ROAR!
The golem thrashed with desperate violence, its massive form straining against the intricate web of binding techniques that held it in place. Chains of earth, streams of hardened sand, barriers of compressed water, and countless other ninjutsu worked in perfect coordination to restrain the creature's movements.
While the golem possessed the formidable ability to absorb chakra from any technique that made direct contact with its form, the Second Hokage and his allied forces had developed a sophisticated strategy. By deploying their restraining techniques in rapid succession and maintaining constant rotation of their binding methods, they managed to keep the creature contained even as individual techniques were gradually drained and dissipated.
"After Madara's defeat, where should this Outer Path Statue be sealed?" The question hung heavily in the air as every present ninja regarded the restrained creature with profound concern.
The tactical problem was unprecedented in its complexity. As the shell of the legendary Ten-Tails, even stripped of the vast majority of its theoretical power, the golem still possessed capabilities that rivaled those of any individual tailed beast. Its very existence represented a threat that transcended normal security considerations.
The historical precedent offered little comfort. In order to prevent humanity from ever accessing such dangerous power, the Sage of Six Paths himself had sealed the creature on the moon using techniques that surpassed anything the current generation could hope to replicate. Among all the ninja alive today, not even Minato at his peak possessed sufficient power to duplicate such a feat.
Unlike the other tailed beasts, which possessed complex emotional ranges and individual personalities that allowed for meaningful communication and eventual cooperation, the golem radiated nothing but pure, primitive hostility. There was no consciousness to reason with, no spirit to appeal to—only an emptiness so profound it seemed capable of devouring the very souls of those who approached it.
This fundamental difference made the traditional method of jinchuuriki sealing completely unfeasible. No human could serve as a container for such concentrated malevolence without being consumed entirely.
However, despite these troubling concerns about the future, the immediate tactical situation was clear. The war had been effectively decided the moment Naruto and Sasuke achieved their impossible victory over the First Hokage. No matter what challenges remained, the final triumph belonged unquestionably to the Allied Ninja Forces.
The Fourth Great Ninja War would be remembered as the shortest-lasting major conflict in recorded history, yet its conclusion would mark the beginning of the most significant geopolitical transformation the ninja world had ever experienced.
The relationships between the five major hidden villages had been fundamentally altered by the events of this war. The cooperation, sacrifice, and shared struggle had created bonds that transcended the old patterns of rivalry and suspicion.
In the years to come, the ninja world would likely experience a period of unprecedented peace and stability, built upon the foundation of mutual understanding that had been forged in the crucible of this ultimate conflict.
Buzz!
At that crucial moment, the space directly above the golem's head began to distort with ominous implications. The air itself seemed to ripple and bend as reality warped around an invisible focal point.
The Second Hokage's enhanced senses were the first to detect the anomaly, his ancient eyes immediately locking onto the source of the spatial disturbance. His expression shifted to one of sharp concern as he recognized the technique being employed.
"Who is that?" he demanded, his voice carrying the authority of someone accustomed to making split-second tactical assessments.
The masked figure that materialized from the distorted space triggered immediate recognition in Tobirama's analytical mind. The chakra signature emanating from this new arrival carried unmistakable traces of the First Hokage's cellular enhancement—but there was something more, something that suggested power levels comparable to the elite fighters they had been battling.
The mysterious figure's aura was substantially stronger than what Itachi, Shisui, or any of the other legendary ninja present could generate, marking him as a threat of the highest magnitude.
Following the Second Hokage's alarmed observation, every other combatant turned their attention to the unexpected arrival. The collective reaction was one of stunned recognition mixed with growing dread.
"It's him!" multiple voices called out simultaneously, the identification carrying implications that sent ripples of shock through the assembled forces.
The masked man surveyed the scene below with eyes that glowed with cold calculation behind his distinctive orange swirl pattern. His gaze moved methodically across the gathered ninja, taking inventory of the opposition he faced while clearly formulating some desperate strategy.
Itachi, Shisui, and several others responded to his appearance with expressions of pure killing intent, their previous encounters with this individual having left deep impressions of both his capabilities and his ruthless methods.
"Why has this man appeared now, when the war is essentially finished?" The question reflected the confusion shared by many observers.
With the overwhelming concentration of elite ninja present on this battlefield, any single individual—regardless of their personal power—should have been incapable of significantly altering the course of events. The collective might arrayed against them was simply too great.
Under the watchful gaze of Itachi and the others, the masked man executed his plan with devastating precision. He leaped downward toward the golem's massive head, and as he approached the creature's gaping maw, the space before him began to distort once again.
The familiar spiral pattern of his technique activated, and the dimensional barrier between realities rolled back like a curtain. From within the hidden space, two figures of distinctly different sizes were forcibly ejected into normal space.
Without hesitation or ceremony, the masked man thrust both figures directly into the golem's open mouth with ruthless efficiency.
"Those chakra signatures..." the Second Hokage muttered, his enhanced perception immediately identifying the distinctive energy patterns of the two victims.
"It's Utakata and Fu!" Jiraiya's voice cracked with shock as the full implications of what they were witnessing became clear.
These two individuals were the jinchuuriki of the Six-Tails and Seven-Tails respectively—the very people who had been relocated to secure locations by Minato's direct orders before the war had even begun. Their capture represented a catastrophic intelligence failure with immediate tactical consequences.
"This is disastrous!" The collective exclamation reflected the horror shared by every witness as the true scope of the threat became apparent.
The moment the golem consumed both jinchuuriki, its massive body convulsed with newfound power. An explosion of force erupted from within the creature, the energy surge comparable to a volcanic eruption in its intensity and scope.
