In his courtyard, Drake glanced up at the darkening sky and set his book down.
"…I actually spent this long reading."
He leaned back in the chair and thought.
He had spent half the day reading books about frogs.
After analyzing everything carefully, Drake came to one conclusion:
Minato's frog behavior earlier—
Was fake.
"Sensei's body may have turned into a frog… but his mind hasn't changed."
"I've already verified that several times."
"So he still thinks like a human."
Drake rubbed his chin.
"Then why did he act like that?"
A thought suddenly appeared.
"…Was he trying to help me?"
That seemed like the only possible answer.
Just as he realized this—
His expression suddenly changed.
Drake looked down at the ground.
His eyes narrowed.
Madara's Corpse Disappears
In an instant he appeared several meters away.
BOOM!
He kicked open the soil where Madara's body had been buried.
Then he froze.
Madara's corpse—
Had turned into ashes.
Drake crouched and examined them carefully.
Ninja bodies rot.
But not like this.
The entire corpse had disappeared, leaving only a pile of gray dust.
"Did Madara revive using another method?"
Drake grabbed the ashes.
They crumbled instantly.
They were not ordinary remains—
They had been erased at a fundamental level.
Drake frowned.
The only thing he could compare it to was something like All-Killing Ash Bones.
But that didn't quite fit.
Obito Brings News
Suddenly—
Footsteps rushed toward the courtyard.
Obito jumped over the wall.
"Drake, we're screwed!"
"Speak properly," Drake said calmly.
"Madara revived!"
Obito quickly explained.
He and Shisui had been escorting Nagato's group.
They encountered Madara.
Madara tore out Nagato's Rinnegan.
Minato used Flying Thunder God to send them back to Training Ground #9.
Shisui and the others soon arrived as well.
But Drake only glanced at them briefly.
Then he started walking out.
"Wait!" Obito shouted.
"I'm not finished."
Drake stopped slightly.
"What else?"
Obito continued:
"Sensei said one thing."
"You must destroy the Dragon Vein."
Drake Understands
Drake suddenly understood everything.
"Dragon Vein…"
So Madara had used the Dragon Vein to travel through time.
That meant—
This Madara was not from the current timeline.
Shisui spoke carefully.
"Even if we go now… it may already be too late."
Drake shook his head.
"No."
"Sensei won't die that easily."
He looked at Shisui.
"Take Nagato to the hospital."
"I'll go support Sensei."
Then—
He vanished.
Tracking Minato
At the village entrance, Drake placed his hand on a tree.
"Locate Minato immediately."
The tree answered.
"Searching."
"Focus toward the Land of Rain."
Moments later:
"Target found."
Drake calculated the distance.
"…A Wood Clone will be faster."
His chakra surged into the tree.
Through the underground root network, the chakra raced toward the Land of Rain.
Battlefield — Land of Rain
Minato leaped backward as Madara's gigantic Susanoo stomped down.
The ground shattered.
Madara mocked him.
"You think Drake's technique can save you?"
Minato ignored him.
He slammed his frog hand onto his chest.
"Release — True Thousand Hands!"
A massive chakra surge exploded into the earth.
Moments later—
A colossal Thousand-Armed Buddha statue rose from underground.
Madara's expression finally changed.
"…Hashirama's technique."
He stepped back.
The statue was larger than his Susanoo.
Minato stood atop the Buddha statue.
"Madara!"
"Now it's my turn!"
He clapped his hands.
"True Thousand Hands — Top Transformed Buddha!"
Thousands of giant fists rained down toward Susanoo.
Madara responded with multiple chakra blades.
The two titans collided.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A devastating shockwave wiped out the surrounding terrain.
Trees were pulverized instantly.
When the dust settled—
Both the Buddha statue and Susanoo were gone.
Minato Falls
A half-body frog corpse fell from the sky.
Minato had been cut in half.
Silence.
Then—
A piece of wood emerged from the ground.
It twisted and reshaped itself.
Becoming Drake.
He instantly jumped forward and caught Minato's body before it hit the ground.
Madara Panics
Madara's face changed dramatically.
"…Drake?!"
Drake gently laid the body down.
His expression was calm.
He slowly looked up.
His voice was quiet.
But terrifying.
"Uchiha Madara."
"I will beat you to death."
"And after that…"
"I will travel to the past."
"I will crush Uchiha Izuna."
"I will kill your mother."
"I will cripple your father."
He stared directly at Madara.
"So."
"Are you ready to die?"
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