"Grandpa Third Hokage!"
Naruto's voice erupted with a ferocious intensity that seemed to shake the very air around him. His face was twisted with rage and desperate concern as he prepared to rush directly toward Madara's position atop the massive Gedo Statue, regardless of the overwhelming danger.
The sight of the Third Hokage's broken and wounded form had triggered something primal within the young ninja, overriding all tactical considerations and strategic thinking with pure emotional fury.
"You are their primary target. Don't act rashly and play into their hands," Sasuke said as he reached out and firmly grasped Naruto's shoulder, his voice low but carrying the authority of someone who understood the broader strategic implications.
His Sharingan had immediately analyzed the tactical situation and recognized that Naruto's capture was likely one of Madara's primary objectives. Allowing him to charge forward blindly would accomplish exactly what their enemies desired.
"Let go of me! Let me pass!" Naruto demanded with barely controlled desperation.
However, it was not easy for someone of Naruto's passionate nature to simply calm down when faced with the suffering of someone he cared about. The six distinctive whisker marks on both sides of his cheeks began showing visible signs of darkening and expanding, indicating that the Nine-Tails' influence was beginning to assert itself.
"Whoosh!"
Around Naruto's entire body, brilliant golden chakra suddenly rose like living flames, enveloping him in an aura of power that made the very air shimmer with barely contained energy. The transformation was both beautiful and terrifying, representing the tremendous force that lay dormant within the young jinchūriki.
"I'll go deal with Madara directly. You take this opportunity to rescue the Third Hokage while I keep him occupied!" Minato declared with grim determination.
His normally composed features had become extremely dark with suppressed anger and tactical focus. After delivering these crucial instructions, he disappeared from everyone's sight in a brilliant flash of yellow light, his Flying Thunder God technique carrying him toward the confrontation that would determine the fate of the ninja world.
Naruto and the others finally processed what their leader had said, looked at each other with understanding, and immediately rushed down from the elevated platform of the Allied Forces Headquarters to begin their rescue mission.
"If you truly want to save that old fool's life, then hand over what I require," Madara called out from his position atop the Gedo Statue.
His expression remained completely indifferent, as if discussing something as mundane as the weather rather than holding the life of a beloved leader hostage. He brought his hands together in a deliberate seal formation that radiated malevolent intent.
"Bang!"
As Madara completed his technique, the ground beneath the Gedo Statue's massive body suddenly shattered with tremendous force. From the fractures, a distinctive wooden coffin began gradually rising, its ominous markings immediately recognizable to anyone familiar with the Edo Tensei resurrection technique.
The coffin struck the ground with a resounding crash that echoed across the battlefield like a funeral bell announcing the arrival of death itself.
Swish!
A figure burst forth from the opened coffin with explosive speed, his hands already moving through a complex sequence of seals with the fluid precision that had made him legendary throughout the ninja world.
"The First Hokage!" Minato exclaimed with recognition and growing concern as he continued his rapid approach toward Madara's position.
He had naturally identified the handsome, powerful man who had emerged from the coffin – Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi whose Wood Release techniques had once reshaped entire landscapes and whose power had been considered unmatched by any ninja in history.
"BOOM!"
As the First Hokage's seal sequence reached completion, the ground began cracking and splitting outward from directly in front of his position. Immediately, sturdy trees began growing from the fissures with supernatural speed and scale, their growth defying all natural laws.
In the span of mere seconds, the technique had transformed the entire area into a vast sea of interconnected trees whose scope seemed to stretch beyond the horizon itself.
The thick tree trunks moved like living tentacles, their branches reaching out to cover everything within their range while launching indiscriminate attacks against anything that dared to approach their master's position.
"As expected of the legendary First Hokage," Minato murmured with grudging admiration even as the forest of trees blocked his intended path.
The forest technique deployed by Hashirama was far more extensive and powerful than even the versions that Madara had demonstrated during their previous encounters. The scale was almost incomprehensible, covering several square kilometers with ease.
After all, Wood Release was a secret technique that only the First Hokage had ever truly mastered to its full potential. Even Madara's impressive capabilities with stolen cells paled in comparison to Hashirama's natural affinity and lifetime of refinement.
