Once the Sunagakure shinobi lost their command structure, their attacks could no longer pose any real threat to Susanoo.
Uchiha Fugaku simply dismissed his Susanoo, used several consecutive Body Flicker Techniques to rush directly into the Suna formation, and then activated Susanoo again.
The process was somewhat cumbersome.
But while solving Susanoo's lack of mobility, it also gave Fugaku's eyes a brief opportunity to rest.
He only dared use such a rough method because his opponents were Sunagakure shinobi.
If the enemy had been someone like Uchiha Yoru, the instant Fugaku dismissed Susanoo might have been the instant he died.
Against such an opponent, he could only advance Susanoo to its fourth stage and completely solve the mobility problem.
But then his eyes would be overwhelmed, making prolonged combat impossible.
The newly formed Susanoo wielded two chakra swords.
Each enormous blade was wider than a human body.
When they swung, they could cover nearly half of the stone bridge, leaving the Sunagakure shinobi nowhere to stand.
Anyone struck by those giant swords was blasted into chunks of flesh by the chakra impact.
Their deaths were exceptionally brutal.
Although Uchiha Fugaku had not fought on a battlefield for nearly ten years, the beating Uchiha Yoru had given him had thoroughly reawakened his combat instincts.
Now, he fully displayed the advantage of his rich battle experience.
The two chakra swords moved in an impenetrable pattern.
In barely a dozen seconds—
South Gate Stone Bridge was cleared completely.
Even Minato Namikaze, who had been fighting there moments earlier, could no longer remain on the bridge.
He was forced to jump onto Susanoo's head to avoid the enormous chakra blades.
Fugaku had fully demonstrated Susanoo's destructive power.
Without their higher-ranking shinobi to command them, the Sunagakure shinobi who fled off the bridge were completely lost.
They had no idea what to do.
While they were still shaken and confused, the nearly invisible Aburame Shibi seized the opportunity to launch a sneak attack.
His kikaichū injected poison into the Sunagakure shinobi.
Silently and without warning—
Nearly half of them died.
By the time the Suna shinobi realized someone was attacking them from the shadows, fewer than fifty remained.
They understood that their mission to defend the bridge had completely failed.
The most important thing now was to spread news of the bridge's fall to the other Sunagakure forces.
"Run!"
"Call for reinforcements from every direction!"
Minato Namikaze immediately shouted,
"Kill them!"
"Don't let anyone escape!"
"If we can keep this information hidden for one more hour, we can delay them for one more hour!"
"That will greatly reduce the pressure on the front line later!"
Uchiha Fugaku no longer had time to continue smashing the bridge.
He dismissed Susanoo and began pursuing the scattered Suna shinobi.
His Sharingan spun.
In an instant, he counted the fleeing enemies.
"Forty-seven in total!"
"Everyone pursue for half an hour, then we'll regroup and count—"
"Huh?"
Earlier, when Minato Namikaze had charged into the Sunagakure formation, what he mainly displayed was agility rather than sheer speed.
Although Fugaku had secretly been impressed by how fast Minato was, he had not felt particularly shocked.
But now that the Suna shinobi scattered and Minato began pursuing them—
His Body Flicker Technique became terrifying.
Minato could cross one hundred and fifty meters in a single Body Flicker.
Uchiha Fugaku would need at least two or three.
Even more frightening was Minato's precision.
Every time he appeared—
He arrived exactly behind his target.
And those targets were shinobi sprinting at full speed.
Minato's attack speed was equally astonishing.
His classic motions were simple and efficient—
Stab the lower back.
Cut the throat.
Not one Sunagakure shinobi managed to react before dying.
It did not even take a full second.
One enemy fell.
Then Minato used another Body Flicker and appeared behind the next target.
A stab to the kidney.
A slash across the throat.
Another one dead.
Under Uchiha Fugaku's stunned gaze, Minato Namikaze spent roughly one minute running a huge circuit at high speed.
All forty-seven fleeing Sunagakure shinobi died.
When Minato returned holding a blood-dripping kunai—
Uchiha Fugaku involuntarily shivered.
His back felt cold.
Cold sweat slid down the groove of his spine.
He couldn't help being afraid.
Minato Namikaze was simply too fast.
If Minato wanted to kill Uchiha Fugaku—
Fugaku might not even have enough time to activate Susanoo before a kunai was buried in his kidney.
No wonder Minato had been assigned as squad leader.
Fourth Hokage Orochimaru's judgment was truly accurate.
