Roar!!!
The Nine-Tails threw back its head and howled.
Rampaging chakra surged outward without end. Amid thunderous crashes, houses and buildings were swept in every direction like waves tossed up by the sea, collapsing like dry weeds.
Jet-black armor clad its body, transforming the Nine-Tails from a savage, untamed Tailed Beast into a burly, heavily armored one.
At the crystalline spot on the Nine-Tails' forehead, Uchiha Kyu stood protected by the crystal, his arrogant, disdainful gaze fixed on the ground below.
Dark clouds covered the moon, and the heavens and earth changed color.
At that moment, every eye was focused on him.
"Can we really deal with this kind of power?"
"We're not even on the same level. Was this battle doomed from the start?"
The Konoha ninjas present witnessed the Nine-Tails, fully armed in Susanoo, howling at the moon.
The terrifying pressure erupting from the Nine-Tails suffocated them. They trembled as they spoke, their legs going weak with fear.
Hizashi Hyuga instinctively swallowed, pressing his dry lips tightly together.
"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 on, the Hyuga Clan's true future begins to turn."
Fugaku Uchiha had never been clearer-headed than he was at that moment. He amplified his voice with chakra and shouted.
"The Third is dead! Surrender, and you will be spared!"
Under the lead of Uchiha Kyu's three Shadow Clones, the number of ninja clan shinobi had been drastically reduced. Even though they outnumbered the Uchiha several times over, it was useless.
Uchiha Kage and the others, Uchiha Kyu's trusted subordinates, all looked toward Uchiha Kyu's Shadow Clone. Only after receiving his approval did they join Fugaku Uchiha in shouting.
"The Third is dead! Surrender, and you will be spared!"
"The Third is dead! Surrender, and you will be spared!"
"The Third is dead! Surrender, and you will be spared!"
Before absolute power, numbers could never make up for a difference in quality.
Uchiha Kyu had already obtained everything he wanted.
The strong-willed, capable shinobi among those ninja clans had basically all been deliberately slaughtered by him.
The remaining clan shinobi trembled at the mere sight of the Nine-Tails. Those spineless cowards were destined to become obedient dogs.
The clan shinobi who had fought desperately because they believed death was their only path were shocked and overjoyed to discover that surrender meant survival.
They hurriedly seized the opportunity, throwing away their weapons and squatting with their hands clasped over their heads. Their movements were so practiced that it seemed as if they had trained for it 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 is changing. From now on, it'll be the Uchiha's world. Spare me, and I'll serve you like an ox or a horse!"
The wave of surrender became completely one-sided, sweeping across the entire battlefield.
The Sarutobi Clan surrendered even faster, proving remarkably adaptable to 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 the terrifying Nine-Tails, feeling incomparably small.
Her trembling gaze grew unfocused as she recalled the secret records her family had kept at home.
Back then, the unrivaled Madara Uchiha had controlled a Nine-Tails like this when he fought her grandfather.
"I never thought that after all these years, another Madara Uchiha would appear."
Tsunade's expression grew increasingly grave. She would never believe herself capable of rivaling her grandfather from back then.
Although Uchiha Kyu was not Madara Uchiha, the shadow of Madara Uchiha could already vaguely 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 energy shot into the clouds.
Even the dark clouds in the night sky seemed frightened into scattering, exposing the moon they had covered once more.
The sword energy tore through the air and descended with unstoppable force.
Tsunade felt herself forcibly locked onto by the sword energy, as though there was no way to evade it no matter where she ran.
"Lady Tsunade!"
In a single breath, Minato Namikaze rapidly formed hand seals.
Boom!!!
The blade of light came down.
The earth was forcibly split open into a bottomless ravine. The remaining buildings nearby were utterly destroyed by the sword energy, leaving behind nothing but a barren expanse.
If Uchiha Kyu had 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 within him could sustain this state for another three minutes.
"Wow, this Uchiha Kyu looks even stronger than Obito."
In a dark, concealed corner, White Zetsu waved his arms exaggeratedly and spoke without restraint.
Black Zetsu, occupying the other half of the body, was profoundly calculating. He watched the scene expressionlessly, recording it as well.
Uchiha Kyu was an unforeseen variable outside the plan to revive his mother. If he could trick Uchiha Kyu into joining his side, the chances of reviving his mother would increase greatly.
"Heh heh heh!!!"
As if he had thought of a scheme against Uchiha Kyu, Black Zetsu let out a low, sinister laugh as his body gradually sank into the ground.
Minato Namikaze and Tsunade were both covered in Katsuyu.
In particular, the mark on Tsunade's forehead had been released, and vast amounts of chakra repaired and healed her body.
"Why was he so strong? Was he truly impossible to defeat?"
Minato Namikaze lay on the ground without any ability to fight. At the critical moment, his ninjutsu had been completely useless. In the end, it had even been Lady Tsunade who saved him.
The Sage Mode markings on Minato Namikaze's face gradually faded.
Even with Sage Mode, he had not been a match. Now that Sage Mode had been passively dispelled, he had even less strength left to continue fighting.
However, he still had one 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 combat forces in an instant.
Then, if the borders of the Land of Fire were breached, Konoha would be in even greater danger.
As Hokage, he had to consider the bigger picture. He could not plunge the nation and the village into war for the sake of his own selfish desires.
For Konoha, for the Land of Fire, he could only bow his head to Uchiha Kyu.
Minato Namikaze pounded the ground fiercely, hating his own powerlessness.
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 keep hurting the village. I can trade my life for the village's stability and peace."
"Kill me."
"Kill me, and from this day onward, you will be the Hokage."
Minato Namikaze resigned himself and closed his eyes, offering no resistance.
Protecting the safety of a nation and a village was his responsibility and mission as Hokage.
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