Transforming into complex black incantations, they spread rapidly across her fair cheeks like living things.
A vast and pure life energy, the Strength of a Hundred chakra, acted like a torrent breaking through a dam, pouring unreservedly through her palm into Guy's scarred body.
"Ugh!" Guy let out an uncontrollable muffled groan.
This power was domineering yet warm; everywhere it passed, torn muscle fibers were forcibly reconnected, ruptured capillaries were instantly repaired, and deep-seated fatigue toxins were washed away.
He could clearly feel that his body, which had been on the verge of collapse from forcibly opening the Seventh Gate, was being reshaped and refilled at a speed that defied common sense.
Tsunade pressed her lips together, fine beads of sweat seeping from her forehead as she precisely guided the Strength of a Hundred chakra to every wound on Guy that needed repair, while also fully stimulating his own recovery potential.
She knew this was not just treatment, but the final fuel for that ultimate and most magnificent blooming.
Feeling the life force and chakra within Guy becoming surging once more—even hotter and more resilient than before—a flash of complex sorrow and pity crossed Tsunade's eyes, but it was outweighed by a resolute recognition.
She withdrew her hand, and the incantations slowly receded back to the center of her forehead, re-condensing into a small diamond-shaped mark, though its color had dimmed significantly.
"Guy!" Tsunade's voice carried an unquestionable authority, yet it hid a trace of undetectable trembling.
"Your body is now sufficient to withstand that gate!
Go! In your own way, for these young people, for Konoha, and for the entire Shinobi World... bloom with your final youth!"
Her words were like a spark igniting a fuse.
Guy snapped his head up, no trace of fatigue or confusion left in his eyes, only a determination burning to the extreme.
He clenched his fists, and the chakra within him, repaired and strengthened by the Strength of a Hundred, rumbled like a volcano about to erupt.
He took a deep look at Tsunade, his eyes filled with gratitude and a silent promise.
"Yes! Lady Tsunade!" Guy's voice was as resonant as a bell, his body like a bowstring drawn to its limit.
"This hot blood of youth will never fail your expectations! I'm going!"
Before his voice faded, the ground beneath him shattered, and he turned into a green meteor, carrying an aura of charging forward even if it meant mutual destruction.
Without looking back, he rushed toward the God Tree that blotted out the sky, toward that terrifying enemy who had almost transcended the mortal realm: Six Paths Obito.
Tsunade stood where she was, watching that resolute back. Feeling her chakra temporarily empty from the massive output, waves of fatigue hit her.
But her gaze remained exceptionally firm.
'This is the mission of a Medical Shinobi... to ignite the final spark of hope amidst despair.'
She took a deep breath, turned her gaze into the distance, and straightened her back once more.
The battle was far from over.
...
"Collector!"
Minato's voice carried an unprecedented urgency and plea, even a hint of a sob.
His knees bent as he prepared to kneel regardless of everything; this was the only gesture he had left that might move this unfathomable existence.
For Naruto, he was willing to cast aside all dignity, even if it meant kneeling to this bystander of unclear allegiance.
However, the instant his knees were about to touch the cold sand, an invisible force suddenly descended, precisely supporting his body.
This force wasn't a crude impact; it was more like an invisible yet indestructible flexible wall, gently but firmly stopping him from kneeling.
Minato felt as if he had fallen into a mass of tough gel; no matter how much force he used, his body was held steady in a half-kneeling posture, unable to sink another inch.
Minato looked up in shock at Takuno, who was still lazily leaning back on the stone seat.
The other man's eyes were still shrouded in mist, making them impossible to see clearly, but he knew the man was calmly looking down at him.
"Minato."
A voice rang out. For the first time on this battlefield, Takuno spoke using his original voice.
Minato didn't react at first, only feeling that the voice sounded somewhat familiar.
Takuno looked at Minato's reaction and understood that the usually calm and composed Yellow Flash was now so anxious that he didn't even recognize his voice immediately.
"Long time no see, Minato," Takuno spoke again.
Finally, Minato's eyes widened, looking at Takuno in disbelief.
"You... You are Takuno-senpai?!"
At this moment, even Minato couldn't help but feel a sense of absurdity, as if he were in a dream.
