The battlefield became a theater of absolute silence. Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash, stood before his son. Beside him, Hiruzen Sarutobi tightened the straps on his battle armor, while Hashirama and Tobirama prepared to engage the terrifying presence of Sakura.
But for Minato, the world had shrunk down to the platinum-haired figure standing in the center of a five-mile crater of nothingness.
"Naruto," Minato whispered, his voice cracking as he held a special kunai. "I sealed the Nine-Tails inside you because I believed you could handle the burden. I believed you would be the hero of this world. What has this man, Aizen, shown you that could make you throw away your soul?"
Naruto didn't blink. He didn't even shift his stance. He stood with his arms at his sides, the hollow hole in his chest pulsing with a rhythmic, silver light.
"Minato Namikaze," Naruto spoke, and the double-layered echo of his voice made the ground vibrate. "You speak of 'burdens' and 'heroes.' You speak of a child who was a vessel for a monster. That child died in the Black Coffin. What stands before you is the answer to your failed world."
The Speed of Light vs. The Speed of the Void
Minato didn't wait. He knew that against a being of this caliber, hesitation was death. He threw a dozen kunai in a wide arc.
"Flying Raijin: Level 2!"
In a golden flash, Minato appeared directly behind Naruto's head, a massive Rasengan swirling in his hand. It was a strike that had defeated the strongest of foes.
But the Rasengan never touched Naruto.
Naruto didn't turn around. A circular barrier of absolute spiritual pressure—the Hierro—manifested an inch from his skin. The Rasengan shattered against it like glass against a mountain.
"Is this the pinnacle of Shinobi speed?" Naruto asked softly.
In a blur that bypassed the very concept of time—the Sonido—Naruto was suddenly face-to-face with Minato. He placed a hand on his father's chest.
"Cero del Sol: Point Blank."
A blinding flash of golden energy erupted. Minato was sent hurtling backward, his Edo Tensei body beginning to crumble and flake away from the sheer density of the Reiatsu. Even the regenerative powers of the dead were struggling to repair the damage caused by the Void.
The Despair of the Elders
"Minato!" Hiruzen shouted, lunging forward with his Enma staff. "Earth Style: Mud Dragon!"
At the same time, Tsunade and Gaara joined the fray from the flanks. Tsunade's fist, capable of shattering mountains, swung toward Naruto's face.
Naruto simply raised his left hand and caught Tsunade's fist. The impact created a shockwave that flattened the surrounding dunes for miles, but Naruto's arm didn't move an inch.
"You taught me that strength comes from protecting others, Tsunade-baa-chan," Naruto said, the silver in his eyes swirling. "But look at them. Your 'precious' army is trembling. They are waiting for a savior who no longer exists."
He squeezed her hand. The sound of bones cracking echoed across the field.
"Naruto, stop!" Gaara roared, commanding a tidal wave of sand to bury the First Espada.
The sand engulfed Naruto, forming a massive pyramid. "Sand Waterfall Imperial Funeral!" Gaara slammed his hands down, crushing everything inside.
For a moment, the Allied Forces cheered. But then, the pyramid began to glow. A golden light bled through the cracks of the sand.
The pyramid didn't just break; it vaporized.
Naruto stood there, his Resurrección beginning to leak out. A single skeletal wing made of light erupted from his shoulder.
"I am the Sun that does not warm," Naruto whispered, raising his hand toward the sky where the moons of Hueco Mundo hung. "I am the light that blinds. Cero... Oscuras del Sol."
The sky turned pitch black for a hundred miles, save for a single, terrifying golden ring around a dark center. The ultimate execution was coming.