Chapter 504: My Ocular Power Surpasses Yours!

Chapter 504: Chapter 504: My Ocular Power Surpasses Yours!

Faced with Konan’s confusion, Obito’s expression darkened. Beneath his spiral mask, he wore a look as though he had just swallowed a fly.

"I’m talking about the other ’Homura.’ That damned Kamigami seems to have two ’Homuras’!"

Physique, age, voice, even gender—all of these were things a shinobi could easily disguise.

But the Susanoo, which was rooted in the ocular power of the Mangekyo Sharingan, was a characteristic that could never be disguised. The color manifested when it first awakened would forever remain its fundamental hue and would never undergo any fundamental change.

Obito clearly remembered that the Kamigami ’Homura’ who had nearly killed him in Kirigakure had not only been a kunoichi, but her Susanoo had also manifested in a dazzling golden color.

Meanwhile, the ’Homura’ standing behind Kamigami’s leader—the same ’Homura’ who had just ambushed him from underground—possessed a crimson-red Susanoo.

Clearly, they were two different people!

From this, it could be inferred that Kamigami might actually have two Uchiha clan members who possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Obito himself couldn’t understand why the hell Kamigami had so many Uchiha among its ranks, but the facts were right before his eyes, leaving him no choice but to accept them.

"Two ’Homuras’?"

Hearing this, Konan’s brows furrowed even more deeply.

At this moment, Zetsu stepped forward and quietly urged Nagato, "This ’Homura’ before us possesses the divine artifact, the Totsuka Blade. Once you’re struck by it, I’m afraid even your Rinnegan won’t be able to resist it. We should retreat. We’re not yet prepared for an all-out war with Kamigami!"

After hearing Obito and Zetsu’s warnings, Konan felt even more strongly that Kamigami was unfathomably deep.

With her heart pounding in unease, she also stepped forward and urged, "Nagato, don’t force yourself. You’ve already consumed a considerable amount of chakra in the battle just now. This isn’t the right time to confront Yama head-on."

Nagato’s expression remained cold and stern, his fighting spirit soaring.

The persuasion of his companions seemed to have done nothing to shake his confidence. Although his usually indifferent face now carried far more solemnity and wariness, there wasn’t even the slightest trace of fear!

After successfully fusing with the First Hokage’s cells, Nagato had acquired an even stronger Sage Body, causing the quality of the Yang Release chakra within him to undergo a fundamental transformation. As a result, the previous imbalance in his body—where Yin overwhelmingly surpassed Yang—had been fundamentally corrected.

Before this, the Rinnegan—which represented spiritual power, governed reincarnation, and blurred the boundary between life and death—had been both Nagato’s greatest weapon for defeating his enemies and a death warrant that was gradually crushing his body.

That was because the Yang Release chakra produced by the Sage Body of his Uzumaki lineage alone was simply incapable of balancing the Rinnegan’s ultimate Yin Release chakra.

But after transplanting the First Hokage’s cells and integrating the Sage Body of the Senju clan, Nagato’s constitution had improved dramatically. The Yang and Yin Release chakra within his body gradually approached equilibrium, allowing Yin and Yang to merge together in an even more harmonious and intimate manner.

As a result, the power of All Creation within his body now far surpassed what it had been before, while his mastery and development of his Rinnegan had also reached an entirely new realm!

The clearest indication of this was that he had mastered a new dojutsu—one that had always belonged to these Rinnegan, but which he had previously been unable to wield.

And that was precisely why he had been able to effortlessly defeat so many powerful opponents without suffering even a scratch!

When Kagami saw Obito stop Nagato, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He could more or less guess why Obito was trying to stop Nagato, so right now, he desperately hoped Obito could persuade Nagato to back down and immediately retreat.

Unfortunately, things did not go as he wished.

Nagato still looked eager to fight, and faintly, a terrifying fluctuation of chakra began erupting from his body—one that made the heart palpitate.

"Th-This... what the hell am I supposed to do now?!"

Kagami’s expression tightened.

For someone who possessed the Tenseigan, Kagami could easily tell that Nagato’s ocular power surpassed his own.

After all, during their previous confrontation, Nagato had been restrained by the others, while Kagami had been fully rested and had even struck first with a surprise attack. Yet in the end, all he had managed was a draw.

If Kagami’s acting skills hadn’t been good enough to bluff Nagato and Obito back then, whether he could have escaped that encounter unscathed was difficult to say.

And now, Nagato’s increase in strength was so obvious that Kagami didn’t even need the Tenseigan to determine that Nagato’s strength had already far surpassed his own.

He even believed that Nagato, with his Rinnegan, had likewise realized that his own side held the advantage in ocular power. That was precisely why Nagato looked so eager to fight, as though he intended to wash away the humiliation of their previous encounter.

Sensing that something was wrong with the atmosphere, Itachi’s expression darkened.

Although he had tremendous confidence in Kagami, the strength displayed by Akatsuki’s leader truly left him shaken.

He had never imagined that a single shinobi could become this powerful. It was almost like the legendary stories he had heard since childhood about the First Hokage who founded Konoha.

Beside him, a thin layer of cold sweat had also formed across Shisui’s forehead.

He couldn’t explain why, but the oppressive presence emanating from the strange giant behind Akatsuki’s leader made him feel extremely stifled.

Meanwhile, the Third Hokage’s gaze shifted back and forth between Kagami and Nagato.

Unlike the others, who were gradually losing their ability to judge the situation under the oppressive atmosphere and sinking into anxiety, the experienced Third Hokage—who had presided over several Great Shinobi Wars—had vaguely begun to grasp the situation before him.

He could tell that Akatsuki’s leader was deeply wary of Kamigami’s leader, yet did not completely fear him.

At the same time, for some reason, Kamigami’s leader seemed unwilling to directly fight Akatsuki’s leader.

Behind the Third Hokage, Jiraiya stared blankly at Nagato across from him.

This Nagato before him was the Nagato he remembered.

Except the Nagato in his memories had always been plagued by confusion and uncertainty.

The Nagato standing before him now, however, was filled only with cold indifference.

At this moment, Nagato slowly extended his right hand toward Kagami, his five fingers slightly spread as he said coldly, "The future of the shinobi world will inevitably be decided by one of us. A battle between you and me is unavoidable!"

Kagami didn’t answer. His mind was racing at full speed.

Nagato, who had never been much of a talker, continued, "Although I don’t know what kind of eyes you possess, I can feel the ocular power within you. And there’s no need for you to deny it—my ocular power surpasses yours!"

Kagami narrowed his eyes but still said nothing.

His thoughts raced in every possible direction, yet he still couldn’t find a way out of his current predicament.

But he couldn’t simply turn around and flee either.

Because the moment he fled, the overwhelmingly powerful image Kamigami had established would come crashing down. And once Akatsuki no longer had anything to fear, they would sweep across the entire shinobi world!

Nagato took another step forward, leaving the protective range of the Gedo Statue.

"Hmph. Are you afraid?"

Just then, the dark clouds that had blanketed the night sky suddenly parted.

A ray of silvery moonlight spilled down upon the cliff.

As it illuminated the gloomy, shattered landscape, it also cast the ruined cliff into a hazy, dreamlike veil.

Beautiful beyond words—

as though everything had fallen into an illusion.

Kagami raised his head slightly and glanced at the brilliant full moon hanging high in the night sky.

Beneath his demon mask, the corners of his lips slowly curled upward into a faint smile...