Fugaku had previously assumed that he was the strongest member of the team.
Who would have imagined that Minato was also a Kage-level shinobi?
And more importantly—
He possessed the ability to kill someone as strong as Fugaku.
Uchiha Fugaku couldn't help sighing.
He possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan.
For years, he had believed himself practically invincible, merely suppressing his strength for the sake of the clan's larger interests.
Yet after finally revealing his Sharingan—
He discovered that he was nowhere near invincible.
It almost seemed as though every powerful shinobi he encountered had the ability to defeat or even kill him.
Since when had the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan become so worthless?
After the three-man squad regrouped, Minato took out his canteen and poured water over himself to wash away the blood.
Only then did he notice that the blade of his kunai was already badly chipped.
Even the tip had broken off somewhere inside someone's body.
He had been so tense during the battle that he hadn't noticed at all.
Fortunately, he was strong enough that even without a point, the kunai could still be forced into a human body.
And even without a proper edge—
He could still tear open an enemy's throat.
Minato shook his head and tossed the ruined kunai away.
Watching him, Aburame Shibi quietly swallowed.
"Captain Minato, what do we do next?"
After this battle, Minato Namikaze's position as squad leader was completely established.
Not only had Shibi started addressing him as Captain—
Even the far more senior Fugaku was now looking at Minato and quietly waiting for his decision.
Minato examined the surroundings.
He quickly formulated the next step.
Pointing toward the heavily damaged South Gate Stone Bridge, he said,
"Senior Fugaku, please destroy the bridge."
"Then we'll leave the agreed signal behind and hide nearby."
"If Sunagakure shinobi arrive, we ambush them."
"If Konoha shinobi arrive, we bring them into the ambush with us."
"We'll stay here until the front line defeats the Suna forces."
Uchiha Fugaku nodded.
"Captain Minato's plan is reasonable."
"I'll destroy the bridge now."
Aburame Shibi asked,
"There's no problem following the captain's plan."
"But what do we do when Sunagakure finally retreats?"
"Our squad can't stop a large-scale Suna force."
Uchiha Fugaku smiled.
"Forget our squad."
"Even ten squads like ours couldn't stop them."
"At that point, we should probably withdraw."
Minato shook his head.
"The orders I received specifically emphasized that withdrawal is forbidden."
"What?"
Uchiha Fugaku and Aburame Shibi were both shocked.
How could retreat be forbidden?
When Sunagakure retreated, they would be fleeing for their lives.
If they encountered Konoha shinobi blocking their path, they would fight desperately.
If only a thousand came, perhaps the three of them could barely manage.
But if five or six thousand arrived—
They would all die here.
Uchiha Fugaku could still barely remain calm.
But Shibi was still young.
He immediately complained,
"Did someone deceive the Fourth Hokage?"
"How could he issue an order that guarantees our deaths?"
Minato was also somewhat nervous.
He licked his lips.
"It might not actually be a suicide order."
"The mission document specifically says that when the critical moment arrives, reinforcements will come to support us…"
Shibi clearly did not believe it.
He adjusted his sunglasses and muttered,
"What kind of reinforcements?"
"Anyone capable of breaking through the Sunagakure formation and reaching us would only be a handful of shinobi at most."
"What use would a few shinobi be?"
"Wouldn't they just be coming here to die with us?"
Minato opened his mouth.
But he had no idea how to explain it.
In the end, he could only shake his head helplessly.
Uchiha Fugaku sighed and advised,
"Don't overthink it."
"The Hokage must have his own considerations."
"He wouldn't send us to die without reason."
"Hahaha!"
"Former Clan Head Fugaku…"
"You really haven't changed."
"You're still always thinking on behalf of those above you, while barely caring about yourself, your friends, or your subordinates."
The sudden laughter and words made Aburame Shibi shudder.
Uchiha Fugaku's expression darkened.
Minato Namikaze's eyes lit up.
Uchiha Yoru had arrived at South Gate Stone Bridge.
And he had happened to hear Fugaku's words.
After the incident involving the Third Hokage, Yoru had overthrown Uchiha Fugaku and taken the clan head position himself.
Afterward, however, he had not treated the Mangekyō wielder harshly.
In particular, Uchiha Yoru had revealed many secrets to Fugaku.
That allowed Fugaku to understand how wrong many of his previous decisions had been.
It had driven him to hate both himself and Hiruzen Sarutobi deeply.
