Demon Fox Cloak

Before coming to Konoha, Kushina Uzumaki had heard of the Uchiha clan's great reputation. They were said to be the only force capable of restraining tailed beasts since Wood Release disappeared.

But in her view, aside from the Sage Body of the Land of Whirlpools, there was no other power in the world capable of sealing the Nine-Tails.

Until today!

Rumble!

A verdant green figure, as towering as a great tree, appeared before her. Its massive skeletal arm gripped a Spiral Sword powerful enough to split mountains and cleave seas, bringing it down with tremendous force. Brilliant golden chains, infused with the Nine-Tails' Chakra, formed a net before the red-haired girl, meeting the short Anbu in a fox mask in a direct clash.

In that instant, the entire forest felt the breath of destruction and began to quake violently. At the point where the Spiral Sword met the Adamantine Sealing Chains, a dazzling light so bright it made one instinctively shut their eyes erupted in every direction. The terrifying current of air, capable of destroying all life, sent the Konoha Ninja watching the battle flying.

"So this is Lord Danzo's 'Root'? How terrifying!"

Hizashi Hyuga had always thought his eyes could see through anything, but during the clash between the Spiral Sword and the golden chains, he had no choice but to turn his head away.

The other Anbu, including Aburame Torune, channeled Chakra into the soles of their feet to keep from being swept away by the terrifying gust.

"He's the new 'Ren.' No wonder Lord Danzo took him on as a disciple."

Root served as a training ground for Anbu. Most of the Ninja it trained were claimed by the Hokage afterward. But Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a little awkward about this, so he had made an agreement with Danzo: Danzo could keep ten Anbu as his confidants.

Danzo, of course, hadn't hesitated. Under the guise of being the "Root," he had kept his ten most elite subordinates at full strength.

"Kinoe" had already been set aside for that Wood Release child. Aburame Torune was "Ding," while Orochimaru had also been assigned a "Ji." After Shisui embraced his grandfather's ideals, he had taken the place of "Ren," who had died in the Land of Rain, and was temporarily paired with "Gui."

"This is too much commotion. It's already beyond Lord Danzo's limit."

As the supervisor of Root when Danzo and Orochimaru were away, Aburame Torune had the calmest head. Seeing the Jinchuriki begin to manifest the "Demon Fox Cloak," and the black-and-red pattern appear in her pupils, he immediately ordered "Bing" and "Gui" beside him to act.

"Jonin Hyuga, since you're here, the four of us can activate this scroll."

Their opponent was a jinchūriki, so Konoha had naturally taken the tailed beast into account. Kushina Uzumaki possessed sealing techniques passed down from the Land of Whirlpools and also had a Sage Body. She had to be treated as a Kage-level opponent.

To ensure there would be no mistakes, Danzo had requested the village's strongest existing sealing scroll from Utatane Koharu.

"Four Symbols Seal!"

As a member of a prestigious clan, Hizashi Hyuga understood what it was the moment Aburame Torune unfurled the scroll.

"I never imagined the Sealing Squad could make an artifact of this level."

"No. This was left behind by Lady Mito, for this very moment."

After Aburame Torune finished speaking, blood appeared on the index finger of his right hand, and he activated one of the four symbols.

"The strongest sealing technique, one that requires four Jonin with precise Chakra control to activate. Even the Nine-Tails won't be able to escape."

Boom!

With a thunderous crash, the short Shisui Uchiha landed at the edge of the enormous crater. The intense pain made him squeeze his left eye shut, and a trickle of blood stained his once-white fox mask with a vivid red mark.

"So this is the Nine-Tails' power?!"

Though precocious, he was still young. He had only just gained the power of the Mangekyo, and after mastering the Dojutsu in his left eye under Danzo's guidance, he had been eager to test the mythic power that belonged only to his ancestors. The devastation before him left Shisui's heart burning with excitement, but also stirred a trace of fear.

"War is even more terrifying than this!"

Just then, translucent screens appeared from the four directions—east, south, west, and north. They traced arcs through the air and converged overhead, then burst apart in a shower of rows of mysterious yet ancient symbols and images, forming a huge Sealing Barrier.

"Blue, white, vermilion, black... the Four Symbols Seal?"

Accompanied by a faint cough, a red glow appeared amid the smoke at the center of the crater. A graceful figure clad in the Demon Fox Cloak lay crouched on the ground. Her will was still clear, but her whole body was gradually changing into that of a beast.

"Senior Uzumaki, please return to the village with us. Otherwise, being bound and taken back in this beastlike state would not be good for Senior Namikaze's reputation."

Though he had joined Root, Shisui was still a kindhearted boy at heart. Unfortunately, his well-intentioned words were taken as mockery by his opponent.

"You're using the sealing arts of our Land of Whirlpools against me, and you still have the nerve to say that? As expected, that gloomy old man still resents me for pouring him a cup of foot-washing water in front of Grandma Mito."

It sounded like they had heard something they shouldn't have. At that moment, the hands of Aburame Torune and the other three, who were operating the sealing technique, all trembled, causing the flawless barrier to stall for an instant.

For Kushina Uzumaki, one of the three greatest sealing technique experts of her time, this was her chance to escape.

The Yin and Yang energies in the air combined in a special ratio, forming a black sphere that she swallowed.

"If I had a choice, I really wouldn't want to use this utterly ugly form. You forced me into it."

The Tailed Beast Bomb erupted, blasting a hole in the Four Symbols Seal before it could fully take shape.

Hizashi Hyuga felt as though he had been struck hundreds of times. He saw only a flash of red before an unprecedented sense of mortal danger rose in his heart.

Boom!

A verdant glow appeared out of nowhere. A short Anbu moved at nearly teleporting speed to stand in front of the tailed-beast-transformed Jinchuriki, thrusting out his right hand against the claws capable of tearing steel apart.

Another earth-shaking crash followed, and the Jinchuriki and the blood-eyed boy were both blasted away.

"Interesting. To have a Jinchuriki as my first opponent after awakening my eyes—Lord Danzo's arrangements really are excellent."

Shisui Uchiha handed Hizashi Hyuga to the Konoha Ninja who had rushed over. His true body's Mangekyo blazed in both eyes. A verdant light, like a blazing sun, took the form of a translucent giant at the very heart of the forest, like a god descended from legend.

"What did you say?!"

At the front lines of the battle between Konoha and Kumogakure in the Land of Hot Water, at the Land of Fire's main camp, the newly arrived Guo Wang glared at the pale-faced Jiraiya, his voice filled with fury.

Jiraiya gave an awkward smile and looked around, unsure what to do.

He had always been afraid of that gloomy uncle of his!