Just when Nagato thought it was the end for him, Uchiha Obito appeared at his side out of nowhere.
Obito reached for Nagato, intending to pull him into the Kamui space.
"Perfect timing!" Namikaze Minato's eyes flashed coldly at the sight.
He knew that to absorb someone, Obito had to be fully tangible—an opening he could exploit.
In the next instant, Minato, holding his Flying Thunder God kunai infused with wind chakra, vanished.
Splat!
Blood sprayed in front of Nagato's eyes in a vivid crimson arc.
Minato had struck Obito's shoulder with the wind-infused kunai, slicing open a deep wound.
"Ugh…"
Two gasps of pain echoed—one from Obito, who was in the middle of absorbing Nagato, and the other from Minato, who had just torn through half of Obito's body.
At that same moment, a sharp wooden spike stabbed into Minato's left chest, while countless jagged roots burst from behind him.
This wooden spike was Aburame's Wood Style: Piercing Plant Technique, striking at Minato just as he injured Obito.
Much like Obito's need to be tangible during absorption, Minato was also vulnerable when launching an attack.
"Madara sacrificed himself to save me!?" Nagato's face showed utter disbelief as he was dragged into the Kamui space.
"What a cunning plan…using Nagato as bait to lure me in…" Minato coughed up a mouthful of blood. Summoning the last of his strength, he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and disappeared.
Though the so-called Uchiha Madara was seriously injured, Minato had been watching closely and saw no signs of Izanagi. This meant that the Madara just now had indeed taken a real injury.
After Minato vanished, Obito also spat up a mouthful of blood. Half of his body was practically torn apart—a grievous wound.
"This time…this time, I win, Sensei…" he muttered in pain, with a hint of satisfaction, and transported himself into the Kamui space.
Despite his cells from Hashirama Senju, even Obito needed immediate treatment for such an injury to survive.
On the other side, Minato appeared next to Uzumaki Kushina. His face was pale; he could feel his life force rapidly fading.
The Wood Style: Piercing Plant Technique had almost hit his heart, but he barely managed to shift, avoiding instant death.
He pulled out an intricately patterned talisman and placed it on his forehead. Thick Sage chakra flowed from the talisman, filling him with a warm, white energy.
This was a sage talisman, a rare creation from Mount Myoboku. Only true sages could craft them, and it was rumored that Mount Myoboku possessed a genuine talisman capable of resurrecting the dead.
However, the one Minato had was only an imitation, though still powerful.
While it couldn't fully heal his current injuries, it could extend his life a bit—just enough for him to complete his last tasks.
"There's no way I can make it…a few minutes at best," he murmured.
"Kushina…" Kushina's face was streaked with tears as she looked at him in his weakened state.
"Kushina, don't cry. We still have work to do." Minato smiled faintly, casting a glance at the child in her arms. "I've entrusted the future to Naruto. Our son will surpass us and become a great shinobi."
"Minato…" Kushina sobbed, gazing at him as he endured the pain.
Bearing the agony, Minato lifted her into his arms, vanishing once more. When they reappeared, they were by Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Akira.
Seeing Minato in such a state, Fugaku and Akira were visibly shaken.
"Minato, you…" Fugaku moved to support him.
"Fugaku, Akira, now isn't the time." Minato looked at them gravely. "Madara is gravely injured. Help me seal the Nine-Tails into Naruto."
Not far away, the enormous Nine-Tails lay sprawled on the ground, its massive body pinned down. To avoid having Akira snap another leg, it lay there like a giant cat, head turned toward them, eyes flashing with mocking glee.
"Turnabout is fair play, eh?" the Nine-Tails sneered, chuckling.
None of the four paid it any mind.
Akira took Naruto from Kushina's arms and laid him on a large rock.
Struggling to stand, Kushina looked from Naruto to Minato's pale face, her heart heavy with sorrow. Today was supposed to be a joyous occasion.
Suddenly, Akira's eyes widened as he turned sharply toward the Nine-Tails.
At that exact moment, the beast sprang to its feet.
"What…how did the Nine-Tails regrow two legs?" Fugaku's eyes widened with shock.
Indeed, two new legs had formed, while the previously snapped legs lay motionless on the ground.
"Rrrraaagh!" The Nine-Tails let out a triumphant roar.
In the next moment, an intense, dark-red chakra erupted from the severed legs, forming twin beams of light shooting into the sky.
Then, the blood that had pooled on the ground began writhing, encasing the severed legs, which grew into massive, scarlet spheres.
The atmosphere was thick with life energy as the spheres pulsed.
The transformation happened so quickly that Fugaku and Akira had no time to react.
"Damn it! When did the Nine-Tails plant this trick?" Fugaku's face darkened, realizing they had been outwitted by the beast.
Boom! Boom!
The crimson spheres exploded, releasing a storm of malevolent chakra that pushed Amaterasu's flames flat against the ground.
From within the chakra storm emerged two small Nine-Tails, identical to the original but about twenty meters tall each.
"Can the Nine-Tails really do this?" Akira, taken aback, realized this was outside his knowledge.
"Ha!" The Nine-Tails let out an exultant roar. "Uzumaki Kushina, Namikaze Minato, you damn Uchihas—now let's see what you'll do!"
Kushina and Minato were gravely wounded, nearly spent; Fugaku's chakra was almost depleted after the prolonged battle, and Akira had exhausted his Mangekyo techniques. Confident it had an advantage, the Nine-Tails grinned inwardly, thinking, "The great Kurama's got this one in the bag!"
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