Night of the Nine-Tails (Part Four)

9:05 PM.

Minato Namikaze's residence.

Taiichi deep breath, his gaze instantly becoming focused.

He knelt beside Kushina, his hands rapidly forming intricate hand seals.

"Kushina, concentrate! Cooperate with my guidance! Your situation is that the Nine-Tails was forcibly extracted, causing the Yohei that had been formed within you through long-term coexistence with the Tailed Beast to be completely shattered!"

The Yin Release (spirit/soul) power suddenly became unbalanced due to the Tailed Beast leaving the body, and the Yang Release (body/life force) lost its restraint and began to burn and flow away wildly!

Conventional Medical Ninjutsu is simply incapable of treating this imbalance of yin and yang!

As he spoke, blue Chakra light began to gather and intertwine between his hands, forming a slowly rotating, profound light wheel containing the ultimate principles of Tai Chi.

"The only way to survive is to rebuild a self-sustaining yin -Yohei within your body!" Based on this, gradually guide your own power to restore order! Sealing Jutsu: Dyad Seal!

Taiichi low shout, and with his hands gathering condensed light rings, he slowly pressed them towards Kushina's dantian. The moment the light rings touched her skin, they did not penetrate deeply, but instead, like the most precise carving knife, began to outline countless intricate and complex Sealing Talisman on her body!

These runes, centered on the original broken runes, spread throughout the body's meridians like living things, forming a Yin-Yang formation, chasing, intertwining, and coexisting with each other!

As Sealing Jutsu genius of the Uzumaki Clan, who is rare even once in a century, Kushina listened to Taiichi's explanation and felt the flow of power within her body, and roughly understood the core principle of this Sealing Jutsu.

It can only be said that Taiichi's Sealing Jutsu was truly ingenious and was designed specifically for Jinchuriki.

9:10 PM.

While Taiichi was busy treating Kushina and Minato was fighting the Masked Man, the entire Konoha suddenly awoke like a sleeping giant.

"Call out----!!!"

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh----!!!!!"

A sharp, piercing shriek tore through the Konoha! Immediately following was a deafening explosion!

Crimson! Blinding! Signal Flare, symbolizing the highest level of crisis, exploded one after another in the night sky over Konoha, turning most of the village blood red!

"Alert! High alert!"

"Enemy attack! Large-scale enemy attack!"

"Quickly! Evacuate! Evacuate Civilian according to the contingency plan!"

After a brief silence, a deafening roar and a flurry of activity erupted! Lights in countless houses instantly switched on, windows were flung open, and faces, still sleepy but instantly filled with terror, peeked out. The next second, doors to every house were slammed open!

The well-trained ninjas react the fastest! Whether they are resting, on night duty, or just returning home from a mission, the moment the Signal Flare explodes, they reflexively put on their Ninja Tool Pouch, grab their Headband, and transform into swift black shadows, rushing from their homes, taverns, and Training Ground into the streets!

"First shift! Follow me to the East District evacuation point to maintain order!"

"Medical Team! Proceed to the central hospital immediately and stand by!"

"Barrier Team! Reinforce the Defense Barrier above the village! Quickly!"

"Civilian, don't panic! Follow the instructions! Go to the underground shelter!"

Shouts, commands, children's cries, and women's screams—instantly intertwined into a chaotic and tense cacophony.

In the heart of this chaotic torrent of panic and action, in the shadow of an inconspicuous building.

The ground undulated and rose silently like ripples on water. The giant pitcher plant, atop the pitcher plant, emerged without a sound.

On his strange face, the white parts wore an exaggerated, theatrical, excited smile, while the black parts were filled with cold indifference.

"Hehehe----" White Zetsu let out a chilling chuckle, scanning the fleeing crowds and busy ninjas around him, his expression filled with mockery and cruelty. "Look at this magnificent scene! How beautiful! Panic, fear, despair—humanity's most genuine and delicious emotions!"

He opened his arms as if admiring a work of art, and took a deep, blissful breath.

"Let this chaos rage even more fiercely!" White Zetsu's voice suddenly rose, carrying a hint of madness.

Before he could finish speaking, Black Zetsu seized the initiative, quickly pulling out a scroll inscribed with complex spiritual runes from his wide robe sleeves.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zetsu rapidly Hand Seals, and his Chakra surged wildly into the scroll.

Summoning Jutsu!

Bang!!!

A deafening roar, a hundred times more muffled than a normal Summoning Technique, followed by a massive plume of white smoke that swept across an area of over a hundred meters.

The colossal claw that blotted out the sky, the wildly flailing tail—all the buildings within the area shrouded in white smoke, whether sturdy stone houses or wooden dwellings, collapsed and shattered like fragile building blocks!

