Part Time Employee in Konoha

Chapter 334: Who to Sacrifice? Last Dance of Ninja World!

Everyone was trembling with fear.

No one present could think of a way to counter Akihara Kagura.

A giant Buddha, like a god, had crushed Uchiha Madara and Hashirama, breaking many people's spirits, leaving them with no means of resistance.

However...

Not everyone would submit!

"Kagura..."

Uzumaki Naruto, radiating golden chakra, looked up at the towering Buddha without a hint of concern for his own insignificance.

At the same moment, Tobirama and Minato, two Flying Thunder God Technique users, simultaneously appeared beside Uchiha Madara and Hashirama, catching them just in time as they fell from the sky!

"Thank you, Tobirama."

Hashirama's body was also close to collapsing. He had exhausted a tremendous amount of chakra to maintain the True Several Thousand Hands, which was easily destroyed.

Even though the True Several Thousand Hands had taken the full force of the giant Buddha's palm strike, Hashirama still bore the injuries from the attack. He felt as if his internal organs were being crushed, and blood continued to seep from the corner of his mouth...

Although Uchiha Madara hadn't sustained severe injuries, he also appeared weak. In a critical moment, he had used his Limbo shadow clone to escape the battlefield and even attempted to rescue Hashirama.

Unfortunately...

They still needed the help of the two Flying Thunder God Technique users.

"Hashirama..."

Uchiha Madara glanced at Hashirama beside him, a smile forming at the corner of his mouth, unfazed by their defeat: "Now you understand my point, don't you?"

"Is it time to go all out?"

Hashirama slowly nodded.

This was their prearranged plan.

After his resurrection, Hashirama would fight to the death to hold off Akihara Kagura, giving Uchiha Madara the chance to resurrect the Ten-Tails and become its jinchūriki!

It was their only chance to stop Akihara Kagura from destroying the world!

"Huff..."

Akihara Kagura exhaled, dispelling his giant Buddha and gradually recovering his strength. Even for him, such a terrifying technique consumed a vast amount of energy.

Uchiha Madara's gaze fell on Akihara Kagura as he contemplated his strategy: "I need to make this kid summon the Gedo Statue of the Outer Path first. Then I'll seize control of it, and someone needs to keep him occupied, giving me time to become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki..."

Judging by Akihara Kagura's condition, Madara surmised that the boy was in no shape to continue fighting like this.

Probably...

He was going to summon the Gedo Statue of the Outer Path soon.

Indeed, as Madara had anticipated!

"It's about time to end this..."

Akihara Kagura clasped his hands together, placed one hand on the sea surface, and coldly summoned, "Ninjutsu: Summoning Technique!"

In the next moment!

A tall and ugly Gedo Statue of the Outer Path appeared before everyone!

Compared to the despair-inducing giant Buddha, this grotesque statue seemed almost kind-hearted by contrast...

"You all, keep him busy!"

Madara quickly confirmed his plan, indifferent to the fate of others or whether he would sacrifice the jinchūriki: "I'll seize control of the Gedo Statue, and the two jinchūriki will be mine..."

However...

Madara's plan had no time to unfold!

Standing on the Gedo Statue's head, Akihara Kagura controlled it to open its mouth, releasing three chains simultaneously—one targeting Eight-Tails jinchūriki Killer B, one targeting Uzumaki Naruto, and one targeting Minato!

This guy...

He intended to take all the tailed beasts at once!

Black Zetsu appeared beside Akihara Kagura immediately, smirking: "Don't mess up the order. Capture the Eight-Tails first, then reclaim the Nine-Tails..."

"Got it."

Akihara Kagura nodded slowly.

Yet two of the chains missed their targets!

In an instant, Minato grabbed his son Uzumaki Naruto, and they both evaded the Gedo Statue's chains, clearly not planning to surrender!

However...

The Eight-Tails jinchūriki was not so lucky!

Killer B, controlling his tailed beast form, tried to escape, but a chain wrapped around the Eight-Tails' neck, dragging it forcefully toward the Gedo Statue!

"Damn it! This bastard!"

Killer B and the Eight-Tails struggled in pain!

"B!"

The Eight-Tails gritted its teeth and instructed solemnly: "Don't worry about me. I'll leave some chakra of an octopus tentacle within you, so you won't die!"

The Eight-Tails, a creature with an octopus body, could sever its limbs. Previously, it did this to survive; this time, it was for the jinchūriki's survival!

As the words fell…

The Eight-Tails Beast didn't care about Killer B's thoughts. It knew there was no way they could escape from the restraints of the Gedo Statue, so it decisively severed one of its tentacles to leave inside Killer B's body, even flinging Killer B away while being dragged.

