"If we want to achieve our objective, we must first find a way to limit that monster's speed."
This desperate thought occurred to both the masked man and the man in black almost simultaneously, their shared frustration crystallizing into grim determination.
Compared to the raw power that Minato currently possessed, it was his speed that transcended all human limitations which gave both combatants their greatest headaches. His movements had reached a level that made conventional combat tactics completely ineffective.
If there was no method to restrict Minato's overwhelming mobility advantage, they would be forced to continue passively absorbing punishment while their stamina and chakra reserves steadily depleted.
"So you've fully adapted to Susanoo's power after all these years," Minato observed, his analytical mind processing the tactical situation even as he prepared for his next assault.
Eleven years ago, when the masked man had first manifested this form of Susanoo during their previous encounter, his ocular power and chakra had been consumed at an alarming rate. At that time, he had clearly been pushing himself to his absolute limits just to maintain the technique.
However, Minato had already shattered the armor plating on Susanoo's surface multiple times during today's battle, and each time the masked man had been able to restore it with remarkable speed while apparently retaining considerable reserves of both eye power and chakra.
The improvement in his mastery was undeniable and deeply concerning.
Within the protective shell of Susanoo, the man in black's voice reached his companion through their White Zetsu communication network: "We have no choice but to use that technique. A man like him won't simply stand by and watch this village be completely destroyed."
The masked man's visible eye narrowed slightly as he considered the implications of this suggestion, understanding immediately what his ally was proposing.
"The shinobi of Konoha probably never imagined that they themselves created such a terrible enemy," the masked man mused darkly, his thoughts turning to the tragic events that had shaped his current path.
While these grim reflections occupied his mind, the man in black beside him suddenly began forming hand seals with desperate urgency.
Rip! Rip! Rip!
The black robe covering his back, already torn and damaged from their previous exchanges, tore further as numerous black receiver rods suddenly erupted from his spine in a grotesque display.
Gasp!
As the chakra receivers manifested, the man in black seemed to struggle for breath, his chest heaving with visible effort. The Rinnegan hidden beneath his wide hood pulsed with fluctuating energy as an enormous strain was placed upon his body.
Minato watched this transformation with growing concern, his enhanced senses detecting an absolutely staggering surge of chakra emanating from the man in black's form.
But what were those black rods that had suddenly appeared across his back? Were they some kind of prerequisite for performing a particularly dangerous technique?
While Minato puzzled over these ominous developments, several black iron coffins lay concealed within the dense forests of the mountains surrounding Konoha, far from the village's detection range.
BOOM! BOOM!
The coffins suddenly resonated with muffled impacts from within, and their heavy lids began to slide open with grinding sounds. An orange-haired figure who had been lying motionless inside suddenly opened his eyes, revealing the distinctive ripple pattern of the Rinnegan.
Multiple black receiver rods protruded from various points across his face, giving him an otherworldly and intimidating appearance.
The figure rose from his coffin and surveyed the surrounding mountain forest with emotionless calculation. The mere vibrations of his chakra created ripples through the air that sent every wild animal in the vicinity fleeing in terror, birds taking flight in panicked formations as they sensed the presence of something far beyond their comprehension.
His cold gaze turned toward a specific direction with mechanical precision—the location where Konoha lay spread out below.
Without any visible effort, his body began to levitate, rising slowly but steadily into the air as he prepared to fulfill his designated role.
CRASH!
Naturally, Minato had no intention of allowing the man in black to complete whatever technique he was preparing. He launched another devastating assault, his sage-enhanced attack striking Susanoo with tremendous force.
Despite the protective construct's slight trembling under the impact, beads of sweat began forming on the hooded figure's forehead as the strain of maintaining his technique took its toll.
Even his facial features appeared to be growing visibly thinner as enormous amounts of chakra were channeled through his body at an unsustainable rate.
While conflicts raged throughout every district of Konoha, a new figure appeared high in the sky above the village, approaching the combat zone with ominous purpose.
"What is that?"
