Before the words had even left his mouth, a towering blue figure sprang up from the Allied Shinobi Forces' ranks like a thunderclap. His heavy footsteps landed at the very front of the battlefield, kicking up a vast cloud of dust.
It was Killer B! His body was covered in wounds, and blood still trickled from his left arm, yet he stood tall, controlling the Eight-Tails' massive body and forcing it to steady itself.
The Eight-Tails raised all eight of its tentacles, each covered in black markings like a pillar holding up the sky. Brilliant, frenzied blue chakra erupted around it, churning like molten lava before rapidly condensing into a solid shield dozens of meters thick. The shield wrapped tightly around the Eight-Tails and protected the thousands of trembling Allied Shinobi behind it.
"Little guys, stay tucked in!" Killer B called from behind the shield. His voice still had its usual playful rhythm, but a tragic note of laughter was hidden in the final words.
He raised a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. His gaze was utterly resolute. He was Kumogakure's pillar and the Allied Shinobi Forces' line of defense. Even if it cost him and the Eight-Tails their lives, he had to shield the children behind him from this deadly attack.
The Eight-Tails seemed to sense its host's resolve and let out a roar that shook heaven and earth. The blue chakra shield surged larger still, expanding to several thousand meters wide in an instant and completely covering the front of the Allied Shinobi Forces' position like an indestructible blue wall.
But at that very moment, the Ten-Tails' super-sized Tailed Beast Bomb burst through the smoke and hurtled toward them with world-ending force.
The black sphere of energy was hundreds of meters across, its surface wreathed in twisting black lightning. The air tore apart in its wake with a piercing, crackling sound. The ground buckled under the pressure of the Tailed Beast Bomb, forming a bottomless ravine, while rocks and bloody mist were sucked onto the sphere's surface, making it all the more terrifying.
The instant the black Tailed Beast Bomb collided with the blue chakra shield, the world fell deathly silent. Every roar, shout, and explosion seemed to be swallowed up at once. Time itself appeared to stop.
The next second, a shock wave of unimaginable, devastating energy erupted. Blinding white light engulfed the entire battlefield, completely eclipsing even the sun.
The blue chakra shield visibly caved inward. Cracks spread rapidly across its surface like a spiderweb, and the sound of shattering rang out loud and clear. From behind the shield came the Eight-Tails' roar—not a furious bellow this time, but a cry filled with unbearable pain and torment.
"No... It's too weak..." Killer B's awareness began to blur. Darkness clouded his vision, and the chakra within him rapidly drained away like floodwaters pouring through a broken dam. Even maintaining the Eight-Tails' full form had become incredibly difficult.
The cracks in the shield grew wider. The black energy of the Tailed Beast Bomb had already seeped through the gaps like a venomous snake, scorching the Eight-Tails' body. Its blue chakra was steadily swallowed and annihilated by the black energy.
He looked at the trembling Allied Shinobi behind him and at his unconscious comrades in the distance. Guilt welled up inside him. His voice weak and hoarse, he murmured, "Naruto... Shikamaru... I'm sorry... I couldn't protect everyone..."
In the Allied Shinobi Forces' ranks, Shikamaru Nara clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms. His eyes were full of helplessness and anxiety, but he couldn't think of any way to stop it.
Sakura Haruno knelt with both hands pressed to the ground, frantically healing the wounded around her. Tears welled up uncontrollably in her eyes.
Naruto Uzumaki stood at the front, fists clenched as golden chakra flickered weakly around him. He watched the blue shield on the verge of breaking and Killer B's anguished roars. It felt as though an unseen hand had seized his heart, squeezing so tightly he couldn't breathe.
At this critical moment, Naruto Uzumaki seemed to sense something. His tense body suddenly relaxed, and he closed his eyes once more.
The space between his brows twitched faintly. The Nine-Tails Chakra within him resonated strangely with a distant, familiar chakra. That chakra was warm and powerful, like a ray of light in the darkness, cutting through the gloom of the battlefield and reaching the depths of his heart.
The next second, an unbelievable sight unfolded—the Ten-Tails' super-sized Tailed Beast Bomb, powerful enough to destroy the entire Allied Shinobi Forces, vanished in an instant before everyone's eyes, as if it had never existed.
The blinding light at the scene gradually faded, leaving only a strangely shaped Kunai hovering silently in midair. Fine Flying Thunder God markings were engraved along its blade, gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
Before anyone could recover from the shock, a pale blue ripple in space appeared beneath the Kunai. As it spread, a tall figure slowly emerged.
He wore his unmistakable yellow Hokage cloak, its hem fluttering in the breeze. The four bright red characters for "Fourth Hokage" on his back stood out brilliantly in the sunlight, dazzling enough to seem as though they could drive away all darkness and despair.
His expression was gentle, his eyes steady, and a reassuring presence radiated from him. It was Minato Namikaze, who had not appeared for a long time.
"Am I too late?!" Minato's voice was gentle yet strong. It cut through the din of battle and reached the ears of every Allied Shinobi, soothing their panic and despair like a calming draught.
Naruto slowly opened his eyes and looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar figure. The longing and hurt he had kept bottled up surged into his heart. A relieved, warm smile rose to his lips, and his voice caught slightly, though his words were full of conviction. "No! You're right on time, Dad!"
As soon as he finished speaking, long-suppressed cheers and shouts erupted across the battlefield. The light of hope swept away the pall of despair.
Minato looked at the son who had grown into a young man, his eyes filled with pride and remorse. He reached out and took the hovering Kunai in his hand, then turned to face the still-rampaging Ten-Tails in the distance. His gaze became utterly resolute. This time, he would never again let his son—or this land—suffer any harm.
The warmth of Minato's arrival had barely begun to spread across the battlefield when Sakura Haruno's gaze suddenly sharpened.
She was kneeling beside a wounded shinobi, the green medical chakra still glowing at her fingertips, when the corner of her eye caught the fine but unmistakable cracks on Minato's cheek. They shimmered a faint gray and wound up along his jawline—the telltale markings of the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu.