Don't Disturb This Old Man

The roar of the beast and the thunderous crashes shattered the silence; in this instant, all of Konoha was plunged into panic, countless people jolted awake from their slumber, while countless others lost their lives before they could even stir.

The colossal beast bellowed and roared, its nine long tails lashing out and creating a massive commotion.

Buildings were as fragile as paper beneath those tails, easily torn to shreds, and the villagers inside were pulverized by the violent shockwaves before they could even let out a scream.

Ninja after ninja leaped onto the rooftops, reacting with speed, their gazes instantly snapping toward the source of the noise, but upon catching sight of the giant beast, their expressions shifted to ones of utter horror.

"No!!"

"Th-that is..."

"It's the Nine-Tails!!"

"Damn it, why would the Nine-Tails appear inside the village?!"

Every person or ninja who recognized the Nine-Tails felt their hearts filled with boundless fear and despair in that moment.

This scene made them feel as if they had fallen into a nightmare.

Yet, the duty of a ninja still drove them to make a choice.

The brave were the first to charge forward, recklessly unleashing ninjutsu in an attempt to stop the Nine-Tails.

But the gap in power was too vast.

The ninjutsu landed on the Nine-Tails without even singeing its fur, and the gale-force winds whipped up by the casual movement of its nine tails were enough to blow the approaching ninja away.

Fortunately, this sight finally jolted those still in a daze back to their senses.

Some swallowed hard, some trembled, and others were paralyzed with terror.

But, at the very least, people began to move.

"We cannot let the Nine-Tails remain in the village."

"Right, we must find a way to drive the Nine-Tails out of the village first!"

Shouts erupted from all directions, and more and more ninja began to mobilize.

In the northern part of Konoha, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had already donned his combat gear, surrounded by several Anbu ninja kneeling on the ground.

"What is happening outside?"

One of them immediately replied, "Lord Hokage, it is the Nine-Tails; for some unknown reason, it has appeared within the village."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression shifted, his tone turning urgent, "Oh no, Biwako..."

He suppressed the unease in his heart and issued rapid orders: "Immediately send men to organize the evacuation of the villagers, notify the ninja of every clan to assemble, and get all the ninja in the village moving—we must stop the Nine-Tails from destroying the village!"

"Yes!"

The Anbu responded in unison and then vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.

"Nine-Tails!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was grave, and without a moment's hesitation, he departed from the spot.

This scene fell into the eyes of Genkawa Uchiha, causing his footsteps to falter slightly as he glanced to the side.

With his keen eyesight, he could clearly see the pair of Sharingan within the eyes of the Nine-Tails; possessing a Mangekyō himself, he naturally understood that this was the result of a genjutsu overlay.

In other words, the Nine-Tails was currently being controlled by someone using Sharingan genjutsu.

"Tch, Konoha really is plagued by disasters."

Genkawa Uchiha only took a few extra looks before dismissing the matter entirely.

Whether it was the Nine-Tails' rampage or the birth of the Child of Prophecy, neither had much to do with him, so long as it didn't disrupt his peaceful life.

In any case, the Nine-Tails would be driven out of the village, the chaos would pass, and Konoha would be rebuilt.

After tonight, life would return to its usual calm, and that was enough for him.

As for having the ability to save others?

Don't be ridiculous.

When he was a child, he never saw anyone come to save his parents.

People always die, and sooner or later, it's all the same.

Thinking this, Genkawa Uchiha withdrew his gaze and continued walking toward his home, as if the massive commotion over there had nothing to do with him.

However, his path was soon blocked.

"Genkawa Uchiha, by the order of the Third Hokage, you are not permitted to approach the Nine-Tails."

A squad of ninja appeared before Genkawa Uchiha, all wearing masks and dressed in the attire of the Anbu.

He stopped and looked at the leader.

"Who the hell are you?"

The leader appeared to have no emotional fluctuations, yet he paused for a moment before speaking: "I am a subordinate of the Anbu Deputy Captain, codename Axe."

"And who the hell is he?"

The man paused for another moment: "The Anbu Deputy Captain..."

Before the man could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Genkawa Uchiha.

"I don't give a damn who you are, get out of the way!"

With that, he walked straight past the man.

The others instinctively reached for the ninja blades at their waists, closing in on Genkawa Uchiha in a pincer formation, yet the latter continued walking forward as if he hadn't noticed their movements at all.

