Beneath the Masked Man's mask, his lips curled into a cruel smile.
"As expected of the Yellow Flash."
"But what does saving her change? With the Nine-Tails extracted, even a member of the Uzumaki Clan is doomed to die."
"And you, even with Flying Thunder God, are always one step too late. All you can do is watch your wife die in your arms, helpless to stop it."
Minato looked at Kushina's pale face as he held her. His eyes were bloodshot with pain.
"Who the hell are you?!" Minato roared through clenched teeth.
The Masked Man gave a cold laugh and did not answer the foolish question.
The next moment, a pitch-black sphere slowly gathered in the Nine-Tails' mouth.
Yin Release and Yang Release fused at a ratio of 2:8, forming the most destructive technique only Tailed Beasts and Perfect Jinchuriki could use—the Tailed Beast Bomb!
Its target... Konoha!
"I've changed my mind. The plan hasn't started yet anyway. Today, I'll show you what a terrifying hell the Konoha you've fought so hard to protect will become!"
As Minato watched, the Masked Man's figure twisted and vanished without a trace.
Seeing the Nine-Tails about to fire its Tailed Beast Bomb, Minato had no time to grieve. He gripped his specially made Kunai and prepared to fight.
"Minato!" Summoning the last of her strength, Kushina unleashed Adamantine Sealing Chains. They wrapped around the Nine-Tails' entire body, leaving him unable to move.
Releasing Chakra so recklessly would only hasten Kushina's death.
Minato watched in anguish, but he knew that as Hokage, this was the moment he had to step forward.
I can't let the Nine-Tails destroy the village!
But just then, a dazzling flash of purple lightning erupted from the direction of the Uchiha Clan Compound!
A few minutes earlier.
An Anbu member knelt on one knee before Sarutobi Hiruzen, his voice trembling.
"Lord Third! The Nine-Tails... the Nine-Tails has broken free of the Sealing!"
To keep the news from leaking, Kushina's delivery had been arranged far from Konoha. If things got out of control, the damage would be kept to a minimum.
So why had the Nine-Tails suddenly appeared in the village?
Hiruzen wanted to give the Anbu member a furious dressing-down.
He was hardly so old that his eyesight had failed him. How could he miss a fox demon that enormous appearing in the village?
As soon as Sarutobi Hiruzen sensed something was wrong, he rushed into Kushina's delivery room. But apart from Biwako's body, there was no one there.
Minato, Kushina, and her child, who was about to be born, had all vanished.
Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately realized something had happened. With no time to grieve, he ordered the Anbu to search the surrounding area for any trace of them.
But before long, the Nine-Tails appeared in the village.
Sarutobi Hiruzen gritted his teeth and all but roared his orders:
"All Anbu, move out! Evacuate the villagers and save as many as you can!"
"Sealing Squad, come with me! We cannot afford any mishap with the Nine-Tails!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Anbu immediately obeyed. In a flash, they disappeared into the night.
Sarutobi Hiruzen raced back to Konoha with everything he had, even knowing that by morning, many Anbu members—and perhaps he himself—could be dead.
Cold sweat kept beading on Sarutobi Hiruzen's forehead. He could not understand how things had come to this.
They had set up a barrier in advance and stationed so many Anbu guards.
How had the enemy slipped past the barrier without anyone noticing and launched an attack?
Even Minato's Flying Thunder God required him to place a Flying Thunder God Mark beforehand!
The Uchiha...
Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately pushed the thought away. This was no time for it. Sealing the Nine-Tails as quickly as possible mattered most.
Meanwhile, inside the Root Base.
Danzo had also noticed the Nine-Tails wreaking havoc in the village. Fear and shock crossed his face, along with a hint of fervor.
"So this is... the power of the Nine-Tails?"
Behind him, Aburame Torune knelt on one knee and reported in a grave voice:
"Lord Danzo, the Nine-Tails is rampaging through the village. Should Root move out?"
Danzo did not answer.
But as he stared at the Nine-Tails, something else joined the fear in his eyes: ambition.
"That power should belong to Root."
If I had the Nine-Tails' power, Konoha would be unstoppable!
How could that old relic Sarutobi Hiruzen ever understand how deeply I love Konoha?
Aburame Torune kept his head down and said nothing, as though he had not heard.
Houses, villagers, even ninja gripping Kunai—they were all as fragile as insects before the Nine-Tails. A single swipe killed them in droves.
This was a walking natural disaster, something no human could stand against.
After that brief flare of ambition, Danzo's gaze turned calculating.
"Pass on my order. No Root ninja is to act without my command."
Aburame Torune froze, then looked up.
"But Lord Danzo... Konoha is under attack."
Danzo whipped around, his one visible eye fixing Aburame Torune with a cold stare.
"Hmm?"
That single sound made Aburame Torune lower his head at once, cold sweat pouring down his back.
"Do you intend to defy my orders?"
"I wouldn't dare!"
Danzo wanted Root to be made up of tools that obeyed orders without question.
Even his right-hand man could be disposed of at any time if he disobeyed.
Aburame Torune vanished with the Body Flicker Technique to relay Lord Danzo's orders.
Watching the Nine-Tails ravage Konoha, Danzo murmured:
"Everything I do is for the village... Necessary sacrifices are unavoidable."
At that moment, Xuanye sensed a cold, sinister Chakra within the Uchiha Clan Compound.
He instantly understood. The opportunity he had waited so long for had finally arrived.
"Someone, come here!"
A Security Division member immediately pushed the door open. Xuanye barked an order:
"Mobilize the entire Security Division! Do everything you can to rescue noncombatants!"
"Yes, sir!"
Thanks to Xuanye's training, the Security Division had become far more efficient.
Before long, every member of the Security Division had assembled and was awaiting Xuanye's orders.
Just as Xuanye shouted for them to move out, a voice called him to a halt.
"Xuanye! What exactly are you doing?"
Fugaku had come out in the middle of the night with a robe thrown over his shoulders.
Xuanye gave Fugaku a puzzled look. What had gotten into him this time?
Why was he trying to stop him?
"Clan head, can't you see the Nine-Tails? It's enormous."
"The Nine-Tails is destroying the village. Dealing with this falls under the Security Division's responsibility."
Uncharacteristically, Fugaku stood firm.
"No one moves without orders from the Hokage."
"Besides, Root members are watching just outside the clan compound. If we go out, we'll be confronting Root head-on. I will not allow that!"