Who was Takuno? He was a hero of Konoha, the one who split the Nine-Tails in two during the Nine-Tails Riot and saved his wife, Kushina.
He was the senior who had always stood behind him, firmly supporting him.
How could such a senior be The Collector, who seemed to want nothing but chaos and had later helped the Akatsuki steal the half of the Nine-Tails inside Kushina!
This... surely this wasn't a joke?
Despite the extreme absurdity, Minato understood that The Collector—or rather, Takuno—had no reason to lie to him.
He stared at Takuno and asked in a low voice, "Senpai, why?"
Takuno's expression remained lazy. With a slight lift of his finger, the unconscious Naruto floated steadily in the stream of chakra before him.
He glanced at the distant Six Paths Obito, who was summoning the God Tree and was almost unstoppable, before answering leisurely.
"I naturally have my own purposes. However, you can rest assured," He turned his gaze back to Minato, with a trace of inscrutable interest, "I am not like Obito or Uchiha Madara. Even if I achieve my goal, I will not destroy this Shinobi World."
Minato looked at his son, who was being supported by the soft power, and ultimately did not step in to stop him.
If The Collector before him really was Takuno-senpai...
This thought shook his soul, yet it also instantly cleared many mists.
He remembered the savior Hatake Sakumo mentioned years ago when he "returned from the dead."
He recalled more clearly that after The Collector took the Nine-Tails chakra, instead of taking Kushina's life, he used an incomprehensible power to stabilize her near-fatal injuries.
So, that person was Takuno!
If it was he who had intervened to save her, then Kushina's survival had a logical explanation.
Minato reflected on the past. Even now, if this person truly was Takuno, then he still felt the man...
Could be trusted!
Minato watched as his son Naruto's pale face rapidly regained its color under the influence of Takuno's profound Yang Release Power.
His breathing became steady and long, as if he had merely fallen into a deep sleep, rather than having just had the Nine-Tails chakra extracted.
That fatal deficiency was actually compensated for so easily.
Minato's taut heartstrings finally relaxed, and he let out a long breath, the massive fear stemming from his fatherly instincts temporarily dispelled.
However, this peace of mind was fleeting, replaced by an extremely complex set of emotions weighing heavily on Minato's heart.
He looked up, his gaze complex as he looked at Takuno, this "Senpai" of the past.
There was a long-standing connection between them, but Minato's mind was in turmoil now. Countless questions churned, yet he didn't know where to begin.
Nor did he know how to face this old acquaintance who had suddenly intervened in the battle in such a manner.
Takuno seemed completely indifferent to Minato's complex and conflicted gaze.
His vision had already moved past the father and son, casting toward the distant God Tree whose roots were spreading crazily and blotting out the sky, and Six Paths Obito beneath it, who was radiating a terrifying pressure.
He spoke in a calm tone, as if merely stating a fact: "Over there, you might be needed."
Minato followed Takuno's gaze, and his heart sank.
The shadow of the God Tree loomed over the despairing Allied Forces, and Might Guy's resolute figure, charging toward Obito like a blood-colored comet while burning his life force, was the only point of light in this despair.
Minato understood what Takuno meant.
As the Hokage, he naturally recognized the ultimate taijutsu Might Guy was using: the Eight Gates.
Judging by the other man's aura, he estimated Guy was planning to use the final gate of the Eight Gates, the Eighth Gate: the Gate of Death!
But even with the Eight Inner Gates Formation, would it be enough to deal with Six Paths Obito?
So Guy needed support; the battlefield needed him!
A sense of responsibility instantly overrode all doubts and complex emotions.
Minato turned sharply to Takuno, his eyes carrying a hint of entreaty and final hope: "Senpai! Can you step in... to deal with Six Paths Obito?"
He knew well that with the current strength of the Allied Forces, even with the First Hokage and others brought back by Edo Tensei, facing the current Obito was like an ant trying to stop a carriage.
Only the Takuno before him might possess the power to turn the tide.
Takuno's gaze remained on the fierce battlefield in the distance; there was no ripple in those deep Six-Tomoe Rinnegan.
He didn't look back, only responding faintly, his voice devoid of any emotion.
