"Get out of the way!" Tanshin Hime's face darkened as she faced Obito. She raised her hand and unleashed a Sage Art attack on him.
Seeing that Obito had arrived using space-time ninjutsu, Tanshin Hime immediately understood that his power was formidable.
After all, in the ninja world, anyone capable of space-time ninjutsu was not to be underestimated!
Even though Tanshin Hime had already taken Obito seriously, she had no idea about his abilities.
The Sage Art attack was powerful, but it was useless if it couldn't hit. Obito phased right through the attack and charged toward Tanshin Hime, grabbing hold of her with ease.
However, as one of the three divine Hime under the White Snake Sage, she wasn't about to be taken down so easily!
Though Obito's strange ability caught her off guard, Tanshin Hime quickly recovered and unleashed her own Sage Art, forcing Obito to retreat.
Her gaze grew more serious as she looked at him.
What a bizarre power!
"I didn't expect Obito to show up at a time like this!" Uchiha Akira's heart sank as he glanced at Tanshin Hime being blocked by Uchiha Obito. Hinata was in grave danger now, and Akira couldn't afford to worry about his own injuries any longer. He swiftly dashed toward Hinata!
Boom!
Pain controlled the Gedo Statue and smashed the now unguarded Wood Human into pieces.
Several of the Gedo Statue's tails whipped toward Uchiha Akira!
With his three-tomoe Sharingan pushed to its limits, Akira's Body Flicker Technique was also at its peak, moving as swiftly as a ghost.
Even the Fourth Raikage would have to admit that Akira's Body Flicker was superior!
A ninja at the pinnacle of Kage-level strength, combined with the dynamic visual prowess of the three-tomoe Sharingan, and mastering a top-tier Body Flicker Technique—even without the Lightning Release Body technique that boosted the Fourth Raikage's speed, Akira's movement was already terrifying!
Akira's form flitted and darted, like a butterfly weaving through a flower field, dodging the tails of the Gedo Statue as he closed in on Hinata.
However, while Akira's visual abilities were strong, Pain's Rinnegan was no less formidable.
Pain manipulated the Gedo Statue and, with a flicker of movement, intercepted Akira's path!
Pain's chakra surged as he raised his hand toward Akira.
Shinra Tensei!
Pain's techniques may have been repetitive, but they were overwhelmingly effective!
A massive repulsive force surged toward Uchiha Akira!
Akira unleashed all his power, resisting the force of Shinra Tensei, gritting his teeth as he stubbornly moved forward, step by step, toward Pain!
He resisted! With his full potential unleashed, Uchiha Akira was able to withstand the repulsive force of Shinra Tensei with his body!
"Banshō Ten'in!"
Seeing that Akira could resist and was moving toward him, Pain quickly switched from Shinra Tensei to Banshō Ten'in!
Akira's strength, combined with the pull of Banshō Ten'in, caused him to fly toward Pain at such speed that even Akira himself couldn't react!
A black rod shot out toward Uchiha Akira!
Acting on instinct, Akira raised his hand to grab the rod—but his hand was pierced through!
At the same time, one of the Gedo Statue's tails struck him hard, sending Akira flying once again!
When he hit the ground, it felt as if every bone in his body had shattered!
Even with his dragonized body's extraordinary durability, after enduring two solid hits from the Gedo Statue, Akira's injuries were severe!
If it weren't for the regenerative abilities granted by Hashirama's cells within him, Akira wouldn't have been able to stand up after those two strikes!
Uchiha Akira was being held off by Pain!
In terms of raw strength, even if Akira wasn't as strong as Pain, the difference wasn't much. But with a significant portion of his focus on Hinata, how could Akira be a match for Pain? He was being thoroughly overpowered!
And while Tanshin Hime was strong, Uchiha Obito had entered the battle. How could Tanshin Hime possibly bypass Obito to lend her assistance?
"Should I use the Eight Gates?" Akira's thoughts turned to the Eight Gates, specifically the Gate of Death.
In the state of the Seventh Gate, the power boost wasn't much stronger than Sage Mode.
But in the state of the Eighth Gate, it was a force capable of changing the tide of battle!
However, Akira knew that using the Eight Gates wasn't an option.
You can't just skip the first seven gates and directly open the Eighth Gate!
And even if he started using the Eight Gates, Pain wouldn't just sit back and let him fully open them all!
In short, the setup time for the Eight Gates was even longer than Sage Mode. Pain wouldn't give him the chance to fully open all eight gates!
