Night of the Nine-Tails (End)

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the dead corpse suddenly began to appear illusory.

Then, to everyone's horror, the "corpse" shattered and vanished completely like Utakata with a "pop," leaving no trace!

"How... how is this possible?"

Kakashi gasped in shock. As the final striker, he could clearly feel the touch that pierced the enemy's chest; it was definitely not an illusion.

"Izanagi!"

Tsunade's voice carried a hint of solemnity.

"The Uchiha's forbidden technique—the ultimate Genjutsu that turns reality into illusion. It sacrifices the light of one Sharingan. Within the technique's effective duration, it transforms the caster's own death, injury, or other adverse factors into a dream, while turning favorable factors into reality!"

Tsunade's voice was icy. She had read about this legendary technique in her family's ancient records, but she never expected to see it with her own eyes today!

She looked around and, sure enough, found the Masked Man had reappeared about two thousand meters away.

Obito stood up again, completely unharmed, not even his clothes were torn.

But only he knew that the transplanted left eye beneath the mask had completely lost its luster, turning into a lifeless gray-white. This was the price of activating Izanagi!

"Konoha — Minato Namikaze — Kakashi— " Obito's voice was hoarse and low, filled with deep-seated hatred and a hint of apprehension he himself didn't realize, "Consider yourselves lucky. But remember, this is just the beginning—"

"This time it was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, next time it might be one of you!"

With those harsh words, the space around Obito violently twisted and spun again, forming a pitch-black vortex. He gave everyone one last deep look before his figure was swiftly swallowed by the spatial vortex and vanished without a trace.

"Don't even think about escaping!" Kakashi made a move to give chase.

"Kakashi," Minato grabbed his shoulder and said in a deep voice, "Don't pursue a cornered enemy! His space-time abilities are unpredictable and dangerous; chasing him rashly is too risky! Besides—"

His gaze drifted towards Konoha, where another large creature awaited resolution.

"Leave this to Tsunade and Kakashi. Minato, use the Flying Thunder God to take me back to the village. They need us more now."

Jiraiya then stepped forward, his tone urgent.

Minato didn't hesitate any longer. "Please! Lady Tsunade!" He glanced at Kakashi again. "Kakashi, I'm leaving this to you!"

After saying that, Minato put his hand on Jiraiya's arm, and the two of them disappeared instantly.

When Minato and Jiraiya arrived in the village, they rushed to the scene outside the village, only to find that it was not the scene of corpses lying everywhere they had expected.

The situation is even better than the best-case scenario had anticipated.

The Nine-Tails had been subdued and bound to the ground in a rather humiliating manner.

Look at the chains woven into the fluffy fur, the outstretched limbs, and the straightened Nine-Tails.

Minato and Jiraiya bewildered glances, seemingly having missed a truly spectacular moment.

Getting even closer, Minato could hear Taiichi rambling on and on.

Taiichi, however, remained oblivious to what was happening behind him.

He stood before the massive head of the Nine-Tails fox, gazing up at its crimson beastly eyes, burning with endless rage and humiliation.

Under his deliberate control, the White Flame were maintained at a level that caused the Nine-Tails pain but did not inflict any truly fatal damage.

"Now, can you calm down and listen to what I have to say, Nine-Tails?" Taiichi's voice rang out calmly, clearly reaching Nine-Tails' ears.

"

Nine-Tails Fox responded with an even more violent struggle. The chains were stretched taut, emitting a teeth-grinding creak, but the Adamantine Sealing Chains remained unmoved, and the White Flame shone even brighter, causing it to let out a painful groan.

"I know you hate it," Taiichi said to himself, as if having a heart-to-heart talk with an old friend who had just had a falling out. "Being sealed away, losing your freedom, being used as a tool, and being controlled by Genjutsu —if I were in your shoes, I would hate it too."

"But," he changed his tone, his voice laced with advice, "Hatred won't solve anything. It will only make you a tool for others, like that masked Uchiha. He can control you once today, and he can control you a second time tomorrow. You don't want to experience that feeling of being powerless, like a puppet on a string, again, do you?"

"----"

The Nine-Tails' struggle seemed to weaken slightly, but the hatred in its eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

"By following Konoha, at least we can guarantee your safety. Konoha needs your strength to maintain balance and deter other covetous forces."

In exchange, I can persuade the higher-ups to give you relative respect and freedom, and not lock you up in a dark and hopeless place like before.

