The weight of their desperate situation settled over the three shinobi like a suffocating blanket. Suspended in the superheated air of the lava dimension, with Kaguya's overwhelming presence looming before them, they faced a challenge that would have seemed impossible just hours before. Yet Minato's mind was already working through tactical possibilities with the methodical precision that had made him legendary.
"What are you going to do?" Sasuke asked, his voice carrying both curiosity and concern as he glanced at Minato from the corner of his eye.
The Fourth Hokage's expression was grave as he considered their options. "Kaguya possesses the most advanced space-time ninjutsu I've ever encountered. If we want to successfully seal her, we have to find a way to neutralize that advantage first."
His analytical gaze swept across the hellish landscape surrounding them—pools of molten rock stretching to the horizon, volcanic gases creating a hazy atmosphere that burned their lungs with each breath, and the oppressive heat that would have been lethal to ordinary shinobi within minutes.
"I suspect there may be multiple dimensional spaces she can access and manipulate," Minato continued, his voice taking on the tone of a seasoned strategist sharing hard-won insights. "This lava world is just one of them. She could potentially trap us in even more hostile environments, or worse, separate us completely by sending each of us to different dimensions."
The implications were staggering. Against an opponent who could reshape reality itself, traditional combat strategies became meaningless. They needed to think beyond conventional tactics, beyond the normal rules of shinobi engagement.
Minato's attention shifted to Sasuke, his keen eyes studying the young Uchiha with the intensity of someone whose survival depended on understanding every available resource.
"The dojutsu of your left eye should also possess space-time manipulation capabilities, correct?" he asked, his voice carrying the authority of someone who had spent years mastering similar techniques. "From what I observed during your battle with Madara, you can exchange your line of sight with your own position instantaneously."
Sasuke's visible surprise was unmistakable. Even he had only recently begun to fully understand the capabilities of his evolved Sharingan, yet this man had discerned its fundamental mechanics from limited observation during the chaos of battle.
"Yes," Sasuke confirmed with a slight nod, his respect for the Fourth Hokage growing with each passing moment. "The technique is called Amenotejikara. I can swap the positions of any two objects within my visual range, including myself."
The admission carried weight beyond mere tactical information. For someone of Sasuke's pride and independence to acknowledge another's perceptiveness so readily spoke volumes about the reputation Minato had earned through his actions.
Even I only recently figured out the full extent of my left eye's abilities, Sasuke thought, yet he understood it after just one observation during the height of battle. This is why Father and Itachi spoke of him with such respect.
The realization brought a deeper understanding of the Fourth Hokage's role in recent events. The Fourth Shinobi World War, Black Zetsu's millennia-spanning conspiracy, the current crisis with Kaguya herself—all of it had been shaped by the presence and actions of the man floating beside him.
While both he and Naruto had seemingly surpassed Minato in raw power—Sasuke with his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan and Hashirama's cellular enhancement, Naruto with his Six Paths chakra and connection to all nine tailed beasts—their current strength was built upon foundations that Minato had helped establish.
It was Minato who had sealed half of the Nine-Tails within himself, creating the possibility for Naruto's eventual mastery of that power. It was Minato's strategic thinking and sacrifice that had prevented the complete destruction of Konoha, preserving the village that had nurtured both young shinobi to their current heights.
"Your Amenotejikara technique will be the key to our battle plan," Minato explained, his voice dropping to a tactical whisper that carried clearly despite the ambient noise of the lava dimension. "We'll need to create an opportunity to catch her off guard, and spatial displacement at the critical moment may be our only chance."
The admission of their limited intelligence was both pragmatic and concerning. "We know far too little about Kaguya's full capabilities to formulate a detailed strategy," he continued. "Our approach will have to be adaptive—gather information through engagement while positioning ourselves for the sealing technique."
Minato's strategic mind began outlining their approach with military precision. "First, we need to catalog her abilities through systematic testing. Everyone will take turns engaging her, but with specific roles and objectives."
His gaze shifted between his son and Sasuke, evaluating their strengths and limitations in the context of their impossible task. "Naruto will handle the primary offensive role—he's the only one among us who can match her power output directly. I'll use Flying Thunder God to extract anyone from danger when her counterattacks become too intense. Sasuke's Amenotejikara will serve as our final gambit, creating the opening we need for the sealing technique."
The tactical assessment was sound, based on their demonstrated capabilities and the nature of their opponent. Naruto's Six Paths chakra and connection to the tailed beasts gave him the raw power necessary to engage Kaguya on relatively equal terms. Minato's spatial manipulation, while limited compared to hers, provided unmatched mobility for defensive purposes. And Sasuke's technique offered the element of surprise they would desperately need.
