Nine-Tails Attack

Mirai looked at Naruto Uzumaki, still in his swaddling clothes, and muttered to himself, "So the legends are true—high risk really does mean high reward. I truly have no way out now." Giving up or failing would both result in a deduction of zero points, and he didn't even have that many points to begin with.

Suddenly, Mirai sensed an extremely malevolent chakra emerge. Under the pressure of this immense energy, he couldn't help but shiver.

At this moment, only one possibility crossed Mirai's mind: the Nine-Tailed Fox. Only the Nine-Tails possessed chakra that could evoke such terror and feelings of pure malice.

Had the Nine-Tails broken its seal? Almost as soon as the thought occurred to him—

BOOM!!!

A colossal figure appeared within Konoha. Its fiery red fur seemed like flowing blood under the moonlight, and nine tails that blotted out the sky danced in the air, lashing out randomly at the buildings of Konoha Village.

BOOM! BOOM!!

Under the Nine-Tails' assault, those houses were reduced to fragments, unable to withstand a single blow, and many people were injured.

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

"I am already aware. Order all ninjas to do everything in their power to drive the Nine-Tails out of Konoha. We cannot let this beast continue to destroy the village and increase the casualties of our people!" The Third Hokage donned his combat gear, clutching the staff that served as his weapon, and rushed toward the direction of the Nine-Tails.

By now, the ninjas closest to the Nine-Tails had begun to engage it, throwing themselves at the beast in waves. But with a single swipe of its claw, many were struck down. Before such a terrifying Tailed Beast, the strength of ordinary ninjas seemed utterly futile.

"Charge! We absolutely cannot let this monster destroy our village!" Many ninjas roared, rushing toward the Nine-Tails without regard for their own lives.

"ROAR—!" The Nine-Tails swung both claws, and several sharp blades of red chakra sliced through the air with unstoppable force.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!

Rows of houses were torn apart, easily shredded. "Aaaah!!" Many ninjas were caught in the attack, suffering heavy casualties.

The Uchiha Clan was busy guiding villagers to safety, protecting the evacuation lines from danger. Uchiha Itachi held the young Uchiha Sasuke as he moved with the retreating crowd.

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

"Perhaps it is a lack of trust; they fear we might control the Nine-Tails. But these are orders from the top, and we must comply." Few people knew that Kushina was the Jinchūriki; only a handful of Konoha's top brass were aware of it, so the fact that the Nine-Tails had been sealed within Konoha was not common knowledge.

Since the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan was a Kekkei Genkai capable of controlling the Nine-Tails, Shimura Danzō naturally wouldn't allow them near the beast. Or perhaps, Shimura Danzō had never trusted the Uchiha Clan to begin with. His opinion was supported by Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.

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

Uchiha Itachi cradled Uchiha Sasuke, soothing him, "Don't cry, don't cry, Sasuke. No matter what danger arises, your big brother will protect you." He then looked up toward the direction of the Nine-Tails' rampage—the area near Mirai's residence. He wondered how Mirai was faring, feeling a slight pang of worry for him.

Mirai was currently holding Naruto Uzumaki; their situations were identical. Mirai had been entrusted by the Fourth Hokage to protect Naruto, while Uchiha Itachi had to protect his younger brother.

"SWISH—!" Namikaze Minato, who had left only moments ago, reappeared, bringing Kushina with him. However, Kushina was extremely weak, her face pale, and she was unable to move.

"Lord Fourth..."

"Naruto!" Seeing her child safe and sound, Kushina called out his name.

Mirai placed the infant in his arms next to Kushina. She touched her child's face and said to Mirai, "Mirai, thank you. Thank you for protecting my child."

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

Seeing this, Namikaze Minato's expression turned grave. He said to Mirai, "Mirai, I must trouble you to look after Kushina and Naruto once more. I have to go deal with that thing."

"I understand." Mirai nodded. Even without his mission requirements, he wouldn't let the two of them come to harm here. At the same time, he felt a twinge of guilt, wondering if he could have prevented this disaster had he been the one in charge.

"I'm counting on you," Namikaze Minato said, patting Mirai on the shoulder with a heavy tone. He then turned his gaze toward the Nine-Tails, performed a hand seal, and vanished instantly.

Not long after Namikaze Minato departed, a mocking voice suddenly rang out. "Ara, ara, the vitality of the Uzumaki clan is truly impressive. To have a Tailed Beast extracted from your body and still be alive... I should have just finished you off earlier. I can't let the Nine-Tails be sealed away again. But it's not too late—or perhaps the timing is just right. The Fourth Hokage is busy dealing with the Nine-Tails and has no time to come here. You mother and son can just die here."

"Who's there!" Mirai drew a kunai, lowered his body into a combat stance, and shouted toward the source of the voice.

Suddenly, the space distorted, and a figure wearing a black robe and a mask appeared. Seeing this person, Mirai's expression turned grim. He knew exactly who this was, and that knowledge was precisely why his face looked so dark.

Uchiha Obito, the disciple of the Fourth Hokage, a man who possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan and the space-time ninjutsu Kamui. Even Kage-level ninjas would find it difficult to stand against him.

Now he finally understood why his system mission was S-rank. It was meant to pit him against Uchiha Obito. Damn system, it was definitely setting him up. But regardless, he had no choice but to fight.