232 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

Fugaku panted heavily, his tone grave as he warned, "Akira, be careful. Nagato's strength is formidable."

"Akira, don't underestimate that guy. Be extra cautious," Shisui added, his dark face stern with concern.

"Don't worry," Akira nodded, his gaze fixed on Nagato. He said, "This guy's strong, but calling him the second Sage of Six Paths? That's laughable. Even the Sage of Six Paths before becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki was far stronger than Nagato is now."

It was the truth. Neither Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki nor Hamura Ōtsutsuki, even before becoming Jinchūriki, were weaker than the current Nagato.

From what Uchiha Akira had seen with his own eyes, Nagato—who wasn't even a complete Ten-Tails Jinchūriki—was far from matching the level of those two legendary figures.

That said, Akira himself, despite his own transformations, was still not on par with the Ōtsutsuki brothers.

Although his strength had undergone a qualitative leap after the Chimera Technique, Akira had yet to fully tap into the potential of his new body. This new form of his was merely the beginning of a new journey.

How far his new body could eventually go was something even Akira himself could not predict.

Nagato's violet Rinnegan swept across Akira, scanning him intently. A faint sneer appeared on his face.

"Akira," Nagato said coldly, "no matter what preparations you've made, it's all meaningless before me."

"I've said it before: I'm equivalent to the Sage of Six Paths of old. Someone like you, without the power of the Ten-Tails, can't even begin to comprehend this level of strength!" Nagato's tone was filled with arrogance, his demeanor that of a god looking down on mortals.

"You're ridiculously full of yourself," Akira replied, shaking his head. His jet-black eyes began to shift.

As Akira's gaze changed, the air behind him rippled gently, and nine obsidian Truth-Seeking Orbs materialized.

A light breeze rustled his hair as Akira floated into the sky, his mismatched blue and red eyes locking onto Nagato.

"Truth-Seeking Orbs? And what's with those eyes of his?" Nagato's heart skipped a beat at the sight.

The red eye, though terrifyingly complex in its design and brimming with immense power, seemed to pale in comparison to the other eye. The blue, gem-like eye emanated an aura of overwhelming energy, one that rivaled or perhaps even surpassed his own Rinnegan.

"How can his eyes contain such power? And why do those Truth-Seeking Orbs feel like they carry traces of the Ten-Tails' energy?" Nagato's expression grew solemn.

A sudden shiver ran down Nagato's spine. It was as if he'd been utterly laid bare, with all his secrets unraveled like threads pulled from fabric.

Instantly, Nagato's gaze zeroed in on Akira's glowing blue eye.

"That sensation... is this eye an evolution of the Byakugan? It can even penetrate the Six Paths Ten-Tails Coffin Seal!" Nagato thought, his heart heavy.

Just moments ago, he had sensed a piercing gaze cut through the layers of his defenses, directly into the sealed space where the Ten-Tails resided.

"So, that eye of yours…" Nagato narrowed his gaze, his Rinnegan deepening in color. All traces of disdain vanished, replaced by vigilance.

Akira's voice, calm and tinged with realization, broke the silence.

"So that's how it is."

With his unique fusion of Tenseigan, Akira's gaze locked onto Nagato, cutting through the veils of space to observe the sealed Ten-Tails.

Within the pitch-black sealing space, the colossal Ten-Tails, over a kilometer in height, sat cross-legged like a meditating monk. Its grotesque head bore a scarlet Rinnegan-Sharingan hybrid, spinning ominously.

"So part of your Ten-Tails has been divided?" Akira remarked, his tone curious. "Who managed such a feat? Let me guess—it wasn't just anyone, was it? It must have been done using the Six Paths Ten-Tails Coffin Seal."

Nagato's face darkened. "Hokage, you talk too much!"

As his words fell, Nagato raised his Six Paths Staff and stepped forward into the sky.

The staff swung down with ferocious force, the air screaming as it tore through space. A massive shockwave of pale energy spread out like a tidal wave.

Akira, unfazed, allowed the staff to pass harmlessly through his intangible form.

Unsurprisingly, the attack failed to land. With Kamui active, such an assault was meaningless.

Boom!

The shockwave smashed into the ground below, erupting in a deafening explosion. The earth groaned and trembled, a massive crater forming where the blow had landed.

Far below, Tsunade, Uchiha Fugaku, and Uchiha Shisui had already withdrawn from the battlefield.

'As expected, he still has his space-time abilities. That other strange red eye must be the result of fusing his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan,' Nagato mused as he floated away, reflecting on Akira's capabilities.

"Speed and strength are decent," Akira noted calmly, his gaze not lingering on the battlefield below. With the Tenseigan, everything within the battlefield was laid bare to him.

The Tenseigan possessed all the abilities of a standard Byakugan and more.

"Now it's my turn," Akira declared, his voice steady.

A flicker—

Nagato's Rinnegan caught only a blur before Akira's figure appeared before him.

"So fast!"

Nagato's eyes widened, and without hesitation, he swung his staff to intercept Akira's incoming punch.

Bang!

A dull impact echoed as the Six Paths Staff bent like a bow, creaking under the strain, on the verge of snapping.

At that moment, both Nagato's violet Rinnegan and Akira's radiant blue eye pulsed violently.

Boom!

Two opposing forces of repulsion erupted simultaneously, colliding in a blinding flash.

The resulting shockwave resembled a cyclone, a tsunami crashing through the heavens. Centered on the two combatants, the forces expanded outward in a terrifying display of destruction.

Both Akira and Nagato were sent flying, their figures carving trails hundreds of meters through the sky.

"His eyes can manipulate repulsion as well?" Nagato murmured, genuinely surprised.

Suddenly, his pupils contracted. On the other side, Akira raised his right hand, aiming at him.

Before Nagato could react, a massive gravitational force seized him, dragging him irresistibly toward Akira.

'He can even control attraction?' Nagato thought in shock, summoning his Truth-Seeking Orbs to launch like cannonballs.

But before the orbs could collide, Nagato's low voice resounded:

"Detonate!"

In an instant, the Truth-Seeking Orbs erupted in a blinding flash of white light.

Boom!

The explosion rivaled the power of a Tailed Beast Bomb, lighting up the night sky like a miniature sun. Flames and shockwaves engulfed both combatants as the heavens seemed to crack open.