Ding! Ding!
The sound that erupted as Minato's ultimate technique approached its target was like reality itself crying out in protest. Faced with ninjutsu that contained every scrap of natural energy the Fourth Hokage could access, every innovation he had developed in his quest to bridge the impossible gap between mortal and divine power, even Madara's expression shifted with the first hint of genuine concern he had shown throughout the entire battle.
The several Truth-Seeking Orbs floating behind him responded to his will with liquid grace, their shapes flowing and merging as they combined with the black staff in his hand. What emerged was a comprehensive defensive barrier that surrounded him in a perfect 360-degree sphere of protection—the kind of absolute defense that had never before been necessary against any mortal opponent.
BOOM!
The collision when it came was less an explosion than a fundamental rewriting of local physics. The Sage Art Tailed Beast Rasenshuriken struck Madara's barrier with the concentrated fury of natural disasters, its enhanced wind blades carving through space itself while its core pulsed with enough energy to boil seas. The resulting detonation created a hemispheric shockwave with a diameter of several dozen meters, the air itself becoming visible as it was compressed and superheated by forces that belonged to the realm of legends.
The sound was deafening, a thunderclap that could be heard for miles in every direction and left the ears of every witness ringing with phantom echoes. The ground beneath the explosion cracked and buckled, ancient stone that had weathered millennia suddenly reduced to powder by pressure waves that treated solid matter as a mere suggestion.
For a moment, just a moment, hope flickered in the hearts of the Allied Forces. If Minato's technique could force Madara to mount such a comprehensive defense, if it could create destruction on this scale...
"Hokage-sama!"
Guy's voice cut through the ringing aftermath as he finally processed what he was seeing. The man who had been standing beside him moments before, the legendary Yellow Flash who had seemed invincible throughout Guy's entire experience as a shinobi, was missing his left arm entirely.
The injury was clean—too clean, as if the limb had been removed by something that existed beyond the normal rules of physical interaction. There was surprisingly little blood, the wound sealed by the same force that had severed it, but the absence was stark and terrible in its implications.
Because Minato's body had been fundamentally altered by years of exposure to the Nine-Tails' chakra, his enhanced physiology began responding to the trauma almost immediately. The minimal bleeding that had started from the wound began to slow, clotting factors enhanced by supernatural energy working to stabilize his condition. Still, the loss of a limb represented a devastating reduction in combat capability for anyone, even someone of Minato's legendary skills.
Bang!
Despite the pain that had to be coursing through his system, despite the shock of losing a limb in combat, Minato's tactical mind continued to function with mechanical precision. His remaining hand blurred through a single-handed seal sequence, calling forth a shadow clone with the same technique that had served him so well throughout his career.
Swish!
The clone, immediately understanding its purpose through their shared consciousness, vanished in a puff of smoke. At the same instant, something else appeared in the space before them—Minato's severed left arm, still crackling with residual chakra from the moment of its amputation.
The logic was as brilliant as it was desperate. The arm remained part of his body despite being separated, and since the amputation had occurred only moments before, it was still viable for the Flying Thunder God technique to treat it as an extension of Minato himself. The space-time ninjutsu that allowed him to travel instantly between marked locations could also be used to retrieve pieces of himself from across the battlefield.
High above them, Konan and the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki watched the scene unfold with expressions of growing horror. They had witnessed the exchange between Minato and Madara from their aerial vantage point, had seen the impossible speed and devastating power of the techniques being employed, but the sight of the severed arm drove home the reality of what they were facing in a way that mere displays of chakra could not.
They possessed no way to meaningfully intervene in a battle being conducted at such levels. Even Minato, with all his legendary abilities and innovations, had lost a limb in mere minutes of direct combat. What hope could any of them have against an opponent who could casually dismember the Yellow Flash himself?
Poof!
The shadow clone reappeared before them, bringing with it a figure whose presence immediately shifted the entire dynamic of the situation. Tsunade Senju, the legendary Slug Princess, materialized with the medical supplies and expertise that represented Minato's only hope of remaining combat-effective.
