As enormous quantities of chakra and life force flowed into the masked man's body through the writhing white conduits, the flesh and blood beneath his black robes seemed to stir and regenerate with visible activity.
The blood-red eye hidden beneath his orange mask blazed with renewed intensity, its light growing brighter with each passing moment.
A brilliant chakra aura suddenly erupted from the masked man's entire form, and his Susanoo construct began undergoing a dramatic transformation. The ethereal warrior's frame was suddenly encased in gleaming armor plating that seemed to pulse with divine power.
"What kind of monstrosity is this?" Minato muttered, sensing absolutely massive chakra fluctuations emanating from the ancient statue.
ROAR!
When his sage-enhanced senses came into contact with the creature's overwhelming presence, a low, primal roar inexplicably echoed within Minato's mind—a sound that seemed completely devoid of consciousness or emotion.
"Why am I experiencing this?" he wondered with growing unease.
This wasn't the first time Minato had encountered the Gedo Statue, but only now did he seem to hear the roar emanating from deep within the creature's very soul.
That howl made him feel as though he was facing an empty shell—something that possessed immense power but lacked any form of heart or spirit.
AAAHHHH!
Just as Minato was processing these disturbing sensations, the masked man atop the statue's back released a tremendous howl of his own, and his terrifying chakra transformed into a brilliant blue beam that shot directly into the heavens!
The azure pillar of light immediately enveloped both the Susanoo on the statue's back and the ancient creature itself in overwhelming radiance.
"What in the world is that?!"
Throughout every district of Konoha, members of the Akatsuki organization and Konoha's elite shinobi who had been locked in fierce combat suddenly turned their attention toward this unprecedented display of power.
"What kind of chakra magnitude is this?!" Fukasaku Sage exclaimed from his perch on Jiraiya's shoulder, his ancient eyes wide with horror as he observed the blue chakra beam continuing to rise higher and higher.
At first glance, the pillar of light appeared to extend more than a hundred meters into the sky, dwarfing even the tallest structures in the village.
The ascending beam of energy paused momentarily before beginning to distort and reshape itself.
The violently fluctuating chakra gradually stabilized, and then, under the stunned gazes of everyone present, it condensed into the unmistakable form of a colossal warrior figure that appeared to be forming hand seals.
"Susanoo... but how is this possible?!" Shisui gasped in disbelief.
With Kushina's assistance, he had just forced the Third Raikage into a desperate situation, but now found himself staring up at something that challenged his understanding of what Uchiha power could achieve.
The warrior that had suddenly materialized within the village stood nearly one hundred meters tall—a complete manifestation of Susanoo unlike anything they had ever witnessed!
Compared to this towering giant, even Orochimaru's massive Eight Branches Technique appeared as insignificant as a child's toy.
"It's that masked man!" Kushina declared, her enhanced perception guiding her gaze toward the figure positioned atop the giant warrior's head, his form wreathed in brilliant chakra light.
Blood was now streaming from the corners of the masked man's visible eye, and his pupil was completely filled with burst blood vessels—clear evidence of the tremendous strain required to manifest such power.
"Is this what true Susanoo looks like?!" the Third Hokage whispered, his weathered face reflecting profound shock as his voice trembled with recognition.
While he had never witnessed such a sight personally, Hiruzen clearly recalled the Second Hokage's descriptions and understood why Tobirama had harbored such deep concern regarding Uchiha Madara's capabilities.
Only someone who possessed the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan could manifest Susanoo's complete form—and historically, the only individual capable of standing against Madara when he wielded such power had been the First Hokage himself!
At that moment, the Second Hokage, whose consciousness was being controlled by Orochimaru's Impure World Reincarnation, showed a brief flicker of awareness in his otherwise vacant eyes.
"Tremble in fear! Despair at your helplessness! The Fourth Hokage will ultimately perish beneath the might of Madara!" the masked man roared with wild laughter as he observed the terror reflected in Minato's eyes and those of Konoha's strongest defenders.
"But this isn't finished yet!"
The unstable chakra that had been flickering across the surface of the hundred-meter-tall Susanoo suddenly surged upward once more, transforming into brilliant blue armor that encased the massive warrior's entire form.
