The wind howls.
At both ends of the massive Kannabi Bridge stood the pinnacle of the Shinobi World's fighting power.
"Hehe, Hiruzen Sarutobi, it's been a long time."
Ōnoki hovered in mid-air, with Kitsuchi, Roshi, and other elites from Iwagakure standing beside him.
Behind them, deep in the forest, the air was filled with dust and smoke.
A sense of impending doom rose.
Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing something strange about Ōnoki in front of him.
However, for experts of their caliber, Transformation Technique cannot escape their senses. So, what is this strange feeling...?
Ōnoki glanced at Kushina in the crowd, his eyes turning cold.
"You've really given us a lot of trouble. We still haven't completely wiped out the Uzumaki Clan."
Ever since he exchanged information with the Third Raikage and learned that Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was a red-haired woman, he almost broke his back from anger.
I've held a grudge ever since.
"You damned old man!! What did you say?!"
Enraged, Kushina's red hair flew wildly, and her violent chakra overflowed, nearly knocking over those around her.
On his fair cheeks, there were faint traces of animal whiskers.
"Calm down, Kushina!"
Minato quickly went to her side to comfort her. Although there was no risk of her going berserk for no reason, if Kushina became too emotional, the Nine-Tails could still affect her a little.
"He's just trying to provoke you, don't fall for it!"
While comforting her, Minato was also prepared to assist Kushina in sealing the Nine-Tails should any unexpected events occur.
Kushina breathed heavily for a few moments, trying to calm herself down.
His eyes were fixed on Ōnoki, his voice icy. "You old geezer, I'm going to kill you!"
"That's fine, Ōnoki."
Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a deep voice, "Have a little bit of the demeanor of a Kage."
"Since things have come to this point, I won't advise you to surrender."
Peng!
The Enma was directly held in Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand in the form of Adamantine Staff.
They struck a pose.
"This time, you'll be the one to lose again!"
Oh...
Seeing Onoki remain motionless, his Ōnoki twitching with amusement, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt an increasingly ominous premonition.
"Old man Hiruzen, I have no interest in you."
Ōnoki sneered, "You've disappointed me too much by letting that Uchiha brat grow up."
"I didn't originally intend to do something like this, helping you deal with the Uchiha or something..."
"Be grateful to me, just like when we helped you solve the Uzumaki Country that year, allowing you to successfully keep the last descendants of the Uzumaki Clan."
Thump—
On the battlefield, a sudden heartbeat sound rang out.
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly looked at Kushina and shouted, "Kushina! We really have no time to deal with the affairs of the Uzumaki Country, and even Konoha is engulfed in war!"
"Lady Mito is aware of this matter as well!"
Thump—
Kushina covered her head tightly, and wisps of crimson chakra oozed out.
"I know...I know... Grandma Mito told me too..."
Minato! Take Kushina away! She doesn't need to fight!
Hiruzen Sarutobi made a quick decision: given the current situation, Kushina could no longer be allowed to stay here.
Once the Nine-Tails goes berserk, it goes without saying whether it will kill Konoha or Iwagakure first.
Damn it, it's precisely because I was worried about this happening that I didn't want the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to the battlefield!
The Nine-Tails is too uncontrollable!
Hiruzen Sarutobi turned and glared angrily at Ōnoki...
Peng... Peng... Peng...
The elite Iwagakure surrounding Ōnoki suddenly exploded.
It is... Shadow Clone.
A diversionary tactic?
How could that be? The discovery of over ten thousand Iwagakure is absolutely real!
Ōnoki crossed his arms and solemnly said, "Guess how many of us went to the Kumogakure battlefield and how many infiltrated Konoha?"
"Behind me are 15,000 Iwa ninja, all of whom are prepared to perish together!"
"You can also try having that Flying Thunder God brat lead you to chase after us. It won't be that easy to fool you. We haven't gone far yet..."
"Ha ha..."
"Shut up!!"
Adamantine Staff extended, Ōnoki made no attempt to dodge, and with a smile, uttered his final words.
"Kushina, why are you the only one who survived?"
"Because you are the most suitable person to be the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!"
With a bang, Ōnoki's Shadow Clone was destroyed.
Boom!!!
A black and red pillar of chakra shot into the sky!
"Kushina!"
Minato called out Kushina's name loudly, pressed his hand against her abdomen from behind, and tried his best to cast a seal.
Three tails...
"Minato... I know... I know..."
Kushina's voice was extremely hoarse.
"I know this isn't Konoha's fault... but..."
"Why... am I the only one who survived..."
'Didn't that old man tell you... because only you can be my cage!'
'Do you think Hiruzen Sarutobi is some kind of good person? If he could save you, couldn't he save one more?!'
"Let me out, and I'll help you kill every single person who destroyed the Uzumaki Country!"
Of course, before that, I must first kill the reincarnation of Uchiha Madara!
The Nine-Tails fox was overjoyed.
This is truly a perfect opportunity to break the seal!
Kushina has gradually gotten used to life in Konoha.
As her body grows, she will be able to completely suppress the Nine-Tails.
The prerequisite is emotional stability.
Restraining the Nine-Tails isn't as simple as just locking it up and then ignoring it. If you can't maintain your inner resolve, the Nine-Tails might find a way to break through at any time.
The seal on Naruto's body is an enhanced version of the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style, with Minato's own chakra also acting as the final lock inside.
After so many steps, even half of the Nine-Tails can still influence Naruto when he's emotionally unstable.
Defeating the Nine-Tails and sealing the Nine-Tails are two different things.
To put it more vividly, you can kill someone with a single stab, but Binding Vow them is not so simple.
If we don't consider using the power of the Tailed Beast, the Amber Purifying Pot from Kumogakure is the most perfect suppressor.
After all, it is Six Paths Ninja Tools.
In the current situation, they see Iwagakure charging into the distance, stretching as far as the eye can see.
All the eyes of the Konoha ninja turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi, awaiting his command.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was terribly gloomy.
Kushina needed to be comforted, but Iwagakure had already launched their attack, and there was simply no time for that.
And...
The whereabouts of Ōnoki and the others are also very important...
Jiraiya... the village...
With Koharu and Danzo on the other side of the village, even if Ōnoki's target is the village, they can hold it off for a while.
But what about the Kumogakure Battlefield...?
If Ōnoki went there, he must have reached an agreement with the Third Raikage.
He exhaled deeply.
He made a decision.
"Kushina! Calm down! You, Minato, Orochimaru go to reinforce the Northern Front!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi roared.
"Jiraiya, Kagami, and countless other Konoha ninja are waiting for you!"
"This is the village that Lady Mito protected his entire life. No matter what you think, Lady Mito's love for you is absolutely genuine!"
"The Jonin Commander, three commanders will remain; the rest will return to the village."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared straight ahead, gripping his Adamantine Staff tightly.
"If I die here, appoint Orochimaru as the Fourth Hokage."
"Execute the command!"