Buzz!
On the falling boulder nearest to the man in black's position, space distorted ominously as the masked man materialized upon its surface.
The black-clad figure glanced sideways at his ally, both of them now plummeting through the air on the massive stone fragment.
The man in black had already received a complete situation report through his connection to Zetsu's intelligence network, and the implications were deeply troubling.
"Even with our combined strength, we are no match for him," the man in black admitted grimly, his voice heavy with reluctant acceptance.
Although it pained him to acknowledge such a truth, Namikaze Minato's power had indeed surpassed their own capabilities by a significant margin.
"Is this the level of strength you possessed before your injuries at the Valley of the End?" he asked, studying the masked man beside him with calculating interest.
Minato's current abilities had reached a plateau comparable to the legendary First Hokage and the original Uchiha Madara during their prime—a level of power that transcended normal human limitations.
"Hmph!"
However, the only response he received was a cold, dismissive snort from his masked companion, who clearly had no intention of discussing his past capabilities or current limitations.
"That man's ocular abilities appear to be different from what I initially understood," Minato observed, his analytical mind working to process the combat data he had gathered.
He had always known that after a Mangekyō Sharingan awakened, the left and right eyes would each manifest two distinct abilities specific to that individual.
For example, Uchiha Yoruki possessed Rekka No Ken and Amaterasu in his respective eyes—two completely separate techniques with different applications.
However, the masked man's ocular techniques seemed to encompass more than just two distinct abilities, which suggested either a fundamental misunderstanding of the Mangekyō's limitations or that the various manifestations were actually different applications of a single, more complex technique.
During their encounter in the dimensional space, the masked man had immediately activated Susanoo for combat rather than relying on his intangibility.
And just moments ago, when Minato had launched his natural energy attack, the assault had been completely negated by some form of ocular power.
The man's ability to connect with alternate dimensions was undoubtedly closely related to his unique Mangekyō abilities, but the exact mechanics remained frustratingly unclear.
"Let's go."
At that moment, the man in black suddenly placed his hand on the masked man's shoulder and lifted both of them into the air using his gravitational manipulation.
The two deliberately created enough disturbance to attract Minato's attention, glancing in his direction before accelerating away from the village center.
"That direction leads to the civilian shelters outside the village!" Minato realized with growing concern, his eyes narrowing as he understood their tactical intention.
It appeared that these two were planning to employ the same strategy they had used eleven years ago—forcing him to expend chakra protecting non-combatants while gradually wearing down his reserves.
He quickly threw a Flying Thunder God kunai toward the two fleeing figures, but the masked man was prepared for such a move and immediately locked onto the projectile with his ocular power, preventing Minato from using it as a teleportation anchor.
Swish!
Rather than risk a premature engagement, Minato chose to follow them at a safe distance, maintaining pursuit while analyzing their intentions and preparing for whatever trap they were undoubtedly planning.
BOOM!
The moment the eight-headed serpent crashed back to the ground, a devastating punch landed squarely on one of its massive heads, obliterating it in an explosion of flesh and scales.
Orochimaru raised his remaining heads with feral fury blazing in his serpentine eyes, but before he could mount a counterattack, another of Jiraiya's sage-enhanced strikes was already incoming.
Swoosh!
High above the battlefield, a dark golden figure moved with incredible agility, leaping from one falling boulder to another as she closed the distance to her aerial target.
Chains emanating brilliant dark golden light suddenly erupted from behind Kushina, weaving through the air to form an inescapable cage that severely restricted the Second Tsuchikage Mu's range of movement.
"Now let's see how you escape from this!" Kushina declared with fierce satisfaction.
Just moments before, she had been helpless while suspended in the air with no solid surfaces to use as leverage. However, the massive objects that had been drawn upward by the Chibaku Tensei's gravitational pull were still falling back to earth, providing her with perfect platforms for aerial maneuvering.
Kushina's speed was truly extraordinary. At this close range, Mu had insufficient time to form and execute his devastating Dust Release technique. His particle concealment and invisibility abilities were utterly useless against Kushina's enhanced sensory capabilities.
Her hands moved through seals with practiced efficiency, and additional chains shot forth from her palms with predatory precision.
