Caught completely off guard, Yuzuru was stabbed straight through and sent flying by the staff.
"That Sarutobi Hiruzen guy looks skinny as a monkey, but who knew he'd have that much strength…"
Yuzuru couldn't help but mutter a complaint.
In the original story, Sarutobi Hiruzen had relied on this very move during the Nine-Tails incident, forcibly shoving the Nine-Tails' massive body out of Konoha.
Who would have thought that even his Susanoo, when unprepared, would be blasted away like this?
Before Yuzuru could think any further, an enormous Nine-Tails appeared right in front of Susanoo.
Seeing this, the corner of Yuzuru's mouth curled upward slightly.
'To avoid being restrained by the Mangekyō Sharingan's Dōjutsu Power, you directly manifested the Nine-Tails in chakra form like Uzumaki Naruto did in the original story?'
Not a bad idea.
"Roar!"
The Nine-Tails threw back its head and roared toward the sky, then raised its claws and slammed them down toward Susanoo.
Yuzuru snorted softly, and Susanoo answered with a punch of its own.
Boom!
The collision of the two massive fists instantly kicked up a howling gale.
Taking advantage of the momentum, the Nine-Tails whipped its tail into Susanoo, while Yuzuru controlled Susanoo to swing its blade in a downward slash.
All of the Nine-Tails' tails were severed—but as chakra surged forth, they reformed once more.
"Roar!"
The Nine-Tails lifted its head as a Tailed Beast Ball began to condense at its mouth.
But before the Tailed Beast Ball could fully form, Susanoo's fist smashed into the Nine-Tails' lower jaw, knocking it flat to the ground.
After rolling awkwardly along the ground for some distance, the Nine-Tails relied on its agile body to spring back to its feet.
Working together with Sarutobi Hiruzen's staff, they managed to successfully stall Yuzuru's Susanoo.
From afar, the assembled ninja clan members watched the scene, fear unconsciously rising in their hearts.
In the face of such power, even if they mobilized their entire clans, wouldn't total annihilation be the only outcome?
Nara Shikaku glanced at Akimichi Chōza beside him and said in a low voice, "Chōza, if we were facing Uchiha Yuzuru, do you think you could block his Susanoo?"
Akimichi Chōza shook his head. "Even if I took the clan's secret pills, I'd probably only last a short while."
Nara Shikaku then turned his gaze to Yamanaka Inoichi. Yamanaka Inoichi hurriedly said, "Don't look at me. In front of those eyes, the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques are no different from throwing our lives away."
Nara Shikaku sighed. "I understand."
Given the current situation, the village's survival could only rest on Namikaze Minato alone.
Before such overwhelming power, even ninja clans like theirs were utterly helpless.
Someone sighed softly. "The godlike power of the Uchiha clan really does live up to its name."
"No wonder they're called the strongest bloodline clan in the ninja world."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Only Hyuga Hiashi clenched his fists tightly, his eyes filled with unwillingness.
For the first time, through the eyes he took such pride in, he felt an undeniable gap.
"Minato, this fighting style consumes too much chakra. You won't be able to hold out for long—you need to think of another way," someone warned.
Minato nodded. "I know."
He took a deep breath and, while Yuzuru's attention was drawn by the staff, closed in directly in front of Susanoo.
"Flying Thunder God Technique!"
Minato shouted—and then, together with Yuzuru, vanished from Konoha.
Standing before the statues of Madara and Senju Hashirama, Yuzuru snorted lightly. "Minato, you should know this is pointless."
"If I want to, I can return to Konoha again at any time."
"Even if you keep repeating the same thing, you'll still be the one to fall first in the end."
Minato said solemnly, "I just want to tell you that if you don't intend to spare Konoha, then I'll do the same thing to the Cloud Village."
"Even if I can't defeat you, with the Flying Thunder God, you still won't be able to defeat me either."
Yuzuru looked at Minato and spoke slowly. "Are you threatening me?"
Minato met his gaze. "You can think of it that way."
Yuzuru snorted and shrugged. "Then by all means, give it a try."
Hearing that, a bitter smile appeared on Minato's face. "As expected, that kind of method doesn't work on you."
"The village doesn't really bind you at all, does it?"
He had only spoken those words on a whim, hoping to try his luck—but now it was clear they had no effect.
If the other party could leave Konoha, a village founded by his own clan, without hesitation, how could he possibly be threatened by the Cloud Village?
Seeing Minato fall silent, Yuzuru stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder.
"Minato, you don't actually need to be so troubled."
"Maybe one day, you'll realize that the two of us are the real comrades."
"What do you mean?"
"When that day comes, you'll understand," Yuzuru replied, choosing to speak in riddles.
After all, Minato had always been thinking about Kushina Uzumaki.
"Oh, right. This time, I don't intend to wipe everyone out, so don't worry."
With that, Yuzuru vanished from where he stood.
For the first time, Minato felt a sense of powerlessness.
He had done everything he possibly could, yet he still couldn't stop Yuzuru…
————
————
The people of Konoha, who had just begun to relax, became desperate once more when they saw Yuzuru appear high in the sky again.
Even a perfect Nine-Tails jinchuriki wasn't a match for Yuzuru?
Was Konoha really about to be destroyed this time?
"You don't need to look so desperate. You brought this upon yourselves."
"On the basis of some fabricated charges, you wanted to throw our people into prison…"
"Now let me tell you this: no matter where it is, if you dare infringe upon the rights of the people of the Land of Lightning, then even if you flee to the ends of the earth, you will be executed!"
Yuzuru's voice echoed across the skies above Konoha, leaving the people below burning with rage.
No wonder this demon had suddenly come to Konoha and started slaughtering—someone had tried to make a move against the people of the Land of Lightning.
Just who was the damned bastard that did something like this? They truly deserved to die!
"All right. Prepare one hundred billion Ryō and deliver it to the Cloud Village within a month, or I'll come again."
"Take this. It's a farewell gift."
A pitch-black chakra sphere condensed in Yuzuru's palm. He flipped his hand and gently tossed it downward.
"Jaane!"
Yuzuru's figure vanished. A true man never looks back at an explosion.
The people of Konoha stared at the slowly descending black sphere, all of them wearing expressions of utter horror.
From that chakra sphere, they felt a terrifying aura that made their hearts seize.
An elderly man with exceptional sensory ability suddenly turned around and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Foolish children, run!!!"
Only then did the Konoha ninja snap back to their senses.
They scattered in all directions, fleeing into the distance as chaos erupted.
The very next second, an incomparably brilliant light erupted, instantly swallowing the entirety of Konoha…