Chapter 439: Minato: Am I Late?
Madara glanced at Shisui. Once a genjutsu had been used, deploying it a second time in quick succession would be futile.
He raised his hand, a black rod forming, aimed directly at Shisui's forehead, ready to fire.
Even though Madara admired Shisui as an opponent, he would show no mercy.
Meanwhile, Shisui was half-kneeling on the ground, suffering the backlash of the genjutsu. His mind was in disarray, his ocular power nearly depleted, and his vision blurred.
"Are you out of energy already? What a pity, you're still far behind Hashirama," Madara remarked, "If it were him, he wouldn't be this weakened."
With a flick of his finger, aided by the force of Shinra Tensei, the black rod shot toward Shisui at supersonic speed.
As Shisui hesitated on whether to use Izanagi, another figure appeared.
It was Kakashi.
Using Flying Thunder God, Kakashi whisked Shisui away just in time.
Meanwhile, at the location of the Ten-Tails, Obito arrived as well.
Standing atop the beast, he observed the sealing team on the ground, casually adjusting his mask:
"An unfamiliar sealing technique, intriguing... but still just a mortal's jutsu."
Obito controlled the Ten-Tails, preparing to unleash a Tailed Beast Bomb.
The beast's enormous mouth opened, revealing rows of sharp teeth, quickly filled with dark energy.
As the mouth swelled and fully opened, the Ten-Tails fired the Tailed Beast Bomb towards the gathered forces.
The Nine Extremes Seal, cast by the three-thousand-strong sealing team, shattered like glass upon contact with the Tailed Beast Bomb, barely lasting a second.
The bomb continued its trajectory toward the crowd, its speed nearly undiminished.
From the command post, Shikaku quickly relayed instructions, urging the use of the basic Earth Release.
Under his command, the thirty-thousand-strong ninja force began forming seals.
Layer upon layer of earthen walls rose from the ground, attempting to deflect the bomb upward, giving those on the ground a chance to avoid the impending explosion.
However, there were too few ninjas proficient in Earth Release, as chakra nature transformation wasn't something just anyone could master. Most who could were at least Chunin, while the majority of the forces were Genin.
The bomb's speed barely changed, its trajectory only slightly tilted upward.
It would still strike the ground and detonate in an instant.
Given the terrifying power of the Tailed Beast Bomb, any ninja caught in the blast radius would likely perish.
Shikaku frantically called for Kakashi's assistance, but Kakashi had not marked the battlefield with the Flying Thunder God technique.
He had been engaged with Obito and then confronted Madara upon arriving here.
Just as Shikaku prepared to summon Haneda for aid, a kunai flew through the air, embedding itself in the ground.
"Am I late?"
As the voice fell, the Tailed Beast Bomb hovering above the crowd vanished.
Before the kunai, a figure materialized through the Flying Thunder God technique.
"I am Namikaze Minato. Prepare for the explosion."
Minato's figure flickered, leaving the crowd behind to marvel at his flowing Hokage cloak.
Many noticed the large red "Fourth" kanji emblazoned on his cloak.
"It's the Fourth Hokage!!"
"And the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, the Third Hokage!!"
…
The crowd gasped in astonishment.
As accomplished graduates of the Ninja Academy, they were all familiar with the portraits of the Hokage, if not from photos, then from the Hokage Rock statues they saw daily.
Even Naruto, who struggled academically, recognized them, let alone the others.
Following Minato's arrival, Hashirama, Tobirama, and Hiruzen swiftly joined him, completing the Konoha Four from the Land of Fire at the battlefield in the Land of Rain.
"Fourth Hokage, I didn't expect your teleportation technique to surpass mine," Tobirama remarked, impressed by Minato's swift arrival.
The black rod lodged in Tobirama's forehead added an odd touch to his smile.
Minato scratched his head humbly and replied, "Second Hokage, actually, my student, and even Haneda, are faster than me with their teleportation."
"Your student? You mean…?" Tobirama was curious. He understood Haneda's brilliance, a genius surpassing his time, an exceptional young man with Senju blood, a naturally benevolent Uchiha prodigy. It was expected that his teleportation would be superior.
But Minato's student…
Minato awkwardly pointed toward the white-masked Obito and Kakashi, who was confronting Madara.
Tobirama stared at Obito, the mastermind behind the war, and hesitantly pointed, "Minato, you're sure your student is him?"
Minato, even more embarrassed, admitted, "I'm sorry. I didn't teach my student well."
Tobirama's mouth twitched, but remembering that the one atop the Ten-Tails was once a dear friend of a certain Hokage…
Forget it, he could look forward to the naturally kind Uchiha boy using his mouth to convert the naturally malevolent Uchiha.
At that moment, Madara descended from the sky:
"Hashirama! We meet again!!"
Hashirama raised his hand, pointing at the overly enthusiastic Madara:
"Later, I'll deal with you. Our priority is stopping that big guy, the Ten-Tails."
Madara, seemingly expecting this, sat disinterestedly on a rock.
The Ten-Tails had already been revived, and Obito could become its Jinchūriki at any moment, achieving an alternative form of the Sage of Six Paths.
Madara was in no hurry.
He needed Konoha to force Obito to make the decision to resurrect him.
Yet, despite not wanting to engage Hashirama, Madara sent a wood clone to meet Hashirama's clone.
"Fighting clones is boring. I'll wait for your real body."
...
Elsewhere.
Upon arrival, the Konoha Four immediately took positions around the battlefield, casting the Four Red Yang Formation to contain the Ten-Tails.
The Four Red Yang Formation, a strengthened version of the Four Violet Flames Formation, was dozens of times more potent in sealing capability, requiring four Hokage to perform.
To prevent any mishaps, Hashirama quickly activated Sage Mode and summoned the Myojinmon.
Giant gate-like structures descended, binding the Ten-Tails' tails.
The Myojinmon provided both sealing and physical restraint.
For the moment, the Ten-Tails was completely trapped within the Four Red Yang Formation!
Yet, Obito, still atop the beast, calmly said, "This power is still not strong enough. Let Haneda come."
As his words fell, the Ten-Tails began to struggle and roar.
It had gone berserk.
Seeing this, Obito activated his intangibility, severing some of his connection with the Ten-Tails, making it even more frenzied.
The natural energy around the Ten-Tails began to stir violently, the winds howled, lightning crackled, and the earth trembled.
Natural disasters erupted simultaneously.
Tornadoes tore through the formation, uprooting everything within the Four Red Yang Formation.
Rolling thunderclouds raged, and lightning struck repeatedly.
The ground shook, seeming on the verge of collapse.
This was a cataclysm!
A force even the Nine-Tails feared!!!