In fact, Fugaku had voluntarily placed himself under house arrest as a way of expressing repentance and surrendering authority.
Because of that—
He eventually earned Uchiha Yoru's forgiveness.
That was why Yoru had recommended him to Orochimaru for this assault squad.
But Uchiha Yoru had never expected that immediately after receiving some reassurance from Orochimaru, Fugaku's attitude would flip one hundred and eighty degrees.
Now he was blindly trusting the Fourth Hokage all over again.
A leopard truly could not change its spots.
Yoru couldn't resist mocking him.
Minato's eyes sparkled.
"So Senior Yoru is the reinforcement coming to support us?"
"That's wonderful!"
Aburame Shibi murmured,
"The Fourth Hokage is really generous."
"He actually sent Konoha's strongest shinobi here."
Uchiha Yoru shook his head.
"Actually, the Fourth didn't send me."
"I don't know who he planned to send as reinforcements either."
"Huh?"
All three shinobi stared at him in disbelief.
Yoru raised one finger and said teasingly,
"My guess is that the Fourth Hokage intended to come personally."
"He probably wanted to stand in front of you and show off his strength."
"I'm actually here to steal his spotlight."
The moment Uchiha Yoru finished speaking—
Orochimaru appeared.
He immediately retorted in an annoyed tone,
"Ha."
"Yoru-kun, you're Konoha's strongest shinobi."
"Perhaps even the strongest shinobi in the entire world."
"How would I dare compete with you for attention?"
The three members of Minato's squad immediately straightened and bowed.
"Fourth Hokage-sama!"
Orochimaru looked at the three of them and smiled with satisfaction.
"You completed the mission beautifully."
Then he looked at Minato Namikaze.
"Minato, you did very well."
"Your strength is even greater than I expected."
"And your thinking is extremely clear."
Minato smiled.
"Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Hokage-sama."
"You put a lot of thought into assembling this squad."
Orochimaru looked at Minato's brilliant smile and felt the young man's astonishing affinity and charisma.
He couldn't help nodding repeatedly.
Strength.
Intelligence.
Charisma.
And a natural ability to make people like him.
No wonder a single battle had already convinced someone like Uchiha Fugaku.
Jiraiya might have a muddled brain himself—
But his eye for talent was genuinely excellent.
Every disciple he taught seemed more impressive than the last.
Especially Minato Namikaze.
While serving in ANBU, he had been suppressed and never displayed anything particularly exceptional.
Yet after being "exiled" to the front lines, where no one deliberately held him back—
He immediately produced astonishing achievements.
His entire person seemed to shine.
Orochimaru secretly felt regret.
If only Minato Namikaze had been his disciple.
Then Minato would undoubtedly be the perfect Fifth Hokage.
Orochimaru could casually serve for another ten years or so, throw the Hokage hat to Minato, retire in peace, and focus on researching immortality.
That would be the proper life.
His thoughts moved rapidly, but nothing showed on Orochimaru's face.
He continued speaking to Minato.
"Your plan to destroy the bridge and then set up an ambush is correct."
"It fits your current situation extremely well."
"Even if I were the one in command, I would follow your plan."
At that point, Orochimaru turned his head toward Uchiha Yoru.
His tone changed.
"But the situation is different now."
"The strongest shinobi in our village is here."
"There's no need to destroy the bridge anymore."
"With you stationed here, nothing can go wrong."
"I'll take the others and encircle the enemy from both wings."
"That way, fewer of them can escape."
Uchiha Yoru casually waved his hand.
He understood.
And more importantly—
He was telling Orochimaru to hurry up and leave.
The Fourth Hokage smiled.
He did not take offense and simply turned around.
The interaction between them was so naturally equal.
The Hokage showed no condescending air of authority.
Uchiha Yoru showed no awareness of being a subordinate.
They interacted casually—
Like two old friends.
To the other three shinobi, this completely exceeded their imagination.
Especially Uchiha Fugaku.
His eyes nearly popped out.
Orochimaru had not gone far when he suddenly turned around.
"How did the person you went to rescue turn out?"
Uchiha Yoru shook his head.
"I arrived too late."
"Uchiha Obito had already suffered fatal injuries."
"The rescue failed."
Orochimaru nodded.
"I see."
"I understand."
"My condolences."
[Condolences my ass.]
[Are you trying to make things difficult for me?]
Uchiha Yoru genuinely could not force himself to look sad.
So he could only furrow his brows and maintain a poker face.
On the other side, Minato Namikaze was shocked.