Akira was held off, unable to reach Hinata, and Tanshin Hime was similarly blocked by Obito!
At this point, Kisame was holding his massive sword, Samehada, grinning excitedly!
"Hehehe, I didn't expect this girl's chakra to be so much to Samehada's liking!" Kisame smiled, clearly feeling Samehada's excitement!
Hinata's chakra quantity may not have been much, but its quality was extraordinary!
Perhaps it was because the Hyuga clan's ancestors were descended from the Ōtsutsuki clan, or maybe it was due to the merging of Indra and Asura's reincarnations within her that had caused Hinata's Byakugan to evolve further.
As a result, Hinata's chakra was of an exceptionally high quality!
And for Samehada, such high-quality chakra was irresistible!
Kisame used Water Release to summon several Water Sharks, which rushed toward Hinata, limiting her movements.
Seizing the opportunity, Kisame swung Samehada!
Samehada's mouth opened wide and clamped down on Hinata's shoulder!
"Ah..."
A brief, stifled cry of pain escaped from Hinata.
Throughout the battle, despite being covered in blood, Hinata had remained silent, not wanting her cries to distract Uchiha Akira.
Though she quickly bit back her scream, the sharp pain forced that brief sound from her lips!
Hinata could feel her chakra gushing out like a flood from a broken dam!
And even when her chakra was drained, Samehada continued to forcefully absorb more!
It was akin to the dehydrating effect of sulfuric acid!
Water consists of hydrogen and oxygen atoms in a two-to-one ratio.
Sulfuric acid can absorb water, and when no more water is available, it forcibly breaks down molecules to extract hydrogen and oxygen atoms. This is the dehydrating nature of sulfuric acid.
Right now, Samehada was like sulfuric acid, and Hinata's chakra was the water!
When all of Hinata's chakra had been absorbed, Samehada continued its extraction!
And what constitutes chakra? Spiritual and physical energy!
So, as Hinata's chakra was drained, her spiritual energy and physical strength were being extracted as well!
Hinata's skin withered, her body deflating like a balloon losing air, and her spirit became listless!
This was the same situation Nagato had faced when he first summoned the Gedo Statue. Lacking sufficient chakra, he had been forced to sacrifice his physical strength and spiritual energy, causing him to wither into a skeletal figure.
Now, Hinata was going through the same experience!
The once youthful and beautiful girl, in just an instant, became a dried-up, skeletal figure!
"Hinata!" From afar, seeing what was happening, Uchiha Akira shouted loudly!
And then, Samehada finally released Hinata, her withered body collapsing to the ground!
"Hinata!" Outside the exam arena, Hiashi Hyuga nearly blacked out at the sight.
The despair he felt seeing Hinata's condition was akin to the dread the old Uchiha elder had felt when Akira's chest had been pierced through by a black rod.
"Oh no, the first time Akira-kun summoned me to save someone, I've completely messed it up!" Tanshin Hime's heart sank as she saw the outcome.
Akira looked at Hinata's collapsed body—her once beautiful, youthful form was now nothing but skin and bones, like a withered corpse!
Grief, guilt, self-blame, and rage surged through Akira's heart all at once!
At the same time, a chakra source emerged from somewhere deep within him, making Akira's chakra surge wildly around him!
His golden dragon eyes and the three tomoe of his Sharingan began spinning rapidly!
In an instant, Akira's eyes underwent a transformation.
A complex and intricate design formed within his eyes, difficult to describe in words!
This was the moment Uchiha Akira's three-tomoe Sharingan evolved into the Mangekyō Sharingan!
"Dammit!" Seeing the change in Akira's eyes, Pain's heart skipped a beat!
Even though both Sasuke and Akira had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, the implications were vastly different!
Even with the Mangekyō Sharingan, Sasuke was merely at the entry level of Kage power.
But Uchiha Akira? Even without the Mangekyō, he was already at the pinnacle of Kage-level strength. The significance of this transformation couldn't be compared!
It was like a common farmer wielding a spear compared to a battle-hardened general holding the same weapon. The level of threat wasn't the same!
The Mangekyō Sharingan was like a powerful spear. While Sasuke was the farmer, Akira was the battle-scarred general.
The power Akira could unleash with the Mangekyō Sharingan was on a completely different level!
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P.S.: Does the bold text make things better or is it annoying? Let me know your feedback, and sorry for bringing this up at such an intense moment
*********Announcement**************
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Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 245 at patreon.com/Emik01.