This pair of Jinchuriki and Tailed Beast is probably the most harmonious duo among all the previous generations!

Killer B's broad-minded and cheerful nature always influenced the Eight-Tails, helping it shed the darkness associated with Tailed Beasts, and made the dark life of a Jinchuriki not entirely bleak.

"Hey! Eight-Tails!"

Killer B reached out his palm, trying to grasp the Eight-Tails detaching from his body.

But…

It was all in vain!

The enormous Tailed Beast instantly turned into chakra and entered the mouth of the Gedo Statue. Its eyes lit up again, now only missing the chakra of the Nine-Tails!

"You cannot escape…"

Uchiha Madara coldly spoke, looking at Minato who was trying to flee with his son: "Someone must sacrifice themselves here…"

"What…"

Minato looked at Uchiha Madara in astonishment.

Uchiha Madara shook his head and solemnly explained his plan: "I learned from the Uchiha clan's stone tablet about the Ten-Tails. Now, a portion of the Nine-Tails' chakra must be absorbed to fully revive the Ten-Tails…"

"When the Ten-Tails is fully revived, a hand sign must be formed to become its Jinchuriki, transforming into the new Sage of the Six Paths…"

"At that moment…"

"There will be an opportunity for me…"

"At that moment, you and Tobirama use the Flying Thunder God Technique to restrain that brat, preventing him from forming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki hand sign…"

"And I…"

"Will seize control of the Ten-Tails at that moment…"

"As long as I have the Rinnegan, I can control the Ten-Tails. I will become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki first, and everyone must risk their lives to try it…"

"Only by becoming the Sage of the Six Paths…"

"Will there be hope to deal with Akihara Kagura!"

Uchiha Madara's eyes slightly dimmed. He held two dice in his hand, continuing in a cold voice: "We must do this now. Even if you escape, you cannot stop that brat from destroying the ninja world…"

This was Uchiha Madara's true plan.

The combined combat power of Uchiha Madara and Hashirama couldn't solve Akihara Kagura, which meant no conventional methods in the ninja world would work because Akihara Kagura was the strongest man in conventional battles…

"…"

Minato and Uzumaki Naruto began to sweat simultaneously.

"Can I let him absorb the Nine-Tails inside me?"

Minato suggested his idea. He couldn't let his son sacrifice himself here, having already sacrificed his son's life by making him a Jinchuriki!

"No…"

Uchiha Madara slowly shook his head, a hint of coldness in his eyes: "Because Tobirama is useless, he alone is not a match for Akihara Kagura. If he gets an opportunity, he will be instantly dealt with by Akihara Kagura…"

"You…"

Tobirama snorted in dissatisfaction.

However…

Tobirama had to admit this…

Because he indeed was not a match for Akihara Kagura, trying to restrain him might result in defeat right from the start!

"And the most important point…"

Uchiha Madara's gaze fell on Minato, observing the golden chakra overflowing from him: "You have the Nine-Tails within you, which will inevitably attract Akihara Kagura's attention. Akihara Kagura will surely try to obtain the Nine-Tails inside you…"

This was the best way.

It might also be the only way.

"…"

Minato remained silent, unable to respond.

Many years ago, he sacrificed himself and let Uzumaki Naruto live a miserable seventeen years; now, at the critical moment of the ninja world's survival, must he sacrifice his son again?

"There's no other way…"

Uchiha Madara glanced at Minato, speaking solemnly: "I don't know where Uchiha Sasuke went. If he were here, you could sacrifice yourself, but now we must sacrifice that kid…"

At such a critical juncture…

Uchiha Sasuke was absent!

At a time when his comrades urgently needed him, Uchiha Sasuke, like this Flying Thunder God user, was unexpectedly absent!

The fate of these extremely fast Flying Thunder God users seems to be like a cycle: almost every one of them disappears when destiny needs them most! This is truly...

An enormous irony!

Minato was like this, and so is Uchiha Sasuke!

To uncover the past truth...

Uchiha Sasuke was lured by Uchiha Itachi to find Uchiha Shisui. He thought that once the three Hokages were revived, the battle between Hashirama and Uchiha Madara against Akihara Kagura would not end quickly!

Uchiha Sasuke believed he could quickly obtain the Kotoamatsukami Mangekyō Sharingan from Shisui, freeing his brother Uchiha Itachi from the control of Edo Tensei, and finally uncover the truth he had been chasing for nearly ten years! However...

Uchiha Sasuke miscalculated!

Akihara Kagura's combat power was incredibly strong, ending the battle shortly after Sasuke left. Sasuke, along with the Five Kage watching from afar and Akihara Kagura's Six Paths puppets, were all perfect spectators! Coincidentally.