Smoke and dust mixed with white mist spread out, and countless pieces of stone and wood chips shot out in all directions like cannonballs!

"Ah--!"

"Help!"

"What happened?!"

The piercing screams were instantly drowned out by an even more terrifying roar.

"Roar! Ro..."

A roar that shook the heavens and earth, filled with endless hatred and rage, exploded in the sky!

The roar carried a tangible shockwave that instantly leveled the surrounding remaining buildings, blowing away dozens of ninjas and Civilian who were closest to it like scarecrows, breaking their bones and tendons!

The white smoke was forcibly torn apart and dispersed by a violent force!

It revealed the terrifying existence within.

Nine tails, like towering pillars, swung wildly, each strike unleashing a devastating hurricane that swept more houses, streets, and trees into dust like toys!

Its massive, mountain-like, orange-red body was covered in fur resembling lava armor, radiating a scorching and malevolent aura. On its ferocious head, a pair of enormous beastly eyes were now burning with a frenzied, blood-red light!

The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox was summoned directly to the heart of Konoha using Summoning Technique!

Evil! Violence! Destruction!

The terrifying pressure formed by the Nine-Tails Chakra, like an invisible tsunami, instantly swept across the entire Konoha!

At that moment, everyone who was fleeing, preparing for battle, or even hiding in the basement felt as if their heart was being gripped tightly by a cold, giant hand, and their souls trembled before that pure malice!

"Nine... Nine-Tails?!"

"How is that possible?! Isn't it outside the village?!"

How did it get in the village?!

Incredulous gasps and desperate screams erupted from the surviving ninjas.

"Attack! Stop it!"

We can't let it continue to cause destruction!

After a brief moment of horror, a deep-seated sense of responsibility and the belief in protecting the village overwhelmed the fear. The Jonin and Chunin who were the first to arrive at the center launched a heroic counterattack amidst the roars of their respective Captain.

Fire Style: Great Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!

Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!

Earth Style · Earth Style Wall!

Countless beams of Ninjutsu light, a dense barrage of Kunai and Shuriken rained down on the massive target like a torrential downpour.

Fireball exploded on the Nine-Tails' fur, Wind Blade sliced through it, Earth Wall tried to stop its advance, and dense Ninja Tool slammed into it.

However, all of this was nothing more than a tickle to the fully evolved Nine-Tails!

"Roar!"

The Nine-Tails merely shook its head impatiently. Those Ninjutsu, powerful enough to destroy rocks and kill Jonin, left only a few fleeting white marks or charred marks on its fur.

The ants' attacks were harmless, but their harassment thoroughly enraged the beast, which was controlled by Genjutsu and driven only by destructive instincts!

"Awooo!!!"

It let out an even more ferocious roar, and its huge forepaws slammed down onto the ground with a piercing shriek that tore through the air!

Boom!!!

The earth cracked and collapsed inch by inch, like fragile glass! A huge crater tens of meters in diameter was formed in an instant!

The terrifying shockwave spread out in a ring, directly blasting dozens of ninjas who were Hand Seals or throwing Ninja Tool away. They were already spitting blood and suffering broken bones and tendons while in mid-air!

Those who were a little further away were also shaken and swayed, with blood flowing from their ears and noses.

Immediately following, a massive tail burning with dark red Chakra, like a whip of a god, swept across with the force of destruction!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Everything along the way—houses, streets, Earth Style Wall hastily erected by the ninjas, even a few ancient trees that would take several people to encircle—was as fragile as paper before this absolute power, instantly crushed, flattened, and turned into countless flying fragments and dust!

Limbs and torsos mixed with brick and wood chips flew everywhere, and the stench of blood instantly filled the air!

In a single glance, with a flick of the tail, the central area of Konoha was instantly transformed into a carnage of wreckage and corpses!

The power of the Tailed Beast brings calamity!

This was something no human could withstand! The surviving ninjas, witnessing this apocalyptic scene and feeling the overwhelming disparity in power, were instantly gripped by a profound sense of despair and helplessness.

"Hokage-sama — Taiichi- sama— Lord Jiraiya —where are you?!" A young ninja cried out, his voice filled with helplessness.

Faced with this terror beyond comprehension, they instinctively called upon the pillars of the village.

At this suffocating moment!

A colossal pillar pierced the sky, striking the Nine-Tails directly in the waist and blasting the rampaging Nine-Tails out of the village!

When the figure of the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, appeared in the smoke and dust, the surviving ninjas erupted in thunderous cheers.

However, the people of Konoha were unaware that Hiruzen Sarutobi was indeed feeling extremely heavy-hearted at that moment.

He knelt on one knee, his right hand gripping the Adamantine Staff, which was deeply embedded in the scorched earth, and his heavy breathing drew out hot white vapors in the night wind.

