"Raaah...!!"
Kurama, his eyes bearing the pattern of the Sharingan, let out a fierce roar at the countless Konoha Ninja before him and the many civilians farther away.
In an instant, his chilling, savage presence sent countless ordinary Ninja stumbling backward.
They had no courage to fight at all!
Konoha's forces had completely lost their morale.
Some civilians were so terrified of the Nine-Tails that they collapsed to the ground.
It had to be said: when it came to frightening people, a monster like the Nine-Tails was even more effective than Susanoo Complete Body.
Even though Susanoo Complete Body might have looked bigger than the Nine-Tails!
Perhaps a monster like the Nine-Tails simply radiated savagery and bloodlust.
Just one distant glimpse might be enough to scare someone into wetting themselves.
Meanwhile,
Lady Tsunade, Jiraiya, Gamabunta, Gamahiro, Gamaken, Kakashi, Kurenai Yuhi, Hyuga Hiashi, Shikaku Nara, and many other powerful figures couldn't help but stare at the enormous Nine-Tails fox before them, their hearts pounding with fear.
And yet:
"Any last words?"
Dressed in red armor, his long hair falling to his waist and his Eternal Mangekyo eyes glowing crimson, Chen Yiban sat cross-legged on the Nine-Tails' head, smiling as he looked at every Konoha Ninja before him and the few toads from Mount Myōboku.
As he spoke, Chen Yiban even propped his chin on one hand, looking utterly brazen.
That languid air of his was something else!
That tiny gesture...
Somehow drove the already despairing people of Konoha into an even deeper abyss.
"Enough, enough! We can't win!"
"I don't want to fight anymore. I want to live! I want to leave Konoha!"
"I'm leaving too. We can't win! There's no way we can win!"
"I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I can't die..."
And then,
Overcome by despair, some of the more fragile Konoha Ninja and countless civilians nearby fell straight to their knees.
"Lord Madara, please... please don't kill me."
At that moment, some of the Konoha Ninja and civilians who had knelt begged Chen Yiban to spare them.
"You..." Lady Tsunade's face was filled with anger.
But,
Though she wanted to scold them, Tsunade ultimately couldn't bring herself to speak.
Because:
When she thought about it, they hadn't really done anything wrong!
Who didn't want to live?
If there had been even the slightest hope of defeating their enemy, Lady Tsunade believed the people of Konoha wouldn't have begged their enemy for mercy so pathetically.
Wasn't it simply that they had no other choice?
It really came down to the same thing: the legendary Ninja, Uchiha Madara... was too strong!
So strong that everyone present felt utterly hopeless!!
And that absolutely included her, Lady Tsunade, because she knew:
Chen Yiban was now even more impossible to defeat!
Chen Yiban had already been overwhelmingly powerful.
Now, he had forcibly undone Naruto's seal and taken control of the Nine-Tails.
An enemy like that...
Lady Tsunade truly had no idea how these demoralized people of Konoha could resist him.
"Madara!"
"Are you really going to wipe us all out?"
Lady Tsunade seemed to summon the last of her strength and stepped forward, calling out in a clear voice.
"Tsunade..." Jiraiya, terribly weak, came to her side at just the right moment.
"Tsunade, little Jiraiya is nearly at his limit." Sage Fukasaku, perched on Jiraiya's shoulder, spoke as he looked at Lady Tsunade.
"Jiraiya." Lady Tsunade hurried over to support him.
Only to discover... Jiraiya couldn't even maintain Sage Mode anymore!
And his severed arm, which had stopped bleeding earlier, was bleeding heavily once more after his fight against Chen Yiban's Shadow Clone and its Susanoo Stage Three!
Jiraiya had already been gravely wounded by a single sword strike from Susanoo Complete Body.
He had been forcing himself to hold on ever since.
Jiraiya had done everything he could!
It wasn't that Jiraiya was weak. His enemy was simply absurdly powerful!
"Tsunade, take everyone and leave Konoha. I... I'll hold the enemy back!"
Jiraiya's face was pale, but his gaze was resolute and determined.
He was truly prepared to sacrifice himself to save everyone else in Konoha!
Lady Tsunade said nothing. She simply used the little Chakra she had left to heal Jiraiya.
"Lady Tsunade, let me do it." Nearby, Katsuyu moved over to Jiraiya and began using her abilities to treat him.
Lady Tsunade stopped channeling Medical Ninjutsu.
Then:
"Madara!"
"If you insist on taking revenge for the past, then..."
"As the granddaughter of the First, Hashirama Senju, I'm willing to face your vengeance alone."
"But the others in Konoha are innocent. I hope... you won't wipe them all out!"
Lady Tsunade went alone to stand before the Nine-Tails, then met Chen Yiban's gaze atop its head.
"Tsunade..." Jiraiya tried to stop Lady Tsunade.
"Innocent?"
But Chen Yiban finally answered, contradicting Lady Tsunade:
"When an avalanche comes, tell me... which snowflake do you think is innocent?"
