature is identical to Nagato's. The purest form of the Ten-Tails' Six Paths power. What's going on?"

She turned her gaze toward Akira.

Among everyone present, Akira was the strongest, and he himself possessed the pure power of the Ten-Tails.

It was obvious—he was the one most qualified to explain this situation.

Activating his Tenseigan, Akira's vision pierced through all obstructions. In a sealed space within Hikari's body, he saw a sleeping Ten-Tails, sitting in a meditative pose, continuously supplying her with chakra.

"The Ten-Tails… She has a Ten-Tails inside her too!" Akira was genuinely surprised.

Seeing a Ten-Tails within Hikari was something he had never expected.

He had assumed she had extracted some portion of the Ten-Tails' power from Nagato through other means, but now he was witnessing an actual Ten-Tails within her body.

Though it was slightly smaller than a normal Ten-Tails, there was no doubt—it was real.

"The Ten-Tails?!" Tsunade, Fugaku, and Shisui were all shocked.

...

Meanwhile, at the edge of the battlefield, Hikari frowned as an unsettling sensation washed over her.

She felt as though she was being scrutinized down to her very core.

"This feeling… A Byakugan's gaze?" Hikari turned her head, locking eyes with Akira.

"That eye of his… It's not a Byakugan? But my instincts don't lie. Has it evolved?" Hikari's mind raced as she quickly formed a hypothesis.

"Hokage, staring at a lady like that—isn't that a little improper?" Hikari's cold voice rang out.

In an instant, Akira stiffened and discreetly deactivated his Tenseigan's enhanced vision.

Now that she had pointed it out, he couldn't unsee certain things.

"Tch! What's the big deal?" Tsunade scoffed. "You're nothing special to look at. Konoha has plenty of beauties. Right, Fifth Hokage?"

Seeing the subtle menace in Tsunade's expression, Akira remained calm and replied indifferently,

"I didn't see anything. Whether you believe me or not, I believe myself."

"Hah… Old women just don't understand the minds of the young," Hikari sneered.

Beside Tsunade, Akira, Fugaku, and Shisui remained silent, all pretending to be preoccupied.

Arguing with the enemy over such trivial matters in the middle of battle felt absurd, but if they tried to step in, they knew they'd end up caught in Tsunade's crossfire.

"Brat!" Tsunade scoffed, puffing out her chest in defiance.

A glint of cold light flickered in Hikari's eyes. "Feeling proud? Don't be. It's only a matter of time."

"Maybe for others, but not for you. As the greatest medical ninja in the world, my judgment is flawless!" Tsunade crossed her arms with a smug expression.

"Nothing but an outdated relic. What's there to be proud of?"

Hikari's chakra surged violently, her presence growing even more formidable.

The sheer force of her aura caused the ground beneath her to crack apart.

Feeling the overwhelming chakra emanating from Hikari, Tsunade grew serious. This Uchiha woman was undeniably powerful.

Then, a sly glint flashed in her eyes as she turned to Akira.

"Fifth Hokage, this is an Uchiha matter. You handle it."

Akira nodded before turning to meet Shisui's gaze. In an instant, their Sharingan connected, forming a shared genjutsu space.

"Akira?" Shisui looked at him questioningly.

"Shisui, what's the status of Kotoamatsukami?" Akira asked.

"Kotoamatsukami?" Shisui blinked, then quickly responded, "Both eyes are fully functional. With the power of Six Paths, the technique has grown immensely stronger!"

"If you used it on Hikari at full power, do you think you could successfully cast it?" Akira pressed.

Shisui pondered for a moment before nodding. "If I go all out, theoretically, yes. We both have Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. While her ocular power is stronger than mine, it's not an insurmountable difference."

"Are you planning to bring her to our side?" Shisui asked.

"Exactly." Akira nodded. High-level combatants were rare, and securing more allies was crucial for the battles ahead.

"Understood. I'll focus all my chakra and Six Paths power to prepare Kotoamatsukami." Shisui nodded solemnly.

Their exchange took place in an instant.

Back in reality, Akira stepped forward toward Hikari.

Gazing at the cold and resolute Uchiha woman, Akira spoke,

"Hikari, why don't we put aside our differences and have a real discussion? The Uchiha Clan of today is not the Uchiha of the past. Perhaps there's no need for such extremism."

"A discussion? There's nothing to discuss!" Hikari sneered. "Our paths are too different! The Uchiha must be destroyed!"

"In that case… forgive me. I'll have to use some special measures." Akira's expression grew serious.

"Good. Show me what you can do!"

Hikari smirked, raising her hand. In an instant, the Truth-Seeking Orbs manifested in her grasp.