Root's Full-Scale Assault!

Beneath the Hokage Building, inside Root's secret base.

Naruto's limbs and neck were shackled with iron chains, his body suspended in the air in the shape of a spread-eagle.

Dense black curse markings, shaped like tadpoles, crawled across Naruto's body.

They slowly crept over him, all converging upon the seal at his navel.

Naruto was repeatedly tortured into unconsciousness by the pain, only to be awakened again by the pain wracking his body.

Within the space deep inside his consciousness.

"Naruto, feel your resentment, embrace your hatred..."

"Remove the seal on the gate."

"I will grant you the power to change everything!"

"Let us destroy these hateful people and this hateful village together!"

The Nine-Tails lay against the sealed gate, constantly tempting Naruto with its words.

Naruto kept resisting the orange-red Chakra wrapped around his body.

He had already lost control of his body, and his consciousness was steadily fading.

Yet memories of Jiraiya kept surfacing in his heart. They were the only thing supporting Naruto until now.

Outside, Danzo stood not far in front of Naruto. Behind him, the Sealing Force continuously controlled their Chakra, manipulating the curse marks to break the seal imprisoning the Nine-Tails within Naruto.

"Lord Danzo, according to the records on the sealing scroll, the seal on the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is a dual seal formed by the Eight Trigrams Seal and the Four Symbols Seal layered together."

"Without the key, it is impossible to open it. We can only tear a gap in the seal and let the Nine-Tails' Chakra leak out."

"But the Jinchuriki's will is too strong. He has been resisting constantly, and we cannot seize control of the Nine-Tails' Chakra."

Danzo's expression turned grim after hearing this.

"What a bunch of trash! Root has raised you for so long, and even with the sealing formula, you still can't break a seal!"

"Get out of my way! Stand down. I alone am enough!"

The members of Root's Sealing Force hurriedly scrambled to their feet and rolled out of the sealing chamber.

Danzo raised a hand and removed the bandages wrapped around his right eye.

As the sealing technique on his right eye was released, the Mangekyō that had once belonged to Shisui was revealed.

He walked up to Naruto, raised Naruto's eyelid, and made him look into his right eye.

The Mangekyō technique, Kotoamatsukami, activated at that moment!

Although the Kotoamatsukami in his right eye could not permanently rewrite another person's consciousness, it could temporarily guide and alter Naruto's consciousness.

The Mangekyō Sharingan continuously interfered with and guided Naruto's consciousness.

Naruto only felt himself sinking into endless darkness, drowned in boundless cold as his consciousness gradually dissipated.

Through the ocular technique, Danzo entered Naruto's consciousness space.

When he opened his eyes again, Danzo stood before the gate sealing the Nine-Tails.

The Nine-Tails' claws lunged directly at Danzo, but were stopped by the iron gate of the seal.

The Nine-Tails glared viciously at Danzo's right eye.

"Damn Mangekyō Sharingan!"

"It's you hateful Uchiha again!"

Danzo sneered.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Nine-Tails. I am not one of those detestable Uchiha."

"Still, judging by your reaction, it seems the Uchiha's Mangekyō really can control Tailed Beasts!"

"Submit at my feet and become the tool that realizes my ambitions, Nine-Tails!"

The power of his right eye poured out at rapid speed. The Mangekyō Genjutsu activated, and the Mangekyō pattern in his right eye began to spin.

The Nine-Tails froze at that moment, and its pupils transformed into the same Mangekyō pattern as Danzo's right eye.

Danzo left Naruto's consciousness space.

A bloody tear ran down from his right eye as pain spread through Danzo's body.

Danzo grabbed a handful of Ration Pills from the table and stuffed them into his mouth, replenishing the Chakra within his body.

The Hashirama Cells in his right arm were also healing his body.

After quite some time, the pain in his body faded. Danzo walked up to Naruto.

Forming hand seals, he controlled the Nine-Tails to unleash its Chakra while also manipulating Naruto.

An orange-red Tailed Beast cloak gradually enveloped Naruto. Three Chakra bubbles resembling Nine-Tails Fox tails began growing from his tailbone.

Naruto let out unconscious cries of agony. His consciousness, unconscious in the darkness, also felt his entire being swallowed by negative emotions. He began to lose himself, and under Kotoamatsukami's guidance, even Jiraiya in his memories became twisted and ugly.

As the three tails took shape, a fourth Nine-Tails Fox tail began to grow as well.

The skin on Naruto's body was peeled away by the Nine-Tails Fox Chakra, floated up onto the Tailed Beast cloak, and evaporated into black smoke.

The air filled with the bloody stench of evaporated skin and blood.

More than ten minutes passed. The Nine-Tails' Chakra leakage reached its limit, and Naruto settled into a seven-tailed Nine-Tails Fox form.

Danzo sensed the Chakra emanating from the small Nine-Tails Fox before him.

Only then did he realize the Nine-Tails' power.

He threw back his head and laughed wildly.

"Hahahahaha! Hiruzen! The Nine-Tails has still fallen into my hands!"

"With the power of the Nine-Tails and the Mangekyō Sharingan! Senya Uchiha! How will your Susanoo fight me!"

"With only your Mangekyō, you cannot possibly contend with me!"

His laughter abruptly stopped, his eyes filled with cruelty and viciousness.

"Medical team! Come in!"

Several Medical Ninja dressed in pale yellow and wearing masks entered the sealing chamber. They came to stand behind Danzo and lowered their heads.

"Lord Danzo, what are your orders?"

Danzo pointed at Naruto.

"Inject him with Chakra stimulants and every kind of drug. Anything that can strengthen his Chakra and weaken his will."

"As long as the Jinchuriki does not die, the greater the dosage, the better!"

"Yes!"

Having received Danzo's inhuman order, the Medical Ninja did not hesitate in the slightest. They picked up syringes and needles, pierced Naruto's body held fast by the sealing chains, and began injecting the drugs.

Another half hour passed. The Medical Ninja finished administering the drugs and came before Danzo.

"Lord Danzo, the drug injections have reached their limit. The drugs in the Jinchuriki's body can only last for roughly two hours."

"The drugs will continuously destroy the vitality of the Jinchuriki's cells, which is being sustained through the Nine-Tails' Chakra repair."

"If we inject any more, the damage caused by the drugs will exceed the repair speed of the Nine-Tails' Chakra, and the Jinchuriki will wither and die."

Danzo looked at the small Nine-Tails Fox before him, which had grown a seventh tail and had a white skeleton clinging to the surface of its body. A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

He turned and gave the order.

"All Root members, depart with me!"

"Mission objective! Slaughter every member of the Uchiha clan!"

More than thirty Root jonin and over forty Root chunin knelt on one knee before Danzo with their heads lowered.

"Yes!"

The group leaped across the rooftops toward the Uchiha clan compound.

As for Naruto.

Still unconscious, he had transformed into a seven-tailed Nine-Tails Fox and followed closely behind Danzo.

Danzo led Naruto through the secret passage beneath the Hokage Building directly out of the village, racing toward the Uchiha clan compound.