Inside the Four Violet Flames Formation, the atmosphere had become stifling to the extreme.
"Glug—glug—"
A teeth-grating sound rang out continuously, like boiling lava bubbling away.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stared fixedly at Kushina in the center of the barrier. Cold sweat slid down his temple and dripped onto the floor.
The situation looked utterly terrible.
Kushina, who had originally been sitting there, was now completely enveloped in a layer of dark-red chakra filled with an ominous aura. That chakra was no longer an illusory outer shell; it had condensed into tangible dark-red flesh, even growing a framework of white bones as it continuously swelled and twisted.
That was Tailed Beast Transformation.
And it was a "Half-Tailed Beast Transformation" on the verge of losing control.
How many tails was that now? Four? Five?
The Third, maintaining the barrier, had almost no mind to observe exactly how many tails had appeared on Kushina's body. He was more worried about Hiroki.
What was Hiroki doing?
Logically speaking, if something had really gone wrong, couldn't he send a message through mind-speech?
Or had something happened in the mental world?!
Danzo's fingers, formed into seals to maintain the Four Violet Flames Formation, had turned white at the knuckles. The light in his one eye flickered uncertainly.
"This malice... you can feel it without even touching it. What is that brat Hiroki doing..." he muttered under his breath.
Even he had developed the slightest bit of distrust toward Hiroki.
That was the Nine-Tails!
Even if it was Hiroki, could he really protect Kushina so easily when facing the Nine-Tails? Could he really force the Nine-Tails back down so easily!?
If he could do that, he would not have called the two of them over to assist.
And—
What frightened them even more was that the same red