Just imagine, you can bask in the Sun Barrier and sleep all day without worrying about finding food or being plotted against by other humans. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Taiichi even adopted a slightly persuasive tone, "It's better than being out there living in fear, constantly worried about being kidnapped by that Masked Man or some other scheming guy, isn't it?"

"Furthermore," Taiichi pointed to the still-burning White Flame on Nine-Tails' body, "I have many more reasons to explain to you slowly. For example, how long do you think this fire can burn? Or, how strong do you think my Adamantine Sealing Chains is in terms of its binding power?"

Taiichi spoke eloquently, from the safety guarantee of "all food and lodging included" to the spiritual need of "respect for freedom", then to the beast life plan of "sustainable development", and finally began to look forward to the beautiful blueprint of "the Tailed Beast and humans coexisting in harmony".

His calm and logical voice (at least in his own eyes) echoed across the silent wasteland, intertwining with the Nine-Tails's heavy breathing and the slight hum of the chains, creating an extremely eerie scene.

The ferocious crimson in the Nine-Tails' enormous eyes was gradually fading, replaced by an increasingly profound sense of bewilderment.

Its simple mind, composed of pure Chakra, was completely dumbfounded by these unheard-of "principles".

The hatred still churned, and the humiliation still burned in his heart, but a deeper, more primal instinct to "survive," and the slight possibility of "not being used as a tool" described in Taiichi's words, began to entwine the roots of his anger like tiny vines.

None of the Hokage or Jinchuriki in the past were willing to talk to it much; they simply suppressed and sealed it to make it obedient.

Today's experience was truly a first for me; it was novel and also gave me a lot to think about.

Its struggles grew weaker and weaker, the low growls in its throat gradually turned into meaningless gurgling sounds, and its massive body exuded a sense of exhaustion from being bombarded with "reasoning" to the point of mental overload.

Just then, several figures silently landed on the scorched earth not far behind Taiichi. Minato Namikaze's blond hair was still conspicuous in the night, but it was stained with dust and blood, and his brows were filled with an indelible weariness and solemnity.

Behind him, the Third Kazekage Hiruzen Sarutobi, leaned on his Adamantine Staff, while Orochimaru and Jiraiya lagged half a step behind. However, their eyes were filled with an extremely rare, blank, and astonished look.

They glanced at the flattened Nine-Tails, then at the figure earnestly trying to reason with the Tailed Beast, and their lips twitched involuntarily.

The expressions of Nara Shikaku, Shibi Aburame, and others further back were even more varied, as if they had collectively stumbled onto the set of some absurd comedy.

"----So you see, cooperation and mutual benefit are the key. You provide some Chakra protection, and we provide a safe and comfortable environment and respect. No matter how you look at it, it's a win-win situation----"

Taiichi was still giving his final concluding remarks, his tone becoming increasingly sincere, like a top-performing insurance salesman.

"Cough! Cough cough!" Minato couldn't stand it anymore and coughed twice forcefully, the sound particularly abrupt and loud in this bizarre environment.

Taiichi, interrupted from his "persuasion," turned around somewhat displeased. When he saw Minato, the Third Kazekage Hokage, and the others, the earnest expression on his face that said "I'm doing this for your own good" instantly vanished, replaced by his usual indifference, and even a hint of "Why did you take so long to arrive?"

"Oh, you've arrived. Perfect timing, we were just making some progress with the Nine-Tails ' 'ideological work'."

He even tapped the vacant-eyed Nine-Tails on the ground with his chin, looking like he was saying, "See, I can handle this."

The Third Kazekage Hokage tightened his grip on the Adamantine Staff, his white beard trembling almost imperceptibly. Orochimaru's lips twitched again, and he turned his face away. Minato took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the intense sense of absurdity in his heart, and quickly stepped forward, his voice low and tinged with embarrassment.

"Taiichi, the attacker at the birthing site—has escaped."

A glint of light flashed in Taiichi as he looked Minato up and down.

"The Masked Man?" he asked, his voice turning somber.

Minato nodded solemnly, his gaze sweeping over the Konoha Ninja who were gradually gathering around him, including some Uchiha clan members.

He deliberately avoided revealing the most crucial information. "The opponent—his methods were unpredictable; he used some costly substitution technique to escape from a seemingly insurmountable situation. I couldn't stop him."

He deliberately obscured the name "Izanagi," which is easily associated with certain things. At this moment, any leak of details about the "Sharingan technique" could push the Uchiha Clan, which had just calmed down due to Yohei's fierce battle, back into the spotlight.

Fugaku listened from a short distance away, his tense back relaxing slightly.

Taiichi didn't press for details, but simply gave Minato a deep look and nodded, understanding Minato's concerns.

