Chapter 184: The Arrival of the World of Trees

"Huh? Uchiha Akira, he's not dead?" Outside the screen, many ninjas under the orders of Hokage Fugaku had begun trying to break the barrier, and suddenly, someone exclaimed in surprise! As the voice sounded, many people turned their gaze toward the big screen.

Indeed, they saw Uchiha Akira standing up again, pulling out the black rod from his chest, and blocking Pain's attack!

A man who was supposed to be dead had come back to life and looked as lively as ever. This scene left everyone dumbfounded!

"Hahaha, I knew it! My precious grandson isn't so easy to kill! This is great!"

The old man, who had been so heartbroken he nearly awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, was now laughing joyfully at the sight before him.

"As expected, Akira-kun isn't so easy to kill. His cells have fused with the First Hokage's cells. The fusion of dragonized cells and the First Hokage's cells doesn't just grant the toughness of dragonization but also the terrifying regenerative ability of the First Hokage!"

Orochimaru, on the other hand, wore a knowing expression. Everyone had been fooled by Uchiha Akira, but only Orochimaru had already seen through everything!

"I knew it! My husband wouldn't die so easily! This is great; I almost became a widow!" said a young woman from Konoha, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Your husband? Did you secretly marry Uchiha Akira?" her friend asked in shock.

"Not yet!" the young woman shook her head.

"Then, are you secretly dating him?" her friend asked again.

"Also, no!" the young woman shook her head again.

"Do you even know him?" her friend asked, finally exasperated.

"I know him, but he doesn't know me!" the young woman replied.

"You're so shameless!" her friend rolled her eyes, unable to hide her frustration.

The sight of Uchiha Akira coming back to life was shocking to everyone. However, the majority of Konoha's citizens felt more joy than anything else.

For one of Konoha's strongest to be so easily killed by the enemy had been an earth-shattering event.

But now, it seemed that Uchiha Akira was indeed Uchiha Akira. His death had all been a deception, hadn't it?

As for the resurrection, let's set aside how the people of Konoha were feeling.

At this moment, Uchiha Akira's chest wound had fully healed. He casually tossed the black rod to the ground and looked at Pain, declaring that the first half of the fight was over and it was time to begin the second half!

"Akira-kun!" Hinata stood beside Uchiha Akira again, her expression resolute.

Sasuke also struggled to his feet, the six-pointed star pattern of his Mangekyō Sharingan shining in his eyes.

"You two step back and cover me for now!" Uchiha Akira glanced at Hinata and Sasuke before speaking.

The battle between himself and Pain was at the highest level of Kage-tier strength, the pinnacle. With their current abilities, it would be difficult for them to intervene.

"Akira-kun, do your best!" Hinata looked at Uchiha Akira, hesitated for a moment, and then obediently stepped back, her demeanor very well-behaved.

Even though she desperately wanted to fight alongside him, she chose to follow Uchiha Akira's instructions, despite her wishes.

"Akira, my current strength can be of help!" Sasuke, however, stubbornly insisted, his face full of determination.

Fine, if you think you can help, then I hope you can really do it!

Seeing how stubborn Sasuke was, Uchiha Akira didn't argue further. He raised his hand and dramatically shouted, "Sword, come!"

The Kusanagi sword, which had been stuck in the ground nearby, was wrapped in chakra threads and flew directly into Uchiha Akira's hand.

Then, Uchiha Akira charged toward Pain with lightning-like speed!

Pain, holding his black iron rod, responded. The speed of both fighters was as fast as ghosts.

To the onlookers, it appeared as though two shadows were constantly weaving and colliding, the sound of their weapons clashing echoing repeatedly.

Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan could still follow their movements, but his physical ability couldn't keep up!

It was like watching a race car zoom past—you might be able to see it clearly, but there's no way you could keep up with its speed!

"I'm sorry, but I really can't keep up!"

Sasuke, who had been brimming with confidence just moments ago, believing that his newly awakened Mangekyō Sharingan would be enough to help, realized the massive gap in their abilities after seeing the sheer speed of the battle.

This was truly a "slap in the face," and it happened fast!

