"If we don't stop this technique soon, the consequences will be catastrophic!"
Minato didn't have the luxury of time to fully analyze the mechanics behind what was happening. At this moment, he couldn't understand how the man in black had managed to deploy such an overwhelmingly powerful technique.
"Even if we defeat that man immediately, it appears we can't stop this gravitational force," he realized grimly, studying the black-clad figure who was now half-kneeling within the protective shell of Susanoo.
The gravitational phenomenon clearly had a source somewhere above them, but it no longer seemed to be under the direct control of the man in black at this critical moment.
The chakra fluctuations emanating from his body had weakened dramatically compared to their previous intensity, apparently the result of expending massive amounts of energy all at once to initiate this devastating technique.
"Damn it!"
A slight scarlet flicker appeared in Minato's pupils as the Nine-Tails' influence responded to his rising urgency, but the most pressing concern right now was finding a way to halt the gravitational destruction before it completely annihilated the village.
With this desperate thought driving him forward, Minato's hands flew through a complex sequence of seals.
"Sage Art: Flying Thunder God Third Stage!"
Immediately, a brilliant cascade of chakra light erupted from behind him like falling stars, the luminous rain continuing to spread outward until it covered an area extending nearly one kilometer in all directions from his position.
BANG!
He created two shadow clones and left them behind, then focused his enhanced senses as a Flying Thunder God kunai materialized in his grasp. Without hesitation, he hurled the marked blade directly upward toward the source of the gravitational disturbance.
With the combined force of Minato's chakra-enhanced throw and the relentless pull of gravity itself, the kunai's velocity reached truly astonishing speeds as it streaked toward the sky.
Swoosh!
Minato's figure followed the kunai's trajectory, using his signature technique to transport himself through the air in pursuit of the gravitational epicenter.
Within the damaged Susanoo construct below, both the masked man and the man in black allowed slight smiles to cross their features as they observed his predictable response.
"The closer one approaches the gravitational center, the greater the physical pressure becomes on the body," the man in black murmured with dark satisfaction.
While the gravitational effects would certainly affect them as well, the masked man's unique abilities provided a temporary solution to that particular problem.
"Once we obtain that man's blood, everything will finally be over," the masked man spoke in a low, determined voice as he glanced dismissively at the two shadow clones that Minato had left behind.
"He really does underestimate us, doesn't he?"
The chakra aura surrounding him gradually faded as he deactivated Susanoo, conserving his energy for what was to come.
"Leave dealing with these to me for now," the man in black declared as he rose to his feet, his eyes showing genuine surprise at the quality of the shadow clones rushing toward their position.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Repulsive force exploded outward from his body with tremendous power, directly deflecting the two approaching shadow clones and sending them tumbling through the air.
"These don't appear to be ordinary shadow clones," the man in black observed with grudging respect, noting their resilience despite the devastating technique.
Based on the chakra fluctuations emanating from their forms, he could determine that these were lightning-enhanced shadow clones—significantly more durable and dangerous than standard versions.
At that moment, the space around the masked man began to twist and distort, pulling him into the dimensional void as he prepared to execute his own part of their coordinated plan.
The ground around the three remaining combatants continued to fracture and break apart, with debris and massive stone formations constantly lifting off and floating upward toward the growing celestial body.
Minato continued using his Flying Thunder God technique to ascend through the air, following his marked kunai as it was drawn inexorably toward the gravitational source.
During this ascent, his movements became progressively faster due to the increasing gravitational pull on his kunai, but paradoxically, his own body movements became more labored and sluggish as the immense pressure began affecting his physical capabilities.
Just as he sensed that he was approaching the technique's epicenter, the space directly in front of him began to warp and distort ominously.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
From within the twisted dimensional rift, numerous black shuriken emerged in a coordinated barrage aimed at intercepting his ascent.
However, when these projectiles—which possessed relatively modest mass—were launched into the gravitational field, they never reached their intended target. Instead, they were immediately caught by the overwhelming gravitational forces and left suspended in mid-air like deadly ornaments.
The spatial distortion in front of Minato subsided momentarily, but almost immediately, the space above the floating shuriken began warping again as the masked man's figure materialized among the suspended weapons.
Minato's eyes narrowed with sudden understanding as he processed what he was witnessing.
