"Not good! It's broken free!"
Following Pakura's exclamation, dozens of Chakra Chains snapped simultaneously.
The Nine-Tails threw its head back and roared. Its crimson eyes flashed with madness. Its nine tails lashed out like pillars of heaven, each strike causing earthquake-like tremors.
"Retreat! Everyone retreat to the third defensive line!"
Minato's voice carried unprecedented urgency.
He understood the Nine-Tails' power better than anyone. If the Nine-Tails fully rampage, the entire Konoha Village would be reduced to ashes tonight.
As for using the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport the Nine-Tails away... the mastermind behind this seemed very familiar with the technique.
The moment the Nine-Tails broke free, it had fired multiple Tailed Beast Bombs consecutively.
His Chakra had been almost completely depleted from teleporting those Tailed Beast Bombs earlier.
Suddenly, a calm voice rang out clearly across the battlefield.
"Nine-Tails."
The voice wasn't loud, but it pierced through all the noise, reaching everyone's ears.
Hearing it, the previously rampaging Nine-Tails suddenly froze. Its pupils contracted violently, as if hearing something extremely terrifying.
"Need me to help you sober up?"
Before the Nine-Tails could react, a figure had already appeared atop its head.
Setsuna delivered a plain, unadorned punch downward.
The Nine-Tails' massive body shuddered violently before crashing to the ground like a collapsing mountain.
The massive shockwave threw up dust dozens of meters high. All of Konoha Village trembled from the impact.
When the dust settled, everyone stared dumbfounded at the scene before them.
The previously unstoppable Nine-Tails now lay in a crater hundreds of meters wide, foaming at the mouth, its nine tails twitching unconsciously. It had clearly been completely knocked out.
After a long moment, the Raikage was the first to regain his composure, his eye twitching violently. "That monster seems to have gotten even stronger. Damn it, how are we supposed to catch up to him?"
Inside Killer B, the Eight-Tails widened its eyes. "Hey, B... is this guy really human like you guys?"
Inside Bunpuku, Shukaku cheered gleefully. "Hit it good! That's how you teach that stinky fox a lesson!"
Minato regained his composure. He flickered next to Setsuna. "Hokage-sama, Kurama must have been controlled. There's a mastermind behind this."
"I know." Setsuna nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the devastated Konoha Village. "First reseal the Nine-Tails. I'll handle the rest."
Gratitude flashed in Minato's eyes. He hurriedly brought Kushina to reseal the Nine-Tails.
Setsuna looked around, his voice spreading across Konoha Village. "Come out. Hiding doesn't suit your style, Uchiha Madara."
"Hehehe..." A low chuckle came from all directions. A blue figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
The iconic red armor, the wild, unrestrained laughter… it was unmistakably Uchiha Madara.
"Beating my pet made you this confident?" Madara crossed his arms, standing on a tree branch, looking down on Setsuna with clear disdain.
"Uchiha Madara?"
"Didn't Hokage-sama kill him?"
The gathered Ninjas instantly erupted. The legend of Madara was too deeply ingrained. Just his name was enough to make the entire Ninja World tremble.
Moreover, in the rumors, the Madara killed by Setsuna a year ago was an old man. But the one before them now was clearly in his prime.
"It's the Edo Tensei!" Onoki glanced subtly at Setsuna and shook his head slightly. "The Second Hokage invented this technique... it's really hard to judge."
Setsuna looked at Madara and said calmly, "If I can't be confident against a defeated opponent, that would be excessive modesty."
"Hmph!" Madara's face darkened. "Do you remember what I said before I died? I would return from hell and show you my full power!"
"Can an Edo Tensei body allow you to exert your full power?" Setsuna raised an eyebrow, seeming curious.
"Of course not." Madara said indifferently. "But the one who summoned my soul used my clone as the sacrifice. Combined with the Edo Tensei's properties, I can exert roughly eighty percent of my strength."
Setsuna was somewhat surprised, 'A clone? Does Black Zetsu possess that technology?'
'Or had certain enemies who should have appeared in the future already emerged?'
"But... eighty percent strength, huh?" A flicker of regret passed through Setsuna's eyes. If this were before his journey to the One Piece World, Madara at eighty percent would indeed be a decent opponent.
But now...
"One punch." Setsuna suddenly said.
"What?" Madara was taken aback.
"Same as the Nine-Tails. One punch to knock you out." Setsuna looked at him calmly, as if stating the simplest fact.
"You brat! How dare you look down on me like this!" Madara's Susanoo instantly erupted. "Even Hashirama wouldn't dare say that!"
Deep blue Chakra shot skyward, condensing in the blink of an eye into a Complete Body Susanoo.
A colossal warrior deity rose from the ground. Its wings spread, blotting out the sky. Its Chakra Greatsword emitted a chilling light.
"So strong!" Fugaku felt suffocated. The Susanoo he had summoned with his Mangekyo Sharingan was like heaven and earth compared to Madara's.
Onoki's pupils also trembled violently, as if transported back to the day he was overwhelmingly defeated by Madara in his youth.
In response, Setsuna merely said calmly, "Be careful. I'm going to attack."
Madara's nerves were stretched to the limit. Though his words were dismissive, he clearly understood the terrifying power of the man before him.
However—
Bang!
After a dull impact, the entire world seemed to fall silent.
Madara didn't even see Setsuna's movement. He only felt a sharp pain in his chest before losing consciousness.
His Susanoo shattered like fragile glass. His tall body flew backward like a ragdoll, smashing heavily into a distant mountainside.
When the dust cleared, everyone saw only a human-shaped crater deeply embedded in the cliff face, with an unconscious Madara inside.
Witnessing this, everyone's jaws dropped, 'Was that really the legendary Uchiha Madara, rival of the First Hokage? Not some actor the Hokage-sama found somewhere?'
Onoki stared blankly, a thought forming in his mind, 'Perhaps [God of Ninja] was no longer sufficient to describe Setsuna. Maybe Setsuna had truly entered the realm of a god.'
Jiraiya stroked his chin, suddenly feeling the significance of his battle with Setsuna back in the day was increasing exponentially.
Setsuna's tone was indifferent. "Have the Sealing Corps seal Madara. I'll continue investigating the real mastermind."
Hearing Setsuna's words, everyone felt a chill.
'Uchiha Madara wasn't even the mastermind? There was someone even more terrifying behind him?'
But when they looked at Setsuna's reliable retreating figure, their hearts immediately settled.
'Whoever the mastermind is, they'll probably be a one-punch affair for the Hokage-sama anyway.'