BOOM!
The sheer magnitude of chakra being channeled created a devastating shockwave that rippled outward across a tremendous area. When the pressure wave finally dissipated, the chakra surrounding Susanoo had completely stabilized into its final configuration.
Standing within the already devastated landscape of Konoha was a figure more than twice the height of the previous manifestation—an armored colossus that resembled nothing less than a divine being descended from the heavens themselves.
When Susanoo achieved its perfect form, even Minato couldn't suppress a tremor of awe and concern.
The construct was so massive that it made the mountains surrounding Konoha appear modest by comparison.
Looking upon this titan that seemed capable of reshaping the world with casual gestures, the Konoha shinobi and civilians who had taken refuge in the surrounding forests found their expressions frozen in terror, their bodies trembling uncontrollably despite their distance from the village.
"You've got to be kidding me..." Sasuke muttered with incredulous disbelief, his young mind struggling to process what he was witnessing.
This level of power transcended the cognitive boundaries of the newest generation of shinobi—it belonged to the realm of legends made manifest.
ROAR!
Both Naruto, positioned safely outside the village, and the Nine-Tails sealed within Kushina's body back in Konoha released simultaneous roars of recognition and challenge.
Kushina pressed her hands against the seal on her abdomen as the Nine-Tails within her erupted with astonishing waves of resentment and barely contained fury.
"Could he actually be the real Uchiha Madara?" the Third Hokage wondered aloud as he observed the masked figure slowly rising to his full height atop Susanoo's crown.
For the first time in decades, a hint of genuine despair flickered in the eyes of this former ninja hero who had faced countless threats throughout his long career.
"This is simply the power of a god..." Orochimaru observed with bitter amazement.
Compared to the perfect form of Susanoo, his own Eight Branches Technique appeared as insignificant as a mouse confronting an elephant—something that could be crushed underfoot with the slightest movement.
Even the man in black found himself overwhelmed by shock as he stood beneath the towering construct. He hadn't anticipated that borrowing the Gedo Statue's power would elevate Madara's abilities to such transcendent levels.
Just as everyone present was processing their shock and despair at witnessing such divine power, Minato's figure suddenly appeared at the base of the perfect Susanoo's feet.
"If we engage in combat here, the village and everyone in it will be in mortal danger," he realized with grim determination.
Based on the sheer size of this perfect Susanoo, any movement it made would likely alter Konoha's entire landscape instantaneously, reducing buildings to rubble and potentially killing thousands of innocents.
He looked with serious resolve toward the man in black and the Gedo Statue positioned nearby.
Minato was prepared to use his Flying Thunder God technique to transport the perfect Susanoo to a remote location where they could fight without endangering civilians. However, once he departed, the man in black's formidable abilities would leave him without any meaningful opposition within the village.
But this represented their only viable option—otherwise, Konoha would face complete annihilation within moments.
"Jiraiya-sensei, Third Hokage, I'm entrusting the village's protection to you!" Minato called out with absolute conviction.
Flash!
His palm suddenly made contact with Susanoo's massive form, and both figures vanished directly from Konoha in a brilliant flash of space-time ninjutsu.
"They've disappeared..." the civilians and shinobi of Konoha whispered to each other in amazement, and many immediately realized that only one person in their village possessed such capabilities.
"That's Dad's Flying Thunder God technique!" Chiharu exclaimed with a mixture of pride and worry.
"Dad..." Naruto's expression shifted from fear to deep concern as he processed the implications.
This meant that their father would now have to face that terrible enemy in single combat, without any support or assistance.
"Minato..." Throughout Konoha, Jiraiya, the Third Hokage, and Kushina all wore expressions of profound worry as they contemplated their leader's sacrifice.
ROAR!
However, at that critical moment, the Gedo Statue that remained within the village released another wild bellow before opening its massive maw. A transparent dragon formed of pure chakra erupted forth with devastating intent.
"Oh no!" the Third Hokage's expression transformed to one of horror as he realized the chakra dragon's trajectory was aimed directly toward the mountainous area where Konoha's civilian refugees had taken shelter!