The ghost of Uchiha Madara's chakra hangs heavy in the air, a malevolent pressure that clings to the ravaged Hokage Tower. Minato stands amidst the dust and debris, his gaze fixed on the empty sky where the ancient Uchiha vanished. His own power, the brilliant, sun-gold cloak of the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, flickers and dissolves, receding back into his core. The sudden absence of its immense energy leaves him feeling hollow, the aches in his battle-worn muscles screaming in protest.
He takes a slow, deliberate breath, forcing the adrenaline from his system. Madara's parting words echo in his mind, not as a boast, but as a chilling statement of fact. War. A war not just against Konoha, but against the entire world. It was inevitable, he realizes, from the moment Madara drew breath again. This is the catastrophe the Great Toad Sage prophesied—a tidal wave of darkness poised to drown the nations. Even without his second Rinnegan, Madara commands the Gedo Mazo and the chakra of five Tailed Beasts. He is a calamity unto himself, a force of nature given human form. The name alone—Uchiha Madara—is a weapon, one that inspires terror and commands respect in equal measure.
Turning, Minato's eyes find his family. Kushina's expression is a mask of cold fury, her vibrant red hair seeming to stir with a dangerous energy of its own. Her hands are firm on the shoulders of their daughter, Namikaze Chiharu, whose small frame trembles uncontrollably. Chiharu's eyes, wide with a terror that eclipses her prodigious talent, are locked on the scarred sky. For all her genius, she is still a child, one who has only known peace, now staring into the abyss of a world war. She, and so many of her generation, are unprepared for the horrors to come.
A wave of profound protectiveness washes over Minato, momentarily eclipsing his strategic concerns. He crosses the rooftop, his steps silent despite the rubble. He kneels, bringing himself to Chiharu's eye level, and places a gentle, steadying hand on her shoulder. His face, etched with the strain of a legendary battle, softens into the warm smile only his children ever see.
"It's okay, Chiharu," he says, his voice a low, reassuring murmur. "The world is not going to end. Madara is strong, but he is one man. We are an entire world of shinobi, united. We will stand together, and we will stop him. I promise."
His smile is a jutsu all its own, a technique capable of calming storms and soothing fear. Chiharu's ragged breathing steadies, and the raw panic in her eyes begins to fade, replaced by a fragile spark of trust in her father. She leans into Kushina's side, who pulls her into a fierce, protective embrace.
Minato rises and walks to the edge of the shattered roof, looking out over his village. Below, the streets are filled with shinobi and civilians, frozen in place, their faces a mixture of shock, fear, and disbelief. The oppressive silence is a testament to the weight of Madara's declaration. He knows what he must do. Fear is a poison, but it has an antidote: purpose.
He channels a sliver of chakra to his throat, his voice amplifying, rolling across the village with the calm, unwavering authority of the Fourth Hokage. It isn't a shout like Madara's roar of conquest, but a clear, resonant call to the heart of his people.
"It seems war is now unavoidable," he begins, his words reaching every corner of Konoha. The faces below turn upward, finding their leader standing resolute against the sky. "Madara seeks to tear this world apart, to remake it in his own image. He threatens everything we hold dear."
He pauses, letting the gravity of the statement settle.
"But we will not let him! For the sake of this world, we live in, for our families, our friends, and our allies who share it with us—we will not retreat! We are the shinobi of the Hidden Leaf! We carry the Will of Fire! We will risk our lives, we will fight with every last ounce of our strength, and we will never, ever let the enemy achieve his goal!"
His voice rings with unshakeable conviction. He is not just giving an order; he is sharing his own resolve, forging their fear into a weapon. He feels the shift in the atmosphere below. Fear gives way to determination. Fists clench. Eyes narrow. A low murmur of agreement swells from the crowd, the collective spirit of Konoha reigniting. People grow strongest when they have something precious to protect. It's a truth that has defined his entire life.
With the immediate crisis of morale addressed, Minato turns to the ANBU gathered behind him, their stoic masks unable to fully conceal their shock. He finds the familiar silhouette of his most trusted commander, the raven-haired captain of his guard.
"Yoruki," Minato says, his voice laced with genuine regret. "I'm sorry. I couldn't save Lord Third."
Uchiha Yoruki bows his head, his voice crisp and professional, cutting through the emotional haze. "Hokage-sama, your survival was the strategic priority. Madara's power was beyond intelligence estimates. We do not blame you; we follow your lead. Lord Third is a shinobi of Konoha. He would understand the sacrifice."
Minato nods, the guilt remaining but compartmentalized for now. "Yoruki, begin emergency protocols. I want full damage and casualty reports within the hour. Secure the village perimeter and establish a new command post; the tower is compromised. And get our intelligence division working. We need to know where Madara went and what his next move is."
He looks to his wife. "Kushina, the village barrier needs to be repaired. Nagato's assault left it vulnerable."
Kushina's fiery gaze meets his. "I'm on it." She looks down at their daughter. "Come on, Chiharu. Your fuinjutsu is precise. I'll handle the heavy lifting; you can help me align the core sequences. We have a job to do."
Chiharu, though still shaken, nods with a flicker of her usual resolve. Watching them head towards the barrier core inside the tower, Minato feels a surge of pride. His family is a force of its own.