"The Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack she used against Naruto appeared similar to the Hyuga clan's Eight Trigrams Air Palm," Minato noted, his analytical mind cataloging observed techniques. "But the scale and power differential is incomparable. She can instantly reshape dimensional space while delivering physical attacks capable of affecting reality on a fundamental level."
The comparison highlighted just how far beyond normal shinobi capabilities their opponent had evolved. Where even the most powerful Hyuga techniques could affect targets at moderate range, Kaguya's version could apparently reshape entire dimensions while maintaining enough precision to target individuals within that space.
"The power of this chakra ancestor truly lives up to her reputation," Minato continued grimly. "Fortunately, she seems to lack tactical sophistication. Without that limitation, our chances of victory would be effectively zero."
It was a sobering acknowledgment of their situation. They were facing a being of essentially unlimited power, and their only advantage lay in superior strategic thinking and coordination.
"There's one more critical objective," Minato added, his expression growing even more serious. "We need to find a way to separate Black Zetsu from her. Remove it from wherever she's keeping it hidden."
The parasitic entity represented a threat beyond its obvious malevolence. While Kaguya fought with the overwhelming force of a natural disaster, Black Zetsu possessed the cunning and experience that came from millennia of manipulation and survival.
"Kaguya herself seems to lack combat mentality in the traditional sense," Minato explained. "But Black Zetsu has survived since the time of the Sage of Six Paths, orchestrating events from the shadows and adapting to countless changing circumstances. That combination of her power and its intelligence makes them exponentially more dangerous together."
As if responding to their strategic discussion, a familiar distortion appeared in the air before Kaguya. The dark spatial rift opened like a wound in reality, and without any hesitation or warning, she stepped through it and vanished completely.
"Careful!" Minato's warning came just as another portal materialized directly behind him.
Kaguya emerged from the second dimensional tear with fluid grace, her movements possessing the terrifying efficiency of a perfect predator. Her pale hand reached out toward Minato with lethal intent, the space around her fingers crackling with barely contained energy.
Swish!
But just as her fingers were about to make contact, all three shinobi vanished simultaneously. The Flying Thunder God technique activated with practiced precision, teleporting them to predetermined positions throughout the lava dimension.
Only Obito remained in their original position, hovering on his Truth-Seeking Ball platform with studied casualness. Minato had deliberately left him there, recognizing that Kaguya's physical attacks would be largely ineffective against someone who could phase through dimensions at will.
The relocation brought them to one of several marked positions Minato had prepared earlier—chakra signatures embedded in the walls of hardened lava that lined the dimension's boundaries. The combination of Six Paths chakra and Nine-Tails energy that comprised these markers was resilient enough to withstand the extreme temperatures of their environment.
Buzz!
They materialized beside one of the wall-mounted markers, but their respite lasted only seconds. Another spatial rift opened directly in the volcanic rock wall beside them, and Kaguya's form flowed out of it like a living shadow.
Her reaching hand extended toward Minato once again, the casual persistence of her attacks more unnerving than any dramatic threat or posturing would have been.
"The Flying Thunder God technique invented by the Second Hokage is hardly difficult to counter once you can observe the placement of the user's markers," Black Zetsu's voice carried smugness and analytical satisfaction. "Compared to Mother's mastery of dimensional manipulation, such limited spatial techniques are nothing more than parlor tricks."
The creature's tone grew more malicious as it continued its tactical assessment. "I've already catalogued the locations of every marker you've placed throughout this dimension. There is nowhere you can flee that we cannot follow."
Black Zetsu's analysis revealed a sophisticated understanding of Minato's technique and its limitations. While the Flying Thunder God was revolutionary by normal standards, it was indeed constrained by the need for pre-placed markers and operated within a single dimensional space.
"Eliminate him first!" Black Zetsu's recommendation carried strategic weight that Kaguya seemed to accept immediately.
The parasitic entity had correctly identified that while Naruto and Sasuke possessed the raw power necessary for the sealing technique, Minato's tactical coordination and mobility made him the lynchpin of their formation. Remove him, and the remaining two would be far easier to handle individually.
"Really?" Minato's response carried a hint of amusement despite their desperate circumstances.
As Kaguya's hand reached out to grasp him, his form flickered and disappeared once again. But this time, something was different about his movement pattern.
"It's useless," Black Zetsu laughed with confident certainty. Another spatial portal materialized before Kaguya, and she stepped through it to pursue her quarry with mechanical persistence.
Minato appeared at his next predetermined location, but Kaguya followed with supernatural speed and precision. The pattern repeated several times—spatial teleportation, immediate pursuit, another desperate escape. Each cycle seemed to confirm Black Zetsu's assessment that this was merely a delaying tactic doomed to inevitable failure.