ROAR!
The tremendous gust of wind that accompanied the golem's transformation proved sufficient to shatter every restraining technique that had been holding it in place. Chains snapped, barriers crumbled, and binding seals dissolved as if they had never existed.
With the absorption of chakra from two additional tailed beasts, the golem's power had increased exponentially rather than merely additively. The mathematical progression of its capabilities followed no conventional logic—each new source of bijuu energy seemed to multiply rather than simply add to its existing strength.
The calculation was terrifying in its simplicity: the golem now possessed the power of eight different tailed beasts, leaving only the One-Tail's chakra to complete its transformation into the legendary Ten-Tails.
Freed from all restraints and driven by an instinct that bordered on precognition, the golem immediately launched itself skyward toward Gaara, who maintained his position on a cloud of manipulated sand high above the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the masked man utilized his spatial manipulation technique to vanish completely from the scene, disappearing before any of the assembled ninja could mount an effective counterattack.
BANG!
The armored Nine-Tails materialized within the massive crater that had become the primary battlefield, its enormous form moving with surprising agility as it rapidly approached the ongoing confrontation between Minato and Madara.
At that precise moment, space began to distort above Madara's complete Susanoo, and the masked man materialized once again with perfect timing.
Minato's enhanced senses immediately detected the new arrival's distinctive chakra signature, but he maintained his focused assault without allowing the distraction to compromise his tactical positioning.
"You're rather late," Madara observed with characteristic indifference, his attention remaining primarily focused on his legendary opponent.
The masked man offered no response to the criticism, instead delivering his report with clinical efficiency. "I can delay him temporarily. Use this opportunity to direct the golem toward capturing the One-Tail."
Hehe...
Madara's laugh carried dark amusement and subtle mockery. Since his resurrection, he had learned from Black Zetsu's intelligence reports that the masked man had developed personal ambitions that diverged significantly from their original shared objectives.
However, the current tactical situation had apparently convinced the masked individual that his independent goals were no longer achievable through his own efforts alone. Desperation had driven him back into reluctant cooperation.
"Based on your current capabilities?" Madara's question was deliberately insulting, drawing attention to the obvious fact that the masked man now possessed only a single Mangekyou Sharingan's worth of ocular power.
But despite his contempt for his ally's reduced circumstances, Madara recognized the practical value of the offered assistance. Acquiring the One-Tail's chakra as quickly as possible had become a strategic imperative.
The masked man burst forth from Madara's complete Susanoo with desperate intensity, his own chakra blazing outward to form a substantially smaller but still formidable Susanoo construct. The ethereal warrior that materialized around him was clearly inferior to Madara's legendary technique, but still represented a significant combat capability.
Madara's primary attention remained fixed on Minato, and simultaneously his invisible Limbo clone launched another assault against the Fourth Hokage from an angle that conventional vision could not detect.
BANG!
Minato's counter-attack manifested as a colossal chakra fist wreathed in dark golden energy, the technique striking the masked man's Susanoo with tremendous force. The impact was sufficient to shatter the ethereal construct almost instantly, but the intervention successfully disrupted Minato's attack trajectory and timing.
Within the fragments of his destroyed Susanoo, the masked man pressed forward with suicidal determination, moving directly toward the oncoming chakra fist rather than attempting to evade its devastating power.
Whoosh!
At the critical moment of contact, the masked man's body began to shift toward intangibility, his ocular technique gradually drawing him into the safety of dimensional space.
Swish!
However, at that exact instant, a pair of dark golden cross-shaped pupils appeared directly in front of the masked man's vision, their proximity indicating that his opponent had moved with speed that exceeded all reasonable prediction.
"Such incredible power!" the masked man's mind reeled with shock as he realized the fatal error in his calculations.
His original plan had been to wait until the very last possible moment before activating his intangibility technique, maximizing the duration of his distraction while minimizing his personal risk. But he had fundamentally underestimated Minato's enhanced capabilities.
There was simply no time remaining to complete his dimensional escape.
BANG!
Minato's fist connected with devastating force, striking the masked man directly in the chest with enough power to create audible sounds of breaking ribs. The impact sent shockwaves through the masked figure's entire body.
Cough!
Behind his concealing mask, the mysterious figure expelled a spray of blood that spoke to the severity of his internal injuries.
"Who exactly are you?" Minato's voice carried cold authority as his enhanced reflexes allowed him to capitalize on his opponent's momentary vulnerability.
With lightning-fast precision, he grasped the masked man's facial covering before his opponent could recover sufficiently to react. The material, despite being crafted from specially treated compounds, proved utterly inadequate against Minato's enhanced strength.
Crack!
The mask shattered like fragile pottery, its fragments falling away to reveal the face that had been concealed beneath.
What Minato saw defied every expectation and challenged his fundamental understanding of reality. The features before him were twisted and scarred, bearing the marks of terrible trauma and suffering, but underneath the damage, the basic structure remained hauntingly familiar.
When recognition finally dawned, Minato's entire body trembled with shock. He found himself frozen in place, staring at a face that had aged and changed dramatically since he had last seen it, but which still retained enough of its original characteristics to be identifiable.
The two faces were now separated by mere inches, close enough for Minato to see every detail of the transformation that had occurred.
"What's wrong with Dad?" Naruto's concerned voice came from his position within the armored Nine-Tails construct, which had finally reached the battlefield where his father and Madara were engaged.
The sight of Minato becoming distracted during active combat was so completely out of character that it immediately triggered alarm in his son's mind.
Minato's voice, when it finally emerged, carried equal measures of disbelief and dawning horror.
"Obito...?"