"It really hurts... but I've gotten used to it."
After delivering a powerful strike, Might Duy descended from the air, clutching his arm briefly before slowly releasing it. "Third Hokage, Fourth Hokage, I'll take the lead on the frontal assault!"
He couldn't use sealing jutsu or barrier techniques, the only thing he had was the overwhelming power of the Eight Gates, capable of shattering any defense the enemy threw up.
The Third Hokage, blood trickling from his mouth, exchanged a determined glance with Jiraiya and Minato. In their eyes shone a glimmer of hope.
"I never imagined the power of the Eight Gates could be this strong..."
The Third Hokage looked at Might Duy with deep respect.
But unfortunately... that power could only be used once.
The Nine-Tails, knocked to the ground, writhed as its deformed head quickly snapped back to normal and it stood up again. Uchiha Obito's figure reappeared as well.
Obito bore no visible wounds but looked at Might Duy with a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "Blood-colored steam... is that the Eight Gates?"
Thanks to his Mangekyō Sharingan, Obito could see the flow of chakra within Might Duy's body, and the massive chakra surge erupting from the location of the Eight Gates.
He folded his arms calmly in front of him and said flatly, "Looks like the Konoha Hokage's power is useless after all. At times like this, it's only the other ninja that can come to save the day."
Whoosh!
Might Duy ignored Obito's words and instantly flashed to his front, throwing another punch at his face.
The wild force whipped up a huge air blast that slammed into Obito's body, yet strangely, Obito just stood there calmly, expressionless, not even moving, unaffected by the blow.
"My punch... went right through?!"
Might Duy's expression shifted dramatically.
At the same time, Minato, Jiraiya, and the others rushing forward witnessed this bizarre sight, their faces all showing shock.
Minato glared at Obito with a stern expression. "Such a space-time ninjutsu... So you really are Obito?!"
"Obito is dead," Obito replied coldly. "But his abilities are indeed useful."
Hearing this, the Third Hokage's face changed sharply and he gritted his teeth. "So you're controlling Obito's body? Uchiha Madara! So capturing the Tailed Beast was to restore your original body's power..."
Both the Third Hokage and Minato believed this person must be Madara, for one simple reason: Obito could not have grown this powerful so quickly.
Everything, the tone, the techniques, even the overwhelming chakra, was completely different from Obito. Being controlled by Madara was the only explanation that made sense.
"If he stays like this, he won't be able to simultaneously control the Nine-Tails. I can sever his link with it... Dai, once I get close and cast the jutsu on the Nine-Tails, attack him immediately, just make sure not to hit me or the Nine-Tails."
Minato turned to Might Duy with determination.
Whether it was Madara stealing Obito's power or controlling his body, now was not the time to worry about that. The priority was cutting off the enemy's connection to the Nine-Tails and sealing it again; without its power source, the opponent would lose their strength.
"Understood."
Almost immediately, Minato's figure flickered as he leapt onto the Nine-Tails' back. Might Duy also dashed forward, landing right in front of Obito and punching hard.
Buzz!!
The massive air blast engulfed Obito's body, forcing him to activate Kamui and shift his body into the alternate dimension.
At the same time, Minato pressed his hands firmly on the Nine-Tails' back, spreading a pitch-black sealing jutsu that brutally severed the link between Obito and the beast, restoring the Nine-Tails' true consciousness.
Without hesitation, Minato moved with the Nine-Tails, vanishing in an instant to a distant mountain range.
"Not bad."
Obito tried to stop them, but during Kamui's activation, he couldn't use his eyes to interfere with Minato's actions, he could only watch Minato take the Nine-Tails away.
His gaze shifted to the distant chakra of the Nine-Tails in the mountains, and he snorted coldly. "Trying to lure me out of Konoha first, then pick us off one by one?"
"No."
Jiraiya's cold voice cut through. "Without the Nine-Tails' power, you really think you can leave here?"
The Third Hokage moved to the flank from the other side, their goal was clear: no matter what state this Madara was in, they couldn't let him escape!
Seeing this, Obito showed no panic. Instead, a mocking smile flickered in his eyes.
"Lost the Nine-Tails' power..."
"No."
"You've misunderstood something, controlling the Nine-Tails split off part of my ocular power, preventing me from using my full abilities."
As Obito's words fell, a surge of deep blue chakra rapidly spread from his body.
In the blink of an eye, it surpassed the scale of the third stage Susanoo, and kept growing.
Might Duy held back from attacking immediately, sensing he only had one strong blow left after his previous two attacks were blocked by Obito's strange power.
"What..."
Seeing the colossal chakra rising, towering between heaven and earth, the Third Hokage and Jiraiya's faces stiffened, their hearts shaken deeply.
The overwhelming chakra coalesced into a giant over a hundred meters tall, its deep blue flames burning fiercely all over.
"To be able to release such massive chakra..."
Jiraiya's expression darkened severely.
Then, to Jiraiya's disbelief, Obito calmly extended his right hand and made a loose fist.
"Not finished yet."
Clang!!
The burning chakra suddenly solidified, transforming into an unmistakable armor that cloaked the giant.
All the flowing, blazing chakra hardened into a tangible form, standing tall like an impenetrable fortress, a terrifying sight that nearly drained hope from anyone who saw it.
This was...
The Complete Susanoo!
Whether it was Jiraiya or the nearby Konoha Anbu and Jōnin watching from the village, they all stared wide-eyed, jaws dropping in shock and disbelief at the towering deep-blue giant outside the village.
"To have such enormous chakra fully solidified..."
"Is this the power of Uchiha Madara?!"
Jiraiya couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Even in Sage Mode, he felt a nearly hopeless weight pressing down on him facing this perfect Susanoo.
"This power..."
The Third Hokage's arms trembled. It reminded him of the strength of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha,
A power utterly beyond his own...
Not even in the same league.
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