However, this level of obstacle was not sufficient to stop the Yellow Flash from reaching his objective.
Minato's white robe billowed dramatically without any wind to move it, and dark golden chakra began rushing upward from beneath his feet like a geyser of pure energy. The power painted his entire body in this distinctive coloration, transforming him into something that seemed more divine than human.
Facing the countless thick tree branches that reached toward him like grasping tentacles, Minato continued moving forward without reducing his speed even slightly. His determination was absolute and unwavering.
From behind his advancing form, the dark golden chakra began surging outward and continuously extending, each tendril transforming into a massive chakra claw that possessed both substance and devastating power.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The chakra claws swung outward with tremendous force, directly smashing through the tree trunks and systematically clearing a path through the wooden obstacles. Each impact created explosions of splinters and chakra that lit up the battlefield with spectacular displays of power.
"Incredible!" gasped one of the staff members remaining on the headquarters platform.
The personnel of the Allied Forces Headquarters were absolutely horrified by what they were witnessing. This level of raw power was simply beyond their ability to comprehend or categorize within their understanding of what ninja techniques could accomplish.
In this extraordinary situation, few people had the presence of mind to analyze the source of the Nine-Tails chakra that was clearly covering Minato's body, or to question where such power could have originated.
All their attention was focused entirely on this battle that would determine whether their coalition could survive the war that threatened to destroy everything they held dear.
The individual responsible for starting this global conflict was finally before their eyes, and the confrontation they had all been anticipating was about to reach its climax.
"Hehe," Madara chuckled with dark amusement, showing no surprise whatsoever that Minato had broken through the blockade created by the Tree World Advent technique with such apparent ease.
If the Yellow Flash didn't possess at least this level of capability, there would have been no need for Madara to invest such tremendous effort and resources into preparing for this war. The Fourth Hokage's legendary reputation was well-earned, and Madara respected strength wherever he found it.
Just as Minato rushed directly into the heart of the tree world's domain, intending to reach Madara's position in one decisive charge, the ground beneath his feet suddenly began cracking with ominous intent.
"ROAR!"
A massive dragon head formed entirely from Wood Release techniques burst through the earth and opened its enormous mouth toward Minato's position, revealing rows of wooden teeth that could crush stone to powder.
Minato had naturally anticipated and evaded this attack long before it could pose any real threat to his advance. He possessed no need to confront such techniques directly when his speed allowed him to simply avoid them entirely.
However, the violent shaking of the ground did not stop with the emergence of the wooden dragon. As the serpentine construct gradually pulled its full length from the earth, the cracks and fissures continued expanding in all directions.
"CRASH!"
A gigantic wooden hand suddenly burst from the expanding fissures, its fingers spread wide to grasp at Minato's position. His pupils contracted slightly with surprise at the scale of what was emerging, and his body immediately shifted backward to create tactical distance.
At this moment, Naruto and the others were approaching the outer range of the tree world's influence. Just as they were preparing to rush into the wooden maze to provide assistance to Minato, their leader suddenly retreated from the expanding danger zone.
"Retreat immediately!" Minato warned with urgent authority, and Kushina, Naruto, and Sasuke quickly stepped back to safer positions without questioning his tactical judgment.
"Rumble!"
The next moment brought a sight that defied all previous understanding of what ninjutsu could accomplish. The entire landscape covered by the tree world began collapsing inward, and from the massive depression, a colossal wooden figure slowly stood up from the earth.
When the construct finally straightened to its full height, it stood almost level with the surrounding mountain peaks. Actually, upon closer inspection, it was even taller than the natural formations that had dominated the landscape for millennia.
Even the impressive size of the Gedo Statue suddenly appeared small and insignificant when compared to this manifestation of the First Hokage's ultimate technique.
The coalition personnel gathered on the high platform of the headquarters found themselves almost unable to breathe as they witnessed this display of godlike power.
Everyone fell silent, staring in complete amazement, their minds struggling to process what their eyes were reporting. Many stood frozen in place, unable to move or think coherently in the face of such overwhelming force.
