Half an hour later, Minato Namikaze arrived before Indra, weary from travel yet standing tall. He bowed respectfully. "Lord Indra, I've come to offer you half of the Nine-Tails. I hope you will accept it."
Indra eyed Minato's missing arm. "What happened to your arm?"
Minato's face was icy cold. "My unfilial son broke it!"
Indra raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Tell me more."
Minato replied, full of righteous indignation, "I believe in the Will of Fire, striving for peace. But my unfilial son actually wants to rule the shinobi world with force. I pleaded with him to change his ways, but he attacked me without a word. If I hadn't been quick, I might have lost more than just an arm…"
Black Zetsu mused silently: To damage an Impure World Reincarnation body… That means Naruto's already mastered Six Paths-level Yin-Yang Release. Did he meet Hagoromo?
Black Zetsu pressed sharply, "Minato, if you long for peace, why would you join us?"
Minato answered, "You're reviving the Ten-Tails to cast Infinite Tsukuyomi, right?"
At this point, Infinite Tsukuyomi was no secret, so Black Zetsu wasn't surprised Minato knew.
Black Zetsu admitted openly, "That's right."
Minato raised his palm solemnly. "I now truly believe that Infinite Tsukuyomi is the path to peace. In a world of sweet dreams, there will be no more strife—an ideal paradise. Sabarashi—how wonderful~~"
Lowering his hand, Minato earnestly continued, "Lord Indra, I hope you'll use Infinite Tsukuyomi to create a world where fathers and sons are harmonious, brothers are friendly, and…"
Black Zetsu interjected, "And what?"
Minato scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "Marital equality—no, actually, a world where husbands have higher status than wives…"
Black Zetsu burst out laughing. "Hahahahahaha! Indra, what do you make of that?"
"Harmony between fathers and sons, brotherly love…" Indra's lips curled into a mocking smile. Then his voice turned cold. "Release your Nine-Tails."
Minato did as he was told. Kurama's chakra burst forth, forming a golden cloak, and then Kurama's golden body materialized outside him. Because this was the Yin half of Kurama, the gold shimmered with a layer of black mist, the whole form tinged darker than usual.
"Half the Nine-Tails… That's all there is to it."
Indra murmured indifferently, forming a two-finger seal.
—Outer Path: Statue Chains!
Clank!
The Demonic Statue behind him opened its jaws wide. Pale purple chains shot out, wrapping around Kurama's neck.
"Ugh…!"
An irresistible force yanked Kurama forward. Separated from Minato's body, the beast was dragged by the chains and pulled into the statue!
Clank!
The statue's mouth snapped shut. The nine eyes on its head grew bloodshot, blood pouring out in streams!
A blood-red moon hung high, the earth trembled—
"ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRR!!!"
The statue clutched its head with both hands, howling in agony!
Countless stones floated up, suspended in midair.
Black Zetsu cackled wildly. "Hahahahahaha! At last! The Ten-Tails is finally about to be reborn!!"
But at that very moment, Indra strode forward, cold as ice.
Black Zetsu called out, "Indra, you—"
Indra fixed Minato with a chilling glare. "Minato Namikaze, answer me: Why would you turn against your own child for the sake of some empty ideal of peace?"
"This…" For a moment, Minato was at a loss for words.
Indra's stride was unwavering, his words ringing out like thunder.
"Ruling the weak by force is the duty of the strong. What's wrong with that?"
"Those without power, unable to accomplish anything on their own, are forced to rely on others. The strong can achieve anything alone—why bother with the false prosperity of unity?"
"But those who stand on the moral high ground, monopolizing the right to speak, refuse to face the root of the problem. Instead, they deny the independence of the strong and glorify the pitiful huddling of the weak!"
"In the end, the weak are always right, the strong always guilty!"
"And is it all for so-called 'love'?"
"No! That's just dogma disguised as love!"
"Whether it's the Sage of Six Paths or Asura, their childish ideals have stripped the world of its resilience. Because no one truly grows, shinobi strength only declines!"
"Flowers raised in a greenhouse will wither at the first sign of wind and rain!"
"Asura's Ninshū is nothing but a gentle trap—a complete lie!"
Indra's gaze sharpened to a blade. "Minato Namikaze, whether you're truly surrendering or plotting something else, you will die here today!"
With those words, he swept his sleeve, and the Truth-Seeking Orbs behind him shot toward Minato!
"!?" Minato retreated at top speed. The orbs stopped just ahead of him. "Seventy meters… So that's the limit of the Truth-Seeking Orbs?"
"Oh?" Indra's eyes glinted. "So your speed isn't just for show…"
Minato thought to himself: I never imagined my carefully rehearsed surrender would hit Indra's sore spot. Should I use Flying Thunder God to escape? No… I need to understand Indra's motives completely.
He called out, "Indra, I can see you're a man of conviction. I have a question—will you answer it?"
Indra's voice was cold. "What is it?"
Minato: "If you believe the world should be ruled by strength, why use Infinite Tsukuyomi—such a roundabout method?"
Indra: "The 'culture of weakness' has already taken root in people's hearts."
"Chronic illness calls for drastic medicine. So, I'm not weaving a dream—I'm using Infinite Tsukuyomi to instill the 'culture of strength' into everyone!"
"When that culture takes hold, I'll release Infinite Tsukuyomi!"
"That's right—Infinite Tsukuyomi isn't escape, it's correction. I'll personally fix the thousand-year mistake my stubborn father and mediocre brother made!"
"Now that I've answered, you can die!"
Indra's eyes narrowed.
CRACK—!
Lightning exploded around Minato!
"Ugh… Summoning lightning—he has the same ability as Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyō! And the lightning comes from beneath—there's no way to dodge!"
Paralyzed by the lightning, Minato couldn't use Flying Thunder God at all!
Black Zetsu called out, "Destroy his Impure World Reincarnation body, then use the Rinnegan's Human and Hell Paths to take his soul. That'll stop him from ever being revived!"
"As if I need you to tell me!"
Whoosh! Indra charged in like a raging storm.
Despair filled Minato's heart. "Damn… Am I really going to die here?"
Whoosh!
But at the last possible second, a swirling vortex appeared in front of Minato!
—Fire Release: Storm Wild Dance!
Chaotic flames spun outward, carried by the whirling vortex!
Staring at the back of the man who'd saved him, Minato's expression was complicated. "Obito, you…"
Obito turned, a sly smile on his lips. "Sensei, I never show up late when it matters most…"
Indra halted, casually dispersing the flames with a wave, his gaze deep and unreadable. "So, the rat lurking in the shadows finally shows itself…"
Whoosh!
From the closing vortex, Asura appeared beside Obito. "Brother, I won't let you run wild any longer!"
Indra's tone was icy. "Oh? So you escaped from the Sage's tomb as well…"
"ROOOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRR!!!"
The Demonic Statue's roar shook the heavens!
A cocky grin curled at Indra's lips. "Well, the Ten-Tails' revival still needs a bit more time. This should make for some interesting entertainment…"
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