Nine-Tails Attacks

(Chapter 31: Nine-Tails Attacks)

Mirai looked at the infant Naruto Uzumaki in his swaddling clothes and muttered to himself, "So they say high risk brings high reward. Now I really have no way out." Abandoning the mission or failing it would both deduct zero points, and he didn't even have that many points in total.

Suddenly, Mirai sensed an extremely sinister chakra. Under the pressure of its immense power, he couldn't help shivering.

There was only one thing he could think of: the Nine-Tailed Fox. Only the Nine-Tails' chakra could inspire such terror and feel so evil.

Had the Nine-Tails broken free of its seal? Almost as soon as the thought crossed Mirai's mind—

BOOM!!!

A gigantic figure appeared in Konoha. Its fur was fiery red, gleaming like flowing blood beneath the moonlight. Nine tails that blotted out the sky whipped through the air, lashing at buildings in Konoha Village.

BOOM! BOOM!!

The houses were reduced to rubble under the Nine-Tails' attacks. They stood no chance, and many people were injured.

"Report! Lord Third! The Nine-Tails has appeared in the village and is wreaking havoc!"

"I know! Tell all the shinobi to drive the Nine-Tails out of Konoha Village with everything they've got. We can't let that beast keep destroying the village and causing more casualties!" The Third Hokage donned his battle clothes and gripped a staff—his weapon of choice—before rushing toward the Nine-Tails.

The shinobi closest to the Nine-Tails were already engaging it, launching one attack after another. But the Nine-Tails only had to sweep a paw to kill scores of them. Against such a terrifying Tailed Beast, the shinobi seemed utterly powerless.

"Attack! We can't let that monster destroy our village!" Many shinobi roared as they charged at the Nine-Tails without regard for their lives.

"ROAR!" The Nine-Tails swung both paws, sending several razor-sharp streaks of red chakra slicing through the air like unstoppable blades.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!

Whole rows of houses were torn apart in an instant. "Aaaah!!" Many shinobi were caught in the attack, leaving the battlefield strewn with casualties.

The Uchiha clan was guiding the villagers to safety, escorting them out of the danger zone. Uchiha Itachi was among those evacuating, carrying the young Uchiha Sasuke in his arms.

Uchiha Mikoto asked Uchiha Fugaku, "Dear, why won't they let us get close to the Nine-Tails?"

"Maybe they don't trust us. They're afraid we might control the Nine-Tails. But it's an order from the higher-ups, so we have to follow it." Not many people knew that Uzumaki Kushina was a Jinchuriki; only a handful of Konoha's leaders knew. So few knew that the Nine-Tails had been sealed inside Konoha.

The Uchiha clan's Sharingan was a Kekkei Genkai capable of controlling the Nine-Tails, so Shimura Danzō naturally wouldn't let anyone from the Uchiha clan near it. Or perhaps Shimura Danzō had never trusted the Uchiha clan at all. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu had also supported Shimura Danzō's position.

"Waaah! Waaah!" Uchiha Sasuke seemed to sense the Nine-Tails' evil chakra and began to cry.

Holding Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi tried to soothe him. "Don't cry, don't cry. Sasuke, don't cry. No matter what danger comes, your big brother will protect you." Then he looked toward the direction where the Nine-Tails was rampaging. That area was near Mirai's home, and he couldn't help wondering how Mirai was doing. He felt a little worried about him.

Mirai was holding Naruto Uzumaki, and their situations were much the same: the Fourth Hokage had entrusted him with protecting Naruto, while Uchiha Itachi had to protect his little brother.

WHISH! Namikaze Minato, who had left only a short while earlier, appeared there again, bringing Uzumaki Kushina with him. But Kushina was extremely weak, her face pale and her body unable to move.

"Lord Fourth..."

"Naruto!" Seeing that her child was safe and sound, Uzumaki Kushina called his name.

Mirai placed the child beside Uzumaki Kushina. She stroked her son's face, then said to Mirai, "Mirai, thank you. Thank you for protecting my child."

"N-no need to thank me. I didn't do anything. But..." Mirai pointed toward the Nine-Tails, which was rampaging through Konoha Village.

Namikaze Minato's expression turned grave when he saw it. He said to Mirai, "Mirai, sorry for the trouble, but please look after Kushina and Naruto again. I need to deal with that thing."

"Understood." Mirai nodded. Even if he hadn't been thinking about his mission, he wouldn't have let anything happen to them. At the same time, he felt a little guilty toward them, thinking that if he'd been the one in that situation, he might have been able to prevent this disaster.

"Sorry for the trouble." Namikaze Minato patted Mirai on the shoulder, his voice heavy with concern. Then he turned toward the Nine-Tails, formed Hand Seals, and vanished in an instant.

Not long after Namikaze Minato left, a teasing voice suddenly rang out. "Well, well. The Uzumaki Clan's vitality really is something. You had the Tailed Beast extracted from your body and still survived. If I'd known, I would've killed you just now. We can't let the Nine-Tails get sealed again. But it's not too late—or perhaps the timing couldn't be better. The Fourth Hokage is busy dealing with the Nine-Tails and won't have time to come back. You and your child can die here."

"Who's there?" Mirai drew a Kunai and lowered into a fighting stance, shouting toward the direction of the voice.

Suddenly, space twisted, and a figure dressed in a black cloak and wearing a mask appeared. Mirai's expression darkened at the sight. He knew who this man was, and that was exactly why his face turned so grim.

Uchiha Obito, the Fourth Hokage's student. A man who possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan and wielded the Space-Time Ninjutsu Kamui. Even Kage Level shinobi would struggle to defeat him.

Now Mirai finally understood why the system had assigned him an S-rank mission: he was supposed to face Uchiha Obito. Damn system—it really had set him up. But no matter what, he had no choice but to fight.