His gaze shifted towards Konoha, and the powerful perception of Sage Mode, like an invisible tide, instantly covered a vast area.

The situation inside the village was clearly reflected back: amidst the ruins, countless ninjas and Civilian were desperately digging and rescuing people, their painful groans, anxious shouts, and hoarse commands to direct the rescue efforts intertwined.

The entire central area was basically destroyed during the period when the Nine-Tails appeared.

"The village suffered heavy losses," Taiichi low voice. "The Nine-Tails' destructive power far exceeded our expectations."

He looked at the Third Kazekage, "Third Kazekage Hokage, commanding the village and the rescue efforts are urgent. Nine-Tails— "

He glanced at the Nine-Tails on the ground, which had completely given up struggling and whose eyes were vacant as if it were contemplating its beastly existence. "Leave it to me for now. It needs to calm down and think carefully about what I just said."

The Third Kazekage looked at the Nine-Tails, bound and unable to move, with a vacant stare, and then at Taiichi looked completely at ease.

The thought, "It doesn't need calm, it's that you've driven it to a mental breakdown," lingered in my throat, but I swallowed it back down, letting it transform into a heavy, complex sigh.

He swung his Adamantine Staff with force, revealing the old Hokage's domineering aura. "All ninjas, immediately return to the village with me! Organize rescue efforts, assess losses, and reassure the people! Barrier Team and Medical Team, full speed ahead! Hurry!"

The command, like a boulder thrown into water, instantly shattered the brief silence of the wasteland.

The ninjas, as if waking from a dream, suppressed their fear of the Nine-Tails and, exhausted and wounded, transformed into streaks of black shadow, silently and swiftly heading towards Konoha.

Far from this core battlefield, atop a tall, ancient tree, two figures stood silently, like phantoms blending into the night.

Wearing an orange Spiral Mask, Obito Uchiha's only exposed right eye had a complex windmill pattern spinning silently, its gaze fixed on the enormous figure bound by golden chains in the center of the wasteland.

At this moment, what was revealed in his eyes was not hatred, but rather an undisguised surprise and deep apprehension.

Black Zetsu's deep voice rang out at this moment, but there was a slight tremor in it.

"Everything went smoothly at the start of the plan. I summoned the Nine-Tails in Konoha." Black Zetsu paused, seemingly searching for the right words, "The Nine-Tails went berserk. Although the people of Konoha tried their best to stop it, you saw the effect."

Obito remained silent. He had indeed seen the destruction of Konoha and could only say that the predetermined goal had been achieved. However, Black Zetsu changed the subject.

"Then Taichi Matsushita arrived, and things changed. He single-handedly blocked the Nine-Tails' attack—no, he single-handedly repelled the Nine-Tails."

At this point, Black Zetsu also felt a headache coming on. After Senju Hashirama and Madara Uchiha, Konoha had actually produced another powerful ninja with the potential to become a "God of Shinobi," which was definitely a heavy blow to their plans.

"What happened next, you saw it when you came." Zetsu pointed to the bound Nine-Tails in the distance, no longer wanting to say anything more.

A deathly silence spread through the treetops, broken only by the mournful whistling of the night wind through the treetops.

On the distant wasteland, Taiichi seemed to be giving instructions to the Anbu who remained behind, and the Chakra glow on his body gradually subsided.

After a long while, Obito's scarlet Sharingan flashed violently, and a cold voice came from under his mask, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"The operation—it wasn't a failure." He seemed to be convincing himself. "Kushina, having had her Tailed Beast extracted, certainly wouldn't have survived. Konoha was severely damaged and its vitality greatly diminished. Prejudice has been sown in people's hearts; suspicion towards the Uchiha won't disappear. Nine-Tails— "

He stared at the chained figure, his words still as resolute as ever, "It has finally been released, but this fear will forever be etched into Konoha. The core objective of the plan—has been achieved."

But these words sounded so weak and powerless. Black Zetsu silent, offering no response.

Obito's gaze returned to the figure in the distance, a sense of urgency he had never felt before washing over him.

He spoke slowly, enunciating each word clearly. "Taichi Matsushita, he's growing too fast. Our plan—must be moved up. We can't give him any more time to mature!"

His voice suddenly rose, carrying a desperate madness, "Taichi Matsushita —he must disappear! Before he becomes an insurmountable obstacle, he must be wiped off this chessboard. Go back and inform Nagato and Konan; we need to rethink everything!"

That last sentence was almost a roar, filled with the ferocity of a wild beast driven to the brink of despair.