"Naruto!" Minato called out just before initiating his next spatial jump.
Understanding the signal immediately, Naruto's hands moved through the familiar sequence of hand seals with practiced speed.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
The response was immediate and overwhelming. Thousands of golden-haired figures materialized throughout the lava dimension, each one crackling with Six Paths chakra and wearing Naruto's characteristic determined expression. The sound of their simultaneous appearance created a percussion that echoed off the volcanic walls like rolling thunder.
At that precise moment, Minato executed his next teleportation—and vanished completely from Kaguya's sensory awareness.
"He disappeared?" Even Kaguya seemed momentarily taken aback by the sudden loss of her target.
Her enhanced perception swept across the dimensional space, searching for the familiar chakra signature that had been so easy to track moments before. When she finally located him, he was positioned behind one of the thousands of Naruto clones, his form partially concealed by the overwhelming number of identical figures.
"What's happening?" Black Zetsu's voice carried genuine confusion for the first time since the battle began. "I know Minato placed a Flying Thunder God marker on Naruto's body, but these are merely shadow clones created by chakra division. The marker cannot be replicated through such techniques."
The creature's understanding of the Flying Thunder God was extensive but incomplete. It had correctly analyzed the technique's normal limitations but failed to account for the unique circumstances of their current situation.
"Thank you, Nine-Tails," Minato thought with internal satisfaction.
The key lay in a property of the Nine-Tails' chakra that even Black Zetsu hadn't anticipated. The portion of Kurama sealed within Naruto and the portion within Minato himself maintained a resonant connection—a link that transcended normal chakra interactions.
Minato had learned this principle from his own sealed Nine-Tails fragment during their preparations for the current crisis. When their chakras synchronized properly, that connection extended to anything created from Naruto's chakra—including his shadow clones.
This utilized a sophisticated application of the Shadow Clone technique's fundamental mechanics. Each clone contained a portion of Naruto's chakra, and through the Nine-Tails resonance, each clone could serve as a valid teleportation target for Minato's technique.
The tactical advantages were immediately apparent and game-changing.
"Attack!" Thousands of Naruto clones shouted in unison, their combined voices creating a sound like rolling thunder.
They surged toward Kaguya from every angle, a golden tide of determined faces and raised fists. Unlike static markers that could be catalogued and predicted, these mobile targets shifted and moved with tactical awareness, making it impossible for even Kaguya to track all potential teleportation points simultaneously.
Who understands the advantages and disadvantages of the Flying Thunder God technique better than its primary user? Minato thought with grim satisfaction. Every limitation can become a strength when properly leveraged.
Bang!
Kaguya's response was immediate and devastating. Her hand moved with casual efficiency, striking one of the approaching clones and dispersing it into chakra particles. But even as one clone fell, several more immediately filled the gap, pressing their attack with relentless determination.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
She began gathering massive amounts of chakra in front of her palm, shaping it into the familiar form of her devastating fist technique. Each strike eliminated multiple clones simultaneously, but Naruto's numbers were so overwhelming that her efforts seemed like trying to hold back an ocean with her bare hands.
The mathematical reality was working in their favor. Even if Kaguya could eliminate dozens of clones with each attack, the sheer volume of targets meant that some would inevitably break through her defenses.
Thud!
One of the clones finally managed to land a solid hit, his chakra-enhanced fist connecting with Kaguya's torso. The impact sent visible shockwaves through the air, though Kaguya herself showed no signs of significant damage.
But the symbolic victory was enormous. For the first time since her resurrection, someone had successfully struck the mother of chakra in direct combat.
Meanwhile, Sasuke had been preparing his own contribution to their coordinated assault. Chakra light erupted from his body, coalescing into the familiar armored form of his Susanoo. The ethereal shinobi materialized around him like a divine guardian, its details sharp and imposing even in the chaotic environment of the lava dimension.
The Susanoo's hands moved with practiced precision, drawing back the string of its massive bow. Dark flames began gathering at the arrow point, compressed into a projectile that thrummed with barely contained power.
"Not good!" Black Zetsu's voice carried genuine alarm as it observed Kaguya being gradually overwhelmed by the coordinated assault.
The creature's tactical assessment was rapidly shifting. What had seemed like a manageable situation was evolving into a genuine threat to their objectives. The combination of Naruto's overwhelming numbers, Minato's enhanced mobility, and Sasuke's precision attacks was creating openings that hadn't existed moments before.
"Mom, go to the Gravity Space!" Black Zetsu commanded with urgent intensity.
In the blink of an eye, the world around them transformed completely. The oppressive heat and molten landscape of the lava dimension vanished, replaced by something far more alien and threatening.
In the blink of an eye, the space that was originally filled with high temperature and lava suddenly changed!