Fire Shadow

Mirai's words struck Uchiha Obito the hardest. The scene before him was so similar to the past; when Rin died, had he not also prayed for a miracle? Yet, no miracle occurred. When he arrived, he saw with his own eyes Kakashi's hand piercing through the chest of the girl he loved. That regret, that self-reproach—even now, the mere memory of it caused his heart to ache.

The gaze beneath Uchiha Obito's mask shifted from pain to something sharper, and he said coldly, "Miracles do not happen; miracles must be created with one's own hands!" His emotions seemed unstable. In truth, Mirai was unwilling to leave his fate to miracles, but at that moment, his destiny was no longer in his own hands.

The Fourth Hokage patted Mirai on the head and said, "Mirai, I am sorry for dragging you into this. You are the future hope of Konoha, and your future will surely be that of a great ninja."

Minato looked up at Uchiha Obito and said, "I never imagined you could bypass Konoha's protective barrier so easily. My carelessness nearly endangered others. Konoha is my village, and I will never allow a dangerous individual like you to destroy it."

"Swish!" The Fourth Hokage suddenly vanished, instantly appearing before Uchiha Obito. Uchiha Obito did not react in time. He understood the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God Jutsu well—it required a marker to teleport—but why had he appeared by his side so suddenly? Had he placed a marker on him?

However, the Fourth did not give him time to ponder. A kunai was already plunged into Uchiha Obito's abdomen, and Namikaze Minato slammed a palm onto his chest. Dense, black cursed seals began to spread across Uchiha Obito's body from the Fourth's palm.

"Contract Seal. You intend to sever the Nine-Tailed Fox from my control," the Masked Man, Uchiha Obito, stated.

"The ninjas of Konoha are still fighting with their lives on the line. If you remain in control, there will be no way to reseal the Nine-Tailed Fox," Namikaze Minato said, pouring his full power into the Contract Seal.

At that moment, the eyes of the rampaging Nine-Tailed Fox, which had mirrored the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, reverted to the vertical, golden pupils characteristic of a beast.

"ROAR—!!" It tilted its head back and let out a furious howl, seemingly venting its rage at being enslaved by the Uchiha Clan once again.

"Charge! We absolutely cannot let the Nine-Tailed Fox continue to destroy our village!"

"We must hold out until the Fourth Hokage arrives!"

"Ahhhhh...!" All the Konoha ninjas charged forward one after another to attack the Nine-Tailed Fox. However, the irritation of these "insects," combined with the years of imprisonment by Konoha, fueled a mixture of hatred. Seeing these ninjas, the Nine-Tailed Fox began a massive slaughter.

Because the Fourth had to break the Masked Man's control over the Nine-Tailed Fox, he gave Uchiha Obito an opening to escape. After a distortion in space, Uchiha Obito vanished from before the Fourth and reappeared on the branch of a large tree.

"As expected of the Fourth Hokage, to actually break my control over the Nine-Tailed Fox. However, the Nine-Tailed Fox will eventually be mine, and this world will be mine as well. And you, little brat, to think you could actually wound me. I wonder if a miracle will happen the next time we meet? I look forward to it..." As Uchiha Obito spoke, his body seemed to be sucked into a spatial vortex, and he quickly vanished from before them. Sensing the Flying Thunder God marker moving away, Minato breathed a slight sigh of relief, though that confident tone did not seem like a bluff.

Mirai also felt the killing intent radiating from Uchiha Obito, but he felt no great fear. Danger was merely the motivation he needed to improve his strength. Surviving an encounter with a powerhouse like Uchiha Obito was a transformation for Mirai. He still had the System Shop; the man was merely a late-game super boss, and he refused to believe he couldn't defeat him.

"Minato, why didn't you finish him off? This will pose a high risk to Mirai in the future," Uzumaki Kushina said. The Masked Man's words clearly indicated he had set his sights on Mirai. Although Mirai was talented, he was still just a child. Because of them, this innocent child had nearly sacrificed his life; no matter what, they could not bring further danger upon him.

Namikaze Minato shook his head and said, "That masked man's strength is immense. Although I wounded him, I didn't truly reach the point of breaking his bones. Perhaps a pursuit might have succeeded, but I have almost no strength left. However, the biggest trouble right now is not that masked man, but..." He turned his gaze toward the Nine-Tailed Fox rampaging outside Konoha.

While the masked man was terrifying and might commit even more horrific acts in the future, the Nine-Tailed Fox was the greatest threat at this moment. If not handled properly, the entire village of Konoha might be destroyed.

Uzumaki Kushina knew that what Minato said was true: "I... I can still do it." She was of the Uzumaki Clan; the chakra she possessed could suppress the chakra of a Tailed Beast, and her vitality was immense. Otherwise, a Jinchuriki would have died long ago upon having a Tailed Beast extracted. Now, her power was needed to reseal the beast.

"I will go and move the Tailed Beast to a distant location first. You all wait here for a moment," Namikaze Minato said, vanishing with the Flying Thunder God Jutsu.

Namikaze Minato appeared near the Nine-Tailed Fox. Many ninjas had already sacrificed themselves on the scene, and the situation was incredibly dire. Namikaze Minato slammed a palm onto the ground: "Summoning Jutsu!"

"POOF!!!"

A giant toad, nearly as large as the Nine-Tailed Fox, suddenly appeared on the battlefield amidst a cloud of smoke. Upon seeing it, the ninjas present shouted, "Lord Fourth Hokage has arrived!"

Gamabunta could be considered the signature summon of the Fourth. Seeing Gamabunta appear, the ninjas knew the Fourth had arrived. In the hearts of the ninjas, the Hokage was the pillar of support; as long as the Hokage had not fallen, every difficulty could be overcome.

The Nine-Tailed Fox seemed to notice this massive target, but its primary focus remained on the Fourth Hokage atop the giant toad, for it was he who had prevented it from breaking the seal. The hatred it felt for the Fourth was beyond measure.