He hurriedly asked,
"Senior Yoru, what happened to Obito?"
"What about Rin and Kakashi?"
Yoru answered,
"I personally sent Obito on his way."
"Hatake Kakashi and Rin are fine."
"I had them take Obito's ashes and return to the Konoha camp by another route."
Minato's face instantly turned pale.
His lips pressed tightly together.
He was a deeply emotional person.
He had only recently met Kakashi, so that bond was still shallow.
But he had spent a considerable amount of time with Uchiha Obito and Rin.
Their relationship had already become deep.
Hearing so suddenly that Obito was gone—
Minato felt terrible.
Fortunately, he was also a strong shinobi with a genuinely powerful heart.
Aside from Uzumaki Kushina—
There was almost nothing capable of breaking him.
After taking several deep breaths, Minato's complexion gradually returned to normal.
He bowed deeply to Uchiha Yoru.
"Thank you for saving my students, Senior Yoru."
"Thank you very much."
Uchiha Yoru did not avoid the bow.
He accepted it openly.
Afterward—
No one spoke.
Minato was processing his grief and worrying about his other two students.
Uchiha Yoru quietly absorbed natural energy.
As a Wood Clone, he was naturally incomparable to the original body.
He needed to accumulate as much power as possible while he still had time.
Uchiha Fugaku was reflecting on himself.
When Uchiha Yoru learned that a clansman was in danger, he had rushed to the front line without hesitation.
Compared to that—
Fugaku felt that his past self had truly been an unqualified clan head.
Aburame Shibi had already been forgotten by everyone.
But the oppressive atmosphere had intimidated him as well.
He quietly shrank toward the edge of the stone bridge and did not dare speak.
South Gate Stone Bridge became unusually silent.
Only the gentle wind and flowing water remained.
They made the surroundings feel even more tranquil.
…
Black Zetsu slipped into a concealed crack.
The faint natural energy attached to his body was blocked by the earth.
Very quickly—
It disappeared from Uchiha Yoru's perception.
But after examining the surrounding terrain, Yoru was certain that he had found the right place.
Uchiha Madara was somewhere beneath his feet.
With Black Zetsu's cunning personality, the route underground would definitely twist and turn.
Once inside, there would be no way to know exactly where it led.
But one thing was certain—
The straight-line distance from the entrance to the destination could not exceed five kilometers.
Uchiha Yoru had no interest in crawling underground to search.
Since he possessed enough power—
Why would he crawl through a dog hole?
"A radius of five kilometers…"
"A ten-kilometer-wide area."
"That's roughly equal to Konoha's central district."
"With my current power, trying to flip the entire thing over seems a little difficult."
"Let's change the approach."
"I don't need to overturn such a huge area of ground all at once."
"If I use explosions to blast the earth open instead…"
"That becomes much easier."
"Use Earth Spirit Sage Arts to drill holes and soften the rock."
"Then use Fire and Lightning Sage Arts for the explosions."
"That'll work!"
The thought that Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu were both directly beneath his feet immediately excited Uchiha Yoru.
Enormous amounts of natural energy surged outward.
Natural energy and chakra separated into different combinations, forming senjutsu chakra.
Then—
They assembled into corresponding Sage Arts.
Sage Art: Suwa Myōjin Technique!
Under the Sage Art, the dense rock rapidly transformed.
Hard granite became loose shale and sandstone.
Its hardness decreased dramatically.
Its elasticity fell as well.
Sage Art: Nozuchi Rock-Breaking Technique!
Once the rock softened, it began changing shape according to Uchiha Yoru's will.
One vertical shaft after another opened toward the depths of the earth.
Sage Art: Lightning of Amano-Iwato!
This was a Sage Art combining fire and lightning.
The spheres of light it created possessed a special explosive vibration frequency.
They could generate resonance inside different types of rock, greatly amplifying the destructive effect.
As the Lightning of Amano-Iwato descended through the vertical shafts deep underground—
Uchiha Yoru completed all preparations for tearing open the earth.
A vicious grin spread across his face.
"Ancestor beneath my feet…"
"I'm coming to lift the lid off your coffin."
"Oh?"
"Does this count as digging on the head of the Tai Sui?"
"Bah."
"It's just an old, dying Uchiha Madara."
"What's there to fear about digging over his head?"
"With his current strength, how could he possibly count as the Tai Sui?"
Uchiha Yoru slowly brought his hands together.
Then softly said—
"Boom."
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