At his words, Tsunade was left speechless.
But she still asked, unwilling to give up, "Then what do you want? Are you really going to slaughter the tens of thousands of people in Konoha?"
Chen Yiban didn't answer right away.
Meanwhile, Kakashi, Jiraiya, Hyuga Hiashi, Shikaku Nara, and the others stayed silent.
Aside from Lady Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, no one else might have had the standing to speak with Chen Yiban.
The lives of everyone in Konoha...
Now rested on Chen Yiban's every word!
Chen Yiban sat atop the fearsome Nine-Tails.
His crimson Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan swept across the countless Konoha Ninja and civilians in every direction.
Looking at their varied postures and the despair in their eyes...
"Those who kneel may stay."
"Those who refuse to obey me may leave."
"Of course, you can try resisting again. Who knows? Maybe you'll manage to kill me."
Then Chen Yiban slowly rose to his feet atop the Nine-Tails' head and spoke.
At the end, his face wore a scornful, mocking smile.
How many of the countless Konoha Ninja and civilians all around dared to resist Chen Yiban now?
In fact:
"Lord Madara, I'm willing! I'll obey you!"
"Me too! I'm willing to submit to you, Lord Madara!"
"And me, I..."
The Konoha Ninja who no longer had the courage to resist faced Chen Yiban atop the Nine-Tails' head and dropped to their knees.
If even the Ninja did that,
then the number of Konoha civilians kneeling all around them was beyond counting.
At the sight, Lady Tsunade lowered her head.
She didn't blame the civilians and Ninja!
They... were only trying to survive!
They weren't wrong!
Still, when it came to Chen Yiban, Lady Tsunade wanted nothing more than to bite him to death!!
And after that...
One after another, more and more Konoha Ninja and civilians knelt before Chen Yiban atop the enormous Nine-Tails' head, showing their submission.
Meanwhile, Ayame, Ichiraku's daughter in the original story, seemed unwilling to kneel before Chen Yiban, who had apparently killed Naruto Uzumaki and countless Konoha Ninja.
Stubbornly, she stood ramrod straight among the kneeling crowd, like a crane among chickens!
That was, until Uncle Ichiraku came over and forcefully pulled her down to kneel beside him. Even then, Ayame knelt with indignation!
At last, Lady Tsunade, her gaze dim, supported the badly injured Jiraiya as she prepared to leave Konoha.
She had only just returned not long ago to become the honored Fifth Hokage!
Who could have expected...
Was it fate playing a cruel joke?
Lady Tsunade knew Chen Yiban wouldn't allow her, the so-called Fifth Hokage, to stay.
So she chose to leave!
And not everyone had chosen to submit to Chen Yiban.
Kakashi, Shikaku Nara, Kurenai Yuhi, Mitaraishi Anko, and many other former Konoha Jonin still followed Lady Tsunade.
But:
"Did I say you could leave?"
Chen Yiban stood atop the Nine-Tails with his arms folded across his chest, smiling faintly with crimson eyes as Lady Tsunade turned to leave, supporting Jiraiya.
At his words, Lady Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, and the others were all startled!
"What... do you want?" Lady Tsunade immediately turned around, warily glaring at Chen Yiban atop the Nine-Tails with her beautiful eyes.
Does he really intend to wipe us all out?
Lady Tsunade couldn't help thinking.
"You're useful to me. So, you're Hashirama's granddaughter, right? You can't leave!" Chen Yiban continued with a faint smile, his arms still folded.
"You..." Lady Tsunade glared furiously at Chen Yiban from a distance.
But she was helpless!
She couldn't beat him!
At this point, he really could decide everything.
"Why? Why does it have to be Tsunade?" Jiraiya, his face pale, couldn't help stepping forward to ask.
"The wisest make mistakes, and even fools sometimes have a flash of insight. This woman's Medical Ninjutsu really is impressive, I have to admit."
Chen Yiban smiled faintly.
His right eye's [Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan] couldn't be freely turned on and off because he lacked the skill. He had just transplanted the eye.
As for that problem...
For Lady Tsunade, the Medical Master, it would be child's play.
But besides that... Chen Yiban couldn't possibly pass up the [Flesh of Asura] stored in a slot in his system space, which contained [Asura Chakra].
That was another reason he needed Lady Tsunade!
It wouldn't matter if everyone else in Konoha left, but Lady Tsunade had to stay!!
As for the possibility that:
She might refuse to obey or try something underhanded...
Why did Chen Yiban think he had killed Shimura Danzō and taken his head?
Because of Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan technique, Kotoamatsukami!!
As always, before coming to Konoha today, Chen Yiban had already planned out almost everything.
Eight Gates Guy was the first!
Shimura Danzō was the second!
Minato Namikaze was the third!
The fourth... was her, Lady Tsunade!
Chen Yiban knew exactly what he wanted, and he had clear goals!
And... those who stood in his way would die!!
Before you continue