On the endless expanse of ocean, a solitary reef barely two meters in diameter broke the surface of the churning waves.
Embedded diagonally in the weathered stone was a three-pronged kunai bearing the distinctive markings of the Flying Thunder God technique. Years of exposure to wind, rain, and relentless ocean storms had left the blade corroded and ancient-looking, its surface pitted with rust and wear.
Hum!
Suddenly, a faint luminescence began emanating from the deteriorated kunai, its special seal activating after lying dormant for so long.
BOOM!
Without warning, massive waves erupted across the vast ocean surface as something of impossible size materialized above the waters.
A brilliant blue giant standing over two hundred meters tall suddenly appeared, its sheer mass creating an enormous whirlpool that threatened to drag down anything within kilometers of its position.
However, just as the construct's feet touched the swirling vortex, they slowly lifted and began floating on the ocean's surface, defying conventional physics through the application of chakra manipulation.
Within the cockpit of the Perfect Susanoo, the masked man surveyed his surroundings with calculating eyes.
Without any familiar landmarks to provide reference, he could only conclude that this represented the neutral waters between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water—far from any populated areas where their battle might endanger innocent lives.
That Namikaze Minato had used his Flying Thunder God technique to transport both him and the Perfect Susanoo to this remote location fell well within the masked man's expectations. It was exactly the kind of tactical thinking he had come to expect from Konoha's Fourth Hokage.
His enhanced vision immediately locked onto Minato's figure, which appeared as tiny as an insect when compared to Susanoo's colossal form.
"That creature's power doesn't just strengthen chakra reserves—it also amplifies ocular abilities beyond normal limitations," Minato observed with growing concern, his analytical mind working to understand the full scope of what he was facing.
Using the Perfect Susanoo was definitely not a capability that belonged to the masked man's natural abilities. But with the Gedo Statue's assistance, he had managed to achieve this impossible feat.
The masked man was somehow controlling chakra and eye power that far exceeded his normal limitations—a development that made him exponentially more dangerous than their previous encounters had suggested.
"His ocular power hasn't reached its breaking point yet," Minato concluded after careful observation.
This realization confirmed his decision to deal with both the Perfect Susanoo and its controller here and now, before they could return to threaten Konoha.
If the masked man were to retreat back to the village while wielding power that transcended his natural limits, the Perfect Susanoo's destructive capabilities could easily cause massive casualties among the defenders and civilians still within the village boundaries.
With this grim determination driving him forward, Minato pressed his palms together and began gathering natural energy. Ripples spread outward from his position as the ocean's surface responded to his chakra manipulation.
The previous intense battles combined with the enormous chakra expenditure required to transport such a massive target had significantly depleted Minato's reserves, even with the benefit of half the Nine-Tails' chakra at his disposal.
Natural energy began flowing toward him from across the vast ocean, drawn by his enhanced sage techniques.
Of course, the masked man had no intention of allowing his opponent to recover his strength unopposed.
Activating his enhanced ocular power, he commanded the Perfect Susanoo to raise one of its massive arms. The giant ethereal chain in the construct's hand suddenly straightened before swinging down toward Minato's position with devastating force.
The terrifying power behind the attack had already torn a gash dozens of meters long across the ocean's surface before the weapon even made contact with the water.
CRASH!
The chain struck the sea with earth-shaking force, creating a wide canyon in the water that stretched for hundreds of meters. Ocean water from all directions rushed to fill the temporary void, creating turbulent currents and massive waves.
The ancient reef bearing the Flying Thunder God kunai was completely obliterated by the attack's aftershocks, reduced to scattered fragments that sank beneath the churning waves.
With a single strike, everything in the technique's path had been utterly destroyed. This was the true power of Perfect Susanoo—force sufficient to shatter mountains and reshape landscapes with casual gestures.
If that same attack had been launched on land, it would have carved through an entire mountain range without slowing down.
"There you are."
The masked man's gaze shifted as the patterns in his eye solidified with focused intent. In front of Susanoo's other massive hand, space began to distort and twist as several giant shuriken materialized from dimensional rifts.
High atop Susanoo's crown, the masked man formed hand seals with both hands, his movements precise despite the construct's constant motion.
With the Gedo Statue's power enhancement flowing through him, his ocular abilities had increased dramatically. He was no longer completely unable to track Minato's movements as he had been during their previous confrontations.
"Kamui Shuriken!"
