Armored Susanoo, Minato's Bigger Picture

ROAR!!!

The Nine-Tails threw back its head and let out a long howl.

Rampaging chakra surged outward without end. Amid deafening booms, houses and buildings were swept in every direction like waves kicked up by a storm, crushed and scattered with unstoppable force.

Jet-black armor covered its body, transforming the Nine-Tails from a ferocious, primitive Tailed Beast into a hulking, heavily armored monster.

Uchiha Kyu stood within the crystal on the Nine-Tails' forehead, shielded by it as he gazed down below with an arrogant, disdainful look.

Dark clouds covered the moon, and the heavens and earth changed color.

At that moment, everyone's eyes were fixed on him.

"Can we really deal with this kind of power?"

"We're not even on the same level. Was the outcome of this battle already decided?"

The Konoha shinobi present watched as the Nine-Tails, fully outfitted in Susanoo armor, howled at the moon.

The horrifying pressure radiating from the Nine-Tails left them suffocating. They trembled even as they spoke, their legs turning weak.

Hizashi Hyuga unconsciously swallowed, pressing his dry lips together tightly.

"As expected of the Uchiha Clan head. Even the Fourth Hokage probably can't match this kind of power."

Hyuga Hiashi wore the crazed smile of a gambler going all in. "From this moment onward, the Hyuga Clan's true future has begun to turn."

Fugaku Uchiha had never been clearer-headed. He used chakra to amplify his voice and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"The Third is dead! Surrender, and you will not be killed!"

Under the lead of Uchiha Kyu's three Shadow Clones, the number of shinobi from the ninja clans had been drastically reduced. Even with several times the Uchiha Clan's numbers, they were powerless to change anything.

Uchiha Ying and the others, Uchiha Kyu's trusted subordinates, all looked toward Uchiha Kyu's Shadow Clone. Only after receiving an affirmative response did they join Fugaku Uchiha in shouting.

"The Third is dead! Surrender, and you will not be killed!"

"The Third is dead! Surrender, and you will not be killed!"

"The Third is dead! Surrender, and you will not be killed!"

Before absolute power, numbers could never make up for a lack of quality.

Uchiha Kyu had already obtained everything he wanted.

The strong-willed and capable shinobi among those ninja clans had essentially been deliberately wiped out by him.

The remaining clan shinobi trembled in terror at the mere sight of the Nine-Tails. A bunch of spineless cowards were destined to become obedient dogs.

The clan shinobi who had fought desperately because they thought death was their only path were shocked and overjoyed to learn that surrender offered them a chance to live.

They hurriedly seized the opportunity, throwing down their weapons, clutching their heads, and squatting on the ground. Their movements were so practiced that it was as if they had received training before.

"I surrender! Don't kill me!"

"My hands aren't stained with your clansmen's blood! Don't kill me, don't kill me!"

"Konoha's changing. From now on, it's the Uchiha Clan's world. Spare me, and I'll serve you like an ox or horse."

The tide of surrender swept across the battlefield in an overwhelming wave.

Even the Sarutobi Clan surrendered faster than the others, showing that they knew how to read the situation.

Only the death warriors brought by Hiruzen Sarutobi continued fighting.

It seemed that only these death warriors still possessed any fighting spirit.

It was truly ironic.

Tsunade stood on the ground and looked up at that terrifying Nine-Tails, feeling incredibly small.

Her trembling gaze grew distant as she recalled the secret records her family had kept.

Back then, the invincible Madara Uchiha had controlled a Nine-Tails just like this to fight her grandfather.

"I never thought that after so many years, another Madara Uchiha would appear."

Tsunade's expression grew increasingly grave. She did not believe she could compare to her grandfather from back then.

Although Uchiha Kyu was not Madara Uchiha, the shadow of Madara Uchiha could already faintly be seen in him.

Susanoo: One-Sword Slash.

Uchiha Kyu had no time to waste. Maintaining this form consumed an enormous amount of chakra.

The instant the long blade left its sheath, its razor-sharp sword aura shot into the heavens.

Even the dark clouds in the night sky seemed to flee in fright, exposing the moon they had concealed once more.

The sword aura tore through the air and descended with overwhelming force.

Tsunade felt herself forcibly locked onto by the sword aura, as though no matter how she dodged, she could not escape.

"Lady Tsunade!"

In the span of a breath, Minato Namikaze formed hand seals at blinding speed.

BOOM!!!

The blade of light came down.

The ground was forcibly cleaved open into a bottomless ravine. The remaining buildings nearby were obliterated by the sword aura until nothing remained, leaving behind a barren stretch of land.

Had Uchiha Kyu not deliberately controlled its placement, even the safe passage beneath the Uchiha Compound would likely have been destroyed.

Uchiha Kyu casually let out a breath. The chakra in his body could maintain this state for another three minutes.

"Wow, this Uchiha Kyu looks even stronger than Obito."

In a dark, concealed corner, White Zetsu waved his limbs about in an exaggerated manner.

Black Zetsu, making up the other half of the body, was extremely calculating. Expressionlessly watching the scene, he recorded it as well.

Uchiha Kyu was an unforeseen variable beyond the plan to revive his mother. If he could deceive Uchiha Kyu into joining his side, the chances of reviving his mother would increase significantly.

"Heh heh heh!!!"

As though he had thought of a scheme to use against Uchiha Kyu, Black Zetsu let out a sinister chuckle and gradually sank into the ground.

Minato Namikaze and Tsunade were covered in Katsuyu.

Tsunade in particular had released the mark on her forehead, and massive amounts of chakra repaired and healed her body.

"Why is he so strong? Is he truly impossible to defeat?"

Minato Namikaze lay on the ground without any strength to fight. At the critical moment, his ninjutsu had been completely useless. Tsunade had even been the one to save him in the end.

The Sage Mode markings on Minato Namikaze's face gradually faded.

Even Sage Mode had not been enough to defeat him, much less now that Sage Mode had been forcibly dispelled and he no longer had the strength to fight.

But he still had a final bit of chakra. If possible, he was willing to use that technique to force a mutual kill with Uchiha Kyu.

But the ninja clans had already surrendered, and Konoha had completely lost to the Uchiha Clan.

If he took Uchiha Kyu with him, Konoha would lose its two strongest fighting forces at once.

Then, if the borders of the Land of Fire were breached, Konoha would be in even greater peril.

As Hokage, he had to consider the bigger picture. He could not plunge the nation and village into war for his own selfish desires.

For Konoha, for the Land of Fire, he could only bow his head to Uchiha Kyu.

Minato Namikaze slammed his fist against the ground, hating his own helplessness.

Tap!

Tap!

Rhythmic footsteps drew closer and closer to Minato Namikaze.

Minato Namikaze did not need to think to know that the owner of those footsteps was Uchiha Kyu.

Minato Namikaze spoke with difficulty. "I lost."

"Don't hurt the village any further. I can trade my life for the village's peace and stability."

"Kill me."

"Kill me, and from this day onward, you will be the Hokage."

Minato Namikaze resigned himself and closed his eyes without offering any resistance.

Protecting the safety of a nation and a village was his responsibility and mission as Hokage.