Retrieving the Nine-Tails

Madara Uchiha summoned the Nine-Tails under his control. Dark red chakra flickered across its body.

The Nine-Tails opened its gaping maw, suffocating chakra gathering inside its mouth.

It formed a purplish-black sphere.

A Tailed Beast Bomb.

The Tailed Beast Bomb rapidly expanded, beginning to radiate destructive fluctuations.

Under Madara Uchiha's control, the Nine-Tails turned its head toward Konoha's symbol.

Hokage Rock.

At this critical moment, as Konoha faced destruction, Minato settled Naruto somewhere safe, then teleported to Kushina's side in a flash of blue light.

His heart twisted in agony at the sight of Kushina on the verge of death.

But this was no time for grief. Gritting his teeth, he picked Kushina up and used Flying Thunder God again, taking her to Naruto.

He gently laid Kushina beside Naruto.

Then he turned resolutely and put on his Hokage cloak.

"I'll be right back." Minato's gaze held an unprecedented coldness, turbulent currents surging beneath his calm eyes.

Kushina lay on her side on the bed, continuously stroking Naruto in her arms, seemingly reluctant to part with him in a hundred different ways. She heard Minato's voice.

"Stay safe." Her lips moved as she struggled to voice her well wishes.

Blue light flashed as Minato used Flying Thunder God to head to the battlefield.

Minato appeared instantly atop Hokage Rock, facing the Tailed Beast Bomb that was about to destroy Konoha.

He tightened his grip on his special kunai, using the formula inscribed on it.

As his chakra circulated continuously, the formula on the kunai spread into empty space, growing larger and larger until it unfurled to shield Hokage Rock.

The atmosphere in the village suddenly froze.

With unstoppable destructive force, the Tailed Beast Bomb hurtled toward Hokage Rock and struck the formula in midair.

The Tailed Beast Bomb gradually sank into the formula, vanishing before Hokage Rock.

Boom!!!!

Dazzling light erupted in the mountains behind the village, the force of the explosion sweeping through the village center in a shock wave.

Minato turned to look at the tremendous explosion.

"Next time, I'll have to consider where I send an attack of this magnitude to avoid collateral damage."

Minato looked toward Madara Uchiha atop the Nine-Tails' head. Without the slightest hesitation, he used Flying Thunder God to fly toward Madara.

His figure flashed, appearing above Madara Uchiha, and he was just about to attack.

Madara Uchiha's gaze sharpened as he raised a hand to counter.

Suddenly, a powerful presence bore down on everyone there, its overwhelming pressure making it difficult for them to breathe.

Without any warning, a figure suddenly appeared atop the Nine-Tails' head.

The figure was a man with an upright bearing, wearing a black cloak patterned with red clouds. A powerful aura radiated from his entire body, as though every movement could destroy heaven and earth.

Pero!

After appearing, he made no unnecessary movements, simply throwing a single punch.

Boom!!!

There was an earth-shattering crash.

Under that punch, the Nine-Tails' enormous body slammed headfirst into the forest as though struck by a meteor, twitching on the ground as if its brain stem had been damaged.

Its pupils, controlled by the Sharingan, instantly regained their clarity under the power of that punch.

But its gaze was blank as it lay on the ground, filled with shock and confusion.

Pero beckoned to the Nine-Tails.

The Nine-Tails' body turned into countless streams of red light that flew into his body as he frantically drew out its chakra.

[Nine-Tails Chakra extracted. Evolution energy +2.5%]

The Nine-Tails floated in the air, finally becoming a little fox the size of a puppy.

Pero reached out to catch the Nine-Tails, glanced down at it, then casually tossed it away.

"Hold on to this for me. I'll come get it in a bit."

He threw it precisely toward Minato, who stood dazed a short distance away.

Minato instinctively caught the little fox, waves surging through his heart. What... what kind of power was this?! I'd thought knocking Isobu flat with one punch was outrageous enough.

He had never expected the Nine-Tails to be defeated with a single punch as well.

Pero paid no attention to Minato's shock. His gaze locked onto Madara Uchiha in the distance.

"Oh... you've got enough time to come out and cause trouble now." Pero's voice held a trace of nonchalance, as though he were assessing a frail opponent.

Madara's pupils contracted sharply. Back at Mountain's Grave, he had never seen Pero attack. At the time, he had merely attributed his ninjutsu's failure to affect Pero to his own old age.

Now that he had witnessed Pero's strength, which defied all reason, he had never seen such a powerful being.

Even when Pero appeared, neither the Sharingan nor the Rinnegan could catch how he had arrived.

"You!" Madara's lips moved, and he was just about to speak when Pero suddenly vanished.

The next instant, Pero teleported in front of Madara.

Pero casually threw a kick. Although its speed appeared ordinary,

Madara Uchiha sensed something in that kick that made his heart tremble.

Crack!

With the crisp sound of breaking bones, Madara Uchiha, in his Impure World Reincarnation state, was snapped in half at the waist by Pero's kick.

Madara's face was filled with shock and disbelief. He had never imagined he would be so utterly vulnerable before this man.

Madara Uchiha's severed body fell to the ground. Owing to the special nature of Impure World Reincarnation, dust continuously filled the severed sections.

It tried to reassemble.

Lying on the ground, Madara gave Pero a long look, unprecedented gravity flashing in his eyes.

He knew that even if today's plan succeeded, there would be major uncertainties in carrying out the plans that followed.

Madara wasted no words. He gave Pero one final look and formed hand seals.

He vanished on the spot in a cloud of smoke.

Pero watched the space where Madara had disappeared, then glanced back at the lower half still standing on the ground. The sight was rather funny.

Two and a half Madaras.

"Whoops, I accidentally let him get away." He turned toward Minato.

Mountain's Grave.

Madara's half-body appeared before Black Zetsu, standing there in a sorry state. His Impure World Reincarnation body was still constantly trying to repair the severed section.

Looking at Madara with his arms folded, Black Zetsu sensed a grave air about him.

"Lord Madara... you?"

Madara gave no response. He simply extended his fingers and gouged out both his eyes, facing Black Zetsu with hollow sockets.

"The plan succeeded." Madara's voice held a trace of hoarseness and exhaustion as he handed the two eyes to Black Zetsu.

Black Zetsu took the eyes, fanatical joy flashing in his gaze. Every successful step in Madara Uchiha's plan brought his mother's resurrection one step closer.

The current situation was the greatest victory.

"Release Impure World Reincarnation." Madara wearily closed his eyes. In the final moment before he dissipated, Pero's figure flashed through his mind.

Pero, however powerful your body may be, can your soul withstand Infinite Tsukuyomi?

Hearing this, Black Zetsu immediately formed hand seals and released the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu.

Madara's half-body began to crumble, turning into dust that dispersed into the air. Before he vanished completely, he turned and glanced at Black Zetsu again.

As though reminding him of something.

As Madara dissipated, Black Zetsu ended his possession. Without that support, the ninja instantly collapsed on the ground.

Black Zetsu looked at the ninja at his feet, who was no longer of any use, without the slightest flicker of emotion in his eyes.

"Trash."

Black Zetsu raised his foot and kicked the ninja into a fissure in the graveyard. Then he turned and gradually sank into the ground.

Beneath Mountain's Grave, silence fell once more.