Looking closely, every link of the chains was covered with intricate sealing patterns that pulsed with suppressive energy.
The chains wrapped around the Second Tsuchikage's form and suddenly constricted, binding him completely despite his attempts to phase through the restraints.
"Seal!"
Kushina's voice rang out with authority as the sealing formulas inscribed on her chains activated with brilliant light.
Those who had been reanimated through the Impure World Reincarnation possessed effectively immortal bodies that could regenerate from virtually any damage. The only reliable method for dealing with such opponents was complete containment through powerful sealing techniques.
After the sealing process was completed, Kushina retracted her chains and allowed herself to fall alongside her captured opponent, both descending toward the ground below.
"Impossible!"
At the same moment, Orochimaru felt the connection between himself and the Second Tsuchikage abruptly severed, the reanimated Kage's chakra signature vanishing entirely from his perception.
However, before he could fully process this development, another devastating attack from Jiraiya crashed into his serpentine form with bone-crushing force.
"Now for that one."
Kushina turned her attention toward the Third Raikage, who was engaged in intense combat with Shisui's Susanoo construct, and immediately rushed to provide assistance.
Witnessing this rapid turn of events, Hoshigaki Kisame's pupils contracted with genuine alarm as the strategic implications became clear.
"The plan has failed completely," the masked man's voice suddenly echoed through the minds of all Akatsuki organization members via their communication network.
"You still couldn't eliminate Namikaze Minato?" Sasori asked in a low voice, his expression showing clear contempt as he and Sakumo landed simultaneously on the battlefield below.
"I couldn't even obtain a single drop of his blood!" came the frustrated response.
Konan was equally shocked by this revelation. Even after Nagato had employed the devastating Chibaku Tensei technique, they had still failed to achieve their primary objective.
"It appears that your explosive clay is fundamentally a form of Earth Release ninjutsu," Kakashi observed with analytical precision, his blade crackling with lightning chakra as it neutralized the explosives that Deidara had created.
His Lightning Release chakra could systematically disable Earth Release-based techniques, rendering these particular explosives completely harmless.
"Damn you! How dare you destroy my art!" Deidara's face flushed with rage as he tore away his concealing black robe, revealing that he possessed an additional mouth located on his chest, identical to those in his palms.
"My art represents absolute perfection!" he roared at Kakashi while gathering enormous quantities of explosive clay in his hands, preparing for a massive detonation.
"Deidara, don't do anything reckless," a commanding voice called out from nearby.
In mid-air, both the man in black and the masked man had ceased their flight, with Minato's figure visible at a safe distance below their position.
"Weren't they targeting the civilian shelters?" Minato wondered with growing confusion.
At that moment, Kakashi raised his eyes and saw, for the first time, the masked figure who had orchestrated both attacks on Konoha.
The scarlet eye visible beneath the orange mask seemed to look down upon the battlefield with cold indifference and barely contained malice.
For reasons he couldn't explain, when Kakashi met that piercing gaze, his heart began trembling violently with an inexplicable sense of dread and recognition.
Whoosh!
At that critical moment, chakra light erupted around the masked man once again, condensing into the familiar form of Susanoo suspended in mid-air.
Beside him, the man in black was breathing heavily as he formed the hand seals for what appeared to be their final gambit.
"Summoning Technique!"
BOOM!
An absolutely massive creature crashed heavily into the ground, its impact causing the already devastated Konoha to shake violently once more.
The tremendous vibration drew the immediate attention of the Third Hokage and all other combatants throughout the village.
Naruto, who had positioned himself outside the village perimeter for safety, climbed onto a tree and stared in shock at the new monstrosity that had suddenly appeared within Konoha's borders.
ROAR!
The summoned creature released a deafening bellow that seemed to shake the very foundations of reality, and both the masked man and the man in black descended to land upon its broad back.
The masked man began forming seals with desperate urgency, and suddenly white tubes began emerging from beneath his black robes, extending from his back like parasitic appendages.
The tubes stretched across the creature's surface before connecting directly to its form, creating an organic link between summoner and summon.
Immediately afterward, the white conduits began writhing with visible activity, continuously transferring enormous amounts of chakra and life force directly into the masked man's body through their connection to the ancient statue!
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