201 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

Originally, Uchiha Akira had some reservations about traveling back in time, but when faced with a crisis, there was no room for hesitation.

However, after hearing Fugaku explain the effects of his ocular powers, most of Akira's worries faded, leaving him more at ease.

At this point, there was no turning back—taking the risk seemed like the best course of action.

'White Zetsu's information-gathering capabilities are truly incredible,' Akira thought with admiration.

Things had spiraled far beyond his control, and he was left trying to piece together a plan amidst the chaos.

Tsunade turned to Akira. "When are you planning to act?"

"As soon as we've gathered intelligence on where Shukaku and Chōmei—the One-Tail and Seven-Tails—historically resided and who their jinchūriki were, I'll head out," Akira replied.

"You've thought this through," Tsunade nodded approvingly.

Akira merely smiled in response to her praise.

Once his orders were issued, Konoha's intelligence division was immediately set into motion. Information about the Tailed Beasts and their jinchūriki had been sealed away for security purposes, but it was now being retrieved.

...

Meanwhile

In a hidden cave somewhere in the Land of Rain, a humanoid Gedo Statue sat cross-legged, its massive figure looming in the dimly lit space.

Uchiha Hikari and Nagato each stood on one of the statue's hands.

As the six eyes of the Gedo Statue opened, Hikari spoke, "There's still no news about the One-Tail or the Seven-Tails?"

"Not yet," Nagato replied calmly. "Sunagakure and Takigakure have done an excellent job hiding them."

Today's battle had already achieved much of Nagato's goal—most of the Three-Tails' chakra had been extracted and sealed within the statue.

Now, the Gedo Statue was just short of the One-Tail, Seven-Tails, and Nine-Tails' chakra to fully transform into the Ten-Tails.

"What's your plan for the Nine-Tails' chakra?" Hikari asked. "At this rate, without becoming the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki and gaining the power of the Sage of Six Paths, we can't possibly stand against Konoha. You saw today's battle."

Nagato was silent for a moment before replying, "We'll have to use the contingency plan."

"Contingency plan?" Hikari frowned.

"The Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers. They consumed the Nine-Tails' flesh and permanently gained its chakra. They can be used to revive the Ten-Tails," Nagato explained gravely.

This plan wasn't something he had devised—it was part of the legacy left behind by Uchiha Madara.

"So that's where Edo Tensei comes into play," Hikari said, understanding dawning on her face.

"Exactly," Nagato nodded. "According to Orochimaru, the precision of the Edo Tensei technique will soon improve significantly. When that happens, summoning Kinkaku and Ginkaku will be possible."

"Then it seems we'll need to wait a while longer," Hikari murmured, her long black hair falling to obscure her face.

...

In Kirigakure, the Land of Water

The Third Mizukage was slumped in despair upon hearing the news about the Three-Tails. His body appeared withered, as if all vitality had drained from him.

This operation had been disastrous for Kirigakure.

Yagura Karatachi, accompanied by his closest subordinates, had attempted to capture and seal the Three-Tails to become its jinchūriki. However, the battle between Nagato, Uchiha Akira, and others had obliterated the entire Kirigakure squad. None survived.

Even Yagura himself perished in the aftermath of the conflict.

Kirigakure was the only faction to suffer such catastrophic losses in this incident.

"The heavens are determined to destroy Kirigakure…" the Third Mizukage muttered, trembling as if death were just a step away.

Despite their differences, Yagura was one of Kirigakure's rare Kage-level combatants.

The subordinates he had led were the village's elite—a crucial part of Kirigakure's strength. Now, over a hundred elite shinobi had perished in the aftermath of this battle.

"Pathetic… In the face of Konoha, even the so-called great nations and hidden villages seem so insignificant," the Third Mizukage lamented, his voice filled with despair.

...

Back in Konoha,

Three hours later, the intelligence division delivered detailed records about the One-Tail and Seven-Tails to Uchiha Akira's desk.

The documents were comprehensive, covering everything from the Tailed Beasts' movements in their wild state to their jinchūriki, and even their usual locations.

Half an hour later, Akira vanished from the Hokage's office.

When he reappeared, he was in the depths of the desert, standing before the ruins of the Ryūmyaku in the ancient kingdom of Rōran.

Purple and black sealing runes encased a massive altar, and a Flying Thunder God kunai was embedded at its center.

This was the place where Namikaze Minato had sealed the Ryūmyaku. By undoing or activating the seal, the Ryūmyaku's immense power could be unleashed.

The Ryūmyaku's energy was potent enough to pierce through time and space, enabling travel to the past.

For Akira, undoing Minato's seal was a trivial task.

Placing his hands on the altar, he activated the seal. The black and purple runes lit up with a brilliant blue glow.

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed, followed by an immense surge of energy emanating from the ground.

A towering purple pillar of light shot skyward, swallowing everything in its path.

The purple light was vast and terrifyingly powerful—it pierced the atmosphere, reached into the cosmos, and directly bridged the gap between present and past.

Bathed in the purple energy, Akira's figure became distorted before vanishing entirely.

He experienced a brief moment of disorientation before his surroundings shifted entirely.

Where there had once been endless desert, now stretched a lush, verdant forest. The stark contrast was disorienting—vibrant greenery replaced the barren sands.

"Where… or when have I ended up?" Akira muttered, a bad feeling creeping over him as he surveyed the scene.

The ancient kingdom of Rōran was located in the Land of Wind, a region defined by its arid, desert landscape.

This sudden transformation could only mean that the land had changed over millennia—thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of years.

"Damn it, don't tell me I've been sent back to the era of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki!" Akira thought grimly.

The desolation of the Land of Wind always struck him as the aftermath of a catastrophic event or the result of life being drained from the land—perhaps during the planting of the Shinju.

He shuddered at the thought.

Expanding his senses, Akira quickly relaxed.

Fortunately, the lush forest was relatively small, more like an oasis amidst the desert, not the vast, endless forests of the Land of Fire.

"Thank goodness it's not the worst-case scenario," Akira thought.

For now, the last thing he wanted was to encounter Kaguya directly.