That earth-shattering throw had almost drained the Chakra accumulated in his aged body. Sweat trickled down his deep wrinkles, soaking the dusty collar of his robes.

"Roar!!!"

In the distance, the Nine-Tails Fox roared in extreme rage.

The sound, carrying a tangible sonic wave, snapped giant trees and whipped up countless branches and leaves. Even from such a great distance, it still made people's eardrums ache and their hearts pound wildly.

"It's Lord Third Kazekage!"

The Konoha Ninja, who had been shrouded in despair and struggling to survive under the Nine-Tails' rampage, seemed to have found their backbone and flocked to the old figure standing at the edge of the ruins.

"Report! The village's Defense Barrier has completely collapsed, Barrier Team is working to repair it."

"The Medical Team is doing everything they can to save the wounded, but the central hospital has been destroyed, and there is a severe shortage of medicines and equipment!"

"The Civilian were evacuated in time, and only a small number were affected by the Nine-Tails' destruction. There are still Civilian stranded in areas C and D!"

One by one, the dusty and disheveled ninjas gathered around Hiruzen Sarutobi, their voices hoarse as they raced against time to report on the situation in their respective areas.

The anxiety and fear did not dissipate after the Nine-Tails was temporarily defeated; instead, they weighed even heavier on everyone's hearts amidst the chaos.

Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly pulled out the Adamantine Staff, which was deeply embedded in the ground, leaving a deep groove in the ground with its heavy shaft.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging blood and trembling in his arms, his voice as steady as a rock, instantly silencing all the noise. "What's the panic! As long as the people are alive, the village is still here!"

His gaze was sharp as a hawk's, and he swiftly ordered, "Earth Style Team! Immediately construct a multi-tiered trapezoidal Earth Style Wall defense outside the village to slow down the Nine-Tails' advance! Shibi Aburame!"

A quiet ninja, wearing sunglasses and completely wrapped in a trench coat, stepped forward silently.

"You're in charge of the sensory squad, locking onto the Nine-Tails' core Chakra fluctuations to guide the direction of subsequent long-range attacks!" Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke rapidly, leaving no room for argument. "Inoichi Yamanaka! Establish a temporary mental link network to ensure smooth communication for all combat units!"

"Yes!" The Jonin who were called upon Jonin unison, their figures instantly dispersing.

"The rest of you, in small teams, using the ruins and fortifications, continuously harass and draw the Nine-Tails' attention with Ninja Tool and low-level Ninjutsu! Remember, your mission is to delay, not to fight to the death! Preserve yourselves and create conditions for subsequent attacks!"

The Third Kazekage's voice acted like a stabilizing force, quickly bringing the chaotic scene back into order.

The ninjas, as if they had found their leader, dispersed as ordered and launched another organized attack on the enraged beast outside the village.

However, this brief period of order proved so fragile when the Nine-Tails regained its footing and unleashed that earth-shattering roar.

"Roar!!!"

Its enormous head was raised high, and its blood-red beast eyes, burning with endless hatred, were locked on the direction of Konoha. The Mangekyō Sharingan pattern in its pupils was particularly striking at this moment.

"That's—" A Jonin's exclamation was instantly transmitted to the minds of every Konoha Ninja through Inoichi Yamanaka's mental link, "The Sharingan?! The Nine-Tails' eye—it's the Uchiha Sharingan pattern!"

"What?!"

"Uchiha?!"

It was as if an invisible cold current swept across the entire battlefield in an instant! All the Konoha Ninja were Hand Seals, throwing Ninja Tool, and struggling to build Earth Wall froze for a moment.

Countless gazes, filled with shock, doubt, and even a hint of indescribable fear, were all focused on the edge of the battlefield, on the figure of Fugaku Uchiha, dressed in a dark blue Uchiha clan uniform, who was directing his clansmen to assist in the defense!

Fugaku also received the message, and at that moment his body stiffened instantly, a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

He whirled around, meeting the complex gazes around him, his voice sharp with shock. "Not my clan! The Uchiha would never betray the village!"

He subconsciously glanced at Yohei beside him, the only member of the Uchiha clan who openly possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Yohei's face instantly turned extremely ugly. Of course, he knew what this meant! A frame-up! A blatant frame-up that could push the Uchiha into an abyss of no return!

"Clan leader! I—" Yohei began urgently, trying to explain.

Fugaku abruptly raised his hand to stop him, his gaze sweeping over the silent yet hostile Konoha Ninja around him, finally settling on Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose expression was equally grave. He spoke each word with unwavering resolve, "Third Hokage! I swear on the honor of the Uchiha Clan! This was not done by our clan! This is an enemy conspiracy! It is—"

"Watch out! It's going to attack!" Shibi Aburame's terrified scream interrupted Fugaku's explanation.