"All of you, stand down."

At this moment, several figures emerged from the shadows of a side alley. The leader had brown hair with neatly trimmed sideburns, his head and right eye wrapped in bandages, leaving only one narrow, slit-like eye exposed, and a cross-shaped scar on his chin.

As the command fell, the men stepped aside, and the newcomer walked up to stand before Genkawa Uchiha.

Genkawa Uchiha recognized the man instantly: the Pot Kage of Konoha, Shimura Danzō, known as the Darkness of the Shinobi.

"Genkawa Uchiha, as an advisor to the Hokage and leader of Root, I order you..."

Genkawa Uchiha did not stop his pace, continuing to walk forward as the distance between them closed.

Seemingly not expecting this reaction from Genkawa Uchiha—who hadn't even slowed his stride—Shimura Danzō's words faltered, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.

"Get lost, you dog, before I slap you for being a nuisance."

Genkawa Uchiha showed Shimura Danzō no respect, for there was bad blood between them.

After all, given Genkawa Uchiha's unique nature, it was impossible for that old dog Shimura Danzō not to have noticed him, and what followed was a foregone conclusion.

Shimura Danzō had once set his sights on Genkawa Uchiha when he was eight years old, sending men to abduct him and bring him into the Root base.

Then, when Shimura Danzō finally appeared, intending to do something to him, Genkawa Uchiha had simply detonated.

In that single instant, Shimura Danzō was severely wounded, one of his arms was blown off, and the Root base was destroyed.

Afterward, Genkawa Uchiha had strolled out of the Root base, and when confronted by Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had rushed over with his men, he had merely explained why he was there.

"That old dog Danzō tried to lay a hand on me, so I gave him a taste of his own medicine. If you go in now, that old dog might still be salvageable."

He then walked away.

Since that day, Shimura Danzō had never appeared before him again.

Until now.

Hearing these words, Shimura Danzō's expression turned violently grim.

"Stop!"

It was clear that Shimura Danzō was becoming truly enraged.

As the command fell, the "Anbu" who had previously dispersed quickly closed in.

"Sigh..."

Genkawa Uchiha finally stopped and let out a soft sigh.

"Why is it that you old dogs never listen to a word I say? It was like this last time, and it's the same this time. I told you that if you had any more ideas, you'd regret it. Why won't you just believe me?"

As he finished, Shimura Danzō's expression shifted, and he instinctively took a step back.

He was deeply wary of Genkawa Uchiha's ability; the power to "self-detonate" at will was immense and impossible for others to control.

Perhaps a sealing jutsu could work.

But how do you seal an explosion comparable to a Tailed Beast Bomb?

This was the very reason he feared Genkawa Uchiha.

"Mind your place, Genkawa Uchiha!"

Shimura Danzō's face was dark: "I suspect the appearance of the Nine-Tails is related to your Uchiha clan, and since you are the most peculiar among them, you must be investigated!"

The excuse was high-sounding.

But Genkawa Uchiha merely turned his head to look at him: "I hope you don't regret this..."

Before the words had even faded, a heaven-shaking beast roar erupted in the distance, accompanied by the trembling of the earth and a deafening boom. A terrifying shockwave surged forward—the Nine-Tails was charging toward them.

The massive disturbance cut off Genkawa Uchiha's words.

Shimura Danzō's expression changed drastically; without a second thought, he vanished from the spot using the Body Flicker Technique, as did the other "Anbu," retreating with decisive speed.

Only Genkawa Uchiha remained, facing the charging Nine-Tails head-on.

"I told you..."

Genkawa Uchiha's figure vanished.

The next moment, he appeared beneath the Nine-Tails and stomped his foot into the ground.

Boom!

The ground collapsed and cracked open.

Genkawa Uchiha's figure shot into the sky like a bolt of lightning, his long leg whipping upward, twisting his body to lash out against the massive jaw of the Nine-Tails.

"ROAR!"

A pained howl echoed out.

The massive head of the Nine-Tails was flung high as if struck by a heavy hammer, dragging its upper body and then its entire frame thirty or forty meters into the air from the force of the blow, before it crashed down toward the rear.

"Don't you dare disturb me!!!"

The second half of the sentence only then escaped the lips of Genkawa Uchiha.