"The time... hasn't come yet."
Minato was silent for a long time, his lips pressed tight. His gaze swept back and forth between his son Naruto sleeping peacefully in his arms, Guy burning his life in the distance, and this mysterious senior before him.
As the Hokage, he had to fight and support his comrades;
As a father, he had to protect Naruto's safety.
Ultimately, Minato made a decision.
He said no more, only giving Takuno a deep look, a gaze that contained too many unspeakable emotions.
But more than that, it held the resolve of the Fourth Hokage.
He held Naruto firmly in his arms, and a golden chakra light flashed and vanished.
"Shu!"
The Flying Thunder God Technique was activated, and the figures of Minato and Naruto instantly vanished from the spot, leaving only faint golden light particles in the air to slowly dissipate.
In this space, only Takuno remained. He still stood quietly, his gaze piercing through the chaotic battlefield.
As if waiting for that unknown "time" he mentioned to arrive.
Minato rapidly returned to the scorched battlefield with the newly awakened and still weak Naruto.
At that moment, a clear and familiar voice rang out directly in his mind without any warning:
"I'll give you a hint, Minato. Obito can no longer use that ability to phase his body."
It was Senpai's voice!
Minato's flying figure suddenly jerked to a halt, his pupils shrinking instantly.
This sentence was like a bolt of lightning splitting the mist!
In an instant, countless images from the previous battle flashed through his high-speed mind:
The First Hokage's earth-shaking Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands, combined with Madara's wood golem giant fists clad in Susanoo armor smashing down...
Followed by Naruto's golden Sage Fox form, which condensed Kurama and Natural Energy, and Sasuke's Susanoo, which had evolved the Six-Tomoe Rinnegan and Mangekyo, merging to form the Majestic Attire: Nine-Tails, together striking that space-tearing desperate blow...
Facing these two terrifying attacks where the Allied Forces had given their all to destroy everything, Six Paths Obito...
He indeed hadn't used that strange spatial phasing ability to dodge like he used to!
'I see!' Minato's mind suddenly cleared, and his previous doubts were instantly resolved.
It wasn't that he disdained to use it; he could no longer use it!
Takuno-senpai's hint perfectly explained the anomalies on the battlefield.
That phasing ability was one of the core assets Obito had relied on in the past to run rampant and leave his enemies helpless.
'Senpai...' Minato thought silently.
He had no doubt.
Whether the current Takuno was that senior once in Konoha, or that "Collector" with unfathomable power perched outside the battlefield, he had no reason to deceive him.
Takuno's level of power far exceeded theirs; if he wanted to intervene, he had no need for lies.
If he didn't want to, there was no need for this extra step.
This hint was more like a pointer from the other man.
Minato's brain began to work at an unprecedented speed, combining this with the current battlefield situation:
Obito's inability to phase meant he had lost his strongest defense and evasion method!
Although the Six Paths Power granted him terrifying strength, speed, defense, and regeneration, as well as the almost unsolvable Truth-Seeking Orbs, his materialized parts became targets that could be caught and attacked!
Especially... the Gate of Death that Guy was prepared to open!
The Eight Inner Gates Formation was an ultimate taijutsu dozens of times stronger than the Five Kage; it was a power that could truly threaten a Six Paths-level existence!
Its speed and power, combined with an Obito who currently couldn't phase...
There might actually be a chance to hit!
So an opportunity must be created for Guy!
An opportunity that would allow his life-burning strike to precisely hit Obito's non-phasing body!
"Sensei, Naruto..." Kakashi also came to Minato's side at this time to inquire.
"He's fine now, Kakashi. There's something I might need your help with," Minato said seriously, looking at Kakashi.
Kakashi was taken aback, followed by surprise. Naruto had no life-threatening danger even after losing the Nine-Tails?
However, he also knew Minato had no reason to lie to him, and although Naruto was still weak, he indeed looked like he was no longer in mortal danger.
"Please say it, Sensei. I will definitely help!" Kakashi said.
Might Guy was his best friend, the kind from childhood all the way up.
He also knew the side effects of the Eight Gates, but he had no way to stop him. He also wanted to do more!