"We will formulate a comprehensive strategy once Sakumo-senpai and Jiraiya-sensei return," Minato tells Yoruki. "For now, Madara has what he wants: a hostage to ensure we don't interfere while he gathers his strength. Lord Third will be safe until then. Go."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" Yoruki and the ANBU vanish in a swirl of leaves, leaving Minato in the sudden, profound quiet of his ruined office.
He sinks into his chair, the ornate wood groaning under his weight. The room is a disaster, papers and scrolls scattered everywhere, a testament to the violence that ripped through this sacred space. Closing his eyes, Minato turns his focus inward, pushing past the exhaustion and the political turmoil, reaching for the immense, ancient consciousness sealed within him. He enters the vast, shared space of his mind, where his own thoughts mingle with the raw, primal energy of his partner.
Kyubi.
The great fox is silent for a moment, the mental landscape rumbling with his contemplation.
You know what he's truly after, don't you? Minato asks, his mental voice calm but insistent. That statue… the Tailed Beasts he's collected. This isn't just about conquest. There's a purpose behind it. Can you tell me?
Minato feels a wave of complex emotions from the Nine-Tails—anger, ancient memory, and something akin to dread. He holds his breath. He had trusted Kurama in the heat of battle, and the fox had come through, lending him the full measure of his power. Now, he needs Kurama's knowledge.
After a long, tense silence, the fox's voice booms through their shared consciousness, heavy with a gravity that shakes Minato to his core.
…Madara's goal is to resurrect the Ten-Tails.
The name hits Minato like a physical blow. Ten-Tails!? Kurama, what are you talking about?
He leans forward in his chair, his hands gripping the armrests. His knowledge of history, of the Sage of Six Paths, of the very foundation of their world, speaks only of nine Tailed Beasts. Each a living disaster, a being of unimaginable chakra. The concept of a tenth is world-shattering. It doesn't fit. It feels fundamentally wrong.
The Ten-Tails is not like us, Kurama clarifies, his tone grim. It is… the origin.
Minato's mind flashes back to a memory he'd witnessed through Kushina—Madara's first attempt to control the Nine-Tails decades ago. He recalls the Uchiha's arrogant words: You are but a temporary life, a fleeting form of dispersed power. The puzzle pieces begin to slot together into a horrifying mosaic.
Resurrecting it… does that mean…
Just as you suspect, Kurama confirms, his voice laced with a bitterness centuries old. The nine Tailed Beasts… we are all fragments of the Ten-Tails' power, split apart an eternity ago.
Minato's heart thuds in his chest. A fact of this magnitude, unknown to history, is a secret of the gods. It must be what is written on the Uchiha stone tablet, decipherable only by the Rinnegan. This changes everything.
The Gedo Mazo, Minato presses, his mind racing. The Outer Path Demon Statue. I saw Nagato seal the other Bijuu into it. What is its connection?
The Gedo Mazo is the Ten-Tails' vessel, Kurama explains slowly, the information dripping like poison into Minato's mind. It is the empty shell left behind when the Sage stripped it of its chakra.
A new, more terrifying question arises. If the Bijuu were born from this creature, what was the creature itself?
The Ten-Tails was a force of pure destruction, Kurama continues, the memory resonating through their bond. It possessed power beyond comprehension and brought calamity to the ancient world. It was less a living being and more a natural disaster, swallowing oceans and leveling mountains until nothing was left.
Minato tries to picture it. The combined power of all nine Tailed Beasts, himself included, concentrated into a single, rampaging entity. The scale of it is almost impossible to grasp. Even in his current state, he doubts he could survive such a foe.
The calamity continued until one man appeared. A man who fought the Ten-Tails, defeated it, and sealed it within his own body to end its rampage.
Defeated it? And sealed it? Within himself? There is only one figure in all of recorded history who could possibly lay claim to such a godlike feat.
"The Sage of Six Paths?!" Minato breathes the name, a mixture of awe and dawning terror coloring his tone.
Hmph, Kurama grunts in affirmation. Minato can feel the violent, complex swirl of emotions the name evokes in the fox—a deep-seated respect for his creator, tinged with the resentment of a being born to be a weapon.
Then… what about you? The Nine Tailed Beasts? Minato asks gently, sensing the delicate nature of the subject. If the Sage sealed the Ten-Tails within himself, becoming its first jinchuriki, then the birth of the Bijuu must be directly connected to him.
Decades after sealing the beast, the old man knew his time was running out, Kurama explains, his voice taking on a narrative, almost somber quality. He knew that upon his death, the seal would break. No one else in the world could hope to control the Ten-Tails once it was unleashed again.
So, before he passed, he used his power to split the Ten-Tails' chakra. He divided its immense, malevolent power into nine distinct parts. And from those parts… he gave us life.
"A forbidden technique that can create life?" Minato whispers aloud in the empty office, his mind reeling. The powers of the Sage of Six Paths were not merely an evolution of ninjutsu; they were something else entirely, something divine.
Yes, Kurama confirms. A divine technique that stands at the pinnacle of Yin-Yang Release.
It is called Banbutsu Sōzō… the Creation of All Things.