From their position, they could fully witness the awe-inspiring scene where a giant Buddha crushed the blue True Several Thousand Hands statue with one hand!

"Not good!"

Uchiha Sasuke immediately sensed something was wrong!

Sasuke hastily joined the Ninja Alliance reinforcements to battle Akihara Kagura's Six Paths puppets, realizing he was in the wrong place and had left the battlefield he shouldn't have! However...

These Ninja Alliance reinforcements were also backup troops! Sasuke didn't know the battlefield situation; he knew he might not be a match for Akihara Kagura alone. He needed to quickly defeat these obstructing Six Paths puppets and bring a ninja capable of making a difference back to the battlefield!

In this sea area...

Countless missiles flew chaotically in the air! The power of Asura Path Sasori was unmatched, blocking every ninja attempting to breach the front line, but his chakra wouldn't last long in this battle.

Sasori's outer puppet was destroyed, revealing his true form: a red-haired man with chakra receivers embedded all over his body!

"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"

Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki used his Dust Release to disintegrate all incoming missiles into atoms!

Fifth Kazekage Gaara controlled his sand to pursue Sasori's body, the sand trying to capture him like a giant hand!

However, Sasori's body was extremely agile, and even missiles would occasionally shoot out from within him, smashing Gaara's sand!

Until...

Fourth Raikage and Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumi attacked together!

"Water Release: Thunder Dragon Bullet!"

A water dragon wrapped in lightning hit Sasori's body! Gaara immediately seized the opportunity to bind Sasori with his sand, crushing his body, only to find it was just Sasori's outer shell...

Sasori's true form...

Was finally fully exposed.

A red-haired boy's figure floated in the sky, with propulsion devices under his feet maintaining his flight...

"It's about time..."

"After all, there's still another battle..."

Sasori glanced at the battlefield situation, no longer obstructing, quickly flying away and leaving the battlefield! With Asura Path Sasori's departure...

The other Six Paths puppets soon suffered attacks.

Animal Path Hanzō summoned huge beasts in the sea to block the ninjas attempting to rush through!

"Summoning Technique!"

The three Sannin of Konoha simultaneously summoned their beasts!

These beasts created in the peculiar space of the Rinnegan were no match for the summons from the Three Sage Regions and were quickly dealt with by the Sannin. Tsunade smashed Hanzō's body with a single punch!

Human Path Mangetsu turned into water waves but was pierced through by Lightning Release!

Preta Path Kisame wielded his Samehada sword invincibly but was defeated by Might Guy and Hatake Kakashi's combined attack!

Hell Path Hidan couldn't exert his power in the sea battle; his immortality made him troublesome, but he was soon tied up and unable to move...

Only one troublesome opponent remained...

Deva Path Shisui.

Deva Path Shisui's body emitted chakra patterns like flowing water. He activated the curse mark left by Akihara Kagura and fiercely fought with Uchiha Sasuke!

The green Susanoo emerged from his body, shooting countless arrows at Sasuke, striking every possible evasion point!

"Even Susanoo has differences!"

Sasuke's eyes were bloodshot, his face ferocious, the purple Susanoo standing tall, shooting a giant arrow at the green Susanoo, instantly piercing its chest!

Sasuke appeared beside the giant arrow in a flash, having left his Flying Thunder God mark on it when he shot it!

This is the terror of the Flying Thunder God users!

Susanoo's long-range attack capability provided Sasuke with infinite possibilities in battle, allowing him to easily defeat even the strong ninjas!

Sasuke appeared inside the green Susanoo, stabbing Deva Path Shisui, an apology flashing in his eyes!

"Sorry, Shisui."

Sasuke grabbed the crow on Shisui's shoulder and released it to the Edo Tensei Itachi!

The crow's Mangekyō Sharingan glowed with a strange red light, Itachi's body stiffening slightly, as if freeing him from Kotoamatsukami's control!

"Hurry to support them…"

Uchiha Sasuke glanced at his brother and said solemnly, "We'll discuss the truth later! Madara and the First Hokage have already been defeated. If we move any slower, it will be too late..."

"It's actually already too late, Sasuke..."

As Shisui of the Deva Path fell, a bitter smile appeared on his face, "If you make it back in time, you might just be able to see Naruto's corpse..."

"!!!"

Everyone's face showed a hint of panic!

"Naruto!"

Hatake Kakashi, recalling his student, immediately entered Kamui mode, disregarding the potential vision impairment from its frequent use!

Jiraiya was shocked, bit his lip, and dashed across the sea towards the other battlefield!

"I can help too..."

Uchiha Itachi, looking at his worried brother, softly reassured him, "If we have enough time, the Totsuka Blade should be able to help seal Akihara Kagura..."

