Naruto:Gojo# 325: The Responsibility to Confront Uchiha Madara Falls to Them!

Gojo Kaigetsu directed Tsunade to handle the Cloud ninja. After securing them in Otogakure, leaving only Killer B, he prepared to depart for Amegakure.

Just then...

Swoosh—

Minato appeared, stumbling, his knees buckling as he collapsed to the ground, retching.

The moment he’d sensed the Flying Thunder God seal in Otogakure, he’d teleported, carrying the Third Hokage’s body.

The successive long-distance jumps had completely drained his strength.

His face was ashen, his muscles trembling uncontrollably. He struggled to lift his head, his voice weak as he looked at Gojo Kaigetsu. “Kaigetsu-kun, Kushina, Lady Tsunade, Konoha is in peril! Return at once!”

“Minato! What happened?!” Kushina rushed forward, ready to infuse him with Nine-Tails chakra.

But Minato stopped her, forcing a smile. “It’s no use, Kushina. This is backlash from overusing the Flying Thunder God. Only time can heal it.”

“.....”

“Ultra-long-distance Flying Thunder God is like this—”

It was as if his physical body had transcended space and time, but his soul, unable to keep pace, had been left behind, creating a disorienting schism.

It had nothing to do with chakra or Sage Mode.

Even someone as powerful as Minato couldn’t overcome this sensation. His eyelids grew heavy; his body, devoid of its soul, felt on the verge of collapse.

“This isn’t the time for that.” Minato, with his last ounce of strength, quickly relayed the intelligence the Third Hokage had paid for with his life.

“Kaigetsu-kun, the target you assigned, Black Zetsu has been sealed in the Shinigami’s stomach by the Third Hokage using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.”

“But, despite our best efforts, Uchiha Madara was revived by Nagato. Nagato’s eyes—are now in Madara’s possession.”

“Observing Madara’s reaction before I left, he’s eager. He’s likely already on his way to Konoha to seize the Tailed Beasts.”

Uchiha Madara...

Tsunade clenched her fists, her expression grim.

She was the oldest among them, a witness to that turbulent era. She didn't know Madara, but she knew—her grandfather! And by extension, she knew of him!

Though she’d never faced Madara in battle, through the Senju clan’s inherited knowledge, through Hashirama’s own accounts—she’d glimpsed his power.

And Madara, who had fought on par with her grandfather, the God of Shinobi, hadn’t possessed the Sage’s eyes back then.

Uchiha Madara, resurrected, now wielding such eyes—even if her grandfather were revived, he would likely be no match for him.

Now—the torch had been passed to her generation.

Her grandfather was gone.

The responsibility of confronting Uchiha Madara now rested on their shoulders.

Ah~ The star-shaped birthmark on her trapezius blazed.

Nothing to fear!

Tsunade clenched her fists, her heart ablaze with a fighting spirit as radiant as the rising sun.

Previously, with only her Creation Rebirth: Strength of a Hundred Technique, she would have been no match for Madara.

But now—she was an evolved Tsunade, wielding the Tenseigan! And beside her, Kushina, possessing both Susanoo and Nine-Tails chakra—and their greatest asset, Gojo Kaigetsu, with his strange and varied jutsu.

With such a team, how could they not face Uchiha Madara?!

“I see Uchiha Madara—as nothing more than a straw man, waiting to be toppled!”

“So~ Uchiha Madara has been revived.” Gojo Kaigetsu’s voice was calm, unsurprised.

Madara resurrected, with his Rinnegan... annoying, but acceptable.

As long as Black Zetsu was sealed—it was acceptable!

“Minato, you said Black Zetsu was sealed by the Third Hokage’s Dead Demon Consuming Seal, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right. Why?”

“Then what we need to protect isn’t Konoha, but...”

“The Uzumaki Clan’s Nakano Shrine!” Gojo Kaigetsu stated firmly.

Even if Madara inherited Akatsuki, he only possessed four Tailed Beasts—the One, Four, Five, and Six-Tails. To complete his Eye of the Moon Plan, he needed the others.

Akatsuki was depleted.

Of course, with Madara’s arrogance, he didn’t need subordinates. But collecting the Tailed Beasts required intelligence!

Yes, intelligence. Without it, even with his world-destroying ninjutsu, he would be like a headless fly, wandering aimlessly, hoping to stumble upon the Tailed Beasts.

If the Tailed Beasts were still wild, this approach might work.

But now, Konoha had gathered all the jinchuriki. In this situation, if he were Madara, he would likely first try to unseal Black Zetsu, using its abilities to gather intel.

Then, he would descend upon Konoha, threatening to destroy the village to force them to surrender the Tailed Beasts. But a threat, by its nature, required time for a response.

There would be time to return to Konoha and intervene.

But if Madara succeeded in freeing Black Zetsu from the Shinigami’s stomach—Black Zetsu, having learned its lesson, would likely become even more elusive. Capturing it again would be impossible.

It was like—Uchiha Madara, acting as a kidnapper, holding the entire village of Konoha hostage, forcing the leadership to pay a ransom.

Could Madara destroy Konoha without giving them time to react?

Gojo Kaigetsu thought not.

Firstly, there was no foolish woman like Tsunade to provoke Madara as she had Nagato. Secondly, Konoha was like—a child born of the union between Uchiha Madara and Hashirama Senju.

Though Madara suffered from postpartum depression, the bond was still there—How could he destroy Konoha?

So, whether Uchiha Madara chose to directly attack Konoha to seize the Tailed Beasts, or first go to the Nakano Shrine to free Black Zetsu—defending the Nakano Shrine was the most logical choice!

“In any case—I leave it all to you!” Minato’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, unconscious.

Tsunade directed several of the mind-controlled Cloud ninja to carry the incapacitated Minato to the Konoha University Affiliated Hospital.

“Send Darui to the Land of Lightning’s Daimyo for a decree,” Gojo Kaigetsu commanded. “Then, with the decree, head to the front lines in Kusagakure immediately.”

Tsunade, acknowledging the order, asked with a hint of concern, “You’re saying we should go directly to the Nakano Shrine? Aren’t you worried Uchiha Madara might attack Konoha in our absence? There’s no one in Konoha who can stop him now.”

“Not no one~” Gojo Kaigetsu said cryptically. “Your two grandfathers are guarding the Memorial Stone.”

“Even if Uchiha Madara truly goes mad and tries to destroy Konoha, once your grandfather roars, Uchiha Madara will grant him face.”

The coffins containing Hashirama and Tobirama had already been inscribed with summoning seals.

At the most critical moment, they would be summoned to the battlefield. When not needed, they would remain as Konoha’s guardian spirits, protecting the village.

Attack and defense, covered.

“There’s no time to waste! Let’s go!”

“If all goes well, this will be the final battle. Either we defeat Uchiha Madara and complete the final piece of Konoha’s hegemony, or we are defeated by him and have to rely on the Sage Venerable’s intervention!”