Uchiha Itachi, who had been coordinating civilian evacuation efforts, raised his eyes with growing concern as he attempted to assess the fighting situation within the village proper. His attention was suddenly drawn to a tiny dark speck moving through the sky toward Konoha's center.
Swish!
The three tomoe in his Sharingan spun rapidly as they focused on the distant object, gradually resolving the tiny dot into the unmistakable shape of a human figure.
"Impossible! The barrier protecting the village has been completely destroyed," Itachi realized with mounting alarm, his pupils contracting as the implications became clear.
The orange-haired figure descended from high altitude to position himself directly above Konoha's center, then brought his palms together in a ritualistic gesture.
Hum!
He slowly opened his hands, revealing a faint black light that flickered in the center of his palm before gradually condensing into a perfect sphere of absolute darkness.
The black orb was relatively small—no larger than a human fist—but when sunlight struck its surface, the illumination seemed to be completely absorbed rather than reflected, creating a void that hurt to look upon directly.
As the sphere reached full formation, the man in black within Susanoo spoke in a voice filled with grim finality.
"Chibaku Tensei!"
The moment those words left his lips, the orange-haired figure in the sky spread his palms wide and released the black sphere.
Buzz!
The dark orb pulsed with malevolent energy, and suddenly a terrifying gravitational force erupted outward, encompassing all of Konoha in its inexorable pull.
Crack!
Tiny fissures suddenly appeared in the ground beneath Minato's feet, spreading rapidly as the very earth began to respond to the overwhelming gravitational field.
Debris and rubble from the surrounding battlefield started to lift off the ground, defying gravity as they were drawn inexorably upward.
"This power..."
Minato's pupils dilated as he felt an invisible giant hand seizing him, attempting to drag him forcibly into the sky against his will.
Looking up, he could barely make out a tiny black speck positioned directly in front of the sun's disk, the source of this catastrophic technique.
The ground around him continued to fracture and break apart as massive chunks of stone and debris tore free from their foundations, rising into the air to join a growing celestial body.
"What's happening?!"
"Why is this occurring so suddenly?!"
"What is this incredible pressure?!"
Similar phenomena weren't limited to Minato's location—throughout every district of Konoha, the same devastating effects were manifesting simultaneously. Sakumo, Kushina, the Third Hokage, and all the other combatants found themselves equally shocked and struggling against the irresistible pull.
"Nagato..." Konan whispered, her gaze turning toward the area where Minato and his opponents were engaged in their desperate battle.
Debris and massive stone formations continued rising into the air around both her position and Tsunade's, creating a surreal landscape of floating destruction.
Minato surveyed the chaos unfolding around him and felt genuine shock at realizing that this phenomenon was affecting the entire village simultaneously.
"This is gravitational manipulation on an unprecedented scale. This has to be that man's technique," he concluded grimly.
The man in black clearly possessed the ability to control both gravitational and repulsive forces, and there was no doubt that the overwhelming gravitational field now encompassing all of Konoha was his doing.
However, both the man in black and the masked man had been engaged in direct combat with Minato throughout this entire battle, showing no signs of preparing or launching such a massive technique!
But regardless of the mechanism, the current situation demonstrated that he had somehow managed to exert a catastrophic gravitational force across the entire village through some unknown method.
If this continued unchecked, not only would the entire village be systematically destroyed, but any civilians who hadn't completed their evacuation would inevitably be pulled into the sky by this relentless force.
Minato could only imagine what terrible fate awaited anything caught in the technique's final convergence!
He stared upward with intense focus, his analytical mind working frantically to understand the situation.
"The gravitational force is originating from high altitude, and at that elevation, the flow of natural energy appears distinctly different," Minato observed, forcing himself to remain calm despite the desperate circumstances.
Through his enhanced control over natural energy, he could sense what appeared to be the epicenter of the gravitational disturbance somewhere in the sky far above, beyond the range of normal vision.
Gravitational forces couldn't manifest without a source, because even someone with the man in black's abilities would need to use himself or some extension of his power as a medium when performing such techniques!
The answer had to be up there, hidden in the sky above them.