His enhanced vision locked onto a specific section of the ocean where he had clearly observed Minato's retreat during the chain attack's execution.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Giant shuriken erupted from the dimensional rifts, and as they launched through the air, space continued to distort around their trajectory.
Simultaneously, spatial distortions formed directly in front of Minato's position, and the weaponized projectiles emerged from these rifts at point-blank range.
Flash!
Just before the spinning blades could make contact, Minato vanished from his location using his superior speed and spatial awareness.
"It won't be that easy!"
Frustrated by the failed attack, the masked man narrowed his eyes and commanded Susanoo to swing its other massive chain with even greater force.
RUMBLE!
The tremendous power displaced enormous quantities of seawater, creating a majestic water tornado that stretched from the ocean's surface up into the storm clouds above. Hurricane-force winds howled across the battlefield as pressure waves spread in all directions, filling the sea surface within a hundred-meter diameter with crushing atmospheric force.
Minato's instantaneous movement range was encompassed within this pressurized zone, forcing him to quickly manipulate the natural energy around him to form an invisible barrier of sage chakra.
However, even while successfully resisting the crushing pressure, the torrential water flow had effectively blocked all conventional escape routes, trapping him within the attack's operational area.
At that critical moment, another massive chain descended toward his position with lethal intent.
There was simply no room left to evade.
Hum!
Black light began condensing in Minato's right palm, rapidly forming a sphere of incredibly concentrated chakra that pulsed with ominous energy.
A Tailed Beast Ball!
Standing before the approaching giant chain like an ant confronting a falling tree, Minato hurled the completed Tailed Beast Ball with all his remaining strength.
BOOM!
At the moment of contact, the black sphere's energy contracted briefly before suddenly exploding with incredible violence.
The resulting detonation spread wildly in all directions, its destructive force nearly overwhelming the water barriers that surrounded the impact zone.
SPLASH!
Overlapping waves rose and fell as enormous quantities of seawater that had been launched skyward by the explosion came crashing back down to the surface. The sight resembled nothing less than the tears of heaven itself falling upon the tortured ocean.
The scale of their conflict had already transcended the normal boundaries of shinobi combat, affecting such a vast area that it more closely resembled a battle between multiple Tailed Beasts than a fight between individual ninja.
In the recorded history of the shinobi world, only the legendary confrontation between the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara at the Valley of the End had reached comparable levels of destruction and scope.
Coincidentally, the participants in this current battle represented the same factions—the Hokage of Konoha facing off against the power of the Uchiha clan.
The explosion continued to spread outward in concentric rings of force, and from within the devastation, the Perfect Susanoo emerged completely unscathed.
The towering construct's body bore no damage whatsoever except for some water stains marking where the ocean spray had touched its ethereal armor.
"Even a Tailed Beast Ball can't penetrate its defenses," Minato observed with genuine shock as he escaped the explosion's range.
He truly couldn't comprehend how the First Hokage had managed to defeat Uchiha Madara when the latter had possessed both this level of Susanoo and the controlled power of the Nine-Tails.
While everyone knew the general details of that legendary battle, no one could have imagined the true ferocity and scale of what had transpired.
"This chakra signature..."
The masked man found himself equally confused by what he had witnessed. He hadn't clearly observed what technique Minato had used to block the Perfect Susanoo's devastating attack.
The energy fluctuations were unlike anything he had encountered before, yet somehow carried a note of familiarity that he couldn't quite place.
"The size difference between us is simply too great—conventional techniques are completely ineffective," Minato concluded with growing frustration.
Compared to the First Hokage, he might not be significantly inferior in terms of sage technique mastery or chakra manipulation, but Hashirama had possessed the unique Wood Release bloodline limit.
Although Minato had never witnessed it personally, with the First Hokage's chakra reserves and Wood Release capabilities, he could undoubtedly create wooden constructs capable of rivaling Perfect Susanoo in both size and power.
But that was an ability Minato simply couldn't replicate through skill alone.
In the end, everything came down to the fundamental differences in their inherited bloodlines and genetic advantages.
However, the enemy before him wasn't the original Uchiha Madara who had tamed the complete Nine-Tails during their era. This masked figure, despite his enhanced power, still represented a winnable challenge.
"It's ready."
Feeling the sage chakra finally reaching full saturation within his body, Minato's eyes blazed with renewed determination and strategic focus.
He was deeply concerned about the ongoing situation back in Konoha, which meant this battle couldn't be allowed to drag on much longer!