241 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

Jigen naturally sensed Uchiha Akira's attack. Without hesitation, he activated Sukunahikona.

( Sukunahikona is a Kokugan technique. It allows the caster to instantaneously shrink themselves or any nonliving matter within their field of vision (or return the same to full size) at will.)

Zzt zzt…

A dense barrage of black rods shot out from Jigen, firing in all directions, aiming to trade blows with the three Akira clones.

As an Otsutsuki, he had absolute confidence in his physical endurance.

Boom!

Splurt…

Jigen and Uchiha Akira struck each other almost simultaneously.

Hit squarely by two of the clones' powerful kicks, Jigen's body bent backward like a bow, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.

Meanwhile, the two Akira clones attacking him were impaled by the black rods, their bodies resembling pincushions.

Zzzt!

Suddenly, the sharp crackle of electricity echoed through the battlefield.

A streak of blue and black lightning flashed across the air—another Uchiha Akira clone, his hand enveloped in dark lightning, dashed forward at an extreme speed. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Jigen.

Too fast! He was holding back before! Jigen's pupils shrank. Without a moment's delay, he activated his space-time ability.

In a flash of black light, Jigen vanished.

With the Kokugan's omnidirectional vision, he was not afraid of surprise attacks. As long as he could move, he could react.

Dozens of meters away, a dark space-time vortex appeared, and Jigen emerged with an unsightly expression.

Clang…

The sharp sound of metal rang out as the two Akira clones, who had been impaled by black rods, pulled them out as if nothing had happened.

Not a drop of blood flowed from their wounds. The moment the rods were removed, their injuries healed instantly.

The recovery speed was even faster than Nagato's after becoming the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki!

Seeing this, Jigen's face darkened, and an ominous feeling arose in his heart.

"I wonder how long you can maintain this state," Jigen said, suppressing his unease. "But even if you can sustain it indefinitely, you're still not my match!"

As he spoke, the three Uchiha Akira clones closed in, subtly forming an encirclement around Jigen.

At the same time, Tsunade, Uchiha Fugaku, and Uchiha Shisui stepped forward, completely surrounding Jigen with a six-man formation!

"Damn it!" Jigen cursed internally. The situation had deteriorated far beyond his expectations, filling him with frustration.

The last time he felt this enraged was when Otsutsuki Kaguya ambushed him, severing half of his body.

Now, he was experiencing that same burning fury once again.

Noticing Jigen's anger, Akira smiled.

"Perhaps you should unleash your full power. Maybe then you can defeat us all."

Jigen snorted coldly. A black rod materialized in his right hand. Given his current disadvantage, arguing further was pointless.

Fully releasing his power would mean reviving in Jigen's body.

But Jigen's body was an incomplete vessel—it couldn't withstand his full data. Choosing to resurrect now was as good as suicide.

Things hadn't reached that point yet!

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at Jigen and said coldly, "Fifth Hokage, enough talking. Let's take this guy down together!"

Akira understood her reasoning. He had been stalling to exhaust Jigen's ability to maintain his second-stage Karma form.

In Akira's understanding, as a vessel implanted with Karma, Jigen's data would continue to thaw with each battle.

The more intense the fight, the faster Otsutsuki Isshiki's data would fully integrate, allowing him to completely resurrect through Jigen's body.

Right now, Akira wanted to test whether this theory was correct.

Boom!

With a deafening impact, the three Akira clones launched a relentless assault on Jigen.

Lightning crackled as Jigen was struck by Truth-Seeking Orbs transformed into black rods.

Faced with the clones' onslaught, Jigen found himself completely overwhelmed!

Seeing Jigen struggling, Tsunade and the others halted their attacks, shifting to a defensive stance to prevent his escape.

Rumble…

The ground shattered continuously as Jigen, battered like a ragdoll, was repeatedly slammed into the earth by the coordinated assault of the three Akira clones.

But despite the brutal beating, Jigen's body remained undamaged—his durability was truly monstrous!

"Damn it!" Jigen gritted his teeth. With a thought, he activated Sukunahikona again, sending a rain of black rods down like a storm.

However, Akira was completely unfazed—his Kamui intangibility rendered the attack useless.

Clang, clang…

Meanwhile, Tsunade, Fugaku, and Shisui deflected the black rods with their weapons.

Boom!

Before Jigen could catch his breath, Akira once again closed the distance, engaging him in an intense melee battle.

On the other side of the battlefield, pinned to the God Tree, Nagato watched the fight unfold, his heart filled with resentment and unwillingness.

It was painfully clear now—Akira had not used his full power against him earlier.

If Akira had employed these ocular techniques from the start, Nagato would have lost instantly.

Clenching his fists, Nagato seethed, Damn it! This isn't how it should be! I am the second Sage of Six Paths! No one should be stronger than me!

"Absorb the God Tree… Absorb the Ten-Tails… Attain true immortality and eternity…"

A low, hoarse voice suddenly echoed in Nagato's mind.

Hearing this eerie voice, Nagato's heart skipped a beat. He immediately asked, "Who's there?!"

But the only response was the same repeated phrase: "Absorb the God Tree… Absorb the Ten-Tails… Attain true immortality and eternity…"

"What does that mean? The God Tree… The Ten-Tails?" Nagato muttered, his mind racing.

The voice spoke again, "Absorb the God Tree… Absorb the Ten-Tails… Attain true immortality and eternity…"

Suddenly, realization dawned upon Nagato.

His Rinnegan glowed with a faint purple light as his gaze locked onto the massive tree behind him.

"I see… I understand now."

With those words, the God Tree behind him began to liquefy, surging into his body like a flood.

Rumble…

The enormous roots of the God Tree tore from the earth, transforming into streams of energy that poured into Nagato.

The commotion was impossible to ignore.

Tsunade's eyes widened in shock.

"What's happening with Nagato? Why is he absorbing the God Tree back into himself?!"

"This isn't right…" Fugaku frowned deeply.

The aura emanating from Nagato felt ominous.

"He's absorbing the God Tree? Could Kaguya's consciousness be awakening?" Akira speculated.

"Wait… the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki is absorbing the God Tree?" Even Jigen, who was in the midst of battle, was taken aback.

Their clan used the Ten-Tails differently from Earth's inhabitants—he had never encountered a Jinchuriki like this before.

Boom!

A powerful impact resounded as Nagato descended from the sky, landing between Akira and Jigen, separating them.

Fixing his eyes on Jigen, Nagato declared coldly, "Hokage, let me handle this. Now that I have achieved true immortality and eternity, I will erase the shame of my previous defeat!"