240 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

The strongest, fastest, and most explosive of them all, Tsunade was the first to launch an attack.

"Take this, you bastard!"

A flash of green light streaked through the air as Tsunade's chakra-infused foot came crashing down toward Jigen's head like a meteor.

"Tch, annoying ant!" Jigen muttered irritably, stepping back half a pace. A black rod appeared out of thin air, gripped firmly in both hands as he raised it to block the strike.

BAM!

The sound of the impact thundered through the battlefield. Jigen's expression shifted as an overwhelming force surged through the black rod, followed by a creaking sound.

CRACK!

The black rod in Jigen's hands snapped in two, leaving him wide-eyed as a massive, glowing green foot loomed in his vision.

With his weapon shattered, Jigen switched tactics. His left elbow shot up to intercept Tsunade's Kick directly.

BOOM!

The collision echoed like a thunderclap, sending shockwaves through the air. The ground beneath Jigen's feet shattered, breaking into jagged fragments that flew in every direction.

Jigen's eyes narrowed. He executed the perfect counterattack, timed for the exact moment when Tsunade's first wave of force faded, and her next hadn't yet surged.

The attack came out of nowhere, far too sudden for Tsunade to react without the advantage of a Sharingan.

SHUNK!

Six black rods pierced through Tsunade's body, impaling her clean through and sending her flying back dozens of meters.

Cough!

Tsunade spat out a mouthful of blood, her footing unsteady as she stumbled backward.

Not missing a beat, Jigen pressed the advantage. He leapt into the air, closing the distance to Tsunade in an instant before delivering a sweeping kick aimed to finish her off.

Before the attack could land, two streaks of light—one golden, one green—shot in from the side. Two blazing red swords slashed through the air, their fiery arcs hissing against the atmosphere.

"Tch, more pests!" Jigen growled, his eyes flickering with annoyance as he shifted into a defensive stance. The black rod in his hands spun as he parried the incoming strikes.

CLANG!

The clash rang out like a bell, reverberating across the battlefield as shards of shattered earth erupted from the ground. Jigen was forced back several paces before regaining his balance.

Fighting both Fugaku and Shisui at the same time was proving to be a challenge, even for him.

A soft clink broke the tension.

Expressionless, Tsunade pulled the black rods from her body, letting them clatter to the ground as her wounds visibly regenerated. She strode forward, undeterred.

Seeing this, Jigen's eyes narrowed.

"Another one with immortality? Damn it, Konoha! I've underestimated you primitive fools."

"Stop running your mouth and fight!"

Tsunade's teal-green robes whipped in the air as she stomped the ground. The earth trembled beneath her foot as though a meteor had struck.

BOOM!

The ground collapsed under the force of her kick, sending massive boulders flying. A storm of dust and debris enveloped the battlefield as Jigen was sent skidding back across the fractured terrain.

Despite the sheer force of the blow, Jigen emerged unscathed, his unnaturally powerful physique making it clear he was no ordinary opponent.

But he wasn't given a moment to recover. A flash of blue lightning streaked toward him—Uchiha Akira, his hand crackling with black lightning, aimed directly at Jigen's head.

Jigen's Kokugan caught Akira's approach in time. Noticing the ominous black lightning, his pupils contracted as he leapt high into the air to avoid it.

Jigen knew better than to rely on his chakra absorption abilities. If Akira dared to use such a technique against him, it could only mean one thing—this jutsu was beyond his ability to nullify.

As Jigen soared upward, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air. Fugaku and Shisui came flying after him, their red swords cleaving through the sky.

Wielding the power of the Six Paths, the two Uchiha could fly as well.

Their strikes were devastating. Each swing of their fiery blades left trails of vacuumed air in their wake.

Jigen didn't flinch. With a flick of his hands.

Black rods, invisible to the untrained eye, appeared in rapid succession.

CLINK! CLANG!

Fugaku and Shisui were forced to abandon their assault, defending themselves against the sudden barrage of rods.

SHUNK!

Despite their Sharingan, even they couldn't evade every attack. Black rods pierced their arms, forcing them to retreat.

BOOM!

At the same time, Tsunade charged forward, her immense strength shaking the battlefield with each step.

But before she could reach Jigen, Akira was already there. His body flickered with blue lightning, moving faster than the eye could follow.

"So fast!" Jigen's heart sank. He realized Akira had been holding back before.

A lightning-clad hand lunged toward Jigen.

"Not good!"

Reacting on instinct, Jigen conjured a swirling black vortex. It consumed his entire body, teleporting him away just in time.

THUD!

Dozens of meters away, Jigen stumbled out of the vortex, shaken but unharmed.

"His space-time ninjutsu... it's that fast?" Akira muttered, watching Jigen from a distance.

"If he truly wants to escape, there's no stopping him."

Jigen's space-time ability made him a nightmare to deal with. 

"Tch, what a pain."

Jigen tightened his grip on his black rod, stepping forward with a cold glare.

"Enough playing around. This time, I'll show you what happens when I get serious."

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing," Akira replied evenly.

His Sharingan spun, and suddenly the air around him rippled. Two clones materialized at his sides, stepping forward as if emerging from the fabric of space-time itself.

The Mangekyo Sharingan's power—Temporal Shadow.

Jigen sneered. "A Shadow Clone? Pathetic."

But as Akira and his two duplicates vanished in a burst of lightning, Jigen's expression twisted.

BOOM!

The battlefield erupted into chaos as the three Akiras simultaneously engaged Jigen.

"This... this isn't a clone!"