The purpose behind throwing those shuriken had never been to attack him directly—it was to create stable anchor points in the gravitational field that could serve as platforms for aerial maneuvering.
The masked man touched down lightly on one of the suspended kunai and used it as a springboard to launch himself directly toward Minato's position.
Whoosh!
Under the influence of such intense gravitational forces, even someone of Minato's capabilities could barely execute complex aerial maneuvers, yet the masked man's body seemed to shimmer slightly before he accelerated toward his target with remarkable speed.
However, as he closed the distance, his trajectory was clearly being affected by the downward pull, creating a curved attack pattern rather than a straight line.
"His intangibility can actually ignore gravitational effects?" Minato realized with shock, his analytical mind racing to understand the implications.
He had always known that the masked man could make his body incorporeal to become immune to physical attacks, but this demonstration suggested that his intangibility ability was far more sophisticated than previously understood.
By ignoring gravitational forces, it was as if the masked man's body didn't exist within the same dimensional space, allowing him to move freely while others were constrained by the overwhelming pull.
This was the only logical explanation for how he could maintain such incredible speed and control under these conditions.
Seeing his opponent rapidly approaching, Minato's hands moved through seals with desperate urgency.
"Kamui!"
The patterns within the masked man's visible eye froze with deadly focus, and within his field of vision, Minato's figure began to distort and warp as the dimensional technique took hold.
But at the same moment, another cascade of chakra light erupted from behind Minato's position.
Flash!
As the luminous rain swept outward, Minato's figure vanished from his current location, teleporting to one of his pre-placed markers just as the spatial distortion was about to claim him.
"Still can't catch him?" the masked man muttered with frustration.
Minato had clearly prepared countermeasures for his abilities, and the speed of spatial distortion wasn't instantaneous. At Minato's level of reflexes and preparation, he maintained opportunities to escape such techniques.
"In that case..."
The masked man suddenly changed tactics, rushing directly toward Minato while extending his hand with predatory intent.
"Planning to transport me to another dimension?" Minato thought, his mind flashing back to their previous encounter.
Years ago, he had exploited the masked man's vulnerability during his absorption technique—the brief moment when he had to become solid to draw objects into his dimensional space—and had defeated him with a surprise Flying Thunder God Second Stage attack.
Was his opponent planning to repeat those same tactics again?
However, at that moment, the face hidden beneath the orange mask twisted into a triumphant smile.
Whoosh!
Before his palm could make physical contact with Minato, the Fourth Hokage suddenly felt the space around his entire body beginning to generate a powerful suction force.
"How is this possible?!" Minato exclaimed in shock.
This was completely different from the intelligence he had gathered during their previous encounters. Could the masked man now draw targets into alternate dimensions without requiring direct physical contact?
Was this yet another evolution of his ocular abilities that he had mastered during the intervening years?
The masked man pressed his attack with renewed vigor, his Mangekyō Sharingan absorbing energy at an incredible rate to fuel the enhanced technique. Caught off guard by this unexpected development, Minato didn't have sufficient time to teleport to another marker before being swept into the dimensional vortex.
After successfully pulling Minato into the alternate space, the masked man released a low, malicious laugh. He raised his eyes toward the sky to check on the ongoing Chibaku Tensei, then allowed the space around him to twist and distort once more as he vanished from the battlefield.
The alternate dimension was a strange, boundless realm with no visible walls or horizons. Throughout the space, numerous geometric formations composed of unknown crystalline materials floated in defiance of conventional physics.
Whoosh!
Within a swirl of spatial distortion, Minato materialized in this alien environment. He raised his eyes to survey the unfamiliar surroundings with a mixture of wariness and calculating assessment.
His mind reached out instinctively, attempting to sense his chakra markers and activate the Flying Thunder God technique.
But the moment he had arrived in this dimension, Minato discovered that he had completely lost all perception of his carefully placed markers, rendering his signature technique utterly useless.
"It's no use," a mocking voice echoed through the strange space. "You can't escape from here."
On another floating platform near Minato's position, space distorted once again as the masked man's figure emerged with confident satisfaction.
Minato turned toward the sound, and at that moment, a gleam of triumphant smugness flashed across the masked man's visible eye.
"Finally... I've succeeded in trapping you."
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