Standing before the mountain-sized wooden fighter, even Minato, Sasuke, and Naruto felt their pupils contract with shock and awe at the scale of their opponent's capabilities.
"Are you planning to destroy the leadership of the coalition forces directly rather than pursuing more subtle objectives?" Minato asked as he studied the massive construct before him.
While he was still processing the tactical implications of facing such a technique, the wooden giant had already begun its attack. It drew back one enormous fist and launched it forward, accompanied by the wooden dragon that rushed out to attack in the direction of the coalition headquarters.
Sasuke's pupils blazed as the eternal Mangekyō Sharingan pattern appeared, his ocular powers automatically activating in response to the overwhelming threat.
Behind Naruto and Kushina, chakra began surging with tremendous intensity, manifesting as huge chakra claws that emerged to provide whatever protection they could offer.
However, it was immediately apparent that their defensive efforts would prove insufficient to stop or significantly deflect the wooden giant's devastating assault. The scale was simply too overwhelming for conventional techniques to address.
Meanwhile, the people positioned on the platform of the headquarters didn't even possess the presence of mind or will to attempt escape. The sight of such tremendous power had frozen them in place with a mixture of awe and despair.
Swish!
Minato leaped high into the sky with explosive force, his distinctive scarlet pupils gradually beginning to flash with an intense dark golden coloration that spoke to powers beyond normal ninja capabilities.
Naruto, who had achieved mastery of Sage Mode through his training with the toads, suddenly shuddered with recognition and amazement.
Because his enhanced senses detected that an absolutely astonishing quantity of senjutsu chakra was rapidly gathering toward Minato's position from all directions.
The natural energy existing between heaven and earth was being drawn in and concentrated so quickly that the very environment seemed to be drained almost instantaneously.
With the tremendous assistance provided by this natural energy, Minato's body achieved sustained flight, positioning himself directly in the path of the wooden giant's attack to serve as a shield for the headquarters and everyone within it.
He drew back his own fist and channeled tremendous quantities of natural energy into the strike, preparing to meet overwhelming force with equally overwhelming power.
"BANG!"
The collision between natural energy and Wood Release created a spectacular explosion of conflicting forces. The concentrated senjutsu chakra surged outward, first systematically destroying the wooden dragon piece by piece, then meeting the enormous fist of the wooden giant in direct confrontation.
The wooden fighter's body, which possessed the majesty and apparent permanence of a mountain range, paused for a moment as the opposing forces struggled for dominance. Then, incredibly, the massive construct actually began retreating backward under the pressure of Minato's technique.
The huge body staggered several steps in reverse, each footfall leaving a deep crater in the ground that would become a permanent landmark. Only after several such impacts did the giant finally regain its balance and stop its involuntary retreat.
"Is this truly his real power?" Sasuke whispered with shock and disbelief, his voice barely audible as he processed what he had just witnessed.
In addition to the obvious amazement visible in his expression, there was also unmistakable pride gleaming in Naruto's eyes as he watched his father demonstrate capabilities that seemed to transcend normal human limitations.
On the headquarters platform, the Allied ninja finally began to recover from their stunned paralysis and return to functional consciousness.
Because even when facing this godlike display of power, they were not completely powerless to resist or defend themselves. The leader of their ninja alliance possessed equal or perhaps even greater strength than their legendary opponents!
After temporarily neutralizing the wooden giant's attack through sheer force, Minato suddenly turned his attention to a different concern. His voice was enhanced and amplified by chakra so that it would carry clearly across the vast distance to the headquarters.
"Shikaku! Take everyone from the headquarters and evacuate this area immediately! Move with all possible speed!"
Minato's expression had grown extremely solemn as he processed the tactical realities of their situation. Although he possessed the power necessary to resist Madara and his techniques, once the battle truly erupted in earnest, the distance between the combat zone and the headquarters would prove insufficient to protect the personnel stationed there.
The mere aftermath and residual effects of warfare conducted at this level would be more than sufficient to completely destroy the coalition headquarters and kill everyone within its vicinity!