"Hmm..."

Uchiha Sasuke could only nod, placing his hand on Uchiha Itachi's shoulder, using the Flying Thunder God Technique to take Itachi to the other side of the battlefield.

However...

They ultimately arrived a bit too late.

Because Uchiha Madara's battle plan had already been accepted by everyone.

Even Uzumaki Naruto, who was to be sacrificed, felt a mix of emotions upon learning of Madara's plan, unsure of what to say.

Someone who never believed in fate...

At this moment, everyone had preordained his fate...

"This is the only way..."

Tobirama had to admit that Uchiha Madara's plan was correct.

"Alright, I understand."

Uzumaki Naruto looked at everyone, indifferent to being the recognized sacrifice, "I always knew this day would come, but I need to think it over..."

"Though I never became Hokage..."

"Stopping Kagura is more important than becoming Hokage..."

"Naruto..."

Minato looked at his seemingly naive son with a bit of guilt.

As a father, there's nothing more painful than watching your son sacrifice himself, especially since Minato had already sacrificed his son once before...

"It's a bit unfortunate..."

Uzumaki Naruto looked at Akihara Kagura standing atop the Gedo Statue and suddenly smiled, "I originally wanted to have a good chat with the Nine-Tails. I really owe it an apology..."

"Third Hokage once said that all ninjas will face death at some point, and when that time comes, they will reflect on their lives and calmly accept the moment destiny arrives..."

"But..."

Uzumaki Naruto's eyes reddened slightly as he rubbed his eyes, "It still feels a bit strange..."

"In the end..."

"I still want to ask the Nine-Tails' opinion... because I'm not the only one being sacrificed here... I want to fight alongside the Nine-Tails once..."

"Are you sure it's not just fear of death, kid?"

Kurama, the Yang Nine-Tails, grinned inside Naruto, revealing sharp teeth as he sneered, "In this life, you will always be a sacrificial pawn..."

"I'm not afraid of death!"

Uzumaki Naruto shook his head and started talking to the Nine-Tails sealed within him, seemingly quite interested before his impending death, not at all sad about his sacrifice: "I just don't want to accept this fate, nor do I recognize this fate..."

"Changing this fate is very difficult!"

Uzumaki Naruto reached out and opened the cage, sealing the Nine-Tails, extending his fist and smiling as he said, "Unless we can defeat Kagura..."

"But..."

"If you agree with them..."

"I'll choose to sacrifice here with you. Even if it means sacrificing, I'd rather fight one last time to rewrite my destiny..."

"If you don't agree with them..."

Uzumaki Naruto stared intently at the huge Nine-Tails in front of him, his face suddenly becoming resolute: "Let's try changing this destiny together!"

"Idiot!"

"As if we have a choice!"

Yang Kurama, with a displeased look on his face, extended his paw. Clenching it into a fist, he heavily bumped it against Uzumaki Naruto's fist!

Although...

Neither he nor this brat had a choice...

But...

This brat was willing to consider his feelings!

At least in terms of being a person...

This brat was much better than his father, Minato!

On the other hand,

Inside Minato's body.

Yin Kurama started to grumble with an unhappy expression.

"Hey, Minato."

"Kurama?"

Minato's consciousness appeared within the sealed space.

Yin Kurama stared at Minato with a sinister gaze, sneering mockingly: "You sacrificed your entire family and even split my body in half..."

"My other half's chakra saw firsthand how that kid barely survived in Konoha. Do you want to see what kind of life your son is living?"

"What..."

Minato looked at Kurama in astonishment.

"Or let me make it clearer..."

Yin Kurama grinned maliciously, fixing his gaze on Minato as if plotting something: "Would you consider sacrificing this regained life of yours for your son?"

"I was already planning to sacrifice myself..."

Minato hurried to explain his willingness to die voluntarily.

"Tch..."

Yin Kurama interrupted Minato impatiently.

This jerk was far worse than his son. At least his son would ask the tailed beast's opinion rather than choosing to sacrifice on his own!

This jerk...

He wants to sacrifice the tailed beast inside him, but has he asked the tailed beast's opinion?

"Alright then..."

Yin Kurama's gaze turned slightly colder, and it grinned: "There is a way, perhaps, to barely keep the jinchūriki alive, but the chances are slim... Do you want to bet your life to try and save your son?"

"Please... go on."

Minato took a deep breath, his expression becoming serious: "If it can save Naruto, no matter how small the chance or how great the danger, I am willing to try!"

~~~

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— Ending + Extra Chapters (Completed)

Read upto Chapter 348: End! + Extra Chapters of Sasuke's Rebirth where the world Akihara Kagura is not around. Thank you!