Even Sasuke, who could at least track their movements, couldn't keep up physically. Naturally, the people watching on the big screen could only see two blurs wildly colliding!

It was only thanks to the blue-green glow of Uchiha Akira's chakra, now in Sage Mode, that anyone could distinguish between the two figures.

In just a few moments, the two exchanged hundreds of taijutsu blows.

Their vision, strength, and speed were almost equal, so it was impossible to determine a winner with taijutsu alone in such a short time.

"Shinra Tensei!"

Pain, realizing he couldn't gain the upper hand in taijutsu, raised his hand, unleashing the all-powerful Shinra Tensei.

With Sage Mode activated, Uchiha Akira exerted all his strength to resist the repulsive force of Shinra Tensei, and the two entered a stalemate!

His Shinra Tensei couldn't immediately send Uchiha Akira flying?

This greatly shocked Pain!

It seemed like this was the first time he had encountered someone who could withstand Shinra Tensei's force!

Had Uchiha Akira's chakra already reached a level comparable to his own?

"Ha!"

Pain gritted his teeth and shouted, his chakra surging by another 30%. He pushed himself to his limits, using 120% of his strength. His face twisted with the strain, and the force of Shinra Tensei increased even further.

Finally, Uchiha Akira was forced back seven or eight steps.

As Uchiha Akira retreated, his feet left behind seven or eight deep pits in the ground!

His face grave, Pain's Rinnegan eyes fixated on Uchiha Akira, and his estimation of Akira's threat level skyrocketed!

To think that even his Shinra Tensei could be withstood—Uchiha Akira's power was terrifying, beyond anything Pain had encountered before!

"He truly is the pinnacle of Kage-tier strength, and those Rinnegan techniques are indeed formidable!" Uchiha Akira, who had been pushed back several steps, also marveled inwardly.

The strength of a Kage-level shinobi ranged from 10,000 to 100,000, with Pain being at the pinnacle. Though he might not have a full 100,000, he was close.

As for Uchiha Akira, in his normal state, he was around 60,000. Now, with Sage Mode activated, his overall strength was about equal to Pain's!

From the Shinra Tensei just now, Uchiha Akira could tell that his power was indeed on par with Pain's.

However, the Rinnegan's ocular techniques remained incredibly powerful and difficult to counter.

After retreating seven or eight steps, Uchiha Akira decided not to continue attacking with taijutsu.

Since taijutsu hadn't yielded any results, it was time to switch to ninjutsu!

As for genjutsu? Forget it. While his genjutsu wasn't weak, it wasn't his specialty either, and attempting to use genjutsu on the Rinnegan was obviously futile. Uchiha Akira vaguely remembered that in the original, Shinra Tensei had a cooldown period, requiring some time before it could be used again.

So, the best course of action was to launch a continuous barrage of ninjutsu attacks, rather than something like the Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique, which would only be repelled by Shinra Tensei.

With that in mind, Uchiha Akira formed a plan. His hands came together in a seal as chakra surged within him.

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!" Uchiha Akira shouted as his Wood Release jutsu expanded dramatically!

With his shout, the land within a radius of nearly a kilometer began to break apart, and tiny saplings burst from the ground, rapidly growing into towering trees.

The trees grew together, then surged toward Pain like a massive, deadly wave!

Deep Forest Emergence—this was the technique that had been hailed as the power that ended the Warring States Period.

After more than a century, this legendary jutsu had reappeared in the world!

This area was near the Sand Village's territory, so the landscape resembled the deserts of the Land of Wind.

But now, with the arrival of Deep Forest Emergence, the terrain instantly transformed into a vast, dense forest!

Seeing the incoming wave of trees and vines, which resembled the claws of an old witch, Pain shouted and activated Shinra Tensei again, shattering the branches around him!

But the trees and vines were like an endless tide.

Just as they were destroyed, a new wave appeared and continued to surge toward Pain!

This time, there was no opportunity to activate Shinra Tensei again. Pain immediately turned to flee, dodging the relentless wave of trees as his movements grew increasingly frantic and disheveled, losing the imposing aura he once had.

Meanwhile, nearly everyone in Konoha stood in stunned silence.

They stared at the screen, watching Deep Forest Emergence unfold, their minds completely blank...

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