Ten Thousand Swords Into One

The purple Susanoo Giant Buddha towered far above the Edo Tensei Giant Buddha. Its pressure was like the sky collapsing, making the air tremble violently. The earth shuddered, and mountains and rivers lost their color.

The Susanoo Giant Buddha raised its mountain-sized wooden arms. Each punch carried a devastating shockwave, sweeping across the land with such force that it tore through the surroundings like a storm at the end of the world.

Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!

Its enormous fists roared like thunder, shaking heaven and earth.

The Susanoo Giant Buddha attacked relentlessly like a surging tide, shattering nearly every giant hand the Edo Tensei Giant Buddha sent against it.

Seeing the Edo Tensei Giant Buddha's attacks being dismantled and the tide of battle turning, the Hokage all looked grave and began controlling the Edo Tensei Giant Buddha to retreat.

The Third Hokage furrowed his brows and instantly poured out all his chakra. A terrifying aura radiated from him as he tried to turn the tide.

He suddenly increased his chakra output. The five Buddha heads blazed with dazzling light as five powerful elemental chakra natures surged forth.

"Five Elements: Great Barrage Technique!"

Flames surged like dragons, lightning spread like a net, waves crashed like the sea, earth rose like mountains, and gales howled—the five nature transformations became arrows of divine punishment, merging into an attack that could destroy heaven and earth as it roared toward the Susanoo Buddha Form.

Boom—!!

The Five Elements attack erupted in a world-shaking burst of light. Five beams of elemental energy shot into the heavens, and the whole world trembled!

Yet when the smoke cleared, the Susanoo Buddha Form still stood unmoved, its purple flames blazing. Not even a scorch mark marred its armor.

The fierce Five Elements attack had been no more than a passing breeze, barely affecting it.

The Third Hokage gritted his teeth, his voice low as thunder. "Even the Great Barrage couldn't break its defenses... That power is beyond all reason!"

"Far stronger than Madara..." The First's expression was unusually grave. He fixed his gaze on the unstoppable Susanoo Buddha Form, his eyes full of concern.

Just then, a golden figure slowly emerged from within the Edo Tensei Giant Buddha. The air around him churned violently at his presence.

Namikaze Minato was now cloaked in chakra that blazed like golden flames, his aura imposing.

"That's... Nine-Tails Chakra!" The Third Hokage stared at Minato in shock, disbelief flashing in his eyes. "Minato, how could you possibly..."

"What is it?" Hashirama asked, slightly tilting his head in confusion.

The Third Hokage slowly turned and looked solemnly at the First. His voice was low and grave. "Lord Hashirama, you may not know... Minato's wife, Uzumaki Kushina, was once the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki."

He paused, as if gathering his thoughts—or holding back his emotions—then continued:

"That night, when Kushina was giving birth, someone used the Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails... Once it went berserk, it nearly destroyed all of Konoha."

"To stop it, Minato chose to fight with his life on the line."

"He used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to seal away half of the Nine-Tails' chakra, leaving the other half to the newborn Naruto..."

"After that battle, Minato and Kushina... both died."

Senju Hashirama was taken aback, his gaze quietly growing more subdued.

He had known how powerful the Nine-Tails was, but he had never imagined that protecting the village would demand such a heavy price.

He spoke slowly, his voice filled with respect and rueful admiration:

"So... the Fourth Hokage gave so much for Konoha... What an extraordinary young man."

With that, he looked toward Minato, his eyes full of approval and admiration.

The Third Hokage nodded slightly, his feelings complicated. After a long silence, he looked at Minato again, his voice now tinged with curiosity and emotion.

"Minato... how did you do it? The Nine-Tails is such a fearsome being... How did you manage to reconcile with it?"

Namikaze Minato looked at them calmly, his gaze clear and composed. His voice was quiet, but resolute.

"Over the years... I've had countless conversations with the Nine-Tails inside the Reaper's stomach."

"We went from being enemies to understanding each other... and eventually, we reconciled."

"It's no longer just a power held in bondage. It's... a partner willing to fight by my side."

His voice was calm and steady.

As soon as he finished speaking, the chakra within Minato surged. His golden Chakra Cloak transformed in an instant, and an aura like lightning burst forth. His power doubled in an instant, far surpassing that of an ordinary person.

"This is..."

"Sage Mode..." Shock flashed through the Third Hokage's eyes as his pupils contracted. He murmured in disbelief, "Minato, you've mastered Sage Mode too?"

The First sighed in admiration. "Fourth Hokage, I never thought you'd make it this far too. The younger generation is truly impressive."

"I'm not very good at Sage Mode."

Minato smiled faintly, his voice low but firm. "I've only grasped the basics, but the Reanimated Body lets me stabilize Natural Energy and feel a power I'd never reached before."

The next moment, Minato formed Hand Seals. Chakra surged behind him, spinning rapidly like a tornado and condensing into an enormous sphere of chakra as the surrounding air twisted violently.

"Sage Art: Spiraling Flash Super Circle Dance Howl Style Zero!"

This was Minato's unfinished ultimate technique from when he was alive. With the aid of Sage Mode, he had finally perfected it.

The Edo Tensei Giant Buddha raised its arm high and hurled the enormous chakra sphere—imbued with both Nine-Tails Chakra and Sage Mode—at the Susanoo Buddha Form.

Golden light blazed like a meteor streaking across the sky, racing straight toward its enemy.

Boom—!!

Heaven and earth trembled. The explosion thundered through the skies, and the shaking ground seemed ready to split apart.

The entire battlefield was torn open by enormous cracks. Dust billowed and flames erupted everywhere.

The Susanoo Buddha Form faced the attack and swung all six arms. Chakra surged from behind it like a tidal wave as it crossed its arms, forming a sturdy defensive barrier to block the deadly blow.

Boom—!!!

A thunderous explosion rang out. Its shockwave spread a hundred miles, and even the space beyond the barrier rippled like water. The entire land shuddered!

But the battle did not end as everyone expected.

As the dust slowly settled, the Susanoo Buddha Form's defenses had not completely collapsed. Only a deep crack had appeared in the armor over its left shoulder.

Though damaged, it still stood firm without falling.

"It only... damaged the outer layer." Minato hovered in the air, his gaze deep and his expression grave.

And at that moment—

A contemptuous scoff came from atop the Buddha.

"The God of the Ninja World... is nothing special."

Uchiha Yoru stood with his hands behind his back, one foot planted on Senju Tobirama's head, his eyes sharp with mockery.

"Uchiha brat... you..."

Tobirama's face was twisted with anger, but the Truth-Seeking Orb pinned him down, leaving him unable to move.

Before he could finish, the purple Buddha Form suddenly stirred!

Countless arms rose, each palm forming a Susanoo Giant Blade.

Uchiha Yoru murmured coldly:

"—Ten Thousand Swords Into One."