Her keen eyes immediately assessed the situation, taking in the severed arm, the cauterized wound, and the determination still burning in Minato's gaze despite his devastating injury.
"Lady Tsunade," Minato said quickly, his voice steady despite the circumstances, "I apologize for the urgency, but I need your help."
The request was unnecessary—Tsunade could see exactly what was required, and her hands were already moving to retrieve the necessary materials from her medical kit. She understood as well as anyone that this battle represented more than just another conflict. If Madara's plan succeeded, if the Infinite Tsukuyomi was allowed to reach completion, then medical ethics and hospital protocols would become meaningless concepts in a world where free will itself had been eliminated.
Bang!
Tsunade unrolled a sealed scroll with practiced efficiency, revealing a glass vial that contained what appeared to be white liquid. The substance inside seemed almost alive, pulsing with its own internal rhythm as if responding to some unheard heartbeat.
"Reattaching the severed limb isn't particularly difficult with the right materials," she explained as she worked, her voice carrying the confidence of someone who had performed such procedures countless times. "But if you need it to be immediately functional in combat, we'll have to rely on the regenerative properties of your grandfather's genetic material."
As she spoke, Tsunade quickly opened the glass bottle and began applying the white liquid to both Minato's shoulder wound and the top of his severed arm. The substance moved with obvious intelligence, spreading evenly across the damaged tissue and beginning to establish connections between the separated pieces.
Then, with the decisive movement of a master surgeon, she pressed the severed arm against Minato's shoulder. The moment of contact triggered a transformation that was as fascinating as it was unsettling—the white liquid began to writhe and expand, growing new tissue with visible speed as it reconnected nerve, muscle, and bone with supernatural efficiency.
Green light began to emanate from Tsunade's palms as she employed medical ninjutsu to accelerate the healing process even further. The combination of Hashirama's cells and advanced medical techniques was creating regeneration that should have taken months and condensing it into moments.
It was at precisely this moment that the explosion from Minato's ultimate attack began to subside, the shockwaves dissipating and the blinding light fading enough to reveal what remained at the center of the devastation.
Every eye on the battlefield turned toward the epicenter of destruction, hoping against hope that somehow, impossibly, Minato's technique had succeeded where everything else had failed.
What they saw shattered those hopes as thoroughly as hammer blows against glass.
At Madara's feet lay fragments of Truth-Seeking Orbs, black shards that testified to the incredible power of the attack that had just concluded. The fact that Minato's technique had managed to actually damage those divine implements was unprecedented—a feat that should have been impossible for any mortal technique to achieve.
But Madara himself remained completely unharmed.
He stood in the center of the destruction as if he had been taking a casual stroll rather than weathering an attack that could have reshaped landscapes. His divine regalia was unmarked, his expression calm, his posture relaxed. The only sign that anything significant had occurred was the scattered debris at his feet—evidence that even cosmic power occasionally required effort to maintain.
His gaze found Minato across the battlefield, and when he spoke, his voice carried the casual indifference of someone commenting on the weather.
At this moment, Minato clenched his newly reattached left hand, testing the restored connection between mind and limb.
"Recovered!"
The confirmation was both relieving and astounding. Thanks to the fundamental changes that years of Nine-Tails chakra exposure had wrought in his physiology, combined with the legendary regenerative capabilities of Hashirama Senju's genetic material, his arm had been restored to full functionality in mere minutes.
But more than that—Minato could feel his chakra reserves beginning to strengthen again, the First Hokage's cells not only healing his injury but actively enhancing his overall capabilities. Rather than experiencing the rejection reactions that should have occurred when foreign genetic material was introduced to his system, his body was embracing and amplifying the modifications.
"Impressive medical technique," Madara observed with the tone of a connoisseur appreciating fine craftsmanship. "To achieve such rapid restoration of function... quite remarkable indeed."
His acknowledgment was genuine, but it carried with it the same casual dismissal that a human might show when praising the ingenuity of an ant colony.
"But what difference can it possibly make?"
As he spoke, Madara slowly clenched his own palm, and the scattered fragments of Truth-Seeking Orbs began to flow back together like liquid metal responding to a magnetic pull. Within moments, both his staff and the defensive spheres had been completely reconstituted, showing no sign that they had ever been damaged.
The display was as demoralizing as it was impressive. Minato's ultimate technique, the attack that had incorporated every innovation and desperate gambit he could devise, had managed to inflict damage that lasted approximately thirty seconds before being casually repaired.
In that previous exchange, Minato had once again exhausted the majority of his chakra reserves, burning through natural energy and Nine-Tails chakra with reckless abandon in pursuit of an attack that might actually threaten his divine opponent. The Nine-Tails within Kushina's body would need time to recover before it could provide significant assistance again, and time was the one resource they lacked.
Swish!
Without further preamble, Madara launched himself toward Minato's position once more, his movements carrying the same casual inevitability as a force of nature. He completely ignored Konan and the Third Tsuchikage, dismissing their potential contributions as irrelevant to the outcome of this confrontation.
The dynamic had become that of a cat toying with a mouse—no matter how cleverly the prey might struggle, no matter what desperate strategies it might employ, the fundamental power differential ensured that the ending was never truly in doubt.
In Madara's strategic assessment, eliminating Minato took priority over immediately capturing the Nine-Tails. The Fourth Hokage's analytical abilities and tactical innovations made him far more dangerous than his raw power level might suggest. As long as Minato remained alive and capable of resistance, there was always the possibility that he might devise some new strategy that could complicate the completion of the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Minato and Tsunade both tensed as they prepared for another exchange, the former already calculating how to position the battle to minimize collateral damage to his allies. His enhanced senses were tracking Madara's approach, his analytical mind racing through possible counters and escape routes.
But suddenly, his attention was drawn to something that made his blood run cold.
The chakra signature emanating from Guy's position was undergoing dramatic changes, the familiar patterns of seven-gate enhancement beginning to shift toward something far more dangerous and terrible.
"Guy, stop!"
Minato's shout carried all the urgency and authority he could muster, his enhanced perception allowing him to see exactly what the taijutsu specialist was preparing to do. The chakra within Guy's body was flowing toward the final gate, the one forbidden threshold that even his father had only crossed once—in the moment of his death.
That was the location of the Death Gate, the eighth and final barrier in the Eight Inner Gates formation!
Guy turned toward Minato's voice, his expression carrying a peace that was more terrifying than any display of anger or desperation could have been.
"Hokage-sama," he said, his voice steady with the weight of absolute conviction, "my father once sacrificed his life to protect us from an enemy he couldn't defeat through any other means."
His eyes found Madara's position across the battlefield, and the memories of countless training sessions with his father crystallized into perfect clarity. All those times Might Duy had warned him about the final gate, all those conversations about the price of true power, had been leading to this moment.
"And I just made him a promise that I would defeat the enemy responsible for his death."
The simple declaration carried with it implications that sent chills through everyone who heard it. This wasn't the reckless bravado of youth or the desperate gamble of someone with no other options—this was the calm determination of a man who had weighed all possibilities and chosen his path with full knowledge of its consequences.
"Since you're willing to fight for your friends and comrades," Guy continued, his gaze never leaving Madara's approaching form, "I cannot stand by and watch my friends struggle alone!"
The mathematical reality was undeniable. With only the power of seven gates at his disposal, Guy was completely incapable of contributing meaningfully to the battle between Minato and Madara. His enhanced speed and strength, impressive as they were by normal standards, simply couldn't compete with the cosmic forces being wielded by a Ten-Tails Jinchuriki.
The only method available to him, the only technique that might allow him to stand as an equal in this battle between legends, was the complete Eight Inner Gates formation—even knowing that its use would cost him his life.
Guy was prepared to embrace death if it meant protecting the people he cared about. Seeing such absolute resolve, such willingness to sacrifice everything for the sake of others, Minato found he had no moral authority to prevent it.
Because if this war was lost, if Madara's plan reached completion, then no one would be spared anyway. The choice wasn't between life and death—it was between dying free or living as a slave in an eternal dream.
At this moment, all ninja should be prepared to fight with their lives on the line!
The blue steam that had been covering Guy's body began to shift, taking on an ominous red tinge that spoke to forces being unleashed beyond the normal boundaries of human endurance. His chakra signature blazed brighter and brighter as internal barriers that had never been meant to be crossed began to crumble under the pressure of absolute necessity.
"This man can also open all eight gates?"
Madara's approach slowed as he noticed the transformation occurring in Guy's position, genuine interest flickering in his ancient eyes. The corners of his mouth rose in an expression that might have been anticipation or amusement—it was difficult to tell which emotion was driving his reaction.
The power building around Guy was unmistakable to anyone who had witnessed its like before. This was the same technique that had once forced even Madara to retreat, the same forbidden art that had turned a "mere" taijutsu specialist into a threat worthy of the attention of gods.
"Eight Inner Gates Formation... the eighth gate..."
Guy's voice carried across the battlefield with the finality of a death sentence being pronounced, but there was no fear in his tone—only the serene acceptance of someone who had found his true purpose.
"Gate of Death... OPEN!"
BANG!
The explosion of power that accompanied the opening of the final gate was like witnessing the birth of a new star. Blood-red steam erupted from Guy's body with such force that the air around him was physically displaced, creating a vacuum that was immediately filled by the howling rush of atmosphere seeking equilibrium.
The ground beneath his feet cracked and cratered from the sheer pressure of his transformation, stone that had withstood countless battles suddenly reduced to powder by forces that operated beyond normal physical laws.
No—this power was even greater than what Might Duy had achieved in his final battle. Guy's superior physical conditioning, his years of additional training and refinement of technique, had allowed him to access levels of enhancement that even his father had never reached.
The changes occurring in Guy's body stunned the Third Tsuchikage and Konan, both of whom had never witnessed the Eight Inner Gates formation in person. The transformation was so dramatic, so obviously beyond normal human limitations, that it challenged their fundamental understanding of what shinobi techniques could accomplish.
"Eight Inner Gates Formation!"
The roar that erupted from Guy's throat was no longer entirely human—it carried with it the sound of a wild beast unleashed, of natural forces given voice and direction. His chakra signature had become so intense that it was visible even to those without enhanced perception, painting the air around him in shades of red that hurt to look at directly.
Just as Guy completed his transformation, Sasuke and Naruto managed to break free from the God Tree's relentless assault. Two pillars of power erupted from the base of the massive entity as the Nine-Tails and Perfect Susanoo forms manifested with renewed determination.
Both young warriors rushed toward Madara's position with everything they could muster, their combined might representing the hopes of an entire generation of ninja who refused to accept defeat.
"Let's do this!"
After the full power of the Eight Inner Gates was released, Guy wasted no time on further declarations or preparations. He launched himself toward Madara with the devastating directness of a natural disaster given human form.
Swish!
He transformed into a blood-red comet as he covered the distance between them, his speed transcending anything Minato could achieve even at full power. Guy's mastery of taijutsu, refined through decades of training that had pushed his body beyond normal human limits even before the gates were opened, allowed him to access levels of the Eight Inner Gates formation that surpassed even his father's legendary final battle.
The sight of Guy's approach, the sheer presence he radiated in his enhanced state, actually caused something that no one had expected to see—genuine excitement in Madara's ancient eyes.
"Let's dance!"
Minato's voice carried across the battlefield as he prepared to follow Guy's charge, his own chakra reserves beginning to recover thanks to the enhanced physiology granted by Hashirama's cells. This battle no longer had any chance of conventional victory—now all they could do was fight with everything they possessed and hope that somehow, impossibly, it would be enough.
When Minato moved to join Guy's desperate assault, to add his own legendary skills to what might be their final coordinated attack, a voice suddenly echoed in his ears that stopped him in his tracks.
"Fourth Hokage, wait a moment..."