Examining Sasuke, whom he had seized by the throat, Madara suddenly thought of his younger brother Izuna, and for a brief moment, he lost focus.
Seeing this, Minato hurried forward, trying to help Naruto reclaim the Nine-Tails as much as possible. In the distance, Itachi—desperate to protect his brother—also launched an attack on Madara.
Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu were unleashed toward Madara as if chakra cost nothing. Sasuke, still being choked, hastily activated Kagutsuchi, strengthening the power of Amaterasu.
At the same time, Shin used his Mangekyō ability to manipulate the Lightning Blade Kiba, sending it stabbing toward Madara's heart.
Kuugetsu forced her way forward with Bigan (The Other Shore), attempting to snatch Sasuke back from Madara's grasp.
But against Madara—who had already touched the level of the Six Paths—these attacks were utterly insignificant.
Itachi's Tsukuyomi was shattered in an instant. Worse still, the backlash from its destruction caused Itachi himself to suffer intense pain.
At the same time, Madara activated his Rinnegan abilities. He first used Shinra Tensei to blow away the Amaterasu flames clinging to him, then forcibly altered the trajectory of the Lightning Blade with Banshō Ten'in.
Pulled by Banshō Ten'in, the blade Kiba not only failed to strike Madara—it instead pierced the abdomen of Kuugetsu, who had been charging forward.
In the span of a single breath, several of the Uchiha clan's strongest fighters lost their ability to continue fighting.
Madara looked at the Uchiha descendants lying scattered across the ground, anger uncontrollably surfacing in his eyes. These were clearly his descendants, yet every one of them now wished for his death.
The feeling reminded him of the pain of betrayal from long ago. At last, Madara turned his gaze back to Sasuke, whom he still controlled. The hesitation and nostalgia in his eyes slowly faded.
"Such an outstanding descendant… and yet I must end him with my own hands. What a pity."
As he spoke, Madara picked up the other half of the Lightning Blade Kiba from the ground and coldly plunged it into Sasuke's chest.
He casually tossed the sword aside. Sasuke's body fell with a dull thud.
"Sasuke!"
Seeing this, Naruto's eyes nearly split open in rage. Yet he could do nothing—resisting the Ten-Tails and preventing the Nine-Tails from being extracted had already drained every ounce of his strength.
Minato tried to help Naruto break free from the chains, but now that Madara had freed up his hands, there was no way he would allow Naruto even a moment to breathe.
Unlike in the original story, where Minato possessed the other half of the Nine-Tails, he now had no way to counter Madara's chains. He could only watch as his son's Nine-Tails was forcibly torn away.
With the tailed beast suddenly extracted from his body, Naruto—despite being a perfect jinchūriki—rapidly lost his life force. He didn't even have time to speak before completely losing consciousness.
The Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails were dragged one after the other into the Ten-Tails' massive mouth. After devouring the chakra of both beasts, the Ten-Tails revealed a look of satisfaction and slowly returned into Madara's body.
With the infusion of these two tailed-beast chakras, Madara underwent a second transformation.
If the earlier Madara had stood somewhere between Six Paths Madara and Six Paths Obito, then the current Madara had fully stepped into the realm of the Six Paths.
The feather-like mantle behind him completely transformed into a pure white robe.
Upon that white robe were nine magatama and a large concentric circle, while the number of Truth-Seeking Orbs behind him increased to nine.
Madara looked at his jade-like hands and instinctively clenched his fists.
"So this is the complete power of the Six Paths? This feeling is truly… intoxicating."
"Naruto!"
Watching his son die right before his eyes, even the usually calm and rational Minato was on the verge of collapse. He stared fixedly at Madara, who was drunk on power, and resolutely raised his hands to form seals.
In the distance, Hashirama and Tobirama were shocked when they saw Minato's hand signs. That seal was all too familiar to them—
Tobirama shouted a warning:
"Minato, don't act on impulse! Naruto might still be saved. If you use that technique, you'll die as well!"
Hashirama struggled to his feet beside him and added:
"That's right, Minato. Leave the rest of the battle to me—don't do anything foolish."
Six Paths Madara watched with interest as Minato struggled to form seals. Suddenly, he raised a hand, and an invisible force of attraction erupted, pulling Minato straight toward him.
With his throat seized by Madara, Minato's expression didn't change at all. Seeing this, Madara let out a cold laugh:
"They are right. Everything you are doing is futile. Do you truly believe that the current me is something a Reaper can deal with?"
Minato ignored Madara completely. He continued forming the hand seals of the Reaper Death Seal, slowly but resolutely. However, even he couldn't overcome basic physiology—his brain deprived of oxygen, his vision gradually began to blur.
"Daytime Tiger!"
Just as Minato was about to lose consciousness, a furious shout rang out, and in the next instant, he felt his breathing return.
Minato struggled to lift his head and saw Might Guy, wrapped in blue chakra, standing in front of him.
"Lord Hokage, leave the rest to me."
It turned out that Guy had used Daytime Tiger to blast Madara away, rescuing Minato from the brink of unconsciousness.
Madara brushed nonexistent dust from his body and floated back up into the air.
"You only managed a sneak attack. Don't tell me you actually believe that childish trick of yours can deal with me?"
Guy ignored him. Instead, he turned around and pressed down on Minato's hands, which were still forming seals, flashing a wide, toothy grin.
"From today onward, the Blue Beast of Konoha will cease to exist. It's time to become the final—Red Beast."
With that, Guy released Minato and stood upright, his expression resolute as he reached toward his heart.
Seeing Guy's actions, Tobirama couldn't help but ask:
"Does Konoha truly have someone who can push the Eight Gates to the Gate of Death?"
Minato finally realized what Guy intended and urgently tried to stop him:
"No! Guy, you absolutely must not open the Gate of Death!"
But Guy didn't listen. He was determined to activate the final gate.
Just as Guy's hand was about to press against his heart, Six Paths Madara's expression suddenly changed. At the same time, a voice came from the sky, drawing closer:
"Don't rush into using that, Guy. I'm still here, aren't I?"
Hearing that familiar voice, everyone froze in disbelief and looked up.
There, standing atop the Grass Long Sword, Kusanagi Blade, was Hoshiyomi, smiling cheerfully as he looked down at them.
Seeing Hoshiyomi descend from the heavens, the hearts of everyone present—who had sunk to despair—quietly rose back into place.
They had actually forgotten about Lord Hoshiyomi earlier. With him here, maybe there was still hope.
At this moment, Tsunade in the rear couldn't help but speak:
"Husband, why did you only arrive now?"
Hoshiyomi scratched his head awkwardly and replied:
"I stopped to make a few arrangements along the way, so I was delayed a bit."
Minato, as his disciple, was the first to react. Having been thoroughly influenced by Hoshiyomi's way of thinking, hope ignited in him immediately. He looked at Hoshiyomi expectantly:
"Sensei, do you mean…?"
Hoshiyomi broke into a broad smile:
"Take Naruto and